1.5 acres. Am I nuts for thinking about a tractor?

[dh206]

I have a sub-compact BX2350 on 3.14 acres and love it. It fits through gates, is gentle on the loan with the turf tires (you do not want ag tires! Make sure of it or you'll regret it on your 1.5 acres). It's great. I can't lift 800 with the loader, which is one of your goals, more like 400, but I can lift 1000 at the 3ph. I have a auger, a snow plow (front), and boom lift, a sub-soiler, a 36" tiller, a home-build carry-all, and a very nice Goosen chipper shredder, as well as a 3 part pallet fork for the 3ph.

You definitely should not get a chipper-only. Make sure whatever you get for chipper also includes a hammer-based shredder bin that you can put all those leaves into and make a really nice batch of leaf mold for gardening the following year.
I
got all my stuff, including the tractor, used and/or at auction. Everything is great. The carry-all frame I got at an auction for $65. It has a bunch of surface rust and so what. I had plenty of 2x6 around to make it into a really nice carry-all which I am currently carting around with a rain barrel on it to water my < 1yo pecan trees because it hasn't rained for about 3 weeks.

My limited bucket lift is more than enough for moving around dirt, mulch, compost, and backdragging and digging out the packed stone-dust drive for regrading.

The extra weight of a compact would be unwelcome to my lawn.

 

[VeRV77]

You need to look at a Yanmar SA425. It checks all of your boxes and make an outstanding tractor. #1200 lift at the pin. I haven't done the comparison but I think pound-for-pound it is the strongest tractor you can get in the compact.

For those who say you need a heavier tractor, you don't. Fill the tires and put a ballast box on. I've had no issues with mine at all.

I have 78 hours on mine now and I can tell you I am kind of amazed at the capability of it over a subcompact.

It weighs in only slightly more than a subcompact at 1800 and some odd pounds (dry weight without a loader).

It continues to amaze me how much it does for such a small tractor.

I would advise not getting a subcompact, go ahead and get the compact. 25 horsepower is sufficient they will do an amazing amount of work.

I'm not even going to speak to your question about if you need a tractor or not, because I think it's a ridiculous question

1000% This answer. Interestingly enough, I was in a very similar situation as Kennebec_guy, had 1.6 acres in need of a lot of landscaping and maintenance, and felt like I needed a tractor but thought maybe I was also crazy for thinking that. My wife thought I was crazy when I brought it up. The more we talked about the projects though, the more she (and I) both realized getting a tractor was the right thing to do. I mean, think of it this way - a whole compact tractor is way cheaper than a single spinal surgery. Buying one turned out to be one of the BEST financial decisions I made, since it more than paid for itself. In 2017 after doing a ton of research, I came to the conclusion that the Yanmar SA424 (now 425, with a few new features) was the ideal sweet spot of capability, weight (but not too much weight), and all around feature set. I had many stumps and dead trees to remove, so I got the TLB configuration with the backhoe. I added a thumb, bolt on hooks, work lights, and pallet forks. It's been amazing. It's proven out that the machine is big enough to do real work, but JUST not big enough to destroy the lawn. I did not fill the tires on purpose. I am also glad I did not buy a subcompact. Yanmar makes amazing subcompacts, but you take a hit on loader capacity and I can tell you I've used every bit of the 1200 pounds, moving logs, pallets of cinder blocks, etc. I have about 150 hours on mine, and it's been absolutely flawless. I did the 50 hour service myself with one of Yanmar's kits, which is easy. Also, those Yanmar engines are everything they're cracked up to be - incredibly reliable and they sip fuel, which is why they're in everything. In the end, the tractor made even interior house renovations easier, since I would pick up palletized items (tile, appliances, etc) and unload into my garage or porch in a snap. My wife and I joke now about how we even considered NOT getting it.

 

[Rhorn4400]

I use a 28 hp Kubota l2800 with a hydrostatic transmission to mow with a six foot finish mower I can cover more area faster than a four foot zero turn. Could also add a bucket.

 

[tracdoc]

Besides tractors, you might consider something like a Power Trac PT425 25hp articulating machine for a smaller size property. The advantage would be a tight turning radius, excellent front implement visibility and smaller size. The disadvantage is it has a gas engine and doesn't accept rear 3pt implements like a plow.

I would second the consideration of a Power-Trac 425 for the OP’s property !! While it does not have REAR 3-point implements, it certainly does have an amazingly wide variety of quick-attach front-end attachments. Those attachments go on in a snap! And like you said, the turning radius is tight, like a skid steer. The 4 hydraulic wheel motors are beefy, and maintenance of the gas engine is easy. Any decent hydraulic shop can tend to everything else. I got mine for a 2-acre parcel and it was a dream. When we moved to an 8 acre parcel, the PT stepped right up to the new tasks, so there is plenty of capacity in that “small” tractor! I had some 8 attachments and used them all, especially the snow blade in Winter….we had a shared 900 foot drive in rural SW VA, and saw a lot of snow! With sadness I sold her to a landscaper in MA when we moved to the Pacific NW and I no longer had need.

 

[pumasong]

Hey all! I've been lurking for a bit but I've yet to see a use case quite like mine.

We recently bought a large ~1.5 acre property and historic home in a small town center in Maine. Originally a small horse farm, it was at one point extensively landscaped like a park, with lots of garden plots and about 60 old growth maples and while it's not a big property, it's been a fairly high maintenance one for its small size. The whole property is on a gently sloping hillside with about an acre of lawn, which currently takes me about 90+ minutes to mow with a commercial walk behind (there's a ZTR in our near future). On top of that, it had been neglected for a couple of decades when we bought it, and we're in the process of digging it out from the overgrowth and restoring it to its former glory.

We've got a long list of major landscaping projects planned, including building stone stairs and doing a lot of terracing/retaining wall construction to build foundations for an outdoor dining pavilion as well as a workshop/sugar shack/garage for the ZTR. In addition, the 60 maples generate about 20 cubic yards of leaves every year, which has been "fun" to manage and sustains a leaf pile that's about 45'x25'x6' deep. We're also doing the millennial hobby farmer thing and expanding a large vegetable garden and I'm growing a large hobbyist/small commercial scale maple syrup operation.

With the cost of getting any work done these days, I figure I'm easily at $30-40k or more to get all of the outstanding landscaping projects done, and between moving sap barrels around the yard during syrup season, gardening/landscaping odds and ends, and turning over our large compost pile, a loader would be nice to have. Am I crazy for thinking that a tractor more than pays for itself with the landscaping/earthmoving projects and afterwards becomes a useful tool for managing a small but high maintenance property while raising a growing family and often being pressed for time? What size/hp range should I be considering?

The only rear implements I'd likely be running are a box blade, a small rotary cultivator, and probably a wood chipper. I'd like to be able to lift/move ~800lbs for the landscaping projects. I was thinking that a 25hp emissions-exempt compact with loaded tires would be a good place to start. My local dealerships sell Deere, Kubota, Kioti, Massey Ferguson, and Yanmar, and they all seem pretty decent. If I even need a tractor, what should I look for?

I'm pretty late to this and I'm sure you've had lots of good suggestions of machines that would suit. I just wanted to tell my experience of also living on a 1.5 acre rural property in the UK.

I was also on the fence so ended up going for a fairly old (2001) grey import Yanmar AF120 with FEL for about £4500. It came with rice paddy tyres, causing damage to the turf that my better half objected to, so I had some adapters made and fitted some turf tyres from a small Deere.

Anyway long story short, I use it ALL THE TIME and wouldn't be without it. It's insane how many jobs are made easier having a machine that can lift/pull/carry stuff about the place, let alone cultivating for my annual potato planting etc. In short, if you can afford it, do it!

All the best

George

 

[Going4it]

I purchased 3 acres in northern WI. I didn't think I would use my Kubota LX2610 much besides snow removal and an occasional driveway grade. I was wrong. I use the grapple alot. You will need one with all those maple trees, brush, and clean up you are looking to do. I'm sure glad I purchased mine, especially the older I get.
Good luck.

 

[FERLING]

Hey all! I've been lurking for a bit but I've yet to see a use case quite like mine.

We recently bought a large ~1.5 acre property and historic home in a small town center in Maine. Originally a small horse farm, it was at one point extensively landscaped like a park, with lots of garden plots and about 60 old growth maples and while it's not a big property, it's been a fairly high maintenance one for its small size. The whole property is on a gently sloping hillside with about an acre of lawn, which currently takes me about 90+ minutes to mow with a commercial walk behind (there's a ZTR in our near future). On top of that, it had been neglected for a couple of decades when we bought it, and we're in the process of digging it out from the overgrowth and restoring it to its former glory.

We've got a long list of major landscaping projects planned, including building stone stairs and doing a lot of terracing/retaining wall construction to build foundations for an outdoor dining pavilion as well as a workshop/sugar shack/garage for the ZTR. In addition, the 60 maples generate about 20 cubic yards of leaves every year, which has been "fun" to manage and sustains a leaf pile that's about 45'x25'x6' deep. We're also doing the millennial hobby farmer thing and expanding a large vegetable garden and I'm growing a large hobbyist/small commercial scale maple syrup operation.

With the cost of getting any work done these days, I figure I'm easily at $30-40k or more to get all of the outstanding landscaping projects done, and between moving sap barrels around the yard during syrup season, gardening/landscaping odds and ends, and turning over our large compost pile, a loader would be nice to have. Am I crazy for thinking that a tractor more than pays for itself with the landscaping/earthmoving projects and afterwards becomes a useful tool for managing a small but high maintenance property while raising a growing family and often being pressed for time? What size/hp range should I be considering?

The only rear implements I'd likely be running are a box blade, a small rotary cultivator, and probably a wood chipper. I'd like to be able to lift/move ~800lbs for the landscaping projects. I was thinking that a 25hp emissions-exempt compact with loaded tires would be a good place to start. My local dealerships sell Deere, Kubota, Kioti, Massey Ferguson, and Yanmar, and they all seem pretty decent. If I even need a tractor, what should I look for?

Past experience of owning a Ford 1510 (4x4), Massey Ferguson 1130 (2 wheel drive) and now owning a New Holland Workmaster 50 with a loader (4x4). I have 10 acre of land and 8 acre is tree and pond covered. Driveway of 1325 ft (hill down to pond and up to house). The Workmaster 50 (4x4) has overall worked better for all my regular needs and a few above and beyond needs. I can sell it for what I paid for it new in 2016. Your wallet will determine whether you buy a temporary smile on your face or many future smiles as the Workmaster 50 size tractor will provide. Doesn't have to be a New Holland, just a tractor in that weight and lift capacity category.

 

[jrt750]

Hey all! I've been lurking for a bit but I've yet to see a use case quite like mine.

We recently bought a large ~1.5 acre property and historic home in a small town center in Maine. Originally a small horse farm, it was at one point extensively landscaped like a park, with lots of garden plots and about 60 old growth maples and while it's not a big property, it's been a fairly high maintenance one for its small size. The whole property is on a gently sloping hillside with about an acre of lawn, which currently takes me about 90+ minutes to mow with a commercial walk behind (there's a ZTR in our near future). On top of that, it had been neglected for a couple of decades when we bought it, and we're in the process of digging it out from the overgrowth and restoring it to its former glory.

We've got a long list of major landscaping projects planned, including building stone stairs and doing a lot of terracing/retaining wall construction to build foundations for an outdoor dining pavilion as well as a workshop/sugar shack/garage for the ZTR. In addition, the 60 maples generate about 20 cubic yards of leaves every year, which has been "fun" to manage and sustains a leaf pile that's about 45'x25'x6' deep. We're also doing the millennial hobby farmer thing and expanding a large vegetable garden and I'm growing a large hobbyist/small commercial scale maple syrup operation.

With the cost of getting any work done these days, I figure I'm easily at $30-40k or more to get all of the outstanding landscaping projects done, and between moving sap barrels around the yard during syrup season, gardening/landscaping odds and ends, and turning over our large compost pile, a loader would be nice to have. Am I crazy for thinking that a tractor more than pays for itself with the landscaping/earthmoving projects and afterwards becomes a useful tool for managing a small but high maintenance property while raising a growing family and often being pressed for time? What size/hp range should I be considering?

The only rear implements I'd likely be running are a box blade, a small rotary cultivator, and probably a wood chipper. I'd like to be able to lift/move ~800lbs for the landscaping projects. I was thinking that a 25hp emissions-exempt compact with loaded tires would be a good place to start. My local dealerships sell Deere, Kubota, Kioti, Massey Ferguson, and Yanmar, and they all seem pretty decent. If I even need a tractor, what should I look for?

I have BX23s its great for our 2 acre treed property . However it is under powered for many jobs , but I manage. The BX is a sub compact and will only manage to hold 7- 30kg bags of cement at the edge of the bucket before it starts to get tipsy. And that's with the backhoe attached. You need a bigger machine that's sure .

 

[Iowa Hillbilly]

If I were in a similar situation I would try to avoid owning both a ZTR and a tractor. More engines in your life adds up to more maintenance, more expense, more storage, and more hassles. I'd suggest trying to reduce the size of the lawn area if possible unless you really like it. Maybe plant some fruit trees or a half acre of wildflowers to help the butterflies and pollinators. It's practical and kind of trendy these days. I have a few hundred acres, but my lawn is probably no bigger than a quarter acre, and that saves me a lot of time and expense.

As for selecting a tractor, I'd look at the repetitive tasks it will do and make sure it does them very well. If you plan to mow and plow snow with it make sure it does that well. If your garden is large, you will really love tilling it with a tractor and 25hp is just enough to do that well.

You also mentioned a desire to get a 4 in 1 bucket. I wouldn't recommend that. They tend to be too heavy for smaller tractors and they don't really do anything all that well. I think of them as a holdover from the days when there weren't quick attach loader systems. I would definitely get a third function valve, so that you can use a grapple. They're very handy.

I wouldn't plan on using the front end loader to move sap from the sugar bush to the evaporator. Sugar season around here starts off snow covered and ends icy and muddy and you probably will not like driving with much extra weight on the front end. If you get a wagon (which you will probably want anyway) put a tank in it and tow the sap to the shed. It'll be a lot more stable. Also don't worry to much about getting it all in a single trip. If it takes two or three trips it's not going to be that much more time overall.

I hope this is helpful.

 

[Bigbutler1532]

If your in Maine and you don't have 2 tractors people look at you funny My guess is your local to me, I live in Monmouth. We have a 25Hp at the house and use it all the time . Example, Moving trash, bark mulch bags, heavy boxes, mow my lawn, move snow, pick up branches.. you name it. make sure you have a hook so you never pick up anything heavy with your back again! They really are like having a helping hand.

All enablers here LOL

Barker806 - We're apparently neighbors. Maybe my lack of a second tractor is the blame for the funny looks I get around town...