5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

[Treozen]

Hello all - newbie seeking your opinions and feedback.

I'm looking for some advice on which John Deere to get for my new property. I haven't looked closely at riding mowers lately (or are they lawn tractors now?) and traditionally I always over buy - I get way more machine or technology than I need. This time though, I'm trying to be more realistic and so I thought I'd see what you all thought given the property in question. My only experience has been with an ancient Cub Cadet riding mower - now deceased - and so not really useful for making a decision.

All things going to plan, I'll be moving to property with just shy of 5 acres. 2.5 acres is pretty much open grass pasture, 1.4 acres is grass area but with your typical landscaping stuff to navigate around (trees, plant beds, etc) and the occasional building (shed, round pen, etc). The rest of the land is either taken up by larger buildings or will be push-mower territory due to the locations and small navigable pathways. Most of the land is flat to a gentle slope, but perhaps the back acre is a little more sloped with a fair drop off say for the last 40 feet - I'm not sure what grade that last 40 feet is - not so much that its hard to walk up, but enough that you notice, I'd guess my old cub-cadet would make it up the hill on a dry day ...well...if it wasn't dead and stripped for parts. That last 40 feet also leads right up to a sheer drop of about 30 feet down an embankment - so I'm not sure its a safe riding-mower place anyway - that last 20 feet at least might need to be left wild or mowed with a walk-behind. It looks to me like the current owners use their riding mower right up to the fence line....brave folks, I guess. I do plan to get a tractor too - thinking Massey 1710 or similar with loader - this will be horse property. I am aware that some of the sub-compact tractors have mower decks, but I think I prefer the idea of having a tractor for tractor work, and a mower for mowing work.

I've done some research and I think the D155 would probably work for me. It appears to have a better engine, transmission and other features than the D-series below it in the range, and good sized mower deck (48") yet not so big as to make navigation a challenge. Then I spotted a post or two on the s240 - so I looked at that - I'm not 100% sure I understand why the s240 exists - I note that it has a different seat, smaller mower deck but perhaps built better, less horsepower than the D155 (-6HP) but an engine with a better reputation? Its around $200 - $500 more than the D155 depending on which add you're looking at and it does carry an additional 1 year / 80hr of warranty. Finally, as I was researching, many many posts indicated that rather than a D-anything, people should just buy the X330. So I looked at that - around $1000 more than the D155. Best as I can tell the X330 shares the same transmission with the D155 and s240, same engine as the S240 but still less HP than the D155 w/ 24HP Briggs & Stratton ELS. I'm not sure how much better the X330 / s240 engine really is. The deck is smaller like the s240 (42 " versus 48" for the D155) but has heavier duty frame and a better mower deck than the D155 in terms of construction (though same deck as the s240?). I'm just not sure where I see $1000 in extra value, although the warranty is twice that of the D155. At the moment, I think the D155 would probably work, but the s240 might make better sense due to the better mower deck and the additional warranty.

This just what I can gather from the JD site, but curious to your thoughts.

Thanks - Allan.

 

[Richard001]

Re: 5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

Allan,

No ideas on your question on "what to buy", but want to welcome you to TBN.

Richard

 

[Deere Dude]

Re: 5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

That doesn't sound like very forgiving property at least for part of it.

What I would do, unless you want a CUT, I would get the biggest baddest ruggedest garden tractor I could afford, and skip all the cheapy crap out there. Anguish over problems from a cheapy garden tractor and flimsy attachments will last a long time past the pain of buying a nice one originally.

 

[jenkinsph]

Re: 5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

For what you want to do I would suggest a single tractor for now that will do everything with the additional walk behind mower. Later when you get over the budget constraints of buying the new property I would add a good mowing tractor to the arsenal.

The new 2038R would be a good choice, it is compact but has plenty of power to run pto equipment such as rotary tillers and brush mowers. This is a good size for a small horse property with improvements you will want to make over the next 10 years. If you prefer Massey Ferguson then see what they have in the 30 to 40 hp sizes it is a good brand too.

The mower and tractor you mention are just too small to get much done. If you still work full time you will soon tire of spending all Saturday or Sunday just mowing the grass with the small equipment you listed.

 

[mapper]

Re: 5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

I have a X324 with a 48" deck and power flow bagger on it. I mow about an acre or so of grass with a lot of trees and obstacles in it. It takes about 3 hours to do the entire job. I like the four wheel steering as it lets me get really tight around the trees and landscaping yet is a bit more stable on slopes than a zero turn. I have been really impressed by the power flow bagger, the only time I have clogged it has been when I wasn't paying attention and over filled the bags.
It is not an inexpensive mower but I feel that it meets my needs, not having to unclog chute every couple of minutes during our moist early spring and summer fast grass growth is really nice. And yes I have mowed with it in the rain, didn't clog - but it was a green gooey mess to clean up afterwards:laughing:

 

[Treozen]

Re: 5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

Thanks everyone for the replies.

For what you want to do I would suggest a single tractor for now that will do everything with the additional walk behind mower.

The new 2038R would be a good choice, it is compact but has plenty of power to run pto equipment such as rotary tillers and brush mowers..... If you prefer Massey Ferguson then see what they have in the 30 to 40 hp sizes it is a good brand too.

The mower and tractor you mention are just too small to get much done. If you still work full time you will soon tire of spending all Saturday or Sunday just mowing the grass with the small equipment you listed.

I thought about the single tractor to start - but my Father-in-law has suggested he might buy us a JD riding mower as a "house warming" gift - so I started looking for a riding mower I'd actually want - no way he's going to buy a full tractor and its seems tacky to as for the value of the riding mower towards a tractor, so I figured might not be bad to have both anyway - My wife will probably do most of the mowing and I think a smaller riding mower is probably a good idea versus a bigger tractor - not that she can't handle a tractor [looks over shoulder] but for the front 1.4 acres the better maneuverability will be good. Besides, if my Father-in-law actually does buy as one, might as well take it - I'd just like to know which one to bend his ear about and the X-series might be out of the price range - he recently bought a D110, but doesn't like it and is looking for something else, so that tells me the upper D-series and or s240 is probably doable.

I'm a bit surprised that the Massey 1700 series is thought to be too small - I know its not a big tractor, but I thought it was good enough to dig post holes, move manure, do some grading and maybe dig out an arena footing (backhoe). I had thought about getting a 40-50 HP tractor, but used if I could find one.

 

[Deere Dude]

Re: 5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

Thanks everyone for the replies.



I thought about the single tractor to start - but my Father-in-law has suggested he might buy us a JD riding mower as a "house warming" gift - so I started looking for a riding mower I'd actually want - no way he's going to buy a full tractor and its seems tacky to as for the value of the riding mower towards a tractor, so I figured might not be bad to have both anyway -.

Oh Oh. I wish my FIL would have bought me a garden tractor.
I hope he is generous to a fault or you will end up with a piece of crap and will feel bad for trading it in a few months later. Good luck with that.

 

[Spindifferent]

Re: 5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

Welcome to TBN!

Your approx. 4ac is a lot of ground to mow with a 48" deck. Suggest that you borrow a riding mower with a 48" deck and mow your property first to see if you can stand all of that time in the seat. The actual condition of the soil surface will make a big difference on the time you spend mowing. If the soil surface has bumps and holes and ruts and rocks and such, a Deere riding mower in the D or X2xx or X3xx ranges may be out of the equation with these conditions. With lots of bumps and holes and ruts and rocks and such, a Deere X5xx would likely be out of the question as well.

You can certainly mow 4ac with a D or X2xx if the soil surface is in a relatively smooth condition, and you like spending time in the seat.

Enjoy!

 

[Treozen]

Re: 5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

Oh Oh. I wish my FIL would have bought me a garden tractor.
I hope he is generous to a fault or you will end up with a piece of crap and will feel bad for trading it in a few months later. Good luck with that.

Well yes, in a nut shell this is why I'm asking the question.

He may not buy one, and since we are very capable of buying our own, its worth asking the question anyway. Given the list of sometimes very random stuff that shown up in my yard and house over the years however, it is very possible he'll just decide to pull off at the Deere dealer and pick something up. By random, I mean as in..."I was getting bread at Safeway and got tired sitting at the lights so I just pulled off the road noticed that local tractor dealer across the road had a sale on so I bought you this....[insert random riding mower here]. Since I don't want a random mower that maybe can't really do the job, and we wouldn't be able to trade it in (you don't trade in gifts...seems to me anyway ) and we'd only feel bad for not using or ultimately replacing the random mower, I figured its probably a good idea to try point him in a specific direction, should the urge to buy a riding mower become more than idle chat. He is generous, but not specifically knowledgeable about lawn tractors - which is probably why he has a new-ish D110 that he wants to replace already.

Its equally likely that we'll buy our own, and in that case, I'd need the same feedback on the options - although going John Deere is in that case be optional, I have no particular brand requirement, only that it be a solid machine that performs as it should.

Allan.

 

[Treozen]

Re: 5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

Welcome to TBN!

Your approx. 4ac is a lot of ground to mow with a 48" deck. Suggest that you borrow a riding mower with a 48" deck and mow your property first to see if you can stand all of that time in the seat. The actual condition of the soil surface will make a big difference on the time you spend mowing. If the soil surface has bumps and holes and ruts and rocks and such, a Deere riding mower in the D or X2xx or X3xx ranges may be out of the equation with these conditions. With lots of bumps and holes and ruts and rocks and such, a Deere X5xx would likely be out of the question as well.

You can certainly mow 4ac with a D or X2xx if the soil surface is in a relatively smooth condition, and you like spending time in the seat.

Enjoy!

I was just thinking about that actually - I do need to walk the property more, but it seemed relatively flat and even. That said, its not "a lawn" definitely more a natural field. My thought was maybe we cut the front 1.4 with a riding mower but use a tractor with one of those tow-behind mowers for the back 2-ish acres....The "pasture" doesn't need to be manicured, just kept low enough that its tidy. Perhaps We can borrow something like you suggest and see what it takes.

 

[Spindifferent]

Re: 5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

I was just thinking about that actually - I do need to walk the property more, but it seemed relatively flat and even. That said, its not "a lawn" definitely more a natural field. My thought was maybe we cut the front 1.4 with a riding mower but use a tractor with one of those tow-behind mowers for the back 2-ish acres....The "pasture" doesn't need to be manicured, just kept low enough that its tidy. Perhaps We can borrow something like you suggest and see what it takes.

A riding mower around the house and a tractor with a shredder/bushhog/brushhog for the pasture is the strategy that I use. Have 2.5ac around the house and 4ac in pasture. Use a Deere X584 and a Deere 3520 for these, respectively. My pasture has a fair amount of bumps and holes, and the bigger 3520 tractor handles them well.

Another factor to consider is the thickness/height/density of the grass you will be mowing. As thickness/height/density increase, the need for a larger more capable engine and transaxle increases.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

Why not split the cost with him? If he's offered to buy a lawn tractor, might as well buy something that will last.

So you have 4 acres to mow, at some point you will have a horse on the 2.5 acre pasture so you won't need to mow that but a few times a year?

If your left with mainly 1.4 acres to mow regularly a 48 in deck should do fine.

Personally I think you should start your hunt in the X3xx (K57 trans) line or x5xx (K72 trans) line, dealer models are normally best and have heavier decks. A Kawasaki engine will be better than a B&S or Kohler.

I might also suggest to search the Husqvarna GT48DXLS (K66 trans) on here.

Having a separate tractor and lawn mower is the way to go I think. There's not a tractor out there that's good at mowing and tractor stuff. Saves hours on your tractor also.

I mow 2 acres with my 54in deck in a little under 1.5 hours, your looking at 3-5 hours with 48in or smaller to mow the whole 4 acres, that's a lot of mowing, best to get as big of deck as you can.

 

[mapper]

Re: 5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

Treozen, are you on bottom land or rocky prairie out there, it can make a big difference in how thick and tall your grass will be. A lot of the ground around south Puget Sound is ancient ice age moraine which can be about 90% rocks and a small amount of course sand, sparse grass and camus lilly is about all that will grow on it. If disturbed it is really hard to get it smooth and flat without bringing in top soil.
Your soil type can make a huge difference in what will work well for you in both mower and larger tractor.

 

[Treozen]

Re: 5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

Why not split the cost with him? If he's offered to buy a lawn tractor, might as well buy something that will last.

That would be the most logical solution, but we've tried that sort of thing before and generally it ends up more complicated....like the time my wife's car got totaled in a parking lot and despite the fact she had it covered, he went out and surprised her with "the exact same car" except that it was missing half the options - we paid for it, and it was a nice gesture but sometimes he just gets a whim and BOOM...something shows up....regardless of what you've discussed.

So you have 4 acres to mow, at some point you will have a horse on the 2.5 acre pasture so you won't need to mow that but a few times a year?

Sort of common misconception actually....horses really only want to eat grass that's 6-inches or less - longer than that and they'll either ignore it or trample it over. If their only source of food I bet they'd eat it eventually but we'll have them on a more controlled diet - otherwise you get fat horses.

Personally I think you should start your hunt in the X3xx (K57 trans) line or x5xx (K72 trans) line, dealer models are normally best and have heavier decks. A Kawasaki engine will be better than a B&S or Kohler.

I might also suggest to search the Husqvarna GT48DXLS (K66 trans) on here.

Having a separate tractor and lawn mower is the way to go I think. There's not a tractor out there that's good at mowing and tractor stuff. Saves hours on your tractor also.

I agree with the separate tools for sure, just need to figure out which. Might be cheaper and time saving over the years to buy a black-top machine and buid a parking lot ;-)

 

[Treozen]

Re: 5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

Treozen, are you on bottom land or rocky prairie out there, it can make a big difference in how thick and tall your grass will be. A lot of the ground around south Puget Sound is ancient ice age moraine which can be about 90% rocks and a small amount of course sand, sparse grass and camus lilly is about all that will grow on it. If disturbed it is really hard to get it smooth and flat without bringing in top soil.
Your soil type can make a huge difference in what will work well for you in both mower and larger tractor.

I'm not sure what the make-up is, I haven't been able to spend ant time looking at the land in detail, its not ours yet for sure. I did take note that the grass looked medium-thick with broad leaves and seemed consistent in terms of coverage over the entire area. I believe the whole 4.5 acres was wooded at one point, though its been probably 70 years.

 

[jenkinsph]

Re: 5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

Thanks everyone for the replies.




I'm a bit surprised that the Massey 1700 series is thought to be too small - I know its not a big tractor, but I thought it was good enough to dig post holes, move manure, do some grading and maybe dig out an arena footing (backhoe). I had thought about getting a 40-50 HP tractor, but used if I could find one.

That was my mistake I read it too fast and was thinking GC 1700 series. The 1736 looks like a good choice imo.

 

[Treozen]

Re: 5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

That was my mistake I read it too fast and was thinking GC 1700 series. The 1736 looks like a good choice imo.

No, you had it right. I was thinking GC1720 TLB - they really seem like capable little tractors, but I'll need to do more research. If I could find an older low-hour bigger tractor I might do that.

 

[Deere Dude]

Re: 5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

The size of deck sort of determines the size of machine you may need. For me I wouldn't cut anything unless I could use at least a 60-62" deck. Unless you can cut a property in less that 2-3 hours it will be painful.

I had used a 60" deck in the 90s with a 20+HP JD garden tractor. I got a smoken deal on a new smaller JD with a 54" deck, cab, and some other goodies. It was about the 300 size of John Deere garden tractor. I pushed my 60" deck in the corner and started to use the 54" deck exclusively on maybe 2 acres. 1.25 flat and .75 on a hill and many trees. Both were hydrostatic driven and full hydraulic controls and both were pretty nice tractors.

After mowing 3-4 times with the smaller decked tractor I got rid of it and went back to the 60" deck tractor and have had roughly that size ever since. But a 62" deck is our trim tractor now.

The reason I got rid of the smaller one is because it seemed to take forever to mow the same piece of property. Six" don't seem like much but it really seems to slow the process down to where it get to be a pain to mow and I can't imagine that much lawn with anything smaller. Get a 60" deck on whatever brand you decide. 2 hours mowing is getting to be to much time.

 

[al3]

Re: 5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

Good luck figuring out the mower part of the equation. It drove me crazy and still not sure I picked the appropriate unit.

Agee with the conclusion if you’re not budget constrained, separate mower and tractor is the best approach. Mowing under/near/around the typical lawn obstacles is the primary reason I have both. Tractor gets used for a lot of different task, some which having a deck suspended underneath isn’t good. Wrestling with installing and removing a mower deck quickly make finish mowing a job better left to a dedicated unit. That said, the quality of cut my compact gives is better than the mid-level dedicated mower I use.
If you start considering CUTs and Sub CUTS, look at stuff like how much you’ll need to lift (square/round bales, pallets of feed), transport, storage, CAT 1 vs other hitches, HP needed to drive your desired brush hog and that might help you narrow in on a solution. Required FEL lift capacity often drives the solution IMO
While on active duty I once owned a rural property that had previously housed three horses----something like 3.5 acres. One pretty decent slope that had both lawn and pasture on it. I mowed it all using an 11hp single cylinder B&S geared tranny Craftsman for 5 years, cutting the pasture areas 3 times each season……… Still use that unit for my rough finish mowing areas today……

 

[vts5]

Re: 5 acres of mixed ground - What "little Deere" do I need ( D155, S240, X330)

Sounds like we have a similar(ish) property, ours is 6.5a with some hills/paddocks and trees as well. We currently have the D140 with the 48" deck, since that was about what we could afford. It works OK, but it does take a while, especially in the spring, for cutting down pasture once the horses have been in there. Once you get into summer, the slow growth makes it pretty manageable. Our guys are out on grass all day, but man do they get super picky.

One main thing for us, is that we can't go bigger than 48", unless you are going to have huge gates into your paddocks. We have 8' gates and rests for our gates to prevent sagging, and it's a pretty tight fit with the 48".

I do constantly worry about the trans on our tractor though and one day I want to get an x384 just for the peace of mind, but that probably won't happen.

That being said, we've used ours now for over 70 hours and haven't had an issue with it. When we first moved in there was grass taller than the tractor and it still mowed it down with a few passes (discharge and only using 1/4th of the width, but still).