A Newbie With Questions???

[tony123]

We just moved onto 3 acres last June. I didn't know jack about tractors prior to that. I knew I would have grass to mow, so I thought I'd splurge and buy myself a "toy". I picked up a 30 year old Yanmar (20hp).

I can testify that you will be amazed at all the projects that suddenly show up once you have a tool like a tractor. I really didn't think I needed one, but I "wanted" one. And now, looking back over the last 9-10 months, nearly every project that we've done has been worlds easier with the tractor. And most would not have been possible without it. I've got a FEL on my wishlist.

It is very likely that you will one day realize that it was short sited to buy a "mowing only" type of machine.

You might consider getting a zero-turn for mowing, and a used tractor with FEL?

Best of luck and have fun shopping!

 

[Gittyup]

Nice place. That's a lot of grass to cut. I would consider two machines: a big zero turn will make quick work of grass. And a tractor is truly indespensible for anyone who likes to work their property. FEL should be mandatory too. 4WD maybe not be necessary on your flat, dry land. But, most tractors in the size that you will be looking at will have it as a standard feature. If you ever decide to sell, the 4WD would be more attractive to potential buyers.

The machines you are looking at are good choices. There are many good machines out there other than Kubota and JD: MF, NH, Kioti, Mahindra, Branson, TYM, CC and so on. You should look at as many as you can before deciding.

 

[Harry c]

DJ
You don't say what part of TN you're in but I'm guessing somewhere in the western part. Never saw that much flat land in the middle or eastern sections. (I'm originally from Knoxville.) Pick whatever ZTR or tractor best suited for the jobs you need. As for the golf course from cornfield, I'd suggest you find someone with a Harley Rake or other power box rake to run over the area. I'm not usually a proponent of "outsourcing" work. I like to do it all myself. But a neighbor had a couple of acres done with one of these rigs on a skid steer and I was thoroughly impressed. It took maybe an hour to do the whole place and it was perfectly smooth and ready to seed.

I like my FEL for mulching, etc but from the looks of your place you can probably back your trailer or truck right to the spot. I also have a boom sprayer for weed control and fertilizer application but you could probably handle all that with a pull behind spreader. Five acres is a lot of mowing. You might try to find something similar to a golf course mower since you have few obstructions.

 

[NuBota]

Assume Tennessee is not water starved like Colorado. Five acres is a lot of grass.

Even if not I'm guessing you'll need to water at least some during the summer - so unless you will have additional wells drilled strategically thoughout, maybe FEL and backhoe for irrigation systems?

I agree with the others though - all that mowing go ZTR

 

[DJFaninTN]

Thanks for all the input. Some good things to really consider. Now for the Zero Turn thought. That was my first thought as well. In fact I had a dealer let me have one for a weekend to test drive. While it was a lot of fun to drive, the ground was way too rough. You wouldn't have to worry about having a kidney stone because it would have been jarred right out of you! Zero turns aren't the most comfortable ride and I am not worried about being so fast either.

So that is why I am looking at the tractor first. Lots of ground work to do (spraying, disc the ground, seeding, fertilizing). I figure it will take a few seasons to get it exactly right.

 

[putt_putt_green]

Make sure your garage doors are as tall as possible. A lot more tractors fit with the ROPS up with 8 foot doors than with the standard 7 foot doors.

 

[LBrown59]

I didn't know they made FELs with out Tractors.

I have a BX23 TLB with a 60"" mmm.
I don't have a box blade so I just use a BX1500 with front blade and a tiller on the back.
Definately for that much mowing.

You can replace a ZTR with a tractor but you can't replace a tractor with a ZTR

A FEL will quickly become your best friend. You'll find uses for it that won't occur to you until you have one.

Finally settled on a BX24 TLB with a 54" mid-mount-mower a box blade and a thumb for the backhoe.
I'd go with a 60" MMM with the flat land that it looks like you have.

I have a Craftsman lawn tractor for finish mowing and if it ever dies I intend to replace it with a ZTR, but I will always have my tractor too

 

[LBrown59]

I* really don't think I will need the FEL. My neighbor has one if needed.
2*I desire the entire 5 acres to look like a golf course.
I had a dealer let me have a Zero turn for a weekend to test drive. the ground was way too rough. You wouldn't have to worry about having a kidney stone because it would have been jarred right out of you!

1*How do you know that his FEL will fit what ever tractor you get?
2*How can a 0 turn ride so rough on ground that's like a golf course?

 

[DJFaninTN]

1*How do you know that his FEL will fit what ever tractor you get?
2*How can a 0 turn ride so rough on ground that's like a golf course?


Well as stated in the original post the ground in its current state is rough. We will have to disc the ground and level it out and then we can work towards getting it looking like a golf course.

The neighbor has a bobcat so that is why I was stating I wasn't sure if I just had to have an FEL. Right now I am leaning towards going ahead and getting one.

 

[LBrown59]

Going with a FEL is a good idea.
A skid steer is very heavy and the wheels have to slide when turning.
These 2 things are the perfect combination for tearing up that golf course lawn.
You will find the little things you need a FEL for won't get done if you try to rely on borrowing the skid steer because you won't want to bother with borrowing the skid steer for them.
You need to try out a ZTR on a golf course like lawn so you know how it will perform on the type of lawn you want to mow with it.
The Big negative of a ZTR is their single purpose.
I much prefer the multi propose tractor.

1*How do you know that his FEL will fit what ever tractor you get?
2*How can a 0 turn ride so rough on ground that's like a golf course?


Well as stated in the original post the ground in its current state is rough. We will have to disc the ground and level it out and then we can work towards getting it looking like a golf course.

The neighbor has a bobcat so that is why I was stating I wasn't sure if I just had to have an FEL. Right now I am leaning towards going ahead and getting one.