About to place an order - sanity check, please.

[newbury]

WHAT??
All these replies and I didn't see any TEETH mentioned!
Get a toothbar or a Piranha for the FEL and make sure the FEL has hooks or D-rings on the top so you can fasten chains to it.

Weigh carefully getting a backhoe. They are expensive and often unused. I know, I've got one. But I've a lot of use planned for it. And it makes me feel like a kid in a sandbox when I do use it

As far as weight/ballast you can fill a 50 gal drum with concrete, put in some pipes for tool storage and make some mounts for the 3pt.

Definitely get either Pat's Easy Change or a quick hitch if your going to have several implements.

 

[jenkinsph]

I really appreciate all the quick advice.
I had specifically asked the dealer to price in a 5' bush hog, because I was concerned about clearance around some of the wooded areas of my property, but if the extra width isn't that difficult, I will have him revise the quote.

You guys really have me second guessing the finish mower. The orchard and lawn are both smooth and in good repair. I have a CC 1046VT w/ 46" deck. I was just concerned that the hills were going to wear out the HST on it. Also, mowing is taking me about 2 hr each week. It has been handling it fine this summer, but I was including a finish mower so I could save some wear and tear on it and keep it running good for the yard closest to the house and buildings. Leaving off the finish mower would free up some room in the budget to possibly accomodate a BH. But, after buying the tractor, I'm not going to be in any position to buy a larger dedicated mower any time soon.

Suppose I keep using the CC for the lawn, would I be better off getting AG tires instead of the R4s on the Kioti, since I won't be using it on the lawn?
If I do end up with a BH, I assume it would prvide suitable couter-weight when I am doing heavy work with the loader.
What is hydraulic top and tilt?

I would want the brushhog to be as wide as the tractor. I would use the riding mower you have until it wears out, the transmission can be rebuilt when needed. Mowing around the trees will be much easier with your riding mower and would point out that rubbing the trees with a mower deck will kill them with repeated scraping. So it is much easier to circle the trees with a small mower. A 4ws garden tractor or good zero turn is what I would buy when you need to replace the CC. I would rather put more hours on the lawnmower than on the new and more costly tractor, that is cheaper long term.

Most people with a new place will find they need to run the tractor across the lawn for various improvement projects, so I would recommend the R4 tires for general use. The best advice I can give you is to stay off the tractor when the ground is wet to prevent tracking your place up.

I wouldn't buy a backhoe attachment if the budget is tight, rather hire it or rent one as it will be cheaper in most cases. Get the other things you need instead. For instance most new properties need all sorts of material purchases that will far surpass the importance of a homeowner backhoe.

 

[gunmonkeyintl]

If I do end up with a finish mower, can I offset it to one side? I have 10 apple trees that are a little difficult to get under even on the CC.

The biggest challenge with buying a first tractor seems to be the combination of not knowing what all my options are and not knowing the things I will use it most for...until I'm actually using it.

 

[k0ua]

If I do end up with a finish mower, can I offset it to one side? I have 10 apple trees that are a little difficult to get under even on the CC.

The biggest challenge with buying a first tractor seems to be the combination of not knowing what all my options are and not knowing the things I will use it most for...until I'm actually using it.

No not much offset,. A little, but soon the turnbuckles/sway bars would be rubbing the tires. Keep in mind you can back in under the trees, and keep going around the trees backing in. It is a little slow, but it is one of the advantages of the rear mower. The Hydrostatic transmission is your friend here. Yes not knowing what you need until you start doing this is one of the problems in buying a tractor.. And we cannot know exactly what you need either, because we don't live on your property and we don't know exactly the tasks you are trying to accomplish. After you hang around here for a while, and see what others are doing, you can get some ideas about what you want to do around your place.

James K0UA

 

[TripleR]

If I do end up with a finish mower, can I offset it to one side? I have 10 apple trees that are a little difficult to get under even on the CC.

The biggest challenge with buying a first tractor seems to be the combination of not knowing what all my options are and not knowing the things I will use it most for...until I'm actually using it.

No way to avoid it, as James says, research etc. will help, but many of us no matter how much experience we have or knowledge we accumulate wind up with equipment that is rarely or never used. We used a RFM quite a bit when getting our reforestation done, but haven't used it in years, we rarely use our cycle mower, but don't want to get rid of it, same with our three bottom plow and disk. We finally sold our no till drill last year and will rent one when needed, too much money just sitting around, we did use it a lot for several years though.

 

[IndyIan]

I wonder if you could finish mow with r4's by atleast removing the bucket, or the whole loader? It's the fronts that really compact the soil I find with r1's atleast.
For mowing trails, my 5' bush hog is OK, as the tires compact the grass to 6' wide anyways, but for mowing saplings, 6' would be ok and 7' would be great but they get very expensive.
Anyways, I think the DK is a great tractor for a hobby farmer and land owner, the HST and loader are a pleasure to use, it's wide enough to handle some side slopes, and has enough weight to push a 6' bucket into turf or clay soil.

 

[gunmonkeyintl]

Again, thank you all for your advice on this. I was teaching a class down state this week and knew I would be passing within a mile or so of the dealer I have been talking with. So, I stopped in today so I could look at the tractor in person and talk about the option package I am leaning toward now. He spent a long while with me showing me options and letting me test the closest model he had in stock.
My tax exemption cert was waiting on me when I returned home, and I think I am going to go back this weekend and place my order.

Based on my discussion with him, and the advice I've gathered here, this is what I had him put into a formal quote for me:

DK40SE HST w/ Dual Rear Remotes
Loaded R4s
KL401 FEL w/ removeable tooth bar and welded chain hooks
6' Bush Hog (Bush Hog brand)
9" PH Digger
Shop Manual

I've decided against the finish mower, for the time-being at least, in favor of upgrading the HST in the CC or buying a zero-turn later. For a rotary tiller and box blade, I can borrow locally, and can take my time watching the used market if I decide I need them. Also, narrowing it down to the two implements that I know I want, and would prefer to have new, put enough room in the budget/price that I can add in the backhoe, if I want - which is my last hang-up...

Do I want the backhoe? No doubt, I would prefer the lower payment (which goes up about 25% by adding in the BH), if I don't really need it, but I keep coming up with things I think I could use it for. Over the last week, I have waffled back and forth on my "final decision" three or four times. I know the normal advice in a case like this it to not buy something if you're having a hard time deciding, but I am wired backward from most folks- I normally talk myself out of buying stuff. The fact that I keep coming back to it is unusual for me.

One of the bigger, longer-term jobs I have for the tractor is reclaiming, and possibly extending, some old logging roads. Of course, this will involve removing a lot of tree stumps. Am I wrong in thinking that the BH will make that a lot easier? Too, I've got a bunch of trees that I plan to pu in over the next several years.

 

[Larro Darro]

Welcome to the forum Gunmonkey.

All the advice above has been good. Grass is what I know the best, so I will stick to the mowers. 2 acres is right on or below the dividing line for a RFM. I have 6 1/2 acres that I mow with a 6' RFM. It is a lot faster, but going around the trees are a pain. There are a lot of good used RFM's around. You could use the CC for now and be on the lookout for a used one. If your 2 acres doesn't have a lot of trees, the RFM will do it in no time. The little front yard proper here is only an acre. With the 6' RFM, I barely have time to drink a cup of coffee while mowing it.

And if you plan to keep your wheels at 6', I would get a 6' BushHog. Having it as wide as your wheels is a must.

 

[jenkinsph]

Your list looks like a good start or foundation to build on, good luck with it and try to keep up and participate in the forums here. Lots of good information to be gleaned on TBN.

 

[swick1]

If you can afford it and have a place to store it buy the hoe. I had the same dilemma and it really made my tractor twice the machine. It's so much easier to level dirt than using a loader. Not to mention its uses as a crane, prybar, extra hand, wire spool holder, post hole digger and ditch cleanout tool.