Best tractor for 5 acres?

daveMT · Jul 23, 2002

I just bought a BX2200 for my cabin. In two weeks, I put over 30 hours on it, and I was on vacation. I bought it to mow the grass and do a little other. I have about 3 hours mowing, the rest is FEL and blade work. Its amazing how much other work you can do with this tractor. When I was doing my research, I was trying to decide how much work I would have for the FEL and 3PH tools. I thought maybe a riding lawn mower would be fine. Now I know how much I can be doing with the tractor.

My only regrets are that I can't get a backhoe with this tractor (maybe I should have bought a BX22), and I found a rock that was too heavy for it to lift. I was building a rock garden and needed to move some large rocks around. If I could start over again, I would spend more time testing the 2410 compared to the 2200 and the 22.

If you get the 2200, I know you will love it. Enjoy!

MarkV · Jul 24, 2002

As much as I think the Bx models are great tractors, I would look at something bigger for your property. With your sand, I think the extra weight would be an asset in the traction department. The extra loader lift is a plus for many projects and position control is also something I would want for grading sandy soil. Given that the property is relatively flat a rear finish mower would work well, save some money and be much easier to remove for other projects. The 2410 or better yet the 2710 would be my choice.

MarkV

AldenMiller · Jul 24, 2002

I have 5 acres and settled on the B7500HST with a Woods RD6000 finishing mower. I no longer spend all weekend mowing (although sometimes I wish I could).

Will_C · Jul 24, 2002

I don't believe you can get a 72" MMM for a 74/7500 tractor. If you are sold on a 72" mower, I think you should hard at a B2710. I have a BX for my three acres, and I love it.

tractornewbie · Jul 24, 2002

You are correct. 60 inches is max for the 7500, I was mistaken on the 72. I visited the local Kubota dealer today. Based on what I told him I'd be doing, he recommended the 7500 with 48inch bush hog. Since our land is in a state several years of overgrowth, weeds, etc., and I'll be disking/leveling/seeding our 5 acres as we get moved in, he's figuring it'd be a couple years before I'd need a finishing mower, and then he recommends rear mount. Apparently the issue here in Florida is the sand, if you dont' have a very established lawn, the finishing mowers suck the sand up as they mow, reack(?) havoc on the blades and mower. My neigbor uses a Sears Craftman to do a lot of his mowing and he says he goes through blades like crazy.

Anonymous Poster · Jul 24, 2002

I just got my bx 2200 less than a week ago and allready have over 12 hrs on it. We are in the process of buying 4 acers. I went on sat to mow it for the 1 st time this year. If your worried the bx wont have enough power for 5 acers .....dont! The hay and weeds were 3-4 feet tall. I set the mmm at 3.5" and it took it right down. I did go over it a second time to clean up the cuttings and some heavy spots I misssed, but I did over half of the plot it just over 3 hrs.

MikeFLA · Jul 24, 2002

Few people really understand what it is like to deal with sugar sand. I live in Central Florida and deal with it every day. My driveway is 1000' of sugar sand.

Here are my observations.

Get as much ground clearance as you can. You will need it.

A MMM will hang up in the sand and you will find yourself wishing it wasn't there.

A 60" 3pt finish mower or 48" bush hog is a good choice and far less expensive.

R4 tires (forget the turf tires) filled with water help with the traction.

4 wheel drive is a must.

I have a B7500 and would be glad to share the good and bad with you.

tractornewbie · Jul 25, 2002

Thanks Mike. I spoke with Jim in Leesburg, not sure what dealer you use but he was very helpfull. Those are similar points he brought up. That was my big question when I went to look at tractors is would be BX have enough ground clearance, it may work, but I do have some slope, and sugar sand. I have had to use 4x4 when its very dry driving my suburban around some of it.
I had planned on the MMM, but he said the same thing, that it would get hung up on stuff and I'd be back in a year wanting to buy a 3 pt mower. Said he WOULD recommend the BX to me, if I was moving into an established house/lawn, with all landscaping done, especially if I had a lot of manuvering to do, etc. But said 7500 would do better with the driveway work, scraping/seeding, and dealing with the deep sand during all that work,and since I have a clear 5 acres and will be laying out our own landcaping/gardens/trees, I can control placement of that so I don't have a maze of manuvering around things to do. So that's probably what I'll end up with.
I WOULD like to hear ALL the good/bad/advice you have(and everyone reading this) about this subject and tractors. I'm learning. This dealer also told me the FEL is the most expensive implement I'll ever put on the Kubota, but that it's also the most useful, and that I'd find things to do with that tool that I'd never dream of. He's also offered to let me take a tractor to my property to cut it, play around and see what I think. So, please reply here, or directly to me e-mail with all the good/bad of the 7500. I'm in Clermont, you?

MikeFLA · Jul 25, 2002

I bought my tractor from Jim in Leesburg. Good Guy! Tell him I said helllo when you go in there again.

I am just down the road from you in Groveland.

I put together some pros and cons on the 7500 a little while back. I will try to find them and re-post for your review.

MikeFLA · Jul 25, 2002

Pros

4WD - Gives the pulling power and traction of a larger tractor in a compact size.

Power Steering - makes long hours behind the wheel comfortable.

Tractor Feel - not the feel of a big tractor but not the feel of a garden tractor…just right.

R-4’s - give good traction in the sand but doesn’t hurt my grass.

Plenty of Power - tires spin before I run out of power.

Easy on and off the tractor with the flat deck

Ground Clearance!!! This is huge for me and my property. I would have been very disappointed with anything less that what the B7500 gives me.

Handles my 60" nearly 600lb finish mower with no problems. I cut the grass at less than the 2600 rated rpms for a 540 PTO.

Cons

Does not always shift into H or L from Neutral. You have to play with the accelerator. The owners manual refers to this problem. You would think that they could figure out how to solve this. It is a pain (Over time as the tractor has broken in, this problem has gone away)

The owners manual for my $39 Timex watch is more comprehensive than this high dollar tractor’s operator manual.

Checking oil is a daily event. The dipstick is difficult to reach if you don’t take off the engine side cover. I can’t imagine removing this every time you check the oil. Over time the fasteners are going to loosen up and or break. Dipstick should be accessible without removing anything.(I figured out how to check the oil without removing the engine side cover)

Don’t particularly like the HST pedal arrangement. Forward is fine but I still have to feel my way to find the reverse pedal. It should be right there. Also, I have caught my pants leg on the rear pedal on more than one occasion.(I have gotten comfortable with the pedal arrangement)

Front axle hubs have a "shelf" around them. A great place for dirt, and grit to accumulate and cause front seal leaks. My Kubota dealer told me this is a common problem with this design.

There is a rattling noise under there somewhere. Hopefully I can find it. (I found it but not sure what to do about it)

These pros and cons were written with 20 hours on the tractor. I now have over 100 hours on it. It serves my needs perfectly!