I'm sure this subject has been done to death but I really need some informed minds to help me confirm my own thinking. We have a (new) 30 acre property with about 8 acres of lawn and former horse pasture (recently brush hogged) and the remainder is hilly forest that I am starting to manage for timber and maple syrup production.
Primarily, I need a tractor for mowing, garden work and then snow removal on the gravel portion of our (long) driveway in the winter. A much smaller percentage of the time I would use a tractor for tree work and moving/pulling collection tanks of sap.
I can wrap my head around the idea that my max usage would really benefit from a compact tractor but when I think of my day-to-day it would seem like something in the sub-contact range would be ideal.
At this point I have looked closely at a Kubota BX23S and a Kioti CK2610 as my two ends of the spectrum. I really like the factory loader and backhoe of BX, it sounds like it could handle the finish mowing well with its mid-mount deck and since it is lightweight. However, my best guess is that once it is out in the woods it would be outclassed quickly by something on a larger frame like the Kioti.
Hi...
I have 1 acre...
I also Purchased a 3560 HSTC cab last fall.
So- I am telling myself every day that I’m sooooo glad I bought up in class and weight.
But I have R4 tires, and the weight of this thing absolutely tears up grass when it’s soggy out. I think if I had the turf tires, it would do the same, it would just take double the traffic before the grass gives it up to the weight.
I was thinking I could put a finish mower on it. But, I think I’m only kidding myself. Especially in small yards less than an acre.
However, I purchased a work platform. And I’ve used that f home repairs to lift me and materials to the roof line (shingles!!)
I pulled out a 850 gallon oil tank that I didn’t even know was in the ground.
I have tilled (with bucket) and leveled an 40ftx120ft garden ... I even used the bucket to drive the fence posts, and I git a grapple that I use to remove roots, blackberry bushes, remove 4ft deep washed up firewood from the beach twice now.
itscsnnamazing