Choosing between sub-compact and compact options.

metalbender · Apr 8, 2021

No mention of location. Long drive, how cold, how much snow? Compact with a cab and heat will make a miserable chore into a pleasant job. I agree on the ZT mower for grass. Tractors don't make good mowers regardless of some opinions. It's an expensive mistake to get a Swiss army knife and realize you need some real tools to do your work.

RidgeHiker · Apr 9, 2021

There are many factors on snow removal. No idea what your conditions are like but having had a 30 HP and lighter weight tractor I am grateful for the larger one I have now. The previous one worked but took much more time. Also I do not have to get on it as soon or as often since it is capable of dealing with deeper and heavier snow.

dodge man · Apr 9, 2021

I see a lot of people recommend against a mid mount mower. I like them. Would I rather have a zero turn? Sure. Do I want another machine to maintain and store? No. A salesman looked at my property years ago and recommended against a zero turn, to many hills and rough.

jeff9366 · Apr 9, 2021

Kubota MX Series on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=kubota+mx+series+tractor

Diggin It · Apr 9, 2021

LuckyLuke1184 said:
We have a (new) 30 acre property with about 8 acres of lawn

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.

Disagree.

A SCUT with a belly mower will mow, but it is not a finish mower. At 2500 pounds or so (machine, mower, operator, etc.), it will leave ruts/depressions no matter how careful you are. I got mine in part to do a fairly steep hill that was taking a toll on my riders. In just two seasons, I can see the ruts forming if I don't alter my mowing path each time.

If you want 8 acres of 'lawn' around a house to look like a lawn, you want something designed for that task.

Diggin It · Apr 9, 2021

dodge man said:
I see a lot of people recommend against a mid mount mower. I like them. Would I rather have a zero turn? Sure. Do I want another machine to maintain and store? No. A salesman looked at my property years ago and recommended against a zero turn, to many hills and rough.

Same here. Hills not conducive to most mowers. SCUT with MMM does them fine, but not with a finish cut.

MoMower · Apr 12, 2021

Diggin It said:
Same here. Hills not conducive to most mowers. SCUT with MMM does them fine, but not with a finish cut.

Lol, what?.....

DonaldP · Apr 12, 2021

LuckyLuke1184 said:
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

RickB · Apr 12, 2021

The biggest single improvement the 8N had over the 9N was the 8N's position control 3 point hitch. 73 years later one of the easiest criteria for a tractor purchase is requiring any 3 point hitch have position control. That eliminates the BX offerings and some other brands of SCUT's.