Do I need a tractor?

[Don87]

Yes, you need a tractor with a front end loader.

 

[cardiologist]

Thank you all for the awesome insight. This is exactly what I was looking for.

I'm just worried that me trying to mow with a MMM may take too long and be an inefficient use of time. Although I have considered firing the lawn service and taking over the lawn mowing. I just feel I can do other stuff and leave the lawn mowing to the guys with 3 zero turn mowers. They finish so quickly. It's not a perfect job, but pretty decent. Do they make grapples for scuts? I guess I may need a B series or 2 series. I'll look into those too. I have a huge garage that could fit anything, so the size doesn't matter. I'm not a welder, so making additions and implements won't be easy for me. I'm a cardiologist and I love doing my own stuff. It's very fulfilling. I just don't want to be buying and overpriced toy. I can help you with your cholesterol though. Lol.

How about the back hoe? I want to dig holes and plant trees. I'd rather have the backhoe available and ready to use than wait to rent one and then go out and buy a bunch of trees. Sometimes you find trees on sale and just want to buy them and get them in the ground.

 

[Don87]

Thank you all for the awesome insight. This is exactly what I was looking for.

I'm just worried that me trying to mow with a MMM may take too long and be an inefficient use of time. Although I have considered firing the lawn service and taking over the lawn mowing. I just feel I can do other stuff and leave the lawn mowing to the guys with 3 zero turn mowers. They finish so quickly. It's not a perfect job, but pretty decent. Do they make grapples for scuts? I guess I may need a B series or 2 series. I'll look into those too. I have a huge garage that could fit anything, so the size doesn't matter. I'm not a welder, so making additions and implements won't be easy for me. I'm a cardiologist and I love doing my own stuff. It's very fulfilling. I just don't want to be buying and overpriced toy. I can help you with your cholesterol though. Lol.

How about the back hoe? I want to dig holes and plant trees. I'd rather have the backhoe available and ready to use than wait to rent one and then go out and buy a bunch of trees. Sometimes you find trees on sale and just want to buy them and get them in the ground.

You can purchase small 'seedling' trees, they wouldn't require anything more than a spade shovel. And if it's 'bare root' seedlings, a hole need not be dug. Just push the spade shovel straight into the ground, push it sideways, insert tree with water, remove spade and press dirt with your foot.


But backhoes can be a lot of fun.

 

[lilranch2001]

Personally I would not limit my search to Kubota.
Yes they are a very visible name in the marketplace, and have helped build the industry to the level it is at now.

But in my humble opinion in many of their lines, they have sat on there laurels and let name recognition sell their products at a premium price

There there are quite a few other brands out there that can compete and maybe even exceed Kubota for a better price.

I started out with wanting a Kubota, and found better choices (for me) in the market

 

[cardiologist]

Personally I would not limit my search to Kubota.
Yes they are a very visible name in the marketplace, and have helped build the industry to the level it is at now.

But in my humble opinion in many of their lines, they have sat on there laurels and let name recognition sell their products at a premium price

There there are quite a few other brands out there that can compete and maybe even exceed Kubota for a better price.

I started out with wanting a Kubota, and found better choices (for me) in the market

What did you end up with? I'm not looking for any specific brand. I just happen to have a dealer less than a mile from my house. I looked at JD too. Any other options to be able to get more tractor for you're money?

 

[TripleR]

We have had dedicated mowers, SCUTS, CUTS, UT and Ag tractors and now have them from 22 to 85 HP. If you throw mowing into the equation, whatever you buy will be a compromise, some can live with a compromise and some can't. Our lawn mower now is a BX2660 and it does a good job though not as good as a dedicated mower and we have an open yard with little to mow around, sometimes however, a small tractor with FEL really comes in handy. I have since accumulated other machines and if I was buying again would go with a dedicated mower.

In my opinion, you would need a mower and a CUT to do all the things you wish.

As to the back hoe, if you have the need then go for it, everyone's situation is different, we rarely need one and have a full size Case sitting in a barn which hasn't been used in years, some use them all the time or simply want one handy, both good reasons to own. We will be planting several hundred trees this year, but usually just go with seedlings and plant with a dibble bar or hire a crew.

 

[lilranch2001]

What did you end up with? I'm not looking for any specific brand. I just happen to have a dealer less than a mile from my house. I looked at JD too. Any other options to be able to get more tractor for you're money?

I have a Bobcat brand, which is no longer built, but Kioti and several clones (like Bobcat) is out there.
I am not even promoting these brands. My point is to look at local dealers that have been in business for a long time and check out all product lines

I just felt many parts of the Kubota lines were inferior to other brands, and you paid for name recognition (much like JD) rather than quality parts.

I think I ended up looking at 7 different brands, chose Bobcat because I liked many of the features Bobcat employed, and my Bobcat dealer was across the highway from my work so it was very convenient to me and the Bobcat name is well know throughout the world.
Never expected them to drop the tractor line though, so in one way I missed the boat....

 

[jeff9366]

1) Can a tractor with just a front loader do a good job at snowplowing? Or would a dedicated blade be necessary?

2) I want to plant more pine trees and other trees. Will a front end loader suffice, or is a back hoe necessary?

3) How good are the wood chippers that you can get for SCUTs?

4) Can the front end loader actually dig, grade land, or be used to remove the top 4-6 inches of sod?

5) What else can tractors do around the property? What all uses have you found for them on non-farm type properties. Just a house, some land, and some woods.

1) How much snow do you have to deal with each winter? How much area do you need to clear?

Bucket on a Front End Loader will handle "some" snow. A rear blade more. A three point hitch mounted, PTO powered snow blower, much more, but not on a BX.

http://www.ratchetrake.com/video_snow_edge.shtml

2) Backhoes are expensive. You can buy four $ implements for what one $$$$ Backhoe costs. When Backhoe is on tractor the three point hitch is not available. Backhoes are heavy. Most people leave them on all the time, losing the three point hitch, or they take them off and leave them in the garage 95% of the time.

Consider a Bucket Spade for tree planting. Great tool but not for a BX.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/258433-florida-planting-sand-pears-kubota.html

3) Wallenstein Chippers and Chipper/Shredders are The Best and what YOU deserve.

BX Wood Chippers - Wallenstein

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...267507-kubota-rtv500-muts-trailer-kubota.html

4) With a Toothbar or Bucket Spade attached a FEL bucket can do some digging. It can remove sod but not so sod can easily be reused. With a Ratchet Rake attached, bucket can do limited grading. BX is limited for digging/grading by lack of power.

For serious grading you use "implements" which mount on the three point hitch at the rear of the tractor. There are a bizillion implements for grading. The four most common are the Box Blade, Landscape Rake, Rear/Angle Blade and Land Plane......then things get esoteric.

The three point hitch is now an industry standard. All tractors come with them, in five capacities: Category 0/BX, Category 1/Most Prevalent, Category 2/Utility Tractors, Category 3/Ag Tractors and Category 4/Behemoths.

Three points hitches are all laid out the same. Understand one, understand all.

5) Make a list. Tractors can do everything but limb trees.

You need a tractor in the 30-40 horsepower range, not a BX.

If I were a Cardiologist, instead of a retired marketing guy, I would buy a Kubota "Grand L" L3560. L3560 has all the gold bells and platinum whistles standard, including the ever-so-nice three point hitch with pin adjustable and telescoping lower links, which makes mounting heavy implements easy on your heart.

I aspire to an L3560. Nirvana.

http://www.kubota.com/product/L60/lineup.aspx

I buy one new implement every-other-month. It used to make Wifey crazy but she has figured out hobby tractoring is less expensvie than hobby boats.....and has become inured. The implements that sit are sold off. The stock of active implements keeps growing....

Sorry T-B-N limits pictures. I have a lot more.

YOU NEED A T-R-A-C-T-O-R L-O-A-D-E-R.

 

[k0ua]

And Gary you need a grapple, on that big LS.. You will be amazed how it makes picking up brush and junk fun!.. I have got my new Everything Attachments Wicked Grapple going on my Kioti, and have started using it. It is way better than forks for brush, I have used forks for years to haul brush off, but it is mostly a get off and stack it thing. Better than trying to get it in/on a bucket, but now where near as cool as taking a couple of seconds to "grab a bite" of brush and off to the brush pile with it.

James K0UA

 

[jeff9366]

OK, OK, a few more pics.....