Do I really need a tractor on 1.5 acres?

[KenOrr]

I say "go for it". But, buy something used. That way if you want bigger, smaller, different configuration, etc, you can sell it for little to no loss, and get exactly what you need.

 

[jonnmero]

And if you need anther argument FOR having a tractor . . .

 

[WayneGasMan]

It's not a lawn mower, but I'm not sure that there is anything on the market to compare with the small old style Farmall tractor for doing large gardens. Especially in clay soil.
Luckily there are lots of used ones on the market and they are so simple they last forever.
If you go that route, get every attachment you can find.
rScotty

Hi love reading everybody's posts and comments. We have 4 acres on an island offshore from Brisbane, Qld, Australia. Old macadamia farm, not maintained for 30 years. Have an ancient [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] L1500DT with slasher (groundhog), and 4in1 FEL. Not used a lot these days as the slashing is pretty much under control. However also have a 42inch zero turn, and what a blast compared to rideons. Halved the mowing time and mowing is almost FUN!
If you really don't need a tractor, get a decent zero turn, but hey having a tractor is a good thing for various other tasks if you have the attachments. BTW I run a very part time business with a diesel Kanga miniloader and do post holes, power/water trenches, driveways, general minor earthmoving (except excavations), and stumpgrinding.
Agree that older equipment with fewer /no electronics for "hobby" use is a good idea.
Cheers, Waynegasman

 

[Redleafmaple]

A couple things that come to my mind.

- that lawn mower doesn't have a permanent rear diff lock, it has no rear diff lock at all, it's open so one wheel gets power at a time. Not sure why you have difficulty steering.

- machine size shouldnt be dictated by property size but what you need to do on that property.

- that cub cadet will likely mow way better than the belly mowerona sub compact. Personally for a yard your size I'd stay with the rider and save the money, the larger the mower the worse cut you'll get because any unlevel areas will either scalp, cut uneven or too high. The smaller the deck the more ability to contour to the landscape.

- if you are complaining the cub rios your lawn up and ruts, a sub compact will be way way worse at that because of weight.

- for a tiller you can always buy a Troy bilt horse, for the size garden you'll be doing it should work well if your looking to save money

 

[lman]

Hey, you can dig to China on 1,000 square feet, so go for it.

 

[Strappe]

Look into Ventrac. I have 6 acres of hilly woods and a BCS walk behind tractor with dual wheels and multiple attachments, but if I wanted a riding mower with similar hill chops and variety of attachments, I’d look at a Venrtrac or Steiner.

 

[GeneSimm7]

It's not a lawn mower, but I'm not sure that there is anything on the market to compare with the small old style Farmall tractor for doing large gardens. Especially in clay soil.
Luckily there are lots of used ones on the market and they are so simple they last forever.
If you go that route, get every attachment you can find.
rScotty

If you can afford a tractor (TLB) without stressing your finances, just buy one because they are fun to own and use!

 

[tommypvt]

Haha. I have a B2650 on half an acre. But I use it mostly for car restoration so needed a large enough loader to move engines, truck cabs and axles. The thing is awesome and still has a mower deck so i can mow the lawn in 6 minutes.

 

[flintlock42003]

Hi everyone, forum newbie here. Recently I moved to a new property, much bigger than my last. However after seeing our neighbors down the street playing with their bx, I'm questioning if we need one (a subcompact)


We're only on 1.5 acres, it's mostly flat. There are some big dips and ruts down the rear end of the property, but nothing extrodinary. We do have a large garden just above that, and a rocky driveway that I'm considering levelling.

We do use a cub cadet xt2 46in, and this is more than adequate for mowing. However I've found it hard to turn with (seriously who in their right mind decided permanent difflock is good for a lawn mower???) And during the rainy season often times the mower will get stuck,or slide around tearing up the grass. Or most likely just bog down due to the water. Meaning mowing is a chore that will take 2+ hours


I'm planning to start a 120M x 20M garden, however this all clay soil so it's necessary to use a large tiller, of which is extremely expensive.


Preferably something to mow with during the wet, so 4wd is very much preffered.

And planning to modify the garden bed/generally move dirt ect.

I'm thinking of a sub compact but would this be the best choice? I have a Massey furgeson gc1705 with a midmount in mind, that's at a very nice price,and a loader is the cost of a new mower. Therefore I'll end up buying the loader for certain with the machine, and thankfully they are cross compatible.or should I just save my money and rent one when necessary? Hopefully with the tractor I'll sell the lawn mower, but I'm not certain yet

I had about the same when I bought my [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] BX25. I started with a Cub Cadet, then a zero turn, got both of them stuck multiple times. 4WD was the key, I’ve had the BX for over 10 years no problems getting stuck.

 

[mrblanche]

I don't think there is an accurate ratio of tractor size to home acreage. I make no apologies that I have a 40hp tractor with FEL on only 6 acres. My property maintenance and projects dictate a larger machine.

Unless you want to contract out, a gravel driveway alone would justify a scut and FEL (Imho). A BX (or similar machine) with a mid mount mower is a capable mowing machine that will likely do less turf damage than a poor traction lawn mower spinning its wheels. As an example, I got half way across my water soaked field in a golf cart before burying it. It stripped the turf down to bare mud while spinning (ughh). I drug it out of the field with my L4060 just leaving tire lug impressions in the turf... They're probably gone now.

I have never heard of a lawn mower with the rears permanently locked. That thing must be a pain to operate!

I have a Cub XT1 46 inch, and the rear is definitely not locked. And we mow about 2 acres with it. It is NOT a tractor, and altlhough it has well over 200 hours on it, it has been a pain to maintain, clearly not designed for heavy use. Two head gasket replacements, one under warranty. We also have a Branson 2515R, which works fine with a shredder (bush hog) but as was intimated above, you don't take it out when the lawn or ground is really wet. The Massey mentioned above is an Iseki.