Buying Advice First Tractor

[camps23]

Hi all,
New to the forum but have been reading for the last few weeks.
We just purchased a new to us house on 1.5acres. The closing date is the end of August and
I have been looking at getting a tractor. Almost all is grass besides house, pool and some trees on perimeter.
What size deck is good ? I really love zero turn but need something that can pull a utility trailer. I have a snow blower but was thinking of selling it and possibly going with a blower for the tractor as well. I just went and looked at a Kubota bx1500 the other day and really liked it. It had a 48" belly mower. I'm worried it will take forever to cut the grass. What sizes is everyone suggesting ? Any model ideas ?
Thanks in Advance !

 

[jimrs]

That is a hard question to give an answer to. 1 1/2 acres to mow I have to ask how much grass? Do you have trees, flower beds, driveway, outbuildings. All these are serious considerations to which is best to mow with. The Kubota BX tractors are great but they will take more time mowing than a z-turn mower. And of course cost a lot more. I have one acre and have a B2320 Kubota and a Timecutter SS 4235 Z-turn by Toro. I would not consider mowing with the Kubota as it won't turn quick enough and would take me hours to cut the grass. But if your mowing is going to be in large areas with no obstructions then the tractor could be what you need. But think about any additions you will make like sheds, barns, before you spend the money.

 

[chim]

...........................I just went and looked at a Kubota bx1500 the other day and really liked it. It had a 48" belly mower. I'm worried it will take forever to cut the grass. What sizes is everyone suggesting ? Any model ideas ?
Thanks in Advance !

WELCOME!

Although we bought an adjacent lot early this Spring, we still only have the original 2-1/4 acres "developed". Grading and grass on that might get done this year.

On the 2-1/4 acres there's a 300' driveway, house 2 sheds creek and a bridge, so the actual grass area may be close to 2 acres. I've had three different 5' wide decks - one belly and two rear-mounted. With those decks I could get it mowed in 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. Since getting a 6' deck, the time was reduced by 15 or 20 minutes.

With regard to size, I looked at a BX years ago and it felt cramped, so went with a B7500 at that time.

 

[murphy1244]

You need to list the things you want to do and then visit every dealer within say 50 miles from you then decide.

 

[chim]

You need to list the things you want to do and then visit every dealer within say 50 miles from you then decide.

Great advice! My wife never tires of shopping and she thought it took me almost a little long to pick the last two tractors. I looked at 4 different brands last year even though I was parting with a Kubota that gave me 10 really great years of service. I ruled out the Mahindra early on so it was down to Kubota, Kioti and (prior to getting out of the tractor business) Bobcat. At that point each dealer gave me his best shot and the Kubota won.

 

[camps23]

Hey all...thanks for the responses so far......
So the lot is around 150x450. There is a 1900sq ft ranch, large 2 car garage/shop, large stamped concrete pad with pool and large deck. Trees are just around perimeter and one treeline around the house.
I would estimate an acre of grass to cut. All landscape is already done so I dont know if I will ever need a loader option in the future. Basic needs will be primarily cutting grass, and pulling a small utility trailer to the back of the property to collect wood. I have a walk behind snow blower but if I did get a compact tractor I would look into a snow blower attachment. I went to kubota dealer today and got some info. I have two used models available to me a great prices if interested.
The used models are BX1500 2005 550hrs with 48" belly deck and 50" pull behind snow blower or a ZG1272-54 2013 with only 25hrs. I can get both for the same price. Open to other suggestions.
One thing to note is I have young kids that take alot of my time....will z-turn mowers safe a considerate amount of time ?

 

[PSUTundra]

I find the zero turn a huge time savings and the way to cut grass. I also pull a CycloneRake in the fall for leaves. A zero turn mower can pull a trailer you just have to be extra careful about turns and jackknifing. For your use you may also want to look at some of the larger lawn tractors instead of an SCUT or ZTR. The best advice given was determine your uses and then sit down and figure out what type of machine will get 90% of them done, then visit all your local dealers and see what fits.

For us this was a ZTR mower to cut the 3+ acres of grass and we are working on a CUT to maintain and upgrade the other 7 acres, but our situation and uses are very different. Keep learning here and asking questions, lots of knowledgeable folks.

 

[Don87]

With a scut and a loader...........who needs a cart? Ya'all ready gots a motorized wheelbarrow that will fit almost anywhere:thumbsup:

Without actually seeing your property, I would guesstimate at 1.5 hours or less to mow with the scut.

 

[wolftree]

camps23,

I am leaning towards saying, keep the Lawnboy and the walk behind snowblower for now and go with a zero turn. Have the dealer install some kind of hitch for pulling a lawn trailer. You will use the trailer much more than you think. Then in a few years, re-evaluate your needs.

 

[KYDan]

A zero turn is by far the best and fastest mower.

 

[camps23]

I think I agree with last post. I think I will go zero turn to start while kids are young and time is limited and reevaluate in a few years when I have more time to play with an scut and attachments. I can get a great price on an ZG1272-54 2013 with only 25hrs but I have heard there are a bunch of safety recalls on it ? Any one have any insight to this ?

 

[KYDan]

I am not familiar with this mower (ZG1272-54), what brand is it? I have an older JD 757 (7 Iron) that has about 600 hours on it and it has performed flawless since 2005 under pretty tough use with regular maintenance. The new JD's have had some issues, particularly when they began manufacturing them in China. The preferred ZT by the professional lawn services here are Exmarks. However, they are pricey and used ones in decent condition are hard to find. Check out one of the lawn mower forums and see what they have to say about them. If you are buying from a private owner your are more or less on your own unless you get some sort of written warranty and even that could be very expensive to enforce. A good, reputable dealer in your area may be your best bet and he may be willing to give you some kind of conditional/limited warranty and possibly try before you buy.

Good Luck on your quest.

 

[Arc weld]

Whatever you buy, NEVER, EVER take the kids for rides while you're mowing the grass! It takes a millisecond for an accident to happen and the blades could care less what gets in their way. Had a former neighbor with a new zero-turn take her 3yr old daughter on it while cutting the grass going about 6 MPH. As far as I'm concerned, that's child endangerment. I cringed when I saw it and wanted so much to slap her upside of the head. Let the kids sit on the machine when it's stopped and shut off without the key in it if they're interested. I read an article that said riding mowers are the number one cause of accidents involving kids.

 

[chim]

Acc weld has a REAL valid point. Not only shouldn't they be on the mower, they shouldn't be anywhere near. I'm from a small town and know of a little girl who lost the front half of one foot when her dad didn't see her and hit reverse before backing up. A small boy was riding on his dad's lap when one wheel hit a pipe or something. The mower flipped and the boy lost most of the bottom half of his leg. It's not worth risking all the pain, suffering and guilt.

 

[WilliamBos]

Leave that up to the parents to decide.

 

[chim]

Leave that up to the parents to decide.

I wasn't saying "There ought to be a law", just pointing out that it would be wise to exercize caution.

I never asked either of the dads if they were happy with the decisions they made that resulted in their kids being mangled. I doubt they were. There is at least a slim chance that they would have done things differently had they read about an actual case or two that didn't go well.

 

[Don87]

Safety of children is a consideration.

I wouldn't let my grandson on the tractor with me while I was mowing, but I did take him for lots of rides, and he loves working the FEL
They live several hundred miles away now, but my grandson does not forget the tractor.

 

[WilliamBos]

You a life long city slicker? How do you think farm kids learned? Sitting on the fender, or standing beside Dad...

Like I said, leave it up to the parents!! Their business , no one else's!!

 

[farm88]

Go with a SCUT.