GC2300 / 1428v for 12ac of land, help.

[MrSteve]

Hello everyone. 1st time posting and I am sure it will not be the last. Great site!

Ok here we go. I need some help on what Tractor to get. My Wife and I are looking at 2 tractors, the GC2300 (the wife wants that one) and the 1428v (I want that one). What the tractor will be taking care of is 12ac of a so called “Horse Farm”. 90% of this land is groomed grass, so a finish mower is the way to go for taking care of the grass cutting job (3 point, read discharge, 60” I guess would be the size). We also will need a FEL to take care of the land for small things, mainly picking up what the horses leave us (I am sure what you know what I mean) and the things you never knew you needed a FEL to do. I think that is about it, so below will be my list…

GS2300
FEL
3 point 60” finish mower rear discharge

OR

1428v
Trans… Which trans, geared or auto?
FEL
3 point 60” finish mower rear discharge

With the things I need right now above, I also will need to use someday the following… Post hole digger with 10” or 8” drill, either a Tiller or Disk Harrow for turning up horse fields for planting grass, scraper and box blade (oh h3ll, with most of everything I guess).

So I hope I gave you all the info you would need.

1… What tractor to get?
2… 1428, what trans? How is the auto? What would stop me from burning out seals from over loading? OR is that not a problem with this type of tractor?
3… On your pick of tractor, what am I looking at for cost. NOTE… just add the FEL and 3 point 60” finish mower rear discharge (not worried about the other stuff right now)
4… Is there a % you can go by for making a deal on the final cost from MSRP?

To help you out a bit about cost, I live in Western Florida (Brooksville, never know “Troy the Tracker Man” could be seeing this)

OH by the way… ANY tractor would be better then what I am using now. For the last 3 years I have been using a 23hp garden tractor with a 48” cut form Sears to cut all this grass (NO that is not a typo). LOL, I should add no major problems and the tractor has 400 hrs on it.

Thanks!

 

[Bob_Skurka]

For 12 acres I would go up another step in size and get something that would power a 72" mower, not a 60" mower. I would never consider the GC series tractor for this size piece of property and I am a fan of small tractors but your property size tells me that roughly 30hp with a 72" mower would be a good size, and you could go bigger. One of your problems with size is your frame of reference, you are comparing a new tractor purchase to a garden tractor that you currently use. I believe you should look at the jobs you need to do, not look at what you used to get buy with.

As for transmission, a HST or Hydrostatic transmission is often confused as an automatic car transmission, and it is often compared to that, but it really is not accurate. That aside, for mowing and for loader work, it is impossible to beat a HST transmission for speed and ease of use.

 

[JerryG]

Either one would do fine mowing the lawn, but for your later projects the larger tractor would be much better. The larger the tractor the less time it will take to complete a job because you can use larger implements. Your later jobs would take a lot longer with a GC. You have some acreage now and you need a tractor that fits it. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[MrSteve]

Thank you both for the fast reply…

Ok you are saying to go up one or two steps in tractor size, correct? So that would put me at the 1429 or 1431 WITH the Hydro Trans (thank you for correcting me on the trans).

And go with a 6ft or even a 7ft mower (7ft kind of big), so that would put me at the 1761RD or the 1771RD.

And of coarse the BIGGER FEL to fit one of the models above.

Something tells me I am going to go WAY up in cost. COST is the biggest problem here, as I am sure most people do look at the final price. Believe me I understand where you are going here, “What ever one do, DO NOT get a small tractor” and I do not want a small tractor. I have always been a person that bigger is always better, heck I had a F-350 7.3 Duel wheel truck and didn’t even have a trailer when I bought the thing (just loved the way it looked).

OK… I guess I have to start checking the forums here for cost of the above things. Again if anyone can give me a round about price, I will thank you ahead of time.

I just hope I can pull the dealer away so the dealer and I can talk without the wife around. The wife will be the big problem on what we get. Remember she wants the SMALL one. I guess that is easy for her, because from this day she has NEVER once had her butt on that little Sears tractor cutting this grass.


<font color="red">EDIT... </font> Ok I called my dealer to see what he has before I go up there. Dum me I guess, from what he says there isn't any more 14s only 15s. SO I guess I am looking at the 1528, 1531 or the 1533. I did tell him that I had 12 ac to cut and he more or less told me to get the GS out of my wifes brain (no kidding easier said then done). BUT he did say he would do his best to get my wife heading to the 1528 or bigger.

 

[scott_vt]

Hi Steve,
The two guys that answered you, Bob and Jerry have a lot of experience, the only reason that Im answering you is that your property size is similar in size to mine. Of my 10 acres, 8 acres is hilly meadow that I bushog about 3 times a season, in fact just finished the last cut this past weekend. I have an older Massey MF-1040 32 hp with 60 in rotary Woods mower. Im glad to have 32 hp doing that job, and wouldnt think of having anything smaller especially with my hills! I have a 6 ft rear grader blade for my 800 ft driveway and once again I wouldnt want anything smaller. If I cut a tree down along the hedgerow I take full advantage of my 6ft fel. The smaller tractor is a nice machine but wopuldnt work well with that amount of property in my opinion.

scotty

 

[MrSteve]

Thanks Scott...

The Wife and I are going to the dealer today to look at everything they have. GOOD NEWS so far, I "think" I have the Wife set on the 1528 (nothing smaller). I hope when we get to the dealer I can get her pointed to the 1531, BUT I think that would be the max in her eyes. Wish me luck. I should know what will happen tonight, I'll make a post to let you all know.

Side note... I did some more looking around and I see there isn't a 1533 so maybe when the dealer said that to me (I misunderstood him) he DOSE have a 1433. If that is the case maybe there will be a bit more of a deal I can make with him if we wanted the 1433.

 

[JerryG]

There is a 1533, but maybe you were meaning there wasn't one on the dealer lot.
If he has a 1433 still on the lot, you are right you might be able to get a good deal on it. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[MrSteve]

LOL... No I did mean that they didn't make one, BUT yes they do (after I looked AGAIN) /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif . SO many numbers, why can't they just give the tractors names /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[JerryG]

Yes, they all have to many models. It maybe just to keep everyone confused. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Nasty135]

MrSteve, The 1528 and 1531 are going to be the same size physically , The 1531 has the same engine as the 1533,just in a smaller tractor.... It has been my experience in the 1400series tractors that the 1431 is about the same price as the 1433 but the same size as the 1428... /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

So if you need more power and less weight the 1531 is for you, But conversley sometimes the extra power can't help if theres not enough weight to put it to the ground.

If you have hills you may want to stay with the 1528 because of its lower center of gravity, the taller 1533 can and probably will give you a case of pucker when traversing a slope... A test drive would be a great idea if you can get one... /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif