Buying Advice Having trouble deciding what to buy for 1st CUT

[Tim13]

A year ago, I bought a JD Z830A for mowing 5 acres. About two weeks later we had a huge storm that took out over a dozen trees. We cleared a few of them using a chainsaw and hauled the brush on a tarp dragged by two teenagers. Now, I have a large brush pile that needs to be moved (too close to house to burn, didn't plan well) and lots of chunks of trees that also need to be moved. I've been reading TBN, checking the web, visiting local dealers and going to auctions for the past six months. My overall budget is $15k. I need a rotary mower, box blade and grapple to maximize use of the tractor. I've had my eye on a Kubota L3130 with under 200 hours for the past 6 weeks. It sold at auction today for $15k. I'm kicking myself now because it really did look to be in great shape but I wouldn't have had any $ left for attachments.

So, I'm back to looking. My local Kubota dealer has a '07 B7610HSD w/ LA352 FEL for $12,900. A JD dealer about an hour away has a '09 2320 w/ 200CX FEL for $13,365 and my local JD dealer has a '00 4400 w/ 430 FEL for $12,500.

My concern with the smaller HP machines is will I have enough HP? Most of the posts I've read suggest to remove the FEL when using the rotary cutter. However, when I was reading about the 2320, most users said they kept the FEL on for the added weight to offset the mower. Once the grass is manageable, I plan to only use the rotary cutter 1-2 times per year. I like the idea of increased maneuverability and not tearing up the ground but worry about the loss of weight when operating the FEL.

Since this is my first tractor purchase, I'd like to buy smart.

I've also considered trading in the mower (bought it used) to offset the cost of a CUT and then add a finishing mower to my list.

I would greatly appreciate your thoughts and ideas.

 

[Don87]

I wouldn't be the least bit afraid to tackle 5 acres with my Massey Ferguson GC2400, and mid mount mower...........plus I have the FEL on it for moving brush piles.

I paid 13,750 for it brand new.

 

[newbury]

<snip>
So, I'm back to looking. My local Kubota dealer has a '07 B7610HSD w/ LA352 FEL for $12,900. <snip>

No MM? No boxblade? No rotary cutter?
Keep the JD for mowing, you'll probably lose to much on trade in.
/edit and a MM will probably cost almost as much as the trade in.

How many hours on the 7610?

For reference I bought my 2007 B7610 w/ 245 hrs, FEL, box blade,2007 Hudson 18' trailer, a whole bunch of chains and load tighteners, for $11,500 off CL in April 2009, 3 years ago. So both the trailer and tractor were only 2 years old then, and the tractor had just had it's 250 hr check up and fluid change at the dealers ($$$).

I can't understand why the price has risen so much, because at the time it was a good deal, but I didn't think a STEAL.

 

[bsinhc50]

A year ago, I bought a JD Z830A for mowing 5 acres. About two weeks later we had a huge storm that took out over a dozen trees. We cleared a few of them using a chainsaw and hauled the brush on a tarp dragged by two teenagers. Now, I have a large brush pile that needs to be moved (too close to house to burn, didn't plan well) and lots of chunks of trees that also need to be moved. I've been reading TBN, checking the web, visiting local dealers and going to auctions for the past six months. My overall budget is $15k. I need a rotary mower, box blade and grapple to maximize use of the tractor. I've had my eye on a Kubota L3130 with under 200 hours for the past 6 weeks. It sold at auction today for $15k. I'm kicking myself now because it really did look to be in great shape but I wouldn't have had any $ left for attachments.

So, I'm back to looking. My local Kubota dealer has a '07 B7610HSD w/ LA352 FEL for $12,900. A JD dealer about an hour away has a '09 2320 w/ 200CX FEL for $13,365 and my local JD dealer has a '00 4400 w/ 430 FEL for $12,500.

My concern with the smaller HP machines is will I have enough HP? Most of the posts I've read suggest to remove the FEL when using the rotary cutter. However, when I was reading about the 2320, most users said they kept the FEL on for the added weight to offset the mower. Once the grass is manageable, I plan to only use the rotary cutter 1-2 times per year. I like the idea of increased maneuverability and not tearing up the ground but worry about the loss of weight when operating the FEL.

Since this is my first tractor purchase, I'd like to buy smart.

I've also considered trading in the mower (bought it used) to offset the cost of a CUT and then add a finishing mower to my list.

I would greatly appreciate your thoughts and ideas.

Looking over all that you want a tractor to do and what you want to pay, check out the Yanmar SC2400. I'm pretty sure you can find a brand new one for the money you want to pay. Even though it's an scut, it's better built and can do more than it's competitors and costs alot less than any orange, green, or blue tractor. I know, I owned one for 3 years until last week, when I traded it on a Yanmar EX 3200. The reason I traded it is because we have a 50 acre farm and for all we need a tractor to do, it was just a wee bit too small but, I would recommend the SC2400 to anyone who has a smaller farm, in a heart beat. You get a lot of "bang for your buck" and I'm sure you'd be pleased with it's performance.

 

[big e]

Maybe snake an automobile tow strap through the brush pile and pull the bulk of it (with car, truck, atv, horse, ect.) to where you can burn it. Reassemble teenagers to move rest. Add used oil/gas mixture. Burn.
Hire neighbor to hog fields, blade driveway.
Save thousands.
Keep shopping.
Just a thought.