help a damsel in distress
- Thread starter bunny
- Start date
- Views: 12564
hazmat
Elite Member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2002
- Messages
- 4,051
- Location
- West Newbury, MA & Harrison, ME
- Tractor
- Kubota L5460HSTC
"So tractors are all basically the same, and whatever color tractor appeals to me, and fits me, on any particular day, is the route I should travel."
First go test drive. Try the different brands & different sizes. A good salesman/dealer will let you dig dirt with the FEL & mow with the tractor. Have them show you all the tractor's features. Ask them why you should by their brand instead of brand y (I didn't get any substantial answers to this question).
I was overanalyzing specs here before I bought my new tractor. Let me give you a for instance: If the loader on brand X will pick up a full bucket of dirt or gravel, than it has enough lift capacity & it doesn't matter that brand Y has 100# more.
Here is my opinion on the big three
John Deere: #1 Safety (Operator presence system)
New Holland: Best feature: Ergonomics (tied w/ JD)
Kubota: #1 Price
I wanted the JD, but local dealers wouldn't deal. I ended up with the New Holland because the dealer gave me a break on price and gave me a sense of comfort with my purchase.
As far as size. Go as big as your budget & yard will allow. A large tractor won't do you any good if you can't get it around your property. I have an 18HP for 4 acres, several people at TBN have bigger machines & less acres. I have lots of trees and other tight spaces to manuver around. I think even if funds were unlimited, anything substantially larger would require a seperate mowing machine. You might be able to have a dealer bring a tractor to your property to demo it there.
First go test drive. Try the different brands & different sizes. A good salesman/dealer will let you dig dirt with the FEL & mow with the tractor. Have them show you all the tractor's features. Ask them why you should by their brand instead of brand y (I didn't get any substantial answers to this question).
I was overanalyzing specs here before I bought my new tractor. Let me give you a for instance: If the loader on brand X will pick up a full bucket of dirt or gravel, than it has enough lift capacity & it doesn't matter that brand Y has 100# more.
Here is my opinion on the big three
John Deere: #1 Safety (Operator presence system)
New Holland: Best feature: Ergonomics (tied w/ JD)
Kubota: #1 Price
I wanted the JD, but local dealers wouldn't deal. I ended up with the New Holland because the dealer gave me a break on price and gave me a sense of comfort with my purchase.
As far as size. Go as big as your budget & yard will allow. A large tractor won't do you any good if you can't get it around your property. I have an 18HP for 4 acres, several people at TBN have bigger machines & less acres. I have lots of trees and other tight spaces to manuver around. I think even if funds were unlimited, anything substantially larger would require a seperate mowing machine. You might be able to have a dealer bring a tractor to your property to demo it there.
Boondox
Elite Member
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2000
- Messages
- 3,871
- Location
- Craftsbury Common, Vermont
- Tractor
- Deere 4044R cab, Kubota KX-121-3S
Darn! We scared off another woman! It was clearly the fault of you green drivers! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
Pete
Pete
knucklehead
Platinum Member
<font color=green>I have about 8 acres to mow each week, and about 15 acres to brush hog 4-5 times a year.</font color=green>
Just thought I'd bring that back down here as we head toward "page two". I've been bugging these guys for a month about tractors, and I've learned a ton. What I've learned is you can't really go wrong with any popular brand. Several people nearby have the Cub Cadets and love them; a local rental service just sold their Kubotas and decided to try Cubs. Sacrilege! Most of the people I know that have tractors have larger (L series) Kubotas; even my Father recently upgraded to a L3010 HST. I'm partial to green and orange. I'm told (and have seen locally) that the used pre - Boomer blue ones (17xxx, 19xx, 21xx models) offer more value for the money, as the orange and green ones are most popular. I'd heard the green ones were like Harleys, you get in line and pay what they ask, but haven't seen it, or have been blind to it in Maine ('course, we don't get too excited up here, anyway).
I agree that a good relationship with a dealer is key; probably more important than brand. You will also get a better idea of your relative comfort from seeing & sitting on a few at dealers. These guys are quick to share which dealers are good, but they need to know at least what region you are from. I was slow to fill in the profile for privacy reasons, but you could just say "Northwest" or something. Then you will get all kinds of specific tips.
As far as "tips" of that other sort, you may already know that mowing/travelling is safest done up and down hill, not sideways. That should help your comfort level, if you have the option to do so. When you get something, I'd give the manual's safety section a good reading; in fact, I'd start with this board's safety thread, right now.
How come all you big-lawn-acre folks don't just rent or give haying rights to a local farmer? Or are we talking about serious development acreage? Still, I'd think there would be a way to do that. Nothing prettier than the breeze rolling in waves over a fairly weedless, tall field of grass.
But regarding tractor size, are you ready to spend 6 hours mowing per week? Even over two or three days, you'll be right back at it before you know it. I'd go as wide as I could on the mower, especially if there are not many obstructions, or if they are lined up (orchard, vineyard), and that means horsepower. Correct me, guys, but the mid mount's only advantage seems to be manuvering, so I'd go rear mount on the mower, since you want to use a bush hog. Bush hogging isn't going to be a lot of fun with a mid-mount, unless you're talking about raspberries, and I think these experienced guys will tell you the finish mower will do the job for those. In fact, if you are going to do it 4-5 times per year, why can't the rear mount finish mower be used, just set up higher, fellas? Won't that brush just have tender whips coming up? Stumps could be a bigger problem, but wouldn't she want to cut them down and keep the tie rods straight, anyway?
I'll put a plug in here for older tractors, too. Especially if the money thing gets to be an issue when you start thinking about 30+ horsepower units. What I've learned about 4wd is that it allows manufacturers to build lighter tractors which have the same or better traction than a heavier one, use less horsepower to move, and therefore a smaller engine is needed to run the same sized implement. If you aren't opposed to older stuff, there's plenty of 2wd prospects out there, even with power steering. The post from cj7 mentioned the Ford 2000-3000 series; I am looking at those myself, more for woods work than mowing. I like the looks of those big nasty R4 industrial combo treads, and they appear to be more stable due to the added width, but I have heard that they slip noticeably more than the standard ag tread. Especially on grass.
Bring on the tire discussion! Ramp up the Kubota B vs L model thread again! Let's hear it for 2wd! Fooey on your tractor! Yay for my tractor! Uh........wait, I don't have one /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif.
See what you started, bunny? /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif/w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif Hey! Where'd she go?
Just thought I'd bring that back down here as we head toward "page two". I've been bugging these guys for a month about tractors, and I've learned a ton. What I've learned is you can't really go wrong with any popular brand. Several people nearby have the Cub Cadets and love them; a local rental service just sold their Kubotas and decided to try Cubs. Sacrilege! Most of the people I know that have tractors have larger (L series) Kubotas; even my Father recently upgraded to a L3010 HST. I'm partial to green and orange. I'm told (and have seen locally) that the used pre - Boomer blue ones (17xxx, 19xx, 21xx models) offer more value for the money, as the orange and green ones are most popular. I'd heard the green ones were like Harleys, you get in line and pay what they ask, but haven't seen it, or have been blind to it in Maine ('course, we don't get too excited up here, anyway).
I agree that a good relationship with a dealer is key; probably more important than brand. You will also get a better idea of your relative comfort from seeing & sitting on a few at dealers. These guys are quick to share which dealers are good, but they need to know at least what region you are from. I was slow to fill in the profile for privacy reasons, but you could just say "Northwest" or something. Then you will get all kinds of specific tips.
As far as "tips" of that other sort, you may already know that mowing/travelling is safest done up and down hill, not sideways. That should help your comfort level, if you have the option to do so. When you get something, I'd give the manual's safety section a good reading; in fact, I'd start with this board's safety thread, right now.
How come all you big-lawn-acre folks don't just rent or give haying rights to a local farmer? Or are we talking about serious development acreage? Still, I'd think there would be a way to do that. Nothing prettier than the breeze rolling in waves over a fairly weedless, tall field of grass.
But regarding tractor size, are you ready to spend 6 hours mowing per week? Even over two or three days, you'll be right back at it before you know it. I'd go as wide as I could on the mower, especially if there are not many obstructions, or if they are lined up (orchard, vineyard), and that means horsepower. Correct me, guys, but the mid mount's only advantage seems to be manuvering, so I'd go rear mount on the mower, since you want to use a bush hog. Bush hogging isn't going to be a lot of fun with a mid-mount, unless you're talking about raspberries, and I think these experienced guys will tell you the finish mower will do the job for those. In fact, if you are going to do it 4-5 times per year, why can't the rear mount finish mower be used, just set up higher, fellas? Won't that brush just have tender whips coming up? Stumps could be a bigger problem, but wouldn't she want to cut them down and keep the tie rods straight, anyway?
I'll put a plug in here for older tractors, too. Especially if the money thing gets to be an issue when you start thinking about 30+ horsepower units. What I've learned about 4wd is that it allows manufacturers to build lighter tractors which have the same or better traction than a heavier one, use less horsepower to move, and therefore a smaller engine is needed to run the same sized implement. If you aren't opposed to older stuff, there's plenty of 2wd prospects out there, even with power steering. The post from cj7 mentioned the Ford 2000-3000 series; I am looking at those myself, more for woods work than mowing. I like the looks of those big nasty R4 industrial combo treads, and they appear to be more stable due to the added width, but I have heard that they slip noticeably more than the standard ag tread. Especially on grass.
Bring on the tire discussion! Ramp up the Kubota B vs L model thread again! Let's hear it for 2wd! Fooey on your tractor! Yay for my tractor! Uh........wait, I don't have one /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif.
See what you started, bunny? /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif/w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif Hey! Where'd she go?
ByuBill
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2002
- Messages
- 273
- Location
- Western N.C. from New Orleans.
- Tractor
- MF 220 - Long 2360- Kioti 3054
<font color=blue>Hey! Where'd she go?</font color=blue>
Are we sure that 'Bunny' is a she??????
Have we really paid attention to the post???
I'm sitting here LMAO. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gifA "female" ask a couple of questions and you guy fall all over yourselves trying to be the one to give her the right answer. 54 replies in a couple of days. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Reminds me of something that I did a couple of years ago. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif I had ask a couple of questions on another forum and in a couple of weeks had gotten 2 replies. I ask another question and the same thing. I noticed that if a female ask a question, the replies came from every where. Therefore /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif the next time I ask questions, I let the guys think that I was a female. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I didn't say that I was female, just hinted at it. I got more replies than I could read in a day. Those guys really out did themselves. Hey, but it worked and I got my answers.
Just my suspisous nature I guess. No offence if 'Bunny' is, female. I just thought that it was funny how you guys go out of your way for a 'female'.../w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif You put out a lot of information there and answered the questions that a lot of 'guys' were getting ready to ask. Keep up the good work.
I just love TBN......
Are we sure that 'Bunny' is a she??????
Have we really paid attention to the post???
I'm sitting here LMAO. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gifA "female" ask a couple of questions and you guy fall all over yourselves trying to be the one to give her the right answer. 54 replies in a couple of days. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Reminds me of something that I did a couple of years ago. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif I had ask a couple of questions on another forum and in a couple of weeks had gotten 2 replies. I ask another question and the same thing. I noticed that if a female ask a question, the replies came from every where. Therefore /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif the next time I ask questions, I let the guys think that I was a female. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I didn't say that I was female, just hinted at it. I got more replies than I could read in a day. Those guys really out did themselves. Hey, but it worked and I got my answers.
Just my suspisous nature I guess. No offence if 'Bunny' is, female. I just thought that it was funny how you guys go out of your way for a 'female'.../w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif You put out a lot of information there and answered the questions that a lot of 'guys' were getting ready to ask. Keep up the good work.
I just love TBN......
Gary_in_Indiana
Elite Member
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2002
- Messages
- 3,373
- Location
- Fort Wayne, IN
- Tractor
- John Deere 4200 MFWD HST w/ JD 420 FEL w/ 61" loader bucket & toothbar & JD 37 BH w/ 12" bucket
Bill, I had the same chuckles. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif It's especially funny when you look at the post captioned "Advice" asking essentially the same thing and see only ten responses compared to fifty-six on this thread. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
I'd like to note that while this is technically my second post on this thread, I actually responded once to each question. /w3tcompact/icons/clever.gif
I'd like to note that while this is technically my second post on this thread, I actually responded once to each question. /w3tcompact/icons/clever.gif
njrqs
Veteran Member
Bill
Well I didn't want to say it either !!!!!!
But I eluded to everyone's responses back on page 1 and how everyone got real keen all of a sudden.
Cheers
Well I didn't want to say it either !!!!!!
But I eluded to everyone's responses back on page 1 and how everyone got real keen all of a sudden.
Cheers
MikePA
Super Moderator
<font color=blue>I'm sitting here LMAO. A "female" ask a couple of questions and you guy fall all over yourselves trying to be the one to give her the right answer. 54 replies in a couple of days.</font color=blue>
Kind of reminds me of the opening scene in Gone With The Wind /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
On the mansion's porch, in a beautiful white crinoline gown with ruffles, the headstrong young woman complains, in her first line, to suitor twins Brent and Stuart Tarleton (Fred Crane and George Reeves) about the disruptions caused by the turmoil of tractors {war}:
Fiddle-dee-dee. Tractors, tractors, tractors {War, war, war}. This tractor {war} talk's spoiling all the fun at every party this spring. I get so bored I could scream. Besides, there isn't going to be any tractor {war}...If either of you boys says 'tractor' {'war'} just once again, I'll go in the house and slam the door.
Kind of reminds me of the opening scene in Gone With The Wind /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
On the mansion's porch, in a beautiful white crinoline gown with ruffles, the headstrong young woman complains, in her first line, to suitor twins Brent and Stuart Tarleton (Fred Crane and George Reeves) about the disruptions caused by the turmoil of tractors {war}:
Fiddle-dee-dee. Tractors, tractors, tractors {War, war, war}. This tractor {war} talk's spoiling all the fun at every party this spring. I get so bored I could scream. Besides, there isn't going to be any tractor {war}...If either of you boys says 'tractor' {'war'} just once again, I'll go in the house and slam the door.
njrqs
Veteran Member
Mike
You have been watching far too much tv
You have been watching far too much tv
