help a damsel in distress

Boondox · Jun 12, 2002

She's in Vermont. Up here, the only patches of ground without mower-eating rocks are the golf courses...both of them!

Pete

bunny · Jun 12, 2002

Oh my god, i walk into work, turn on my computer, and see that you're questioning my questions, and my very existence. I have a second home in the northeast kingdom of vermont, not far from Derby, Vermont. I am a woman (in fact, a 43 year old paper pusher who works in Boston during the week). I head north on Friday afternoons to smell the grass, enjoy the scenery, and get bitten by black flies (this past weekend)) I guess I can't prove I'm a "she" any more than any one of you can prove you're a "he". The last several posts were quite informative. Here's another question. Can I mow very tall grass, rather than brush hog it? It's a field of grass, dry, and no stumps. will it wreck a rear mower if i set it up high??

Soundguy · Jun 12, 2002

It must be a regional thing. Here in my neck of the woods, NH is about the most reasonable, with Kubota and JD tied at a price level about 20% higher than anything else. Case is a bit high, and MF is very close to NH.. sometimes lower.. but look like a more basic machine ( not necesscerilly a bad thing.. if you are willing to accept the feature trade off in money or hp.. it is ok )

Soundguy

"John Deere: #1 Safety (Operator presence system)
New Holland: Best feature: Ergonomics (tied w/ JD)
Kubota: #1 Price"

MikePA · Jun 12, 2002

Can I mow very tall grass, rather than brush hog it? It's a field of grass, dry, and no stumps. will it wreck a rear mower if i set it up high??

Sure can. You just might have to go slow. Keep an eye out for rocks, too. Rotary cutters wont care too much about rocks, but mowers will.

Soundguy · Jun 12, 2002

A groundskeeper at a golf course is probably going to suggest a comercial mower..... Anything with ag tires scares them.. and their idea of -rough- doesn't involve 1" sapplings../w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bunny would probably be safe in the 20 to 30 hp range, depending on factors such as budget, time, and the possibility of what other work the tractor may perform on the property.

If no other work, perhaps a TC18 w/ MMM 2 wd. If she's ever gonna till or disc.. closer to 30hp, and extra weight, etc, etc.

Soundguy

"Bunny, if I had your problem I'd go consult someone who knows something about it. I'd suggest the grounds keeper at the nearest golf course. He'll certainly know what would work and what won't. "

knucklehead · Jun 12, 2002

Bunny, I'm sure you know, being a New Englander, that you gotta have thick skin. Ain't none of these guys really serious about this, and if they went in that direction, the others would bury them with taunting. I think your questions are being answered. Now the VT/NH guys can steer you to a dealer.

We'll get there - we're just back road types, and sometimes we make our own roads.

O.K. if I talk to bunny, fellars? Or should I ignore her and go back to trying to figure out where the mathematical location of the fulcrum is on centex's counterweighted PHD /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif?

MrP · Jun 12, 2002

Bunny,

As far as the discussion about the best tractor of the big three, that has been discussed (argued, yelled, screamed) at length here. Most participants are reluctant to say anything remotely disparaging about any other type of tractor. Suffice it to say that I believe that Kubota's tractors are the best engineered, most reliable, durable, functional, solidly built tractor on the market today. They are also priced well compared to other manufacturers.

Size/power of tractor:
The bigger the size/power of the tractor, the bigger and wider variety of implements you can use. The bigger the implment the faster the job get done. I'll repeat that: The bigger the implement thet faster the job gets done. When you first get your tractor, it is fun to mow/hog, etc. After a couple months, it becomes a chore and you probably have better things to do on your weekend than mow/hog for 6 to 8 hours. For your application (as long as your acreage is fairly open) I would suggest buying the biggest finish mower and brush hog you can. As I recommended earlier, the Kubota L3710 can pull a 84" and maybe a 96" finish mower. In addition, if you were willing ($$$) to move up to a L4310 or L4610 you could pull a batwing 120"+ tri-deck for finish mowing.

Transmission:
Gear transmission is less expensive, but you have to shift, change gears and put the tractor in reverse to back up. HST will put all those controls at your foot (like a car with an automatic transmission except you don't have to put the tractor in reverse to back up).

Tires:
There are three types of tires. Ag - most aggressive and traction but will do damage to your grass. Turf - least aggressive and least traction but less damage to the grass. R4 Industrial - Compromise between Ags and Turfs. I would recommend R4s for your application. Also, R4s are more puncture resistant than trufs which could be a significant factor in bush hogging.

FEL:
Something you will regret if you don't get one. I sure did. I had my FEL installed a month ago and it improves the functionality of the tractor by a factor of 10.

Best of luck which ever tractor you go with.

ByuBill · Jun 12, 2002

It seems like my options are JD, Kubota or NH.

Since I was the one that ask the 'are we sure that Bunny is a she' question. I will ask another one. Why is it that your only options are the big three? /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif While you are out kicking tires and trying out the comfort of tractors you might want to check out the new line from <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.longagri.com/>Long</A>. they have new models, are very reliable tractors, and are pretty and purple. There are also dealers in Vermont. Just something else to keep your head spinning. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

bunny · Jun 12, 2002

I thought i'd stick with the big three for a few reasons: resale in case I ever lose my love for the smell of freshly cut grass, maintenance and service, and dare I mention reliability? I never heard of Long, and haven't seen them anywhere up in northeast VT. Although, what do I know, I just started shopping, and looking around. As yo know, this is all very new to me. Thanks.

EdKing · Jun 12, 2002

I thought i'd stick with the big three for a few reasons

resale in case I ever lose my love for the smell of freshly cut grass

You will definitly get better resale out of the big 3

maintenance and service,

This all depends on the dealer you buy it from.

and dare I mention reliability?

I have a Long Landtrac and I have had no major problems with it. Reliabilty is not really an issue, if you check the forums for the big 3 brands have thier problems as well.

I would recomend you go with a larger tractor (30hp or greater) as long as your land is fairly open. You will be able to use larger attachments and get the job done quicker. As far as using a finish cutter for your fields, you will pay around $1000 and up for a decent mower, while you can get a decent rough mower for around $500. Why risk damaging the finish mower when you can get the rough cutter for an extra $500?