Help Choosing Machine for First Timer- Big Lawn, Long Driveway

[Madams135]

Hey folks, looking for some advice. Just purchased first home in upstate NY and am seeking opinions on a machine to maintain it. Property is 10 acres, ~6 of which are very flat, mowable lawn with minimal obstacles. The rest is wooded/swampy, which i won't be doing much work in. Possibly some woodcutting for garage woodstove at some point. The driveway is shared, but owned by me. My section total is ~1200 feet, flat, paved with two straight shots (one of which is wooded). Snowfall is about 75 inches per year. We always get a couple noreasters that will dump 1+ feet, sometimes 2 or 3.

I currently am using a 54' Husqvarna ZTR that takes me ~3hr to mow the lawn. At full clip and mowing only once per week, it does tend to bog down/clog at times, slowing me down further. For snow removal, I currently have nothing. I also have no truck. So now to the point, i am exploring getting a machine that could handle both duties, while keeping both speed and price in mind. The alternative would be a used plow truck, while keeping the lawn duties assigned to a ZTR(possible upgrade in future to 62'). A crucial point is that i work 13 hour shifts 3-4 days in a row, so speed is fairly important when im already waking at 430 a.m. I know a truck wins here, but with current truck prices, is a beater plow truck going to be worth the headache? No interest in buying new. Ive also got an opportunity to buy a 2006 trailblazer with a small homesteader plow for ~5k. I fear this will spend more time being fixed on my lift than actually plowing. Final option is to get a quote for a plow guy, which keep in mind my neighbor would halve to split cost.

So obviously you all are biased to tractors , so thoughts and opinions on what you would do and what size/model of tractor if so? Thanks!!

 

[Roadworthy]

I only know the Kubota series so my suggestion leans toward the B or LX series. I believe you can get them with a six foot belly mower which should speed mowing. It runs from a mid PTO which would allow a front snow thrower. I do not know how fast it would run through snow, though. You may want loaded tires or chains for extra traction.

 

[dlctcg]

If speed is "fairly important", IMHO I don't think your going to find a tractor that will mow as fast as a ZTR or plow as fast as a Truck. This is not to say a tractor would not do both. Do you have any other real uses for a tractor (granted if you had one you would use it... but do you for see using it enough to justify the cost?).

We live in N.E. CT & we have 2800+ ft of drive with a combo of wooded area & open area, we mow about 3.5 / 4 acres of our 20... we have a 40hp tractor, a plow truck, a ZRT (etc, etc) & all are used for different tasks. I rarely use the tractor for snow (even in 12-14" storms), it does not have a cab & the truck is much faster to clear with (& it is warm inside). The tractor is used to move back piles when needed but almost never for actual snow removal; it just doesn't work well for us. Our neighbor has around 2000' paved drive & plows with his truck, he owns a PTO blower for his JD & really only uses it on really big storms or to move back piles. When I asked him why... "Plow is faster... got to get out to work"

Our tractor would be terrible to mow with, to big & would destroy the lawn & way to slow... won't trade the ZRT & it only has a 50" deck; we actually downsizes from a 64" & cut down on our mow time because of the layout of the property.

I'm not suggesting a tractor is a bad decision for your scenario, & many, many on here use their tractors for the same tasks & it works for them. You just you need to balance your time & effort, your usage, & your investment, none of this equipment is cheap, but you already own a ZRT. If you have the use / justification for a tractor & are willing to possible sacrifice the speed of each process then they are one of the most universal tools to own as a property owner. but not always fastest (or the best) at a given task.

Maybe get quotes for your first year of snow (split it with the neighbor) to get a feel for what conditions will be like.

 

[jeff9366]

Property is 10 acres, ~6 of which are very flat, mowable lawn with minimal obstacles.

I work 13 hour shifts 3-4 days in a row, so mowing speed is fairly important.

I currently use a 54' Husqvarna ZTR

Consider at Ventrac with a 95" wide area mower. Ventrac is a division of Toro.

 

[Xfaxman]

For snow removal, I currently have nothing. I also have no truck. So now to the point, I am exploring getting a machine that could handle both duties, while keeping both speed and price in mind.

You didn't mention a budget, but the best costs more due to the quality.
A machine that could handle both duties is the Toolcat from Bobcat. It is used by many commercial snow removal companies.

I don't need it for snow removal, but do use a 5610 for Mowing with a 6' finish mower:

Or the 7' brush hog:

See what else it can do here: Toolcat 5610 F and 5610 G Series Pictures

 

[ruffdog]

I have a similar type lot as the OP and my TC33D was a very good fit and was a great tractor. Yes, the Toolcat replaced it because I wanted some comfort and the wife can ride along. The OP should talk with the neighbor on what worked for snow removal in the past. Also, there is limited product supply at the dealers right now and we are nearing winter. You don't have to rush trying to make the perfect choice this year. Get what you NEED now and fix it later.

 

[Madams135]

I only know the Kubota series so my suggestion leans toward the B or LX series. I believe you can get them with a six foot belly mower which should speed mowing. It runs from a mid PTO which would allow a front snow thrower. I do not know how fast it would run through snow, though. You may want loaded tires or chains for extra traction.

Thanks roadworthy. I was definitely eyeballing these two Kubota lines as my options, so glad to know im looking in the right ballpark here

I only know the Kubota series so my suggestion leans toward the B or LX series. I believe you can get them with a six foot belly mower which should speed mowing. It runs from a mid PTO which would allow a front snow thrower. I do not know how fast it would run through snow, though. You may want loaded tires or chains for extra traction.

 

[Madams135]

If speed is "fairly important", IMHO I don't think your going to find a tractor that will mow as fast as a ZTR or plow as fast as a Truck. This is not to say a tractor would not do both. Do you have any other real uses for a tractor (granted if you had one you would use it... but do you for see using it enough to justify the cost?).

We live in N.E. CT & we have 2800+ ft of drive with a combo of wooded area & open area, we mow about 3.5 / 4 acres of our 20... we have a 40hp tractor, a plow truck, a ZRT (etc, etc) & all are used for different tasks. I rarely use the tractor for snow (even in 12-14" storms), it does not have a cab & the truck is much faster to clear with (& it is warm inside). The tractor is used to move back piles when needed but almost never for actual snow removal; it just doesn't work well for us. Our neighbor has around 2000' paved drive & plows with his truck, he owns a PTO blower for his JD & really only uses it on really big storms or to move back piles. When I asked him why... "Plow is faster... got to get out to work"

Our tractor would be terrible to mow with, to big & would destroy the lawn & way to slow... won't trade the ZRT & it only has a 50" deck; we actually downsizes from a 64" & cut down on our mow time because of the layout of the property.

I'm not suggesting a tractor is a bad decision for your scenario, & many, many on here use their tractors for the same tasks & it works for them. You just you need to balance your time & effort, your usage, & your investment, none of this equipment is cheap, but you already own a ZRT. If you have the use / justification for a tractor & are willing to possible sacrifice the speed of each process then they are one of the most universal tools to own as a property owner. but not always fastest (or the best) at a given task.

Maybe get quotes for your first year of snow (split it with the neighbor) to get a feel for what conditions will be like.

This is great insight and much appreciated. As far as other tractor uses, i think it would be minimal and not enough to justify cost. Moving a tree here and there, moving some rocks, and tilling the garden. But those are all things that i can rent for when the time arises, or use an alternative. Your last statement makes a lot of sense, and was something i was seriously considering more and more. A year of collecting data would probably help with making the right decision. I don't like having to rely on others in the event of an emergency, but for this year it will be just the wife and i with no kids yet, so that helps ease the anxiety for now.

 

[Madams135]

Property is 10 acres, ~6 of which are very flat, mowable lawn with minimal obstacles.

I work 13 hour shifts 3-4 days in a row, so mowing speed is fairly important.

I currently use a 54' Husqvarna ZTR

Consider at Ventrac with a 95" wide area mower. Ventrac is a division of Toro.

These are neat! Never seen them, thanks!

 

[gasman1075]

Hey folks, looking for some advice. Just purchased first home in upstate NY and am seeking opinions on a machine to maintain it. Property is 10 acres, ~6 of which are very flat, mowable lawn with minimal obstacles. The rest is wooded/swampy, which i won't be doing much work in. Possibly some woodcutting for garage woodstove at some point. The driveway is shared, but owned by me. My section total is ~1200 feet, flat, paved with two straight shots (one of which is wooded). Snowfall is about 75 inches per year. We always get a couple noreasters that will dump 1+ feet, sometimes 2 or 3.

I currently am using a 54' Husqvarna ZTR that takes me ~3hr to mow the lawn. At full clip and mowing only once per week, it does tend to bog down/clog at times, slowing me down further. For snow removal, I currently have nothing. I also have no truck. So now to the point, i am exploring getting a machine that could handle both duties, while keeping both speed and price in mind. The alternative would be a used plow truck, while keeping the lawn duties assigned to a ZTR(possible upgrade in future to 62'). A crucial point is that i work 13 hour shifts 3-4 days in a row, so speed is fairly important when im already waking at 430 a.m. I know a truck wins here, but with current truck prices, is a beater plow truck going to be worth the headache? No interest in buying new. Ive also got an opportunity to buy a 2006 trailblazer with a small homesteader plow for ~5k. I fear this will spend more time being fixed on my lift than actually plowing. Final option is to get a quote for a plow guy, which keep in mind my neighbor would halve to split cost.

So obviously you all are biased to tractors , so thoughts and opinions on what you would do and what size/model of tractor if so? Thanks!!

I also live in upstate NY but near the NY/VT/MA border on the Taconic range and we average about 80"-100+ of snow a year. i have lived here 30+ years. My driveway is well maintained gravel about 1100 feet long. I mow about 4 acres of lawn, snow blow the driveway after the snow stops. I do it all with a JD 2032R with 59" snowblower and 60" finish mower.