Buying Advice Help in selecting a multi purpose tractor....

[GaryFr]

I am actually here looking to help out my husband who is trying to decide on what to buy to replace the sorry excuse for a lawn tractor that he has (my opinion)...lol. Around 1999 he purchased a honda riding mower with an attachment for snow throwing. It did seem to be a good machine until it began to eat the belts at an alarming rate. Every season, he is in the garage taking the darned thing apart to change the belts. I feel that this is happening way too often and I feel badly for him having to spend so much time and energy swapping belts. It seems that each time he changes them he is able to either mow or remove snow once or twice before he smells the familar rubber burning aroma.
I am all for just getting rid of this "lemon" and buying something else to make his life easier.
We are just not sure what to consider. We only own a 1 acre property with a rather large driveway. This particular Honda snow thrower attachment is very difficult to swap out. He spends hours on just the swap out.
Does anyone have any thoughts on which tractor has the best and easiest snow thrower assemby?
I don't think that we need to consider the larger models since it is only a 1 acre property but I'd be interested to hear any thoughts on just what you would do in this situation.
Thanks so much for your help with this. I do think that I have found a wonderful place to get answers from actual users of these machines so thanks for any thoughts you may have.
Are any of you familiar with the summer to winter attachments and which ones are the best and easiest?
I'm sorry that I am not all that familar with terminology so I hope I made my question clear.
A loving wife in Illinois.. *s*.

 

[texasjohn]

:welcome: to TBN!!!
I've almost never seen snow, so can't help.
But, your description of the problem and your various needs will surely get you some good info. Seems you are a great asset to your hubby and a supporter...yep, behind every good man is a great wife!!

 

[Don87]

You could look at the John Deere X700 series of tractors. Or you could look at a subcompact in the JD, Kubota or Massey Ferguson(like the one you see in my avatar), you can get Front End Loaders(FEL) on them and throw away the wheelbarrow.

 

[deerseeker001]

i replaced my mowing belt on my john Deere and wasn't 15-20 minutes the belt was shot retraced the routing and i made a mistake,installed a new belt correctly never had a problem in the last 5 years.have a diagram with you and check it twice.

 

[Grandad4]

Just some general advice. You can find equipment in all size and price ranges. Skip over the "riding lawnmowers" you see at the big box stores like Home Depot, etc. They might be OK if all you had was mowing, but you also want to handle snow removal and that makes it a bit more of a challenge. As others have said, John Deere makes some excellent equipment for what you want to do. Again, the John Deere stuff you see at Home Depot is not what you're looking for, so you'll need to visit a real John Deere equipment dealership. And it doesn't sell for bargain prices either. There are some other brands (Simplicity, for example) that reportedly offer good equipment also, so it pays to do some shopping. The higher quality equipment should hold up well if given good care.

By the way, if that old Honda has held up for 14 years, you probably can't really call it a "lemon", but it is probably due for a replacement. Good for you for thinking of him!

 

[mowin]

Sounds like theres more to the belt issue...He should get more than 2-3 mows b4 burning up a belt. I'm thinkin a pully or idler is locking up. Or as said in earler post he's not routing it correctly.
Might want to take it to someone and have it checked out.

But if you do decide to go new, DONT go to a big box store. Go to a dealer that can answer any Q you ask, and spec a unit for your needs.
Also any Issuse u may have, the dealer has the staff to fix. The box stores only sell, they send stuff out to get fixed, so you really dont know whos going to be
working on your equipment. Good luck

 

[GaryFr]

Hi guys. I must say that I am very very thankful for all of the replies that I have received. Thanks for taking the time to reply and all of your suggestions are good ones. We do have a John Deere dealer in the area and hubby has visited there to check out some things. I was just wondering if there were other units out that there that are equal in durability but maybe less expensive. I usually like to buy better and spend the money if it is for something longterm but one never knows what you get these days. They sure don't seem to make things the way they used to.
My husband is somewhat of a McGyver type and always fixes and does things himself. He's quite good at it too so that is why I wondered why the belt issue keeps occurring. Of course it is possible that he used generic belts and/or routed it incorrectly but that is just not like him so that is not usually my first thought. I hear ya on the big box store thing as I have heard over the years that even though they get brand name products, they are not the same really so I'm sure we'll just go to John Deere and be done with it.
I did ask him about just using a push type attachment as opposed to the snow blowing but he said that we sometimes get way too much snow for his comfort in just using that so we'll be looking for a tractor that he can get that attachment. Well that should serve us well until the lottery checks come rolling in, then we'll go somwhere tropical anyway...lol. It may not be a bad idea to just take the Honda into a dealer and pay to have it looked over as it is possible that there is something as stated like an idler or pully just out of line. That sure makes sense to me.
Ance again, thanks ever so much for all of your well thought out ideas and tips. I am going to print all of this conversation out for him to read. A lot to think about but this does help sort things out some.

 

[boggen]

belts, there are different grades of belts, cheap belts and expensive belts. expensive belts can withstand higher temp range, and less stretching as they heat up. having right tension on them also helps. i never bought into the "snake oil" of the spray on or like "belt saver" stuff. just good old maintenance and checking on things and keeping oil full and filters changed.

brands there is a huge variety of brands, and then multi "re-branding" same machine different name it seems when ya get into the smaller size riding lawn mowers.

as much as i hate to say it, but when ya get down to the smaller riding lawn mowers. and having to deal with belts as primary way to get power to snow blower, mower decks, etc... it is a pain in rear to deal with, but they take up least amount of space. compared to other ways to get power to and from things.

in larger tractors you start getting into hydraulic pumps, and hyd motors, and hyd cylinders, were belts become more of a con vs plus for sizing things. but 1 acre property....

=========
about only suggestion i might have, is getting into more of the "garden size" riding lawn mowers. so there might be some extra clearance under the frame, some more engine HP, and perhaps ability to toss on a rear scraper blade, or tiller or like.
your talking a few hundred bucks more. but *shrugs*

as soon as you jump up into SCUT (sub compact utilty tractors) ya talking a couple thousand plus more in cash. and getting more into a real tractor, vs staying with a smaller riding lawn mower.

 

[unbidden]

1 acre... could you define larger driveway..., gravel, paved, length and width. I would hate to see you spend 15k on a subcompact tractor with blower if you don't need it. Do you have a need for other attachments or just mowing and snow removal?

 

[GaryFr]

1 acre... could you define larger driveway..., gravel, paved, length and width. I would hate to see you spend 15k on a subcompact tractor with blower if you don't need it. Do you have a need for other attachments or just mowing and snow removal?

Hmmmmmm....size of driveway. If I had to guess, the area that would need to be plowed out is about 60 feet wide by 25 feet excluding the drive area coming off the street which would be an additional 10 ft by 20 maybe?? It is actually our home and our 3 car garage that stands next to the house in front. That would have to be cleared of snow and then there is the 1 acre property out back that needs to be mowed in the summer. It is a corner lot so of course there is the front and side that also must be mowed. Oh boy...I'm started to get tired for my husband as I type this...lol. Funny but whever he does a lot of work and/or a project I jokingly tell him "ok....I guess you can stay another week"...lol.
Again, thanks for the thoughts. I was also considering checking out Craig's List for maybe a used tractor. I sometimes see things there that allow for purchasing better quality items for less. Hubby is not a fan as he says he doesn't like to buy other peoples headaches. The way I see it, you can sometimes luck into really good bargains. I spose this is not a time to spare the coin so to speak.

 

[Grandad4]

Just my opinion, but unless your husband has some expansion plans up his sleeve, I'm not seeing that you have a need for a "subcompact" tractor. That's a real tractor reduced in size so it's almost as small as a lawn or garden tractor, but it still has many key features of a larger tractor: diesel engine, power take-off, 3 point hitch, 4 wheel drive, hydraulics, etc. They are very handy and considerably more rugged than something mostly designed for mowing the lawn, but they should be since they cost almost as much as a new car, as already mentioned. That would probably be overkill for your 1 acre property, although plenty of people with just an acre or so buy them and use them extensively.

 

[case245]

what bout a heavier build riding mower with a diesel in it maybe a used 2000s model would do the trick for since you have one acre

 

[GaryFr]

Just my opinion, but unless your husband has some expansion plans up his sleeve, I'm not seeing that you have a need for a "subcompact" tractor. That's a real tractor reduced in size so it's almost as small as a lawn or garden tractor, but it still has many key features of a larger tractor: diesel engine, power take-off, 3 point hitch, 4 wheel drive, hydraulics, etc. They are very handy and considerably more rugged than something mostly designed for mowing the lawn, but they should be since they cost almost as much as a new car, as already mentioned. That would probably be overkill for your 1 acre property, although plenty of people with just an acre or so buy them and use them extensively.

Oh I totally agree.....hubby has already looked at a few machines in the 300 series or it might have been the 500 series but I know they were the less expensive models. As I said, cost will certainly factor into the equation for us. We are not wealthy people so therefore we'll make do with whatever will do the job. Just want something dependable and I've always heard that John Deere was a good reliable brand. I've just never really heard anything about any other makes or models of these type of vehicles. That's the reason that I considered finding a unit higher up on the list but perhaps used. Of course in that regard you have to really do your homework and make sure of the source of the used item so we'll have to look at all options. I initially started this thread to determine if anyone had any thoughts about the snow blower attachments and if anyone had any experience with different ones that may just be easier to swap. I do think that the John Deere would be somewhat easier as you drive up to it and onto of it to mount it as opposed to getting underneath it and messing with all sorts of bolts and such. I'm not sure I'd have to patience to deal with any of it myself.

 

[murphy1244]

Do you have a Simplicity dealer near you? I have a Conquest with a 54 inch cut that removes for a 42 inch snowblower. 150 hours in 2 years with the same belts. And Nothing cuts like a Simplicity, Nothing.

 

[murphy1244]

Oh yea :welcome: to TBN

 

[unbidden]

Of course money is a factor, as stated a sub-compact tractor with blower will cost you a bundle. If you're looking for new I'd consider a zero-turn mower w/blower. Not cheap but less than a tractor. Example: Commercial & Residential Zero Turn Mowers | Snow Removal | Grasshopper

 

[buickanddeere]

Check Craig's list or Kijiji for used JD lawn and garden equipment. One huge clue that separates the light duty lawn tractors from the more durable garden tractors . Is the rear wheels on heavy duty equipment bolt on with five bolts. The light duty equipment holds the rear wheels on with a snap ring located under a dust cover.
Can't hurt to check out your friendly local JD dealer. Sometimes having a new machine that hasn't had experiences and has a warranty. The monthly payments can be reasonable with some of the factory incentives.
How large of a property and what kind of uses does the equipment see?

 

[kiotiken]

Oh I totally agree.....hubby has already looked at a few machines in the 300 series or it might have been the 500 series but I know they were the less expensive models. As I said, cost will certainly factor into the equation for us. We are not wealthy people so therefore we'll make do with whatever will do the job. Just want something dependable and I've always heard that John Deere was a good reliable brand. I've just never really heard anything about any other makes or models of these type of vehicles. That's the reason that I considered finding a unit higher up on the list but perhaps used. Of course in that regard you have to really do your homework and make sure of the source of the used item so we'll have to look at all options. I initially started this thread to determine if anyone had any thoughts about the snow blower attachments and if anyone had any experience with different ones that may just be easier to swap. I do think that the John Deere would be somewhat easier as you drive up to it and onto of it to mount it as opposed to getting underneath it and messing with all sorts of bolts and such. I'm not sure I'd have to patience to deal with any of it myself.

I think you have 3 choices and your budget might make the choice easy. Once you've decided which of them you're going to be looking at, people here will be happy to tell you the good, bad and ugly for each option.

1) Lawn tractor, same as what you have. They will all have front mount, belt driven snowblower attahments that will have a similar mounting system. Something like a JD or Huskavarnia from a big box store is under $2000 and a blower is around $1000.

2) Garden tractor. Same type of front mount snow blower that is belt driven. A little bigger, stronger tractor, gas powered that may allow for some attachments. The JD 500 or 700 series, not sure of price, but much higher than the big box lawn tractor (I'm thinking $5K - $7K range).

3) Sub Compact Utility tractor, SCUT. Diesel, 4X4, 3pt hitch, rear PTO, Front End Loader (FEL), shaft driven instead of belt driven etc. You'll be able to put a blower on the front (expensive) or the back or a blade on one and blower on the other. The JD 1026R has the drive over deck that you mentioned with the auto attach option, I'm not sure if any of the smaller ones have it. You can look at new or used Kubota BX, JD 1023/26 just to name the most popular in that size. You're looking in the $15K range.

Good luck.

 

[buickanddeere]

Check Craig's list or Kijiji for used JD lawn and garden equipment. One huge clue that separates the light duty lawn tractors from the more durable garden tractors . Is the rear wheels on heavy duty equipment bolt on with five bolts. The light duty equipment holds the rear wheels on with a snap ring located under a dust cover.
Can't hurt to check out your friendly local JD dealer. Sometimes having a new machine that hasn't had experiences and has a warranty. The monthly payments can be reasonable with some of the factory incentives.

 

[SHORT KID]

Where is your equipment stored? The reason I ask is if it is damp or nice and warm and dry, makes a difference on drive or other pullies. Once they age they have a tendency to get surface rust and can really chew up a belt quick. I had a tractor stored in a shed over winter, in the spring I started it up and started to mow, in a very short time the belt was smoking. I serviced it before parking it so I never thought about rust, but that is what it was. The problem would be more appearent with a snow blower because there is always dampness from snow on it if you don't keep it in a heated area. Hopes this info is useful and welcome to TBN.......