I have no idea what to buy

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

When I bought my rural "Summer Home I know I needed a tractor. (1990).with a 750ft gravel driveway , even with 4WD, I knew I needed to plow with the Wisconsin Winters. I looked at IH Case but was afraid they would go out of business.
Kubota was big in the compact market even then, but I wanted to "Buy American" The Ford dealer told me Ford was making tractors for a hundred years. JD was expensive and in that size were made like Garden Tractors with the engine and trans bolted to a bent metal frame. The Ford was Built like a real tractor and the engine and trans were the frame.
The dealer was great, so I bought a 1520, 3 cylinder Diesel with a loader(Woods) and a Woods Finish mower (60RM3).
When I got it back to my property I saw it was "MADE IN Japan". I was furious, and the dealer said "Assembled in the USA". not the same thing. Turns out the diesel is made in Italy.
Fast forward to 2022. the Ford is like new! Never a problem and I maintained it regularly, by the book.
(I bought a Hydro so the wife could mow......lol.. you know that never happened).
As I bought more property that needed to be cleared, I needed a larger tractor so of course I bough a Ford which was then NH and now it is "CNH".
Perfect, high quality machines..... In summary I would buy one of the big brands with the local dealership that conveyed the most confidence. A tractor has much more utility than a zero turn mower.
Good luck.
John G

I've said it before and I'll say it again and I'll probably say it a hundred more times, Ford is the best tractor there ever was!

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

I was commenting that the ZT pictured on post #87's attached picture (like all ZTs) lacks a 3pt hitch & PTO and has no loader. Pointing out that the ZT may mow well , but it lacks the versatility of compact or subcompact tractor. Essentially the same point Geo makes at the bottom of post #98.

When you price what a commercial grade, diesel zero turn costs you can purchase a 40hp tractor for about the same price. It just doesn't make sense from a value stand point.

 

[JJZ 109]

I should clarify. I don't think anyone here is going to recommend a lawn tractor, only zero turns. I think lawn tractors are kind of an outdated platform, cheaper to build but awfully slow compared to a zero turn.

The thing is, he mentions Michigan snow. I don't understand this if he's looking strictly for mowers.
Everyone has their own ideas and each property is different. I've had 2 zero turns. A Troy Bilt from Lowe's and then and nice Ferris. In my experience they get stuck easily in wet stuff and I'd never go back to one. So I use a John Deere X394 4 wheel steer tractor for our main lawn and a Kubota BX2380 for the rougher side lot. The BX is small enough and simple enough to use that my wife can also get out there with the loader for her landscaping needs.

 

[mattnelsonesq]

Thanks guys, I am looking at a tractor actually as I plan on doing some snow removal and the property has 5 dilapidated farm buildings that I am going to be clearing out, a cart and scoop would help that. My researching is leading me towards a Husqvarna TS 354XD, thoughts on that?

 

[JJZ 109]

Thanks guys, I am looking at a tractor actually as I plan on doing some snow removal and the property has 5 dilapidated farm buildings that I am going to be clearing out, a cart and scoop would help that. My researching is leading me towards a Husqvarna TS 354XD, thoughts on that?

Not sure what you mean by "scoop". But in my experience (on my 3rd tractor and still have a skid steer) a loader is a must. For me the BX is just a big lawn mower if it didn't have a loader because I don't use the 3 point hitch for anything other than a ballast box.
The loader can replace a lot of wheelbarrow work as well as being a device to lift other items or load material into another vessel like dump trailer or pickup truck.

 

[rbstern]

Thanks guys, I am looking at a tractor actually as I plan on doing some snow removal and the property has 5 dilapidated farm buildings that I am going to be clearing out, a cart and scoop would help that. My researching is leading me towards a Husqvarna TS 354XD, thoughts on that?

Sorry if you've posted this, but I didn't see it: How many total acres is the property?

 

[mattnelsonesq]

2 acres, probably 1.6 of actual grass, flat everywhere. And by scoop I mean this

Husqvarna 36" Front Scoop Attachment

Easily hauls loose dirt, mulch or rock for small or large jobs. Great for spreading sand or moving heavy rocks or bags of potting soil for bedding plants. Lift

www.husqvarna.com

just goes to show you how little I know about this subject, I appreciate all the input but to be honest, 90% of it I don't understand what you guys are talking about lol

 

[rbstern]

2 acres, probably 1.6 of actual grass, flat everywhere. And by scoop I mean this

Husqvarna 36" Front Scoop Attachment

Easily hauls loose dirt, mulch or rock for small or large jobs. Great for spreading sand or moving heavy rocks or bags of potting soil for bedding plants. Lift

www.husqvarna.com

just goes to show you how little I know about this subject, I appreciate all the input but to be honest, 90% of it I don't understand what you guys are talking about lol

ZT = Zero turn. A mower that has a motor or transmission mounted to each rear wheel, so it can pivot in place. Dramatically more maneuverable than a traditional riding mower. Cuts lawns fast. Doesn't do much of anything else.

Tractor - This covers a large range of equipment. A lawn tractor, like the Husky you are looking at, is at the small end of the scale. Farm machines with 200hp motors are at the other end of the scale.

SCUT and CUT - Sub compact and compact utility tractors. These are small tractors that function very much like full size farm machines, on a smaller, less powerful scale. But the principles are the same. They can be equipped with front end loaders (bucket scoop on hydraulic arms), mid-mount mower decks (like a lawn tractor mower deck), and towed implements like plows, brush cutters, flail mowers, finish mowers, tillers. Nearly all tractors SCUT size and above have a rear power take off (PTO) that can be used to drive a shaft that will turn a mower or other powered implement.

Based on what you described, you are probably a very good candidate for a SCUT with a front end loader and a mower of some sort.

There's nothing wrong with the Husky you linked as both a lawn cutting machine and a light duty towing and very light lifting tool. But it doesn't hold a candle to a SCUT in terms of work capability. A SCUT can pull thousands of pounds. It can typically lift 500 to 750 pounds in front, and 750 or more pounds in the rear. There are scores of compatible implements available for SCUTs and CUTs, for everything from lifting, drilling, picking, digging, cutting, you name it. It will be diesel powered, and with good care, should give good service for several decades in a homeowner role.

But it's also going to be at least twice as costly as the Husky + scoop you are looking at. The higher end brands will be three times as much.

If your property renovation can be done with the Husky and scoop, and it will be purely a lawnmower after that, it's probably all you need.

If you can envision yourself doing lots of property improvement, building, digging, renovating, etc., you will do better with a SCUT.

Here's a SCUT in action doing some simple work. It's a Yanmar (brand). Not endorsing that brand, just was a good video to begin showing you what a SCUT can do.

 

[Williy]

Forget the scoop just get a tractor with the bucket
or front loader (there the same) will probably last
longer and do a better job.

willy

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

2 acres, probably 1.6 of actual grass, flat everywhere. And by scoop I mean this

Husqvarna 36" Front Scoop Attachment

Easily hauls loose dirt, mulch or rock for small or large jobs. Great for spreading sand or moving heavy rocks or bags of potting soil for bedding plants. Lift

www.husqvarna.com

just goes to show you how little I know about this subject, I appreciate all the input but to be honest, 90% of it I don't understand what you guys are talking about lol

OP, I'm going to shoot real straight with you. You don't need any opinions right now you need an education. You are a long ways off from picking any particular machine. You have a lot of research and hours of study ahead of you. The best thing I can recommend to you right now is reading this thread:

Please Read If You Are A Newbie Tractor Buyer

Hello to all of you out there that are new to the tractor world. I imagine many of you have either just purchased some land or inherited some land and have many big plans on the horizon for your property. You have come here because you are looking to get information about purchasing a tractor...

www.tractorbynet.com

and cancelling all your weekend fishing trips you had planned this summer so you can spend some good seat time on the internet learning about tractors and property maintenance equipment.