Is a subcompact under 25hp enough power?

[tacticalturnip]

No!! I have a JD 3025E. I just spent 2 weeks discing, tilling, packing, planting grass seed and pulling a drag harrow around my 5 acre yard. i had to borrow a bigger tractor to pull the 16’ disc, then used my tractor on the smaller implements. Others have suggested this. If you have all the time in the world and don’t mind being beat to death a smaller tractor is ok.
Attached are some pics of the yard right before seeding.
I wish a thousand times mine was a minimum of 50hp.
You know the advantages of more HP, please don’t go small.

Of course you had to borrow a larger tractor to pull a 16 foot disc; the proper size for a 3025E would be between 6 and 8 feet.

 

[big bubba]

TN8Man: believe you made a wise purchase. being a compact forum, there are countless threads of either wishing one had gone larger, or how to exceed the safe limits on tasks meant for a larger machine. done yourself good on this one, regards

 

[Williy]

Sub-compact tractors are typically classified as tractors with engines under 25 hp, while compact tractors have engines with more than 25 hp and less than 60 hp. Most sub-compact tractors offer mid-mount mower attachments, which are mower decks mounted between the front and rear axle, like on a garden tractor.

willy

 

[Little Red Tractor]

Throwing my 2 cents in (somewhat late): The difference between a BX and B 23 horse is pretty big, I have the B-2301, my neighbor has a BX; big difference between the two. His my be a bit nimbler, mine will pull harder. With loaded tires, the B 2601 handles the loader and anything else I've asked it to do...and it still runs a mid-mount mower.

 

[wolc123]

It all depends on how much time you have to get the job done. Personally, I like to have options because sometimes (like on the weekends) I’ve got plenty of time. Not so much before and after work on weekdays though.

I’ve got 34 acres to maintain, along with a house, a barn and a couple of driveways. I use (5) tractors for that, including (2) 15 hp lawn tractors (one gear one hydro) strictly for mowing about 1 acre of grass around the buildings (remainder of property is about 1/3 wooded and 2/3 open fields).

My other tractors include a 10 hp Farmall Cub, 28 hp Ford 8n, and a 43 hp John Deere 4120 (I’m not “color blind” but I am Country blind and that’s the American “big 3”).

Since I really enjoy my “tractor time”, I’ll usually pick the smallest tractor for the job, that my available time allows. For example, I can clear a foot of snow from our (2) driveways in 15 minutes with the 43 hp JD, or take 45 minutes doing it with the Cub.

 

[flyingace43]

I'm not saying people should do this but when I was looking at Kioti 2520 tractors I saw these videos ...

I also had the woodland mills grinder and it is a good machine but it this video they are only grinding old rotten stumps there is a big difference when you grind a fresh cut stump it takes a lot more power and a lot longer. If you only have a few small stumps it will work fine but if they are bigger it needs more power.

 

[Pleease]

"Lawnmower and nothing else" is a little harsh, lol. I cut a flat spot for a 16x24 shed out of a hillside made of clay & rock with a Kubota BX1880. It wasn't fast, but totally up to the task.

That said, if I had several acres to maintain I'd probably move to a B or an L for speed & capacity purposes. But the little BX works well for my billy goat mowing needs and projects.

 

[Rob REECE]

Is a subcompact under 25hp engine enough power to maintain a under 15 acre property where the tasks are mowing w/ mid mower, finish mower, brush hogging, stump grinding, hole digging, box blade and typical loader work?

I have owned a 35hp and 50hp so I'm a little uneasy getting an under 24hp.

I have ten acres and I had a John Deere 3520 that was just to small so I upgraded to a John Deere 4320 which is adequate for what I need to do. It is 48 HP. I really think 25hp is way too small for fifteen acres.

 

[TN8Man]

Here it is

 

[TN8Man]

Where are the photos of the beast?

 

[tacticalturnip]

Very nice! You must be happy to have her home.

 

[Rob REECE]

Of course you had to borrow a larger tractor to pull a 16 foot disc; the proper size for a 3025E would be between 6 and 8 feet.

I have ten acres and I first had a JD3520. I soon discovered it was to small so I upgraded to a JD4320. It is 48hp and it is way better. I can make roads and clear my land very easily. If you have acres get the biggest tractor you can afford.

 

[FPGT72]

There is a pretty large bias against smaller machines. They are nothing but a lawn mower, or you will do better with a shovel. Personally I think they can live in their very biased world.

I live on a flat 13ac, and have had a BX25D from roughly the moment they first came out. It is currently sitting at 700 hours and I don't use it to mow, but I do have the deck. I have used it to pull the box blade and now land plane with no issues. Dug up a great backstop for my range, moved concrete and gravel by the bucket full. It has been all the machine I have needed.

 

[CliffordK]

For my 2¢.

I have my Ford 1715. Rated at 26 to 27 HP. It does a lot of what I need, although I would like a little stouter loader (meaning also more weight). It'll brush hog OK. Tilled OK. I have seen the temperature light come on at times, perhaps if I was pushing the RPMs high.

Mom had a 30 to 40 HP Deere (not quite sure of the model). It did well for almost anything. It shrunk to a Kubota BX2380. It wasn't my idea, and I wasn't asked for an opinion. 21.6 HP. I haven't used it much, but it it couldn't pull a wooden post out of the ground without concrete. And my nephew complains it lacks power for brush hogging. It will do OK for light duty work, but nothing major. I'm experimenting with flailing mowing now, and It isn't even worth trying on the Kubota.

I'm not quite sure why there seems to be so much difference between the Ford and the Kubota.

Yet, if it was me, I'd choose something in the 40+ HP range.

I recently snagged a Landini Trekker 60F. About 60 HP, and amazingly powerful for a tiny package. And it should climb walls... as long as they aren't muddy walls.

 

[jyoutz]

For my 2¢.

I have my Ford 1715. Rated at 26 to 27 HP. It does a lot of what I need, although I would like a little stouter loader (meaning also more weight). It'll brush hog OK. Tilled OK. I have seen the temperature light come on at times, perhaps if I was pushing the RPMs high.

Mom had a 30 to 40 HP Deere (not quite sure of the model). It did well for almost anything. It shrunk to a Kubota BX2380. It wasn't my idea, and I wasn't asked for an opinion. 21.6 HP. I haven't used it much, but it it couldn't pull a wooden post out of the ground without concrete. And my nephew complains it lacks power for brush hogging. It will do OK for light duty work, but nothing major. I'm experimenting with flailing mowing now, and It isn't even worth trying on the Kubota.

I'm not quite sure why there seems to be so much difference between the Ford and the Kubota.

Yet, if it was me, I'd choose something in the 40+ HP range.

I recently snagged a Landini Trekker 60F. About 60 HP, and amazingly powerful for a tiny package. And it should climb walls... as long as they aren't muddy walls.

The difference is the Ford is a compact tractor and the Kubota BX is a sub-compact.

 

[CliffordK]

The difference is the Ford is a compact tractor and the Kubota BX is a sub-compact.

Ahhh, so subs are designed to be sunk in the ocean... got it.

 

[wawajake]

For my 2¢.

I have my Ford 1715. Rated at 26 to 27 HP. It does a lot of what I need, although I would like a little stouter loader (meaning also more weight). It'll brush hog OK. Tilled OK. I have seen the temperature light come on at times, perhaps if I was pushing the RPMs high.

Mom had a 30 to 40 HP Deere (not quite sure of the model). It did well for almost anything. It shrunk to a Kubota BX2380. It wasn't my idea, and I wasn't asked for an opinion. 21.6 HP. I haven't used it much, but it it couldn't pull a wooden post out of the ground without concrete. And my nephew complains it lacks power for brush hogging. It will do OK for light duty work, but nothing major. I'm experimenting with flailing mowing now, and It isn't even worth trying on the Kubota.

I'm not quite sure why there seems to be so much difference between the Ford and the Kubota.

Yet, if it was me, I'd choose something in the 40+ HP range.

I recently snagged a Landini Trekker 60F. About 60 HP, and amazingly powerful for a tiny package. And it should climb walls... as long as they aren't muddy walls.

The difference is 5 hp between your bx example and the ford.....so 20 % .....I have a 25 hp BX2660, it has no problem with 48" brushhog, 9 inch post hole digger, ,60 inch rear finish mower, wallenstein wood chipper, 52 in snow blower, I remember one day at my daughters new build house , I spread three dual axle dumptruck loads of gravel with the 48" FEL to make her driveway , pretty significant workout in my opinion...... so maybe it is more comparable apples to apples comparison to your Ford maybe......just smaller wheels of course. .....( or maybe it's the operator)

 

[jyoutz]

Ahhh, so subs are designed to be sunk in the ocean... got it.

You wondered what is the difference between the two. Two different classes of machine.

 

[Indian Territory]

Depends on what you're doing of course, but for the way we use tractors weight is as much a limiting factor as horsepower. Without enough weight, the implements want to steer the tractor, rather than the other way around. For us this happens mostly with ground engagement. You can't draw straight beds if you can't steer. Weight in the bucket helps, but with small tractors the buckets are limited in capacity. I've been told on this site that 75 hp is enough for small scale farming, but I'll never own less than 120 hp again. But that's for berry farming, which involves using large tillers on a lot of acres, and also pulling a raised bed maker. For mowing you could get by with much less. Lots of riding lawnmowers fall in the 25 hp range. Problem is, though you can buy little implements for little tractors, most of them are not worth owning. This is especially true for box blades, etc., where weight is essential. Just my two cents based on my experience of course.

 

[Rob REECE]

I have ten acres and I have a John Deere 4320 48HP and it does the job for what I need. I wouldn’t get anything smaller than that. I till my garden , drag trees and clear my property.