JD for 10 acres on $5-6000 budget

[indytim]

I sensed from your post that you are budgeting 5-6000 for the tractor and the attachments would be additional cost. What is your total budget for all the sum of the parts?

Might also want to consider a good used mower for the yard instead of a belly mower, since you can buy a good used manueverable
mower for the same cost as a new mower deck. This allows you to use a gear tractor for the larger areas without a lot of grief.


If it were me, I would buy what I have had before, something much older but in good condition for example the older 820, 1020, 1520 tractors any of these will work and all are larger than you are asking about. Condition is more important than age. Lots of older tractors with loaders available on Machinefinder and other places. If you take care of these older tractors you can get most of your money back on resale, and hopefully after a few seasons you will have a better idea of what you really want. I think an older 40hp tractor would serve your needs better on the 10 acres than a smaller one.

Steve

Steve - somehow you picked up on the dilemma -- do I buy a dedicated mower AND a tractor, or a tractor that will do it all?

The back and front yards at about 1.5 acres are a lot for my old 30" Craftsman walk behind (and for me, I gotta admit).

The house sits at the back of the lot, with all the pasture out front. Pasture plus front lawn is probably 6 mowable acres and all except the fenced back would be easily accessible to a tractor.

One option is keep the old mower for the back, and use a CUT with a deck (or rear finish mower) for the front lawn and pasture.

The other option is get a nice zero-turn for all my lawn (which would be really great), and then pick up a larger tractor for everything else.

I could wait a year for the tractor, if I have to, since all the fencing and barn won't be in until then. Want the tractor to dig the post holes though...

But if I do the tractor now, I am thinking $7-8 for tractor/finish mower. The loader and bushhog can wait a bit unless I find a great deal.. I would have no problem buying an older tractor in good shape - I grew up driving a JD Model B. She was a goodie...

If I do the zero turn, well, things change -- $3000 or so for a good used mower now, than whatever next year for the tractor. Some of the pasture is nice smooth grass (about 2 acres) so it's conceivable that I end up mowing 3.5 acres with the zero turn.

Just kind of thinking out loud here... thanks for everyone's advice.

 

[jenkinsph]

I don't think I would spend alot of money on a zero turn mower unless you have a lot of obstacles in your yard. I would buy something like a LA165 or maybe a used mower in excellent shape. I have an L130 with 48" deck for the lawn, a 4520 tractor for landscape work and a 110tlb for digging and loader work. Everyone has a different opinion but most of the older 30 to 40 hp tractors growing up were about 4000 lbs, they had just enough traction to handle a variety of tasks but they were slow. I have had several larger tractors but these were to big for landscape work, so I chose the 4520 which is perfect for landscape work with a little more weight. There are lots of implements both new and used to fit the 40 to 60 hp tractors and that makes them a practical choice.

I would start with the house improvements you need and then the immediate yard working outwards. That means lawnmower first and tractor second. This gives you time to think and look around for the right tractor. JMHO I think of a single tractor loader backhoe belly mower as an 8 in 1 tool, doesn't do anything well. Hope this helps you.


Steve

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Just remember, you can pay a small amount to get someone to brushhog your place a few times a year while you think about what you want. Most would charge about $50-60 per hour and it would take maybe 3-4 hours to cut it depending on size of cutter.

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

I was at a farm auction this past weekend and saw an IH 560 in decent shape go for about $2k and an old 5' rfm for about $150. New loaders for the 560 can be found for about $2500 more -- that would leave you enough for a light duty 6' brush hog and a used riding mower with 42" or 48" deck. ($300-600 for low end units, $800-1500 for mid range)

 

[jenkinsph]

I had a 460 International when they were alot newer in 1975 or so. Can't picture that being anything I would do again. The suggestion to buy used though is sound.

I think the key to this is to watch what you buy and build up gradually as can be budgeted in. I would buy what will work for each task starting with a lawnmower.

I recently sold a 1974 JD 820 in excellent shape to a friend of mine with a canopy and good tires and paint, almost new clutch for $6,000. It looked like new, so there are some deals to be had if one is patient.



Steve

 

[philgreen]

Steve,

I'm no expert (just a cheapskate!), but I bought an older 855 last fall with a FEL and backhoe for $8900.00. I am always looking for this model to make sure I got a good deal and I have not seen that combination for less than $11K.

Last week, I purchase a 60" belly mower for $350.00. I have not seen them anywhere else for less than $1K. I was hoping that I could do both finish mowing on the lawn and high mowing in the fields with the same mower. That mower will rise to about 7.5", so maybe it will work. I'll know for sure in a few months.

Good luck,
Phil

 

[jenkinsph]

Phil,

If you can start out this year and keep the field cut low then it should work. Most lawn decks don't have much clearance between the blades and the top of the deck. This makes it difficult to cut tall weeds and grass off neatly. The other thing is that a large rotary cutter with a 5' and up cut width allows the tall grass to be free of the edge of the deck so it can be lifted into the blades. To put it another way if the mower deck front to back is 20"+ and the grass is 24" + then the front and back edges of the mower are always holding the grass down. You can cut it but it may take several passes to get all of it.

Just cutting pastures routinely will help controls weeds and promote better grass growth. Cutting height and how tall you should allow it to get before cutting depends on the type grass you have. You need to let it get tall enough to reseed itself but I don't think you will have a problem cutting grass that is about 15" tall with your deck.



Steve