Machine advice for maintanence of 5 acre woodland

[MissLynda]

Here is my problem in a nutshell. I live on 51/2 acres of land in South Florida. The ground is made up of sugar sand, pine needles and decomposed trees, mainly pine. Thanks to the last four hurricanes a good portion of my woodland has been denuded of trees but a significant number of trees remain. I am now left with large areas of disturbed ground and removed trees that are growing wild grass and weeds. From a distance when cut the area looks beautiful and for the untrained eye, appears to be real grass but with closer inspection and any attempts to cut it you will quickly realize that this is not the case. I have been controlling my landscape with the use of a regular push mower and a string mower. While this works and it is good exercise it is also extremely time consuming and this time of the year by the time I finish it is time to start all over ago again. I am seriously looking into getting a zero turn mower or a finishing mower to use with my brother’s compact Kubota tractor but I need a machine that is forgiving of obstacles, easy for a woman to handle, safe on uneven terrain, easy to maintain and won’t take ten years of overtime to pay off. I have been searching for this amazing machine but it continues to evade me. Any suggestions, ideas, or advice will be gratefully accepted.

 

[randy41]

a husband

 

[Z-Michigan]

I would consider a SCUT (subcompact utility tractor) in the 20-25hp range, with a rear mounted 4' rotary cutter (handles grass and brush, very tough, but doesn't give as fine a finish as a "finish mower"). These are made by practically all brands. The Kubota BX series and B7510 are some examples; JD 2305 is another one, and again nearly all brands make stuff like this. I think you would find a SCUT and a brush mower to be much more durable than a zero turn mower in the conditions you describe. You may not need any implements other than the mower, in which case the dealer can just set it up for you and it's like buying any riding mower from your operating perspective.

I would also look at power-trac, see the forums here and their website. Even their smallest machine would likely work for what you're doing, and that starts around $5500 plus mower.

 

[RoyJackson]

Try Used Farm Equipment & Agricultural Equipment - John Deere MachineFinder.com.

Type in your zipcode (basically, follow the directions).

See the attached picture

You'll come to a search window, drop down the menu for Category. Select Tractors (1-40 HP).

Select a manufacturer if you want, then determine a horsepower range (I'd suggest 20-30 HP).

The tractors displayed will be used machines. They'll be listed by proximaty to your zipcode.

That will get you started. BTW, these will all be dealer machines. You can save money buying used and private sales, but that depends on how familar you are with equipment.

Also, run down to your local dealers and see what they have on the lot. Any of the small Deeres or Kubotas (although with Kubota, I wouldn't go smaller then the B7510 series...Deere, the 2000 series, but guys with more experience with the little Deeres will give you their advice).
Personally, I want a tractor with a very solid dealer/supply network...no further then 20-25 miles from my home.


BTW, "SAFE" depends mostly on the operator. Don't expect this machine to cocoon you in a comforting envelope of safety. As a new TBNer, it would behoove you to read the Safety Forum which is the most valuable forum on TBN (IMHO). Also, as you peruse this site, you'll see a lot of attached pictures. Some will be of folks operating their tractors with no seat belts and the ROPS folded. Don't do that...

 

[ChuckinNH]

Lynda,
If you are using a string trimmer now where you can't get with a push mower, I would guess that some areas may be a little rough for a riding mower. Have you operated your brother's compact Kubota? Is it comfortable for you, and do you think you would want to drive it on your land? Lower, and wider usually means more stability, but compromises clearance. Have you ridden any kind of ATV? The suspension on those is forgiving, and you can pull a mower with one. Pictures of what you are up against would help, and perhaps more info about the tractor your brother has too.
Hope we can help you out....

 

[Egon]

Rethink your desired end product and go with something that does not require mowing.

 

[MissLynda]

Randy41
I thought of that solution but decided it may end up being more trouble then it was worth. First it has a small fuel tank that requires frequent refills and the higher the quality of the variety the more expensive the fuel and accessories become. I have also found that the so called “high quality” variety is more demanding, has more down time, is not very reliable, is more likely to end up utilizing outsourced services and is not well suited for heavy duty or rural environments. The economy variety is usually a better bet but has it downs sides as well. The economy variety has a tendency to use more fuel, will frequently go off course and has been know to get stuck in another pasture for a day or two. The economy variety is usually a good, reliable worker and performance is often better than average but may be a slower started, will need coaxing, regular maintenance to keep it running a good idle and seems to require a fair amount of pit stops. Both varieties are better leased before making a final commitment because keeping rid of them or replacing them can not only be extremely difficult but amazingly expensive. Even though either may a viable solution they are extremely hard to fine and usually come with a waiting list.

 

[randy41]

i'm glad you took my comment in the spirit it was intended.
best of luck to you.

 

[IslandTractor]

Randy41
I thought of that solution but decided it may end up being more trouble then it was worth. First it has a small fuel tank that requires frequent refills and the higher the quality of the variety the more expensive the fuel and accessories become. I have also found that the so called “high quality” variety is more demanding, has more down time, is not very reliable, is more likely to end up utilizing outsourced services and is not well suited for heavy duty or rural environments. The economy variety is usually a better bet but has it downs sides as well. The economy variety has a tendency to use more fuel, will frequently go off course and has been know to get stuck in another pasture for a day or two. The economy variety is usually a good, reliable worker and performance is often better than average but may be a slower started, will need coaxing, regular maintenance to keep it running a good idle and seems to require a fair amount of pit stops. Both varieties are better leased before making a final commitment because keeping rid of them or replacing them can not only be extremely difficult but amazingly expensive. Even though either may a viable solution they are extremely hard to fine and usually come with a waiting list.

Guys, MissLynda has our number and therefore should be treated with the utmost respect lest she start informing the various Mrs. Tractors about what makes us tick. Lord knows we don't want that information out there.

That said, assuming a low cost option would be desirable, here are a few options:

If you want a solution that costs a bit up front but will allow you to independently retrieve and maintain the land, I would vote for a used 20hp range compact utility tractor (CUT) or subcompact (SCUT) with a 42 or 48 inch rotary mower (bush hog, NOT a finish mower). That would be a good starting point if there are branches and other debris hidden in the grass. I'd imagine you could get something like that for around $5000-6000 if you find a decent Kubota 7100 or similar ten-fifteen year old tractor. A newer set up with more bells and whistles like hydrostatic drive would cost you about 10-12,000.

A couple of cheaper solutions are possible. One would be to get a DR mower which looks like a regular self propelled lawn mower on steroids. Those can be had new for as little as $1200 for a 7hp Scout or up to 2500 for a 17hp version. They would do a fine job of clearing land where your push mower would get bogged down. I'd certainly hesitate to tackle 5 acres with one of the DR mowers but for smaller areas they are a very capable and economical solution to one time clearing. You could also rent one of those for a week or so rather than buy it or rent one for a day and chip away at the problem. Rental stores would call them brush mowers.

If you can hire someone to come in with a bush hog you might be able to get the whole area cleaned up for less than the cost of either of the equipment purchasing solutions I mentioned above so that is also a thought. Once you have someone run a big bush hog through the area you should be able to keep it under control with a riding mower with the blades set high. Been there, done that.

Whatever you do, don't go getting one of those Husband attachments. You are correct about their maintenance costs and unreliability. Furthermore, they usually become infatuated with the equipment they are asked to operate and invariably find excuses to purchase larger and more expensive machines primarily to minimize their own sweat production and to generate excuses for why they cannot complete household tasks.

Best of luck.

 

[MissLynda]

Thanks for all the suggestions. All have been very helpful. I can be more focused and hopefully more successful in my search now. I am very safety conscience and consider my self frugal. I am looking for a machine that is reasonable in price but I don't want to be penny wise and pound foolish. I will have to live with my decsion a long time. Here are some pictures, they only give a general idea of what I am dealing with.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1087/966918209_6044ca6604.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1147/966677023_ce8be88919.jpg
I call the areas above the back 40.


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1253/966918131_95c7aeeaa2.jpg
Backyard can see the grassy stuff growing up around the trees further out.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1374/966918101_7ab42b835f.jpg
Can see area around house a a bit of an incline all around.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1087/966918209_6044ca6604.jpg
Grass is amount twice as high right now.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1204/966918249_95cfa1d4e1.jpg
Front of property as you enter the gate about 0.10 miles up shellrock drive way to house. Area on the south side of drive has a much deeper dip.

Hope these pictures help.