Snow Mowing,plowing snow??

70boss · Jan 22, 2001

I am looking for your collective wisdom on the abilities of various machines to do the following:
Mow grass, on uneven terrain, just bumpy
Plow snow, or sno-blow a 750' gravel driveway
grade and level a gravel driveway to eliminate the effects of water erosion after rain.

I am looking for 1 machine, to replace my current inventory of 3 machines.
Specifically, I am looking at the JD 755/855/955, or the new 4100/4200 series, as well as the 790.

Thanks,
Rob

Anonymous Poster · Jan 22, 2001

I just bought a 4100 HST at the beginning of this month. It has the 410 loader, 60" belly mower and turf tires. I too was looking for a single machine that could do everything I need to do. I have 11 acres. About two acres are grass that needs to be cut. The rest is pasture for the horses. I would occasionally need to move material, drag the pasture, etc. I also have a half mile paved driveway to plow.

I have not yet used the mower but I am sure it will handle what I have. We had 8" of wet, heavy snow on Saturday night. I had no problem plowing with the loader. This included steep hills and flat terrain. The 4100 labored a little on the steep hills. A couple of times I had to drop it into low going up the hill and then it was no problem. I just set the bucket level to plow and go. The loader requires you to make a couple extra passes but it was no big deal. The advantage of plowing with the loader is you can easily move big piles that accumulate.

I was very impressed with how the tractor performed. Traction was no problem with the turf tires. No need for chains.

Thomas · Jan 22, 2001

70boss,
I'm sadden /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif to read Kubota B2410 nor B2710 was mention,for they are grand tractor and well fit your needs.

The JD4100 is fine unit..oops sorry guys I had to check one out w/ all the talk about them here on the board /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif..and I can see why its becoming a popular tractor.
You may want to try JD4100 out at a dealer,thats of coarse after you visit a Kubota dealer. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

70boss · Jan 22, 2001

I like the Kubotas as well, from the prices I have seen, they also cost quite a bit more. The B2710 costs a lot more than the JD790. I like the B7500, but it doesn't have position control on the 3 point hitch....pretty dumb, my 50 year old 8n has position and draft control.

Thomas · Jan 22, 2001

70boss,
I could never understand why Kubota didn't offer power steering on the B7500,you would have thought so when tractor owners traded up and power steering was a must on there list.

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Bird · Jan 22, 2001

Thomas, I think the B7500 does have power steering; just doesn't have position control. Am I wrong?

Bird

Thomas · Jan 22, 2001

Bird,
Your 110% RIGHT...and thanks for reminding me I have to start wearing my darn glasses. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Its the B7400 thats doesn't have power steering.

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Thomas · Jan 22, 2001

70boss,
A gentleman just inform me the B7500 does have power steering,sorry about the bad info.

The B7400 doesn't have power steering

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

70boss · Jan 22, 2001

It does have power steering, if it had position control, i would have already bought one. I don't need a large compact since I have convienent access to a larger (2640) John Deere with a bush hog that absolutely eats trees and shrubs. I plow my driveway with a 4x4 Polaris Sportsman 500 ATV, and it does a very good job. I just want to get rid of 3 machines and replace them with 1.

Benson · Jan 22, 2001

70Boss, I have a gear drive 4100 with a JD front blade and a 413 rotary cutter for my fields. I have about 10 acres, and a gravel drive about 850 feet long. The front blade does a pretty good job on the drive. I looked at the 790 as well. With 4wd and the front blade, it was quite a bit more money. The blade and frame on the 790 is a lot heavier duty than the 4100 with the 54" JD blade. I haven't tried any finish mowers yet (just put the lawn in last summer), but the 413 does a good job with the fields. My original thought was that I would rather have a 6 foot brush hog, but the 4 foot 413 lets me spend a bit more time on the tractor. That wasn't my original goal at all, but I have so much fun with it that I would like to cut it down to a 3 foot pass. All in all, I think if I knew last year what I know now (this is my first tractor other than a garden tractor) I would have gone for either the 790 or the 4200. I typically have to plow snow early in the morning before sunup, and the 54" blade is just shy of wide enough to do one pass down and back up.

Anonymous Poster · Jan 22, 2001

Just left my John Deere dealer after picking up a tech. manual and saw a brand new JD790, 25 PTO HP, MFWD, $10,600.

Lot's of bang for the buck. Size of 4300, with updated Yanmar tractor, John Deere name & 2 year warranty.

You don't have to buy the JD mower for thousand's... just get a 6' rear 3 pt. mower for $995. at Quality Farm & Country (King Kutter brand - another Lots of bang for the buck unit!)

DennisY · Jan 22, 2001

It must be difficult having to choose between all those toys (er equipment)!!

jyoutz · Jan 23, 2001

70boss, I have had a 4100 gear for over a year now and have put 75 hours of use on it. It is perfect for my needs and I have no quality related problems whatsoever. Really solid and well-designed. I have plowed lots of deep snow with a rear blade, dug ditches with the blade, plowed and rototilled, leveled a corral with a box blade and done lots of mowing with my mid-mount mower. Everything has been performed flawlessly by this tractor. It admittedly does not have the weight/HP of a larger unit, and requires the right sized implements to really do the job. I have found that ideal implement sizes for this tractor are: rear blade (5'), box blade w/rippers (54"), finish mower (60"), rototiller (about 50"). I have been told that the 54" loader bucket and a 4' rotary cutter are good sized implements, but I have never used these on the 4100 (but I hope to have the 410 loader soon with the 54" bucket). If these implement sizes fit into your needs, then the 4100 would serve you well. If you need to use larger implements, then I would go with a JD790, one of the larger B-series Kubota, or NH TC25+ sized tractors. My humble 2 cents.

Thomas · Jan 23, 2001

John,
Yep I agree it sure does pay to shop around,and if you get a chance go to some equipment also farm auctions for attachments...good deals.

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

bpence · Jan 23, 2001

A neighbor of mine bought a JD 4100 hydrostatic with a FEL and mid-mount mower early last summer. I've had a couple of opportunities to help him with projects and it's a dandy rig. He has ten acres, mows about 3-4, bush hogs a couple more, plows snow with a back blade on a 700' driveway and grades it in the summer. The FEL has gotten quite a workout this winter moving snow piles around for those of us without FELs. All in all, he thinks its a great piece of equipment and he says he got it for a good price. The couple of times I've operated the tractor I was impressed.

Bob Pence

Anonymous Poster · Jan 23, 2001

Thomas...

I live at those auctions... Mandatory... a Must Go!

Someone has to buy those "deals", it might as well be you!

Thomas · Jan 23, 2001

John...buddy..pal..friend when are you going to register up.

Yep I got some of that Yankee trader blood in me and that why aI go to those events. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

RegWaters · Jan 24, 2001

70boss,
Just bought a 755 last August, 315 hrs, 6 way 6' scrape blade, 60" jb belly mower, 3pt scoop, & trailer, $7500. I have 6 Acres and a 700' gravel driveway. The 755 has cut my mowing time from 4 hrs ( 12 hp craftsman) to 1 hr. The scrape blade works well on the driveway but I purchased a 6' rake which really helped smooth it out. once I worked it back to shape with the scrape blade now I just run up and down it once a month with the rake and it stays in nice shape. The hydro drive is really nice.

EugeneG · Jan 25, 2001

70boss: I use a 770 mfwd to plow snow, mow 2 acres and rake a 750' gravel/modified driveway. I am very happy with the machine. The front JD blade is 60"-which is probably the widest you should go for the 770, and it's the real heavy model-forget the #. One thing you should consider, if the ground isn't frozen, you must lower the skid shoes a bit cause the blade it so heavy it will just plow up the dirt/gravel(even on float). So the result from Spring storms is 1" inch of snow left on the drive which usually then turns to ice and little trenches up and down from the skid shoes. Point is, I think a lighter blade might work better in these instances. Or a back blade reversed. The Woods 60" 3-pt mower works great. It's better built than the JD and loads cheaper-(don't pay attn. to Woods list prices). The best thing about it is it's on and off in 3 min. If I had need for a loader, I would have gone that route, but I don't so it was the blade. Never had a problem starting the tractor even at 5 below after it had been sitting untouched for 6 weeks! Must be in great part due to the direct injection.