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.