Buying Advice My First Tractor

[murphy1244]

If I was looking for a SCut I would be checking out the Kubota BX-25D

 

[mark02tj]

I was in the OP's position a year ago so I'm going to weigh in even though I don't have the experience that a lot of you other guys have....

First, I'm going to respectfully disagree with jeff9366's advice to go with a rear mount mower only. One of the main things that I wanted was a mid-mount mower. To me, it was more intuitive to use. I did test drive a couple of pieces of equipment that had rear mounted finish mowers on them and thought that with my yard a MMM would be easier to use. Like the OP, I have a lot of trees to maneuver around and the thought of that mower sticking out behind wasn't appealing. I also spoke with my neighbor across the street about the issue. He and his brother are farmers with a wide array of equipment at their disposal. For their own lawn mowing, they also use either a front mounted zero-turn or their JD 3320 with a MMM. jeff9366's statement that removing and reattaching MMM's is a tedious task doesn't really hold water when you consider the drive-over, auto attach decks currently available from Deere and others. jeff9366 - not trying to start a peeing contest here! Just giving a "diverse opinion" as you requested in post #17. :thumbsup:

If a mid-mount mower is important to you and you want to go with a larger frame tractor, you are probably going to be more limited in your choices. With John Deere, you can get all the way up into the 3x20 series and still get mid-mounts. I'm pretty sure that Kubota also has similar sized tractors with MMM's as an option. But, Kioti only offers a MMM on their smaller, subcompact tractor. (I did confirm that in the Kioti booth at the National Farm Machinery Show last week in Louisville.) I can't speak to options that other manufacturers offer.

I have about the same amount of property that the OP has. I started looking at a JD 2305, then graduated up to looking at 2520's and settled on a used 3520. It came with the FEL and MMM. Part of the reason that I went with the bigger tractor was that I wanted a little more "oomph" for removing and moving brush in my woods. I'm shopping for a root grapple to go on the FEL and for that reason I'm really glad I went with the larger tractor. For the OP, a 2520 sized tractor would probably do what he wants/needs for just about everything. The only thing that I'm not sure of is how it would handle a rear mounted tiller. And, a larger tractor would probably better handle a box blade for his gravel driveway.

Hope this helps!!

 

[Iowan]

Well I guess I'm going to be the odd man out by saying, you can by to much tractor. I'm going to talk Kubota because it's what I'm familiar with, first on your list is the garden a BX or B would handle a 4 or 5 foot tiller just fine. The next thing is mowing less than two acres, a BX with a 60" deck will more than handle the task and depending on how your yard is setup it can cause you to trim trees, move shrubs etc., a larger tractor? Next maintain your drives and move an occasional snow, what ever you get will do this. Tending the flower gardens same thing. As far as the backhoe the BX you would need to get a BX25 up front, the B you can add one later. The backhoe is the thing IMO a L would be nice but you have to look at your overall use of the tractor, it has to be a compromise that you can work with.

Don't sell the smaller tractors short, they will do the same jobs it just takes longer and you don't want a monster on your small lawn. If you don't like compromise you can always get two tractors.

 

[IslandTractor]

I was in the OP's position a year ago so I'm going to weigh in even though I don't have the experience that a lot of you other guys have....
For the OP, a 2520 sized tractor would probably do what he wants/needs for just about everything. The only thing that I'm not sure of is how it would handle a rear mounted tiller. And, a larger tractor would probably better handle a box blade for his gravel driveway.

Hope this helps!!

Agree and I would point out that a SCUT or small CUT running a 48" tiller would be the same HP per foot as a 30-35hp running a five foot tiller. Given the size of the OP's garden plots, a 48" tiller is more than adequate.

The OP doesn't tell us how long his driveway is or how frequently it requires grading. If it is a quarter mile long on hilly terrain with lots of maintenance required, I can see the need for a heavy boxblade and heavier tractor but if it is shorter and just requires regular touch up then a SCUT can certainly handle a lighter duty four or five foot boxblade or five foot rear blade without any problem. Why get a bigger more expensive tractor and implements to save ten or fifteen minutes of time once a month?

 

[murphy1244]

As you see, We know how to spend your money!

 

[rmorey]

Ya, given $50k or $60k, you'll get everything we need! :laughing:

 

[markjtrickey]

First let me start by saying this board is great. Being able to get the diversity of knowledge and opinion in one place makes this somewhat daunting task a little easier.

Let me see if I can clarify a few items that have come up about the different tasks I foresee.

• All the land is either grass, garden area, or mature woods. I don't foresee any need for any heavy brush clearing in my future, but I do see the need for the tractor to be able to navigate back into the woods for FEL tasks. Bringing in mulch or chips and bringing out firewood or stones.
• The driveway I need to maintain is at most a couple hundred yards, but is on a grade. It would be nice to have something that could handle that task without breaking a sweat, but realistically it's something I would do once or twice a year (it will not get heavy vehicle use) and as long as I can get the job done (even at twice the amount of time) I would be ok with that.
• I think in order to maintain WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) I need to stick with a MMM. From what I have read of the JD's anyway, it appears that taking them on and off has been simplified.

My thoughts so far is to move up the ladder a bit (maybe a JD2520) to access the better hydraulics, but to stay within that size/weight range. Obviously I have not yet had any butt in the seat time, so that could change, but so far I'm finding it hard to justify the significant $$ increase to move up the next step. That being said, from what I have seen of used prices (at least with JD and Kubota) they hold their value enough that I could trade up later if I found the need to.

I'm also leaning heavily toward buying used, although probably from a dealer. If anyone has any thoughts on that I would appreciate any insight.

In regards to the BH, is it a decision I need to make up front? Are the frames different on the models that can handle a BH? Also, are BH's brand/model specific? Are there after market backhoes that may not integrate quite as tight, but may be less expensive for the few times it gets used?

Thanks again for everyone's help!
-mark

 

[markjtrickey]

As you see, We know how to spend your money!

Thank you all very much, but just ask my wife, I have no problem spending money :cool2:

Getting the $$ to spend however.....

 

[IslandTractor]

First let me start by saying this board is great. Being able to get the diversity of knowledge and opinion in one place makes this somewhat daunting task a little easier.

Let me see if I can clarify a few items that have come up about the different tasks I foresee.


[*]All the land is either grass, garden area, or mature woods. I don't foresee any need for any heavy brush clearing in my future, but I do see the need for the tractor to be able to navigate back into the woods for FEL tasks. Bringing in mulch or chips and bringing out firewood or stones.
[*]The driveway I need to maintain is at most a couple hundred yards, but is on a grade. It would be nice to have something that could handle that task without breaking a sweat, but realistically it's something I would do once or twice a year (it will not get heavy vehicle use) and as long as I can get the job done (even at twice the amount of time) I would be ok with that.
[*]I think in order to maintain WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) I need to stick with a MMM. From what I have read of the JD's anyway, it appears that taking them on and off has been simplified.


My thoughts so far is to move up the ladder a bit (maybe a JD2520) to access the better hydraulics, but to stay within that size/weight range. Obviously I have not yet had any butt in the seat time, so that could change, but so far I'm finding it hard to justify the significant $$ increase to move up the next step. That being said, from what I have seen of used prices (at least with JD and Kubota) they hold their value enough that I could trade up later if I found the need to.

I'm also leaning heavily toward buying used, although probably from a dealer. If anyone has any thoughts on that I would appreciate any insight.

In regards to the BH, is it a decision I need to make up front? Are the frames different on the models that can handle a BH? Also, are BH's brand/model specific? Are there after market backhoes that may not integrate quite as tight, but may be less expensive for the few times it gets used?

Thanks again for everyone's help!
-mark

Based on your update I would reiterate that a SCUT or under 30hp CUT would be more than enough for your tasks.

Buying used from a dealer gives you some "insurance" I suppose but at a steep cost. These small tractors are very reliable and if you have an experienced buddy to help you test out a used, sale by owner machine you could probably buy at least a couple of implements with the savings over dealer cost. If I were in your shoes, I'd keep my eye on Craig's List for a BX23/24/25 with a MMM. Probably cost about $12-16K. Very few of those CUT TLBs have been worked terribly hard as most are purchased by homeowners often just to do a few projects and then sold. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one with less than 250 hrs even if the fluids had never been changed and it was put away "wet". They are that reliable. With more hours I would want to know it had been maintained. You can test the FEL, BH, MMM and 3pt yourself and if you have tried one or two while shopping at dealers, you should be able to judge if they work.

I'd feel the same about the equivalent JD or Massey or Kioti etc.

 

[Paystar]

I don't understand why some of you are talking 30+HP CUT for someone who is mowing 2 acres or less. You can do that with a riding mower with less than 20 HP gas engine. Where is the need for more than a SCUT or low to mid 20's HP?

Have you ever used a small CUT? A B series Kubota or Kioti CK20 or CK27 would easily do the tasks listed on 2-3 acres. It would cost less, use less expensive and easier to store implements too. For the cost of a 30+HP CUT you can get a BX25 or equivalent and have the bonus backhoe too. A BH is much more valuable on a small lot than an extra 5-10 HP IMO. Been there.

There are certainly situations were more than mid 20's HP can be justified on a small lot but I don't see any in the OP's initial note.

I fully agree. Everyone always has this "go big or go home" attitude. Fine I guess, if you like spending money on purchase, fuel, and more oil on service day.
As far as mid mount mowers.....I like them and the drive over deck on my B2620 is extremely easy to remove and install.

 

[jeff9366]

• All the land is either grass, garden area, or mature woods. I don't foresee any need for any heavy brush clearing in my future, but I do see the need for the tractor to be able to navigate back into the woods for FEL tasks. Bringing in mulch or chips and bringing out firewood or stones.

Subcompacts, like the Kubota BX series, have only 9" ground clearance with MMM removed. Some Kubota 'B' series and all 'L' series have 13" ground clearance. I am sure it is the same for Deere product lines. Can't navigate far with 9" ground clearance.

You should have iterated WOODS in Post #1.

 

[IslandTractor]

Subcompacts, like the Kubota BX series, have only 9" ground clearance with MMM removed. Some Kubota 'B' series and all 'L' series have 13" ground clearance. I am sure it is the same for Deere product lines. Can't navigate far with 9" ground clearance.

It would have been better had you mentioned WOODS in Post #1.

I agree that you wouldn't do major land clearing in the woods with a SCUT but it doesn't sound like that is the major purpose. If you need to work in a particular parcel of land that has woods, simply clear a path into the area you want to work. For homeowner tasks that should be fine.

 

[Gary Fowler]

My daughter and son in law have about 2.5 acres and they bought a Kubota B2620 with FEL and a mid mount mower that my daughter uses to mow their place with all the time. She rarely cranks up the riding lawn mower as she can get as close as she need to without it. They also bought a 5 foot tiller, hiller and middle buster attachments for use in the garden. It handles all of them fine. Son in law says he doesn't even take the mower off to use the tiller or hiller. The mower drags the tops off the rows so it has a nice flat surface ready to plant but his soil is very sandy and soft so YMMV on that one. Anyway it seems to be a nice sized tractor for his uses.
I have a Kubota B26 TLB which is about the same frame size but much heavier than the B2xxx series due to the sub-frame that is not removable. That would be an issue with any tractor with a back hoe, I don't think a mid-mount mower would fit if you had a subframe mounted backhoe and it isn't recommended to use a backhoe on the 3 PH of a CUT.
Check out the B series. I think you will find them to be the best size for your needs. Lots of used ones around also but I find used prices for the most part to be way out of line as they are usually not more than 10% or so under new prices for one with less than 300 hours.

 

[murphy1244]

I would be looking at a BX-25D TLB. gives you everything you want plus a MMM.

 

[Iowan]

Here is a tip for buying used, buy a JD from a Kubota dealer and a Kubota from a JD dealer. I've found that these two want to get there ******* of the lot and will make a grate cash deal! This time last year I bought a BX2200, loader, cab, front snow blower with 300hrs for 7K from a Mahindra dealer.

 

[markjtrickey]

Subcompacts, like the Kubota BX series, have only 9" ground clearance with MMM removed. Some Kubota 'B' series and all 'L' series have 13" ground clearance. I am sure it is the same for Deere product lines. Can't navigate far with 9" ground clearance. You should have iterated WOODS in Post #1.

Thanks, I'll keep an eye on the ground clearance. The woods I will be in are quite mature and have mostly been cleared by the previous owner. Mostly I would be back there to gather wood or spread mulch on some trails.

 

[Paystar]

Aother reason I like my little B......I get all my firewood off my own land but don't want it clear cut or a mess. So for me I don't want anything bigger than atv size trails off my main road. With the B I end up with just nice atv or walking trails.
A bigger tractor would mean bigger roads.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I would be looking at a BX-25D TLB. gives you everything you want plus a MMM.

As the owner of a BX23, I agree. When I first started reading this thread my first thought was that a BX25D with a MMM would probably be the right tool for the job.

The MMM is much easier to maneuver around trees, landscaping and in tight spaces than a rear-mounted mower.

 

[murphy1244]

As the owner of a BX23, I agree. When I first started reading this thread my first thought was that a BX25D with a MMM would probably be the right tool for the job.

The MMM is much easier to maneuver around trees, landscaping and in tight spaces than a rear-mounted mower.

Yes I agree.