Buying Advice Need an all purpose machine.

[Pele]

Greetings,

Let's get right down to business.
Looking for a small garden tractor, here's what I need:

-Belly mower between 48" and 60"
-Front hydraulics for either plow, Front End Loader, or Snowblower
-Rear PTO and Category 0 Three point hitch (Or if it doesn't come with, something I can add easily later.)
-Reliable and not a project. (Parts availability is a must.)
-Cheap and used... Budget of $2000 maximum

Been shopping on CraigsList and eBay for a deal. This doesn't need to be an immediate purchase, as I can get by without for a while longer with a push mower, small chipper/shredder, string trimmer/brush cutter, and splitting logs manually with an axe.


Been looking into older 1980's John Deere 300 (318) and 400/420 series tractors.

Looked at a Deutz-Allis Ultima 1920 for $500, but that thing was a basket case. Ran on one cylinder due to a bad magneto or something... Needed starting fluid due to bad carburetor... Missing or damaged sheet metal all over the place... Cut and spliced wiring harness... Looks like someone adapted a different mower deck to it, tractor was green, deck was red.

There's a Ford LGT125 for cheap. But I dunno if a 12 Horse single cylinder will keep up with things I need.

Wondering what else I should look at... What competes with these tractors?

 

[Pele]

And here's my back story:

Buddy of mine just got a little MTD riding mower and I want one too. (Isn't this how these things always start?)

Problem is, I want something that does more than just mow.
Heck, his can't even make it up the hill in his yard because it doesn't have a limited slip diff; one wheel sits there and spins.

I figure get it with a hitch, aux hydraulics, and attachment points for stuff and I can buy or build my own implements.

Here's what I've got:

Home is a typical house in suburbia (Woodbridge, VA. About 30 miles south of Washington D.C.) so I definitely don't need a huge farm tractor to mow my little quarter acre, nor can I justify keeping one in the yard. It'll have to be a garden tractor.

I've got one other house that I rent out, also a quarter acre for me to take care of when it's vacant... Then my parents are also getting on in years and they've got half an acre. In a few years they won't be able to take care of it. So all together, I've got an acre of grass to take care of. I feed larger branches and stuff through a chipper.


I've gotta plow sidewalks because when people decide they don't know how to walk and they break an ankle in the winter, they go after the person who owns the hose they fell in front of. I'm an emergency responder at work, so I'm usually ordered to stay at work when the weather is bad. Then it's up to my wife to clear the snow... After the last two years, I wanna be prepared.


Lastly, I've got 5 acres that will be the property I build my retirement home on. It's mostly wooded, but has about an acre that I need to run a bush hog through every once in a while. I currently pay a guy to do it or I do it manually with a brush cutter blade on the end of my string trimmer.

 

[Tdcw4]

U will be lucky to find a tractor style lawnmower for $2000. I would say u need atleast $7000 to get a well used b series kubota.

 

[RPW]

Cat 0 is another problem. Finding attachments will be problematic.

 

[Bartcephus]

I agree with the others, I don't think your budget is realistic with goals. But some people get lucky... :thumbsup:

 

[RoyJackson]

I suggest you find a decent lawn tractor...or even a self-propelled walk behing mower for those 1/4 acre lots. As long as you're not looking for anything fancy, you should find something. If you feel you must have a lawn tractor, look for an old Wheel Horse. They're not pretty, but are good machines.

The self-propelled walk-behind mower would be the easier to transport from lot to lot.

It's highly unlikely you'll find a tractor/loader for $2K. Even the early Kubota BX2200 (1999-2000 models) go for at least twice the amount you want to spend. The Deere lawn tractors with loaders...well, figure $4K minimum (doubt you find one though).
You might find a home made machine with a loader...I've seen that kind of machine on CL occasionally.

As far as your 5 acres (with one to be brush cut)...your current method works...suggest you stick with it.

BTW, try using Search Tempest to expand you CL searches...

 

[Pele]

U will be lucky to find a tractor style lawnmower for $2000. I would say u need atleast $7000 to get a well used b series kubota.

I agree with the others, I don't think your budget is realistic with goals. But some people get lucky... :thumbsup:

Buddy got his little MTD for FREE. Just needed a little idler wheel to keep the deck straight and a fresh tank of fuel.

I'm seeing little MTD/Ariens/Bolens/White/Craftsman riders for $500ish, running with maybe a couple hundred hours on them... No aux hydraulics or PTO.


I don't need the loader right away. The $2000 budget will just cover the tractor and mower deck. I will buy the other stuff later on.
I just need a place to hook it up.

There were some Deere 400s for $1800 all last week, but it looks like they got snatched up.

There's a Deere 317 up for $1200, but I hear the Kohler 17 horse engines have lubrication problems.

If I had $7500, there's a 4x4 Kubota Diesel with loader and mower. But I don't have that kinda cash.



Suppose I'll get one of those Deere 400s or 420s when they pop up again.
There's a Deere 430 on eBay that'll probably go for around $3500-4000. I suppose the Yanmar Diesel adds to the value.

I don't think my budget is TOTALLY outta reach, but I am definitely looking for a deal.

 

[RoyJackson]

Buddy got his little MTD for FREE. Just needed a little idler wheel to keep the deck straight and a fresh tank of fuel.

I'm seeing little MTD/Ariens/Bolens/White/Craftsman riders for $500ish, running with maybe a couple hundred hours on them... No aux hydraulics or PTO.

I don't need the loader right away. The $2000 budget will just cover the tractor and mower deck. I will buy the other stuff later on.
I just need a place to hook it up.

None of the lawn tractors you wrote about have any provision for hydraulics, a loader or PTO. I doubt it would even be feasible to add those or if parts would be available to add hydraulics, loader or PTO (I'll qualify that...some lawn tractors (such as a Wheel Horse) use a belt driven proprietory PTO to operate front mounted snow blowers).

I suggest your best bet would to be a machine such as I described in my first response and start saving money for a late 80's the late 90's CUT.

 

[Pele]

^

Found a Massey Ferguson 1450. It looks to have what I need. Also, that Ford LGT125 has PTOs and hydraulics.

Would I go wrong buying one of those?

 

[bp fick]

It can be frustrating, on a tight budget, to find useful tractor, with enough features, reliability and grunt, along with all the attachments, to work your "to do" list.

But I just have to agree with others. Unless you are handy enough with a wrench to keep an old 8N Ford for $2000 going, your budget simply isn't realistic to consider a subcompact, modern tractor. A BX Kubota, with mowing deck and loader will set you back $6K+. And, those will be older, well used models.
As Roy says, the garden tractors don't have hydraulics and such to operate equipment on a 3 point or front quick attach system.

I don't see your plan, as articulated, as coming together, quite honestly, but I wish you the very best in your searching.