Need guidance in selecting Mower vs Yard Tractor

[dnmccoy]

A budget issue really. Not sure it's in the budget to drop 15-25 on a compact model like the 1025 or 2025, even though I'd like to.

 

[Tractorable]

My property is very similar to yours, 8 acres with a 1 acre "inner perimeter" around the house and the rest of it pasture and woods with a long gravel driveway.

I've chosen a two-machine approach. I have a JD X590 for the inner perimeter. With it we mow, tow a dump cart, lawn sweeper, aerator, spreader, and chicken tractor.

For the "outer perimeter" I have a 1952 Ford 8N with a 5ft bush hog and a 6ft blade. I plan to upgrade the 8N to a 40-50hp CUT with loader when money allows.

I don't intend to use the X590 for moving earth or snow. I'll save that for the heavier machines better designed for that.

 

[dnmccoy]

I understand your 2 machine approach but I was hoping to find a machine that I can do both.

 

[WVH1977]

Nice Property. Congratulations on your new place. I agree with those who have already posted about going the tractor route. Minimum 25hp. You will be able to do so much more with a tractor. Once you have a tractor you can eventually add on different attachments/implements that further your property upkeep. Are there local farmers near you that could use that field in front of your place for cutting hay? That can save you a lot of cutting time right there. I am currently on 6 acres with another 16 acre lot I just bought. I could not imagine life on my properties without my tractor. I use it at least 3 times a week for doing jobs around my place. You also have a long driveway to keep up with. A lawn mower will not keep that up. With a tractor you can run many types of different style cutters for all that field and lawn. There is a lot you need to think about as far as equipment goes. Just keep asking questions, researching and talking to people that have acreage to upkeep. It is very rewarding but also a lot of work. Example: We had a nasty wind storm the other week. I had several large branches 8" to 10" diameter fall down. I hopped on the tractor with my grapple bucket picked it all up and on to the burn pile. Took 20 minutes. Before I had a tractor it would have taken a whole lot longer. If you decide to get the lawnmower first, I would recommend that you immediately start saving up for a tractor next. You will never regret spending money on a tractor when you have multiple acres to contend with. Good luck to you.

 

[piercedtiger]

FWIW, OP, I have a GC2600 (older version of the 1710 Airbiscuit posted above). It came with a loader, 60" belly mower, and a 54" tiller from the dealer. I looked at ZTRs as well due to spending 3 hours mowing my lawn with my old riding mower. The only other thing it could do is pull a wagon. A ZTR can only mow so it seemed crazy to get one with prices up to $10k when I found the GC for $14k. It can lift, dig, move material, clear snow, till, plow, and anything else I can add through attachments. A rear mounted mower could be larger than any ZTR and be faster if you're looking to do the pasture sometime or any larger sections where the belly mower ends up taking too long. Having a gravel driveway being able to pull a box blade might be needed. I think you'd be better off with one of the tractors above, and add implements as you need more functionality. Those will be cheaper than another machine, especially if you can find them used.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I was looking at something like this:

JOHN DEERE 445

Those old John Deere garden tractors were good tractors made to last a long time. But remember that the one you listed is 20 years old. There's a reason the seller did all that work to the motor, and it wasn't just for kicks. That tractor could last you 10 years with no troubles, or the transmission could go out a week after you buy it. You just never know on 20 year old equipment, especially gasoline engines.

It's gonna take a long time to mow 6 acres with a garden tractor or a subcompact tractor. It will take a little less time with a zero turn mower. The short wheelbase of any of them will pound you if your land is rough. It will be fun the first couple of times you mow it. Eventually it becomes a chore (especially when it's 96 degrees outside), and you'll be looking for ways to speed up the process.

In your position, I'd look for a gently used, well maintained 30hp +/- compact tractor with a loader and 4wd. I see them around here for $10,000 - $15,000 and sometimes have some useful implements included that you'd eventually want to buy anyway. The compact tractor will have a longer wheelbase and larger tires, so will ride a little better. And it will have more power, so you can run a wider mower.

I know it's more than you want to spend, but (1) you can spend $10k on a JD X700 series tractor, and (2) a gently used 4wd compact tractor with a loader won't lose much value, so it's not like you're frittering away money.

 

[dnmccoy]

If I do go the compact tractor route, wont I need to worry about the weight mowing near the house? I dont want to damage the septic system

 

[boggen]

• looking at driveway, it looks like you have some pot holes already, and looks like the rock been there a few years and compacted were tires normally run down the driveway.
• it looks like there some additional "low spots" were water runs through driveway (on heavy sudden rains)
• no ditches to speak of for driveway.
• you need to deal with snow.
• you need to mow regular lawn
• you need to deal with pasture area
• with your driveway, fence line and trees. not sure how the snow drifts will be. and going to assume. you will have a couple drifts some place in driveway, that will need to be removed. so you can actually get a car up and down the driveway.
• looking at the fence posts, and wire on it. looks like in a couple years or so, fence will need to be put in new posts and wire for it, if you plan to put any sort of animals in it.
• if you get animals to put in the fence area, that may predict a given size tractor, pending on how you feed them (small square bales, to larger round bales)
• if you pull fence out, and just mow what you want, then most likely you will want to re smooth the pasture out to make it less bumpy for mowing.
• looks like some low spot in yard around the home. as in standing water after it rains. and ground being soggy / muddy.

i would say you need a SCUT (sub compact utilty tractor) at min. so you can get a FEL (front end loader), and a 3pt hitch to run attachments on the rear. to deal with driveway, fence, garden.

you will have to simply wait longer after each rain, before you get out on the lawn/grass to mow it. resulting in most likely taking half passes (1/2 width of mower deck) due to grass gotten to tall. and need to make 2 to 3 times running across grass to get it all mowed down. you might find a 3pt hitch finishing mower regular mower, with rear discharge more to your liking. due to less likely leave "wind rows" large row of clump of grass behind you, unlike side discharge finishing mowers.

with a SCUT, the ground clearance is not that much. and you may have issues with a 3pt hitch rear blade, and running through snow drifts, result is you will most likely need to use the FEL to remove snow drifts, and/or get a snow blower.

a CUT (compact utilty tractor) has higher ground clearance and is heavier, and more likely to deal with the snow drifts better and be able to take the driveway in 2 passes vs 2 to 4 times with a SCUT when speaking use of 3pt hitch rear blade.

mowing takes up majorty of the time if using it for both mowing and everything else. i have been tempted a couple times to buy a *meh* forgot the name, finshing mower with engine on it, that you can pull behind another mower or UTV / ATV. to get a wider mowing path. to reduce time spent mowing. 7 acres if you mow the entire pasture as regular lawn. is going to take you good portion of a day. (check oil, get gas, grease machine, mow, take a break, mow some more, fill up with gas, etc...) zero turn mowers, tend to more excel at moving quicker while actually cutting grass vs a riding lawn mower. riding lawn mowers tend to bog down. the smaller cheaper zero turns may have issues with taller grass. (undersized for what you need) double check how high mower deck can be raised, and if it is easy to access the belt and clean the deck both top and bottom. so if you do use regular mower to cut down taller grass / weeds you might be able to get away with it.

if you just cut the pasture a 2 to 4 times a year, a rotatory mower (bush hog) be better choice, and keep the finishing mower belt and blades in better condition. they do sale ATV / UTV pull behind rotatory mowers, but additional engine to take care of. and suggest a 3pt hitch version for a tractor.

to note it. i am not a fan of riding lawn mowers. after mowing for even for a few minutes, when you hope off, your entire body feels like it is still vibrating. zero turns and larger tractors tend to get away from this.

 

[boggen]

If I do go the compact tractor route, wont I need to worry about the weight mowing near the house? I dont want to damage the septic system

if septic tank and drainage field was put in correctly you should be ok. within reason, if you put a full bucket of dirt in FEL, had a heavy implement on 3pt hitch, and going as fast as you possibly can through the drainage field. you might have a problem. with that said. you should be fine. find out were your septic field is. you might find 1 or 2... 3" or 4" pipes cut right off at ground level. were the septic field is. so as to allow air circulation within the drainage field. if you goto local planing and zoning government office they should also have records of were septic tank and septic / drainage field is located on your property.

 

[piercedtiger]

if septic tank and drainage field was put in correctly you should be ok. within reason, if you put a full bucket of dirt in FEL, had a heavy implement on 3pt hitch, and going as fast as you possibly can through the drainage field. you might have a problem. with that said. you should be fine. find out were your septic field is. you might find 1 or 2... 3" or 4" pipes cut right off at ground level. were the septic field is. so as to allow air circulation within the drainage field. if you goto local planing and zoning government office they should also have records of were septic tank and septic / drainage field is located on your property.

To add to the above, avoid doing it when the ground is wet if possible. I can park my truck over my septic most days after we rebuilt it, but in early spring or warm winter days our boots sink in walking across it and I avoid driving over it just because it's so soft. Same with the lawn in general actually. We've been waiting on cleaning the barn out until the ground dries out a bit so I don't leave ruts all the way to our compost pile. By the time the grass is tall enough to mow the ground will be hard enough to drive on without tearing it up. Even then, our first spring cleaning left 2, maybe 3" ruts in the lawn from 5-6 back and forth passes with a heavy bucket and 500lb tiller counterweight. So not catastrophic, but more work to smooth out later and get the grass growing again. More an irritation than anything.

I would think most of these SCUTs are better at distributing weight with the wider tires vs the taller/narrow tires on older tractors.