Tractor Sizing Need help picking the right Cub

[jeff216410]

Greetings all. I am having a little trouble picking the right size tractor for my needs. Maybe if I list my requirements some owners may chime in and make a few suggestions?

I currently own a Cub Cadet 149 for grass cutting/vacuuming up leaves, tilling garden, and blowing snow with a QA36 blower. Pros: the machine is about indestructible. I grew up on one and know them well. Cuts grass great. Tills garden well, had trouble with the depth of snow this year. The drifts left by the snowplows this year were taller than the hood of the tractor. Yes, it did the job, just took a lot of time. Our streets were plowed very poorly by the town so we all had to basically clear a portion of the street ourself.

Needs:
1. Would love a wider grass cutter = less time cutting grass = more time to spend with new baby.
2. Garden tiller would be nice; though I will likely keep the 149 so tilling is not a problem.
3. Grading/landscaping. I would like to move some dirt and put in some drainage so digging a trench would be great. Also, moving mulch with a FEL would save moving it by hand.
4. Snowblower - The 149 did well but more horsepower and larger (wider) blower would be nice. It took at hours each large snowstorm to clear driveway and mailbox. 4WD would be nice!!! Snowplow is not really an option. I have to blow the snow over stone walls etc. There is very limited place to push snow.

My thoughts:
1. Since I grew up on a Cub I am looking at the new Yanmar Cubs. I love the size of the 2900 and 3100 but are they able to use a front mount snowblower? Is there a PTO there? Everything I hear says plow only.
2. I see the 2450 has a snowblower and it seems like the forums suggest an SB52. Can someone tell me how well this package works? Can it handle 24-23 inches of snow? How far does it throw? Does it scrape the driveway pretty clean?
3. I live in CT and need to do some digging. Can it dig through untouched soil and rocks? How deep can it dig? (Ads say about 6 feet) Can someone rate its digging power and capability? Do I need a bigger machine? Like a 3100 or 450? The wife wants to put on an addition and I would love to trench out the foundation but I was wondering if this machine has the power to do something like that. I know it may take awhile but I don't mind digging for a few hours every night for a week or 2 to get it done. My labor is essentially free (plus having fun digging with a new toy). Having that capability will also help justify the cost.

My thoughts were an SC2450 with the digging attachments, grass cutter, and SB52 snowblower. I'm just not sure if it is big enough for my needs. On the flip side if it is anything like my old 149...but bigger...stronger...with 10 more hp...and 4 wheel drive the SC2450 must be a little powerhouse. Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions.

 

[scoutcub]

Hello, and :welcome:!

Wow, a lot of questions. Wondering if you live on property or a lot? For what you're saying, I would offer that a 2450 is right up your alley. It's currently the only Cub compact that can take a blower. If you read the other threads, with the new blower it is a great snow blowing machine. The 2900,3100 and 3200 are much bigger machines.
The 2450 can also accept a mid mount 60" deck with the backhoe/loader. The 2450 hoe will dig OK but remember this is a sub-compact tractor and not an excavator......so it will take some time, but will do it.
I think you'll be quite surprised and happy with what the 2450 will do!

Good luck!

 

[Carl_NH]

Morning Jeff & welcome to TBN!

You will get a lot of good advice here, so I wanted to offer some ideas and suggestions.

I have an 1811 Cub, I upgraded from a 1250, and had a Rototiller, snow blower from the 1250 fit to the 1811. It was a single stage blower so never worked well in heavy snow.

The rototiller worked great but our rocky soil beat it up a lot so I sold that and the snowblower but used the front blade for snow. Then got a walk behind tiller I use for small areas.

In 2001 I got a Kubota B21 TLB which gets a back blade in the winter, and then a walk behind snowblower for tight places (around walls) and wood pile clearing and so on.

Given your situation I would look at the larger machine 2900 series, since the attachments - mower, blower, backhoe are probably a few $100 difference between the 2450 vs the 2900. I understand the 2900 only has a rear blower, but I think the flexibilty to use the bucket to push back snow banks along with the rear blower would work very well.

The other thing is it sounds like you want a swiss army knife implement, and while this seems a good idea, changing implements is a pain for specific tasks. I think a once per year change of blower to backhoe is OK, but you might consider using your 149 as a mower/tiller then the tractor for the rest of the uses. You can always get a MMM for this at a later time too.

The last aspect is size and your property. If you have a lot of tight spaces to get around and or wet areas on your lawn the smaller 2450 may be better - only you can make that determination.

Test drive them and see which one fits your needs best.. Good luck.

 

[jeff216410]

It's about a 3 acre property. Not all of it is grass but there are large trees on the border. It is hilly and might have a couple stone retaining walls in the future. A machine would be very helpful to move gravel and backfill. I've never operated a compact or sub compact so I guess my worry is if the machine is heavy enough to dig and push. I had actually thought about building a hoe and loader for my Cub 149 but felt it was too small and lacks traction. I think I need a larger wheelbase and wider machine. The 149 can pull a house if it can only get enough traction. I wish my 149 had a locking differential also. 4 wheel drive will be such a treat.... Do you know how much the base tractor (2450) weighs?

My yard is not too tight. I have a Tracvac lawn vacuum I tow around to suck up all my leaves and that works great. I don't mind a once a year changeover from snowblower to mower. Thanks for all the advice.

 

[VinceSMTA]

The Sx3100 also has the front mount blower option.

 

[art]

The 2450 is a good machine and you should do well with it! I'm very familiar with the 149 as it was one of my all time favorite builds of a garden tractor.

You could do everything you would like and being someone who takes care of their equipment you should have years of service out of it much like the 149. Often the size of the machine just means that it might take a little longer to do a job it's not that it can't be done!

 

[Scrambler82]

Don’t have a very big place but wanted a tractor to help ou tin retirement.
Purchased the CC-Y SC2450 and never have looked back, the best thing I have ever purchased.
Dug out two stumps that would have been a lot of work by hand, it took a little longer than it should have but first the tractor was new and running on a lower RPM then it does now and two I was nes to the tractor and BH.
I am ssssoooo glad I got the 2450 instead of the 2400.
Next came the small stone retaining wall, easy do with the tractor doing all of the lifting. the FEL will lift anything I have to do and it helped out on moving a cople of rear end for a project vehciel I am workin gon and a motor too.
You need both the FEL and the BH.

I purchased a 48” Box Blade to help remove the top soil and level my back yard for the new grass and patio/firepit. Worked very well so far but I have a lot of Locus trees with more surface roots than I would like, sometimes it is slow going but one I get the surface ripped up the leveling will go easier.

My next purchase will be the SB52 Snowblower for next winter, maybe find a deal over the summer.
The FEL is good for moving snow, great for piling it and all of the neighbors like me more this year but a snowblower would have been better when it comes to getting the snow out of the way.
With the FEL it will move loose material without a problem moving more in one lift then any wheel barrel could.
Digging with the FEL, the SC2450 is not the heaviest machine out there in fact at 2800lbs is really isn’t too heavy at all but with some care and smaller bites it will dig reall well. I live in the North East so stones are what we grow even fif we don’t want to but most of the time I get through.
Sometimes I use the BH to rip up the ground then use the FEL to pickup the mess less stress on the rig.

I have used the Tractor to move a couple of old cars, to position them for pickup and ended up dragging them closer to the front of the house, the little tractor did it without breaking a sweat.
I will be using the tractor to drag and reposition a small shed (10x16) need it on the other side of the yard (well at least the wife does and anything to make her happy), then I will start the back yard/patio/firepit project.

Good Luck on your choice, the SC2450 is a great tractor.

 

[jeff216410]

Thanks to everyone for your insight on the SC2450. It really sounds like the way for me to go. I was kind of thinking to dig up ground I might have to break it up with the hoe a little bit and use the loader. Especially with all the rocks in CT it will be tough but as long as it is possible I am ok with it. I am also not a fan of overworking equipment. I like to operate within its limitations so things don't break. The thought of a 52 inch snowblower and 4 wheel drive with 24 horsepower makes me think I can clear my driveway in no time. We were all buried by the snowplows this year. My thought is if I am going to spend a few grand to have someone bring in an excavator do build a wall, couple grand to then dig a small foundation, do some grading, some drainage... by that point I will have much of the machine paid for not to mention having a killer mower and snow removal tool when the hard work is done.

 

[Scrambler82]

To carry on a little, the two tree stumps measured approximately 4 feet accross and the hole was larger.
The 2450 BH not only dug deep alond side the stunp but I was able to undermind the root system with a little side pressure while digging.
The BH picked up the root suytem out of the hole with little problems, the biggest problem was me and my inexperience.
Also on lifting with the FEL… I picked up a partial block chimney, approx six full block long with the liner and a lot of dirt inside.

And again, when engaging new ground I test it with the FEL first if not much happens I then turn around and use the BH then the FEL.

This winter in MA we had the snow you did in CT and this tractor was big enough to handle everything that came it’s way, next year with the Blower (fingers crossed) I hope to make more friends… there should be no problems.

ltr and lluck,

p.s. the main reason I went with the SCUT (SC2450) instead of the CUT (Kioti CS220HST) was the overall size. Although not a lot of difference one side of my shop is only 9’ wide and the tractor has to go through there so I went with the smaller of the two. AND GLAD I DID !

 

[scoutcub]

The Sx3100 also has the front mount blower option.

Vince -

Are you sure? I couldn't find it on Cub's website.....
I did see the 2900/3200 has the front blade option....I wonder if it's the same hitch style as the older machines, then you could use the older blowers....hmmmm.....