Need Help

[bp fick]

Some of the benefits of new are:

Great dealer support
Warranty
No repairs
Zero down-zero percent financing
Everything will work as expected.

Gotta think hard and long about these advantages.

Used machinery is what it is. No warranty. Some repairs likely. Tougher to finance. A certain unknown aspect concerning its previous care, history and maintenance.

Also, a late model, good name tractor holds its value so well that the difference is not HUGE between used and new.

These are all important issues to consider, imho

Best wishes and congrats on your land. Awesome.

 

[KU Gator]

This is a link to the LSU extension office website with information on tractor implements. I found it useful reading when I was in the early stages of deciding what I would want/need.

Implements for Compact Tractors: Selection, Use, Maintenance and Safety - Equipment | Lawn & Garden | LSU AgCenter

You may also want to locate the extension office in your county or area. Usually they are affiliated with one of the Universities in the state and they often have equipment you can rent, cheaper prices for herbicides you may need and advice specific to your area.

We bought our Kubota B2920 to use on some recreational property we purchased. It suits our needs pretty well for most of what we do. Sometimes a little larger and heavier would be good, but most of the time, it works for what I need. Our property is a combination of woods, some small fields that had been in hay and some that had not been mowed any time recently. We mowed what had been in hay the first few times while deciding what to buy with our garden tractor. Once we bought the CUT and then got a rough cut mower, we were able to cut the areas that had not been mowed. The first time we raised it pretty high and mowed it twice and I even walked a lot of it to make sure there wasn't anything too much in there while my wife ran the tractor. Now we usually use the belly mower and it takes about 4 hours to mow 6 or 7 acres.

As others have said, I would encourage you to get something with a FEL as it beats the heck out of a wheel barrow.

 

[seer7]

I would like to thank everyone for their help. I have written down all this advice and will carry it with me while I look around. I am wondering on something else tho. Belly mowers vs behind mowers. Years and YEARS ago I ran a tractor with a belly mower at my friends. I really didn't like the belly mower because it was hard to get on...what are your opinions on this issue?

 

[seer7]

seer7
I googled Indianpolis, IN. rental equipment

Thats a good 50 miles away. I am not sure they would come up this far. I will go over and look at the rental company here in town and see if they have something. Thank you!

 

[seer7]

nothing wrong with being a girl - welcome to the forum!
I'd suggest 30-35 HP for brush hogging - a 30 HP machine can handle a 5' mower, a 35 HP machine can handle a 6'. That extra foot of cutting width may not sound like much, but it makes a big difference.


Can you burn over the winter with the same effects? I was thinking along the lines of maybe burning a little at a time this winter. My paddocks and pastures are all weeds and I am praying there may be some grass left in there. I do worry about disturbing any animals that may be nested for winter tho... out in all those weeds. I guess they will be okay because there is alot of shelter in a back field of my neighbors.

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

burning in the winter can leave you open to a lot of erosion - burning in the spring "kick starts" the growing season for grass by clearing off all the dead and making the surface black so it absorbs more of the sun's heat, and so increasing soil surface temps a degree or 2 a few weeks early.

 

[KU Gator]

I like the belly mower (MMM) because I can get closer around trees and go into an area that is tight easier and back out. It is probably a little easier watch where you are cutting for your overlap or go down the edge of a fence line. That may not be an issue for you though.

The belly mower on my tractor is suspended from the deck and the wheels are normally off the ground and only come into play if you run over a rough spot. The B2X20 kubota went to a drive over deck like at least some of the John Deeres. I would estimate it takes maybe 5 minutes to put it on or off. Most of that time is spent raising or lowering the wheels. If you don't like the idea of driving over it, it will also slide out easily. The most difficult part is reaching under the tractor and connecting the mid PTO shaft. It is not real physically demanding, but you are laying down reaching under the tractor to line it up and just holding it up and snapping it one is the issue. Taking it off is much easier because there is no lining it up. On mine, I can adjust the mowing height from the seat unless it was enough that I needed to readjust the wheels. You can do other things with the tractor with the mower on. It can be locked in the up position so it doesn't drop even when you drop the 3pt hitch, but I don't usually do that unless it is a pretty limited activity. I would spend a lot of time digging with the loader or using the box blade. I think the smaller tractors like the BX are more difficult to take the mower off because there is less room to get your arm in there and not as easy to slide the mower out.

The RFM would of course be easier to hook up and go. No reaching under the tractor. It also gives you more choice as to which one you buy as with the MMM, you are basicly stuck with the tractor manufacture's mower where as with the RFM, lots of choice. The mower height is adjusted by adjusting the wheel heights, but since you can lift the mower off the ground with the 3pt hitch, that isn't a big deal. You would probably mow most of the time at the same height.

I would recommend you consider a quick disconnect system for the 3pt hitch. I use the Pat's system advertised on this site, but others use different ones and seem happy with them. After one fight of trying to get the rotary mower off the back of mine the 1st time, I didn't want to go through that each time and I knew putting equipment on would be more of an agrivation.

 

[Jerry/MT]

I would like to thank everyone for their help. I have written down all this advice and will carry it with me while I look around. I am wondering on something else tho. Belly mowers vs behind mowers. Years and YEARS ago I ran a tractor with a belly mower at my friends. I really didn't like the belly mower because it was hard to get on...what are your opinions on this issue?

Most of the belly mount mowers I'm familiar with are a finish type mowers. The rear mowers can be finish or rough cut mowers. I have a 3 pt rough cut mower that I use around the place to keep the non pasture areas mowed. There tough and relatively cheap. They should be as wide as your rear wheel width to allow you to get close to fences, buildings, etc. Figure about 5 engine hp per foot of cut.