Tractor Sizing Need sizing advice

[GrumpyJoe]

I have about 10 acres that I use a finish mower on out of 22 acres. 72in Woods PRD is my mower of choice. I thought about a zero turn but decided against it because of all the other uses a tractor could offer. I also have 1300ft of gravel drive and another 3/4 mile of gravel road I help maintain. I don't grow crops or bale hay. I do burn wood so my tractor spends its fair share in the woods pulling trees out and such. I did a lot of research before I pulled the trigger. Looked at dealer locations, quality of tractors, quality of dealerships, and attachments. In the end I got the Mahindra 1533. Looked at the Kubota 3901. Spent a number of trips to that dealership looking and driving it around. But I found my 1533 might be down a little on HP but has more weight and lifts more. Overall I am very happy with my Mahindra. Would recommend this tractor to anyone. But one thing you must always do is find a dealership you are comfortable with. That makes a big difference.

 

[RLWATSO1]

I have about 10 acres that I use a finish mower on out of 22 acres. 72in Woods PRD is my mower of choice. I thought about a zero turn but decided against it because of all the other uses a tractor could offer. I also have 1300ft of gravel drive and another 3/4 mile of gravel road I help maintain. I don't grow crops or bale hay. I do burn wood so my tractor spends its fair share in the woods pulling trees out and such. I did a lot of research before I pulled the trigger. Looked at dealer locations, quality of tractors, quality of dealerships, and attachments. In the end I got the Mahindra 1533. Looked at the Kubota 3901. Spent a number of trips to that dealership looking and driving it around. But I found my 1533 might be down a little on HP but has more weight and lifts more. Overall I am very happy with my Mahindra. Would recommend this tractor to anyone. But one thing you must always do is find a dealership you are comfortable with. That makes a big difference.

Thank you for the great advice!

 

[bspeedy]

Welcome. I grew up in Carroll County. I miss those hills and valleys sometimes, but not the snow. Why not consider a cabbed tractor big enough to pull a 10 to 15 foot gang mower? 4wd is a must. FEL is also important. Dad bought a NH 4020 with a cab several years ago and that makes snow plowing fun.
As for the lawn size, there will be times that you will mow twice per week in that part of the country. Does not sound like fun to me. I have a four acre yard - Mom and Dad do also. Sometimes it's a bit tedious with my 90" finish mower. I'm not a fan of the Steiner / Ventrac but a lot of people in that area have them. For the money, you could have a real tractor, and I don't believe they are built very well. Dad's new one has been back for repairs three times in 50 hours of use.
I'd try to find a used cabbed 50 hp tractor with 4wd and fel. Get a 6 ft brush hog for now and search for a bat wing mower for the long term. 8-foot rear blade with hydraulic swivel on the back and you are golden.

 

[srsvii]

New Philly,

I live north west of you about 20 miles nw of Millersburg, the epicenter of tractors with Kubota, John Deere and Yanmar all within a quarter mile of each other. I mow 7 acres of finished turf (I'm a retired golf course superintendent so I have different issues then most here) and am looking to replace a JD 445 with a 1025R, FEL, 60"MMM and a 54" Front Blade (with extensions) for Snow on a 350' driveway, concrete.

Obviously you are in a larger venue than I. I'd be looking at a JD 2 or 3 series unit as an example with implements to suit your requirements. Your site is much larger than mine with more varied needs and much more varied topography, I love that area. Best wishes on picking the right tractor for your needs as it will be with you for many years. I chose my unit for auto connect as my back/neck is very bad and I find it quite difficult/painful to try to hook up the under the tractor MMM PTO every spring and fall when changing from MMM to front blade. I'm looking forward to the FEL for lifting, pushing, back dragging, etc. areas that I could not perform before.

Enjoy your fine turf. I love a park like setting and it should increase your land value from a visual standpoint plus it is a pleasure to see every morning. At least it is for me. Looking our our back door and sun room the park like setting makes it all look as if we live in the middle of a park, which we do in actuality, a private park! Enjoy.

 

[RNeumann]

I have about 10 acres that I use a finish mower on out of 22 acres. 72in Woods PRD is my mower of choice. I thought about a zero turn but decided against it because of all the other uses a tractor could offer. I also have 1300ft of gravel drive and another 3/4 mile of gravel road I help maintain. I don't grow crops or bale hay. I do burn wood so my tractor spends its fair share in the woods pulling trees out and such. I did a lot of research before I pulled the trigger. Looked at dealer locations, quality of tractors, quality of dealerships, and attachments. In the end I got the Mahindra 1533. Looked at the Kubota 3901. Spent a number of trips to that dealership looking and driving it around. But I found my 1533 might be down a little on HP but has more weight and lifts more. Overall I am very happy with my Mahindra. Would recommend this tractor to anyone. But one thing you must always do is find a dealership you are comfortable with. That makes a big difference.

I can second this. I am a guy who firmly believes in going with "tried and true" which is why Kubota was my first choice. But after comparing with Kioti and Mahindra the Kubota fell to third. No mid PTO option, lower weight and lifting capacity, loader controls in different location, higher cost were a few of the items that stood out.


The Mahindra 2538 (built by TYM- S Korean) has been very popular and would allow you to purchase a new 38 HP machine with FEL and your attachments for under your 30k budget. The Mahindra 1500 series are Mitsubishi (Japanese) machines and very nice. The Kioti CK series would also work well. The Mahindra is the only one of these that doesn't use a DEF.

You and your wife will get a good feel which dealer is best which is an important factor as well. A lot of folks on this site will tell you most all tractors are good machines and buying the dealer is actually the most important factor. I agree with this unless you buy Kubota and then want the mid PTO........

 

[Grandad4]

Welcome to TBN, RLWATSO1, from another Ohioan who grew up not too far from you, in Wayne County. Beautiful place you've got there! You've gotten some pretty good advice from others here so far. Choose the brand of tractor you like best... there's some fine equipment on the market to choose from. Here would be my thoughts about your mowing situation.

First, a rotary cutter would be my weapon of choice, except for maybe some kind of finish mower around your house. That hill you've got will be the principal challenge. It's steep enough that you'll need to get the right tractor setup to handle it well. R1 Ag tires instead of R4 Industrials, for example, to give you maximum traction. I'd be looking for a tractor with a good power-to-weight ratio, since you'd be climbing a significant slope while mowing. Also because of the slope, I'd be looking at a hydrostatic drive, to minimize the need for any downshifting halfway up the hill (That's not a good place to be taking the transmission out of gear). The rotary cutter would give you more flexibility in how often you mow, and that could be important in letting you mow the hill when the ground is fairly dry. With a finish mower, you'd have to be on it more often.

Best wishes with your new place.

 

[MF283]

I'll put my dog into this hunt as well, i've had way better results with a bush hog over a finish mower, especially if it get's away(grass) because of rain or really wet conditions.
I'm a Deere man myself, as other's have stated, you're buying the dealer not the tractor.

Ronnie