New Guy Needing Advice on Purchase

[bobbyspaghetti]

So I am new here wanted to say hello. I am a long time forum goer, not for tractors mind you but I know if you want an @$$ load of information on a topic a forum is where you want to be.

So I am in the market for a tractor. I recently bought a home on 10 acres and have no mechanical workhorse. I live in Fort Saint John BC Canada and it gets cold here and snows quite a bit. The drive way to my house serves two properties is quite long lets say 300 metres give or take. The drive way is gravel and we get lets say 5 feet of snow fall or more each year. I also have in the neighborhood of 8 acres of lawn. With my little husqvarna ride'em mower it takes me 10-12 hours which to me is warming up on too long.

So I was wondering what you would recommend for a tractor for 10 acres for lawn mowing and snowclearing. I am thinking a cab is a must as it is cold here for over half the year and is also quite windy. I am also told that a snowblower is the way to go as a FEL for that much is not optimal. A cowoker has a montana tractor with a 3 point hitch pull behind blower. He said he loves it but there are days he wishes he had a cab but loves the blower as he does not have to worry about where to pile snow.

I have my eyes on a Kioti ck35 with cab and would purchase a rear pull forward snowblower and finishing mower. I however am just baseing this off the little research I have done and just what I think. That is why I came to see the experts. I would also use the tractor for just general yard stuff and will ultimately have a shop to fool around in and will use it for odd jobs along those lines.

Please feel free to let me know what your thoughts are on my very unorganized list of questions based on the very unorganized information I have provided. Please feel free to bash me for leaving out important information I should have mentioned.

 

[DK35vince]

Sounds like you are looking at the right size tractor for your needs.
A 35 HP machine will run a 6 or 7' finish mower .
I finish mow 7 acres of lawn with a DK 35 with a 7' rear discharge finish mower in around 3 1/4 hours..

 

[bobbyspaghetti]

Nice good to hear I didn't think I was too far off. I appreciate the quick response anyone else have nay other thoughts? Thanks Vince 3 hours seems like a much more manageable time frame. I mean I love mowing the lawn but not that much.

 

[murphy1244]

Sounds like you are looking at the right size tractor for your needs.
A 35 HP machine will run a 6 or 7' finish mower .
I finish mow 7 acres of lawn with a DK 35 with a 7' rear discharge finish mower in around 3 1/4 hours..

Vince, What brand finish mower you use???

 

[94BULLITT]

:welcome: to the forum.

Well I was going to suggest a cab but I see you are already thinking about one. Cabs are great. I know some of the guys on here get tired of hearing me say this but the Kioti CK35 can have a sticking hydro pedal. I have experienced it first hand so I would not recommend one. A CK35 size tractor is getting pretty big to be mowing around your house especially if you went with a rear finish mower. If you decide to go with that size tractor you may want to keep your current mower for around the house. Do you have a gravel driveway? I am not really sure if a gravel driveway would work good with a snow blower. I just got plow my driveway the first time tonight with my loader mounted plow and since the ground was not frozen it was cutting in at times so if I had a blower I would have been throwing rocks and shearing bolts. I have heard of some guys on here that say a pull type blower does not work good on a compact tractor. I guess you would be fine with 12-16" but if you got a couple of feet you would have a hard time getting though the deep snow.

I am partial to Kubota so something like a B3000 would be a good option. You can get a 72" mid mount mower and you may be able to do all of your mowing with it. you could get a loader mounted blade or rear or front blower for snow. A Kubota L3940 would also be good but to big for mowing around your house. You could pull a 6' or 7' finish mower. You could get a blade for the loader that use the skid steer quick attach or you could also run a blower.

If you were looking at a John Deere a 3520 would be another option with a 6' mower and a blade or blower.

Here is a calculator for mowing time.

 

[DK35vince]

Vince, What brand finish mower you use???

First Choice GM35-84.
I believe it is the same mower(made by Sicma) that Kioti was using/rebranding for their mowers for several years.

 

[murphy1244]

First Choice GM35-84.
I believe it is the same mower(made by Sicma) that Kioti was using/rebranding for their mowers for several years.

Thanks Vince and Merry Christmas

 

[Don87]

I agree with Roger, that the 'pull type blower' with the CK35 might not be the best option. All you need is one big snowstorm to shut you down. While 13.82 inches ground clearance sounds like a lot, just be prepared to be out there every couple of hours if a big storm hits.

Other than the blower style........the CK35 should do all you need.


EDIT: Does the tractor you are looking at have an FEL(front end loader)? If not, you might want to find a tractor that does. An FEL is indispensible (IMHO).

 

[bobbyspaghetti]

Yeah definatly agree. I wont purchase with out FEL. Our snow is super dry up here and I can drive our 1/2 ton trucks through the snow and my neighbor uses his old school case 2wd and unless he falls off the drive way into ditch he seems fine. I appreciate the input though but I would be plowing before it got more than a foot or I wont be getting my *** to work in the morning. I am worried now the weight of the CK35 with cab mixed with industrial tires may make a mess of the lawn put really don't think I could snow plow efficently with much less tractor. Maybe put antifreeze/glycol in tires in winter and helium in tires in summer. That of course was a joke.

 

[Don87]

Yeah definatly agree. I wont purchase with out FEL. Our snow is super dry up here and I can drive our 1/2 ton trucks through the snow and my neighbor uses his old school case 2wd and unless he falls off the drive way into ditch he seems fine. I appreciate the input though but I would be plowing before it got more than a foot or I wont be getting my *** to work in the morning. I am worried now the weight of the CK35 with cab mixed with industrial tires may make a mess of the lawn put really don't think I could snow plow efficently with much less tractor. Maybe put antifreeze/glycol in tires in winter and helium in tires in summer. That of course was a joke.

If you have an FEL, you should load the tires, or use wheel weights............and then they also recommend a ballast on the 3pt.

 

[jenkinsph]

I would recommend a 35 hp tractor with turf tires and chains. A front blower, rear blade and a mid mount mower would be a good combination for your needs. It is my opinion that fels are very handy to have but are not a good choice for mowing tractors as they require too much ballasting. Snow chains work well on turf tires in the winter since the chains don't fall inbetween the lugs. If you do decide to go with a fel and the ballasting required then I would plan on adding another dedicated mower or your lawn will suffer.
I know that is more money but it is obvious that most of what you need is a good mower and snowblower combination, adding the fel compromises the set up.

 

[Carl_NH]

Bobby.

The R4s on grass are fine unless you do sharp turns. I think the 3PT blower would be good and the FEL on the front would balance out nicely. Then in the summer the FEL (Quick attach bucket removed) with the 6-7' mower would be a nice balanced setup.

I would also get front and rear Hydraulic remotes at time of purchase and wait on filling the tires until you see how it works for you.

Good luck in your search..

Carl

 

[PandDLong]

Using a snowblower is a good way to go. I have one this year for the first time and have found it much quicker and easier than blading (as I did for many years) and you don't need to worry about the banks, which can start to get in the way in a year with heavier than usual snowfall and also become traps for drifting snow. With your frequent wind, are drifts a problem? I would think a pull-type blower would be challenged with drifts, a traditional rear mount or front-mount solves drifts. I did my driveway today - about 250 meters, it was -24 Celsius and it was pretty quick, one pass in each direction (only a one-lane road) - no cab and no problem with getting cold. I didn't have any issue with the snow blowing into my face today but I will be adding a plexiglass shield so it isn't a problem on a windy day.

With a FEL, you may or may not need filled tires / wheel weights. Depends on your terrain, how much weight you try to lift and what you put on the 3PH as a counterweight (and that you should do). Lots of posts on this topic and local experience is a good guide.

I would be concerned with your total weight for finish mowing. A CK35 comes in at 3100+ pounds, add on a FEL and cab and you will be pushing 5000 pounds, many mow with that but your local soils and condition are a factor and if it is wet, you will probably be unable to mow. If your area has a wet period during the growing season, the grass may go wild while you wait for it to dry out enough. A smaller tractor may suffice for your main needs and would be worth checking out.

My 2 cents

 

[bobbyspaghetti]

So I ended up buying a Kioti ck35 with cab and industrial tires with a FEL. I have only put 5 hours on it trying to practice all the controls and holy monkey was I not aware of all the actions of shifting gears, forward and reverse, clutch, FEL controls, split braking, and steering but I have gotten a little better while pushing some snow around. I also added a stereo and speakers to the unit as well as a couple of reverse lights. The tractor so far does not seem to be a very efficent snow mover as my drive way is compact snow and I have no weights or loaded tires. I will have to invest in something and have started a thread with questions in the snow removal section main issue seems to be traction (no surprise with no weights, industrial tires,no chains, and my road conditions)

Tractor seems good so far other then I had the dealer install a block heater in the tractor before picking it up and during the first half an hour of driving the block heater ejected and dumped all the antifreeze out. But tt was an easy fix as I just installed a frost plug in the block and installed an inline lower rad hose heater instead.

I think I will need to come up with a rear weight but am thinking a snowblower in the winter may be what I will use no idea of a summer weight yet.

I thank everyone for their comments and I can't wait to see if I end up with buyer remorse or if this little tractor will do what I hope it can.

 

[94BULLITT]

Congrats on the tractor. I recommend have the tires loaded when the tractor has a loader. If you are having trouble in the snow you may want to get a set of chains. Tirechain.com has some good prices. Alot of guys on here build their own ballast. They build the 3 point hook up and set it in a form and fill with concrete.