New Tractor / Mower Purchase

[JeffWes]

Hi,

I'm a first-time tractor buyer. We are in the process of purchasing a new house which has 5 acres of fairly level ground. The front part of the property (~ the first 1 acre or so) is very well manacured - but has _lots_ of shrubbery, trees and very nice grass (with a few tight spots to mow). The middle part (maybe 1.5 - 2 acres) is more open, with large trees and grass (but not quite as 'nice' grass') - it is a bit rough, but not overly so. The back 2+ acres is completely wooded with a few paths going thru it (no grass at all, just woods).

I need to purchase a tractor and/or mower to take care of this property. I live in a development now and have almost no lawn care equipment. The previous owner had both a riding mower and a tractor (not sure what type, looks like it might be a sub compact Kubota BX - I didn't get a good look at it).

Ideally, I'm thinking I need the same sort of setup as the previous owner: two pieces of equipment... a mower (ideally a ZTR) for the 'manacured' front part and a tractor for the back. I'm thinking I could use the PTO for a chipper (for all the wood that these NW storms bring down from trees in the winter) and maybe a powered 'catcher' for leaves (I'll also have tons of leaves to clean up in the fall). My wife and I both work, so we don't have a ton of time - I'd like to buy equipment that can help us to do the lawn quickly (and don't mind spending a few extra bucks so it can be fast).

I've looked at both Kubotas and Deeres. My budget is ~20-25K total. I have a couple of questions:

1) For the mower: I've looked at ZTR's from both Deere and Kubota. The 48" ZG20-48 Kubota looked like it would work (quote $7K).

2) Tractor: Compact or subcompact? Seems like the compact would be a bit overkill, but having no experience here I can't really judge. Subcompacts: I like both the Deere2210 (quoted at $128000) and the Kubota BX 2230 (quoted at $11,900). The compacts I looked at were the Deere 4110 ($14,800) and a Kubota B7510 (no quote on this one yet).

3)I also looked at garden tractors like the Deere X585 (quoted at $12850 for a 54" deck), hoping it could do dual duty and cover both the back and the front. I don't know if this would be heafty enough to do the back area and handle lot clean up (a front loader would be nice... + the PTO option for a chipper).

What are your thoughts and recommendations? Thanks very much.

 

[JayC]

I, too, was going to recommend a ZTR for the manicured part of the lawn. Being the back, as you said, is fairly open a tractor with RFM would be nice. That way you don't have to mess around with trying to get a MMM out from underneath the machine or lose ground clearance with the FEL. Also, an RFM would make a good counterbalance when doing FEL work if the rear tires don't have liquid ballast or attachable weights. If it were me I would go with a small-chassis CUT and not a Sub-CUT. With the CUT you get more clearance and bigger wheels which would be good when going over the bumps you mentioned. Also, you would gain more capabilites. The CUTs you looked at are all very nice, however being new to tractors, you may find it easier when doing FEL work to get a machine with curved loader arms and curved hood. This gives you much better visibility when doing FEL work. Kioti, (CK20, 21hp) CaseIH, (DX21, 21hp; DX24, 24hp) and New Holland (TC21DA, 21hp; TC24DA, 24hp) all have curved hoods and loaders. The Deere would be nice because it uses a two pedal HST system (if you are getting HST). The others use the single pedal system. With the dual pedal you can use differential braking if the need arises. If you won't need it, then it is just a matter of which machine you like more. The B7510 is a budget machine. It doesn't have the bells and whistles the others have. The 3PH has the 1/4" valving (you can only move the 3PH in 1/4" increments). It isn't as precise as position control. Lastly, good luck in your search! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[GregJ]

Jeff,
I have a Kubota B7500 and a John Deere LX277. My property sounds somewhat similar in that it is partially wooded and partially landscaped with "fairly" nice lawn. We bought the JD about 4 years ago with the Freedom42 mulching deck. It turned our lawn mowing from an hour and a half down to 45 minutes. Plus the lawn has never looked better because of the mulching. I have the Kubota for heavier maintenance. I also have a Bearcat 70554 chipper/shredder that creates great mulch/compost for landscaping. The B7500 is a very capable machine and I have been able to do a lot of pretty heavy duty stuff with it. Stump removal and firewood are simple tasks now. I dug a water feature for some neighbors with 2 ponds and 150' connecting streams. I think you are on the right track looking at 2 independent machines that have distinct purposes. I also have a backhoe on my Kubota and have used it extensively. My two tractors and all the implements were within your budget guidelines. If you're shopping Kubota, I'd highly recommend my salesperson, Mark Hovey at Issaquah Honda Kubota. He was the most competetive and informative of any of the dealers I went to. I'd be glad to answer any specific questions you have about these machines.

Have fun shopping,
Greg

 

[Soundguy]

A good subcompact with a belly mower should do ya. A rough cut mower could be added if you needed it.

The tractor may be 1.5 times the cost of a decent ztr.. but will do lots more things other than cut grass.

Soundguy

 

[JeffWes]

thanks for the advice...

Greg - I was in Issaquah Honda Kubota yesterday... talked to Joel who seemed knowledgable. I also visited the Deere dealer on 202 near Redmond, WA. Anyone have experience with them?

Also I was really wondering how tough - for grass mowing - it would be to cut with a CUT (no pun intended) in the more open middle part of the property (where there are still some trees) vs. with a sub CUT or garden tractor. When I sat on the CUT-sized (suc as the B-series or 4110) it seemed pretty large and not so manuverable. Although since I haven't driven one (other than the parking lot) it is hard for me to judge how close you can get to trees etc.

Mowing and leaf cleanup will probably constitute 75 or 80% of the use even if we get both the tractor and the ZTR.

 

[sneaky_pete]

Your place is the same size as mine, and sounds somewhat similar. I also bought mine and moved from the city with nothing but a cheapo push mower, so I offer the following suggestions:

Will the guy you're buying from sell you any of his existing equipment? Maybe he doesn't need it at his new place. That's how I got my 1st Kubota, a garden tractor with a belly mower that I still use for the lawn and where grass still grows under some trees. I even rolled the cost into the mortgage.

Cleaning up leaves: can you say, "natural mulch"? I don't know what kind of trees you have, but my Post Oaks and Water Oaks put down tons of leaves every year, way more than I would ever dream of picking up. That's part of the charm of rural living, to have a more natural, non-manicured yard in my opinion. If you try to keep up 5 acres like you did your suburban lawn, it will be a full-time job that you may soon regret. Just my opinion.

I have two pieces of equipment, a G1800 four-wheel-steering lawn tractor and a B7400 CUT. These work very well for me; for as many trees as you have, and if you're not going to do that much really heavy work, then a sub-CUT like a BX might be good in addition to the mower.

For your budget you could easily get two good pieces of equipment in the sizes you need, less if you bought used.

Congratulations on your new place and good luck with your decision.

Pete

 

[KiotiJohn]

If you decide to go with a ZTR, check out the Hustler brand. Great warranty on the frame and hydraulics (liftetime) and good warranty on the bearings and the rest. Best ZTR I've seen. HUSTLER MOWERS
If clearance could be a problem, go with the larger small framed CUT with a loader. Using a rear finish mower around "some" trees is not all that hard, just takes some learning how to back in and around things.
If you were to buy something like the Kioti CK20 or another brand with a mid PTO, you can use a mid mount mower and do a pretty good close-in job without too much difficulty.
Do get the loader, you'll find a million uses for it. John

 

[Lou_B]

A quality riding mower would take care of all your mowing needs including some of the rougher areas. I've used a Cub Cadet riding mower for 6 years to mow about 3 acres of lawn/rough lawn. I'm using a CUT to clear out trees, rocks and stumps on the rest of the property.

If you need to do heavy duty work on the wooded areas, you would need a capable tractor, but once the work was finished, the riding mower would work fine. I'd rent a CUT to do the one-time work and avoid having to purchase a second machine that would see little use.

My feeling is that a CUT might be overkill for use on your property.

Lou Braun

 

[frank_f15]

The ZTR'S are nice but in my opinon i think u just need a quality Gt for your yard mowing, and a cut for the rest of your chores.

 

[Will_C]

All I will tell you is what I would do with your budget: buy a ZTR and a small compact (B7510 or equivalent, with a FEL.) A sub-compact would be a good choice if you wanted to have one machine, but if your budget will allow two machines, go for it!!!
I have a BX 2200 (MMM and FEL), and it has been a great machine. It was all my budget would handle at the time. Soon, I will but a ZTR, put the BX up for sale, and buy a small CUT.
Will