One Tractor To Do It All?

[The-AJ88]

I think your plan is sound, but don't you ride your ATV recreationally?

Only putting around the yard. Loading up and getting out on real trails is difficult these days due to a new baby in the family.

 

[Sportsman762]

Here are my thoughts.

My acreage is wide open. No trees to maneuver. I even am considering a large 3 point attachment mower 10 ft wide or so, but I know that requires a larger tractor. I do not have the space to store (indoors) a large utility style, high HP farm tractor. Plus, I do not want such a heavy tractor to tear up the yard.

Tractors excell in wide open areas. It takes much longer for them to turn around so your lawn sounds like a good candidate. They also do better in square shaped areas as odd shaped lawns require more turn arounds.

The mowing area is not smooth, so mowing wide open throttle on the zero turn is not an option. So, the benefit of the zero turn being faster is not really a reality.

You will save time on a zeroturn when turning around. Tractors take significantly much more time to turn around at the end of the path. This requires a larger deck compared to the zeroturn to offset the time. Going from a 61" zeroturn to a 72" tractor will most likely result in increased time, especially if the area being mowed is not square. Not sure how hilly the ground is but a tractor will be more tippy side to side than a zeroturn, unless you put spacers on the wheel to make them sit wider.

The Kubota LX4020 is 32 pto hp. It should be able to handle a larger mower, I would step up to an 7' mower like the Woods TKP84.40, or Landpride FDR2584 or an 8' Woods RD990, or FDR3690. If your ground is level you could look at a tiny batwing finish mower, you would be on the low end of the horsepower range like the Woods TBW12.20 or Landpride AFM4211. If you have steep contours then a mounted 7' or 8' mower would be a better choice. I have mowed flat ground with a New Holland 3940 (45 pto hp) and a 16' finish batwing without an issue at 2.8 hp per foot. A Kubota LX4020 with a 11' finish mower is 2.9 hp per foot.

Depending on your soil types a tractor will have higher ground pressure than a zeroturn, this makes them more prone to rutting up the lawn, or creating areas with compaction. This reduces the days available to mow without tearing up the lawn. Also when turning the front wheel will dig in and tear the sod if the operator is not carefull and the mark is much large than the zero turn divit.

Tractors are not as easy to trim with A mid mount mower lets you trim on the side of the deck, a rear mount lets you back under trees or over banks, a batwing sucks at trimming. A zeroturn does much better at trimming off the side of the deck, and you can ddrive under trees with the front or hang a wheel over banks.

I plow with an ATV with 54" snowplow (Suzuki King Quad 500).

I do not know were you are in OH. Tractors will outperform an ATV in pushing power. The problem is that the blade is harder to float on gravel drives as you have no suspension to hold some of the blades weight like you do with an ATV. If your in the snow belt the ability to push much deeper snow than an ATV is a significant advantage. I find tractors to be much more controllable than an ATV when plowing. I plowed our drive for years with a Sportsman 500 and the high reverse speed was no fun, nor was struggling to push the handlebars at low speeds. I have plowed commercially with compact tractors and Kubota RTV's and found the tractors give you the best control for close in detail work. For pushing snow a tractor wins in my opinion. If your in the snow belt, or in the north west side of the state a blower is nice to have. Three point blowers have their disadvantages, but they work well.

My driveway is 450 ft of gravel, so maintenance is periodically required. I have no way to perform the maintenance now and either have to borrow or rent equipment to do it. Or pay a contractor. It seems like a front end loader and box blade combination would be great to have.

A loader will let you spread gravel, and do spot repairs with ease. However I would suggest a landscape plane/grading scraper might be a better choice for driveway maintenance. They are easier to learn to use compared to a box blade.

Being exposed to the elements is not exactly fun. My allergies are bad during mowing season and getting cold and wet during the plowing season is getting old quick.

I have terrible allergies, to the point were the lining of my nose is damaged so I cannot smell well so you have my sympathy. I love cabs and my next tractor will probably have one. A few things about cabs, Kubota cab tops are thin, almost a milk jug material, they do not like trees and one mating session with a tree limb and your out $1k. They make the machine top heavy so side to side stability on hills is compromised. I have not driven a LX with a cab, but had a coworker tip a Kubota BX with a cab just from turning to sharp at speed (I put it on two wheels turning it on a road). Compact tractor radiators clog easily and cleaning them out negates the advantage of a cab. Depends on what your doing but hot dry mowing can clog a radiator quickly. Blowing them out creates a dust bowl with you standing in the middle. Even using 36" wands does not solve the problem. So a cab is not perfect for allergies, but it is sure nice to not be in agony for hours.

Has anyone went from multiple, job specific machines to a tractor that can do it all? Any regrets?

I love a tractor for plowing snow with. However they are not that fun to mow with, as it takes longer and they are not as good at trimming. For my odd shaped lawns I would hate to mow them with a tractor. However having a cab might compensate for that. I cannot say that a tractor is a clear win, as I do not know what your snow removal or lawn looks like and there is also personal preference.

 

[John0829]

I will say that I tried the idea of using one machine for all needs and in short order I was back to dedicated. One machine can do the work but in the end one machine is a compromise in doing all tasks.

 

[RayIN]

You mentioned the land was rough, have you used a large lawn roller yet?
My FIL made one from a steel 500g tank, filled it with sand. He rolled his pastures with it for many years, and after mowing they looked like a very large lawn.
I have a 80G steel roller I pull behind my ZTR Hustler to roll my yard/lawn. It works well on semi-level-level ground, but on steeper slopes not so much. It will push the 1,000# ZTR mower around.

 

[RayIN]

I will say that I tried the idea of using one machine for all needs and in short order I was back to dedicated. One machine can do the work but in the end one machine is a compromise in doing all tasks.

I agree, one machine designed to perform several totally different jobs, does none well. I used to own a 1970's Harley Davidson Sprint bike that was a street bike, a dirt bike and trail bike. It worked for all of them, but poorly IMO.

 

[Notforhire]

I bought my L47 because I wanted a CUT with a powerful loader. I could remove the backhoe and run my 6ft bush hog. I had a 4ac field I needed to cut.
I now cut the field with my Ferris 60" mower. It rides better than the L47 and it takes 1/2 the time to mow the same area.
I think you would be better served to get a tractor w/loader and keep the Ferris too. IMO as work vehicles go ATVs are a waste of time and money.

 

[Panik]

I would like some input on whether I am making a smart choice or not. I think one tractor to do my chores would be better than my current set up of mowing with a zero turn and snowplowing with an ATV. Basically, downsize from 2 machines to 1.

I mow 6 acres with a 61" zero turn mower (Ferris IS2100z with suspension and suspension seat).

I plow with an ATV with 54" snowplow (Suzuki King Quad 500).

Both do the job, but would a tractor be better suited?

I would get a compact tractor with a cab (heat and air conditioning) and a 72" belly mower. Being exposed to the elements is not exactly fun. My allergies are bad during mowing season and getting cold and wet during the plowing season is getting old quick.

The mowing area is not smooth, so mowing wide open throttle on the zero turn is not an option. So, the benefit of the zero turn being faster is not really a reality.

My acreage is wide open. No trees to maneuver. I even am considering a large 3 point attachment mower 10 ft wide or so, but I know that requires a larger tractor. I do not have the space to store (indoors) a large utility style, high HP farm tractor. Plus, I do not want such a heavy tractor to tear up the yard.

My driveway is 450 ft of gravel, so maintenance is periodically required. I have no way to perform the maintenance now and either have to borrow or rent equipment to do it. Or pay a contractor. It seems like a front end loader and box blade combination would be great to have.

I think the Kubota LX line of tractors might be a good fit for my needs. I am open to other brands/models. I do not believe in paying the John Deere green premium, so John Deere is not an option.

Has anyone went from multiple, job specific machines to a tractor that can do it all? Any regrets?

Thanks!

Sounds like you are on the right track in terms of getting a tractor. A little food for thought in terms of zero turn vs tractor mounted belly mower....

I have roughly 4 acres of old, terraced farm land on top of an older clay ridge for a yard. While it does have trees they are very minimal. Unfortunately though, absolutely none of it is flat, smooth or level.

I mowed that yard for approximately 5 years with a 60" belly mower slung under a bx2360 before I finally got fed up and purchased a 60" zero turn. It may (likely is) different with a larger tractor but I got tired of being beaten up mowing the yard. Switching to a zero turn for mowing eliminated that frustration and cut my total mowing time in half at least. I'm able to maintain a good cut quality at a much faster rate with the zero turn.

It may be personal preference, but the other thing I found with having a belly mower on a tractor is that I really disliked leaving it mounted whenever I did any non-mowing work with the tractor.... which resulted in a 30 minute fight getting the mower off the tractor before doing dirt/brush moving work.

 

[WinterDeere]

The property is old farm land that had large tractors working the land for decades. I would say 90% of the area will be OK for tractor's weight and not cause damage.

So, what are you going to do with the other 10% of your 6 acres of mowing… just leave it un-mowed?

I had to mow with my CUT once… just once. Maybe if I wasn’t already used to mowing with a ZTR, I wouldn’t have realized just how much CUT’s suck for mowing… because they do! I sold the mower deck from the CUT after that, figuring I’d rather buy another ZTR than put up with trying to ever mow with a CUT again.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have a zero turn because I need it to mow around my house, my trees, my wife's gardens and in the different dog runs. It's a pain, and it's something that over the years I've decided that I really don't like it. I just don't know what to get that would be better.

If I didn't have to deal with all those obstacles, I would buy a cab tractor with a belly mower in the 40 to 50 hp range. I have a 70 hp cabbed tractor, and being in the AC, and not being attacked by bugs is a game changer for me. I think the same would be true with a belly mower tractor for around the house.

What I think the other comments are ignoring is how many acres you are mowing with the zero turn. One acre is nothing. Two acres is work. Three acres and more is pure torture!!!

I'm a fan of Deere and Kubota. I just don't want to pay what they are asking, so every time I've been to their dealerships to buy something, I always find another brand with more feathers for less money.

My Massey Ferguson has really impressed me and would look at them again if I was buying. I've heard a lot of really good things about Yanmar and would look at them too. Before buying my Massey, I went to a tractor auction place that also sells used farm tractors. They have a lot of them there to look at, and I was really surprised at how some of the brands seemed more worn out then others with similar hours on them. I don't think it was owner abuse because all of them were pretty rough. Other brands stood out to me by being in really good shape with a lot more hours than I expected on them. Kubota was one of those brands that really impressed me. They wanted $10,000 more for their 70 hp tractor then Massey did, but in the end, I think I got a better tractor for less money.

Look at all of your local dealers before committing to anything. Some of the financing deals can make a huge difference too.

 

[WinterDeere]

What I think the other comments are ignoring is how many acres you are mowing with the zero turn. One acre is nothing. Two acres is work. Three acres and more is pure torture!!!

Op only has 6 acres, not 20. I’ve been reducing my mowing by increasing my wooded and garden space, to give us better privacy from our neighbors, down to just over 3 acres of mowed grass now. But I used to mow 6 acres with my zero turn, and it was always more fun than torture.

I have a lot of trees, gardens, outbuildings, etc. to mow around, but I can still average better than 2 acres per hour. On the more-open spaces, it’s easily 3-4 acres per hour. And those torquey little zero-turns at 11 mph feel like a rally car when zigging and zagging around obstacles, pure racing enjoyment.