Limecuda said:
I have 8 acres and will be keeping up mowing and a long drive. I am insisting on 4wd,fel, it is up in the air on gear vs hst.
Kubota
L2800
Kioti CK30
Farmtrac 300DTC
Montana 3040
Mahindra 2815
Mowing 8 acres, mowing and a driveway. That is not to help us with your task, but if the mowing is your major task (most hours per year) then I would opt for a small frame, high horsepower tractor on the light end of the weight spectrum. Any tractor can take care of a long driveway if you have the right blade. For anything under 1/2 mile long drive, any of those tractors will work well. For mowing, I would STRONGLY suggest you go to HST transmissions, it allows for FASTER mowing around trees, your wife's prized rose bushes, shrubs and other obsticals.
I looked at the Montana very closely, I was not impressed with the ergonomics. It struck me as a tractor that has the ergonomic designs of a tractor from the 1980's. It had a lot of features, but I didn't like the rear remote control being under my right leg so that I had to move my leg to affect control. I didn't like the long throw of the 3pt. I didn't like the fact that the loader uses hoses instead of rigid pipe.
The Kubota
L2800 is a love~hate tractor for me. In the form of a
L2800 GEAR there is no way I could recommend it. It uses an antiquated transmission and PTO control and I that alone is worthy of dropping it off the consideration list. On the other hand, an
L2800 HST doesn't have those same drawbacks and is a very nice basic tractor from Kubota, but it lacks some of the features that some of the other tractors have. It is also lighter, which is a benefit for your mowing tasks.
Mahindra tractors impress me and of all the minor brands they rank on the top of my list, provided you have a high quality dealer near you. In my case, the local Mahindra dealer is a garden center, you can buy a flat of pansies, a birdfeeder, and oh yea, they have those red tractors up by the cashier . . . not my ideal description of a high quality dealership.
As for the dealership, that should, IMHO weigh heavily on your decision of the tractor since the reality is any of the tractors will do the job. I deal with a couple dealers, both are close to me (
because I don't want to either trailer my tractor for an hour each way, nor do I want to pay high transport charges if I don't have the time to transport my own) both dealerships I deal with have well equipped shops, they have multiple techs who know diesel and hydraulics. Both can fabricate metal parts in house, both can make hoses in house. Both also have good size parts departments with multiple guys working the parts counter. Neither would qualify as 'large' dealerships, but both are large enough to be good, both are firmly rooted in their respective communities, both have good reputations and are in business for the long haul. I won't buy from a dealer that I don't trust.
For keeping up the drive, skip the box blade that everyone else recommends and use a LandPlane, Bad Boy Grader, or a GradeMaster blade. They are designed for the task and more effective. All have multiple cutting edges and don't use scarifiers like a box blade. Bad Boy Graders phone: (225)-921-4240 for a dealer.
For Box Blade Information see here:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...comparision-brands.html?highlight=blade+photo
For Driveway work, this type of blade is specifically designed for grooming out the washboards, ruts, and bringing the gravel off the edges.
