Rookie 101 Question - Garden Mower vs. Tractor

BB_TX · Dec 12, 2005

No rocks in Bertram? I thought all the land in that area had rocks. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
I am a little more reserved on the FEL issue than most it seems. On the one hand, I would not do without my FEL. On the other, I have 24 acres with lots of trees which I regularly have to trim and haul lots of limbs and brush to burn piles. If I had only 3 acres, flat, with almost no trees, I would think twice about what I wanted to do. If mowing is to be the vast majority of your use, I would not get an FEL unless it was a quick detach model. It will get in your way trying to mow the lawn around the house, garage, fences, etc. You can get a 3pt carryall to carry heavy items behind the tractor to make up for not having an FEL. Of course, you can't do dirt work with it.
And on the subject of mowing, the question arises on how much you intend to have for lawn and how much for rough cut. A shredder (or rotary cutter) is not going to give you a very good lawn cut if that is what you want. It will not cut much less than 3-4" and will likely leave marks where the skid shoes sometimes bottom out, especially if you try to cut to short. So you may end up needing (wanting) a finish mower in addition to a rotary cutter.
Give a lot of thought to what you really need. Sometimes the "wants" overide making a good decision. If you want a 3 acre lawn, then a larger (and faster) ZTR mower may be best.
But in the end, if it is a tractor with FEL you really want, then go for. They really are fun. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

TxSteve · Dec 12, 2005

( No rocks in Bertram? I thought all the land in that area had rocks. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif )

Living in Round Rock in the "burbs" we had to get an electric hammer to bust through rock, just to build my fence and plant a tree. I was anticipating lots of rock too, but the place we just purchased seems to have been cleared. had a bulldozer out there last weekend leveling some of the high spots. As he pushed the earth, it was just black soil. Good looking stuff.

I did locate a small pile from a previous owner. It was full of rock.

This weekend my wife and I drove to College Station to visit our daughter in college. Each town that we drove through I kept hearing, "Oh look a tractor dealer!" I think my wife is starting to warm to the idea.

BB_TX · Dec 12, 2005

I see many sites offering a 5 foot and 6 foot shredder. Why the two sizes. 
The larger size will mow more grass faster. But the extra foot also requires extra horsepower to run it. For a 6 foot, you need close to 30 PTO hp minimum to run it well, especially if you routinely cut tall grass or weeds. The 5 foot model will run well on several HP less. I run a 6' model with 27 PTO hp and it does well as long as I mow fairly regularly. If I let the pasture grow too long, I have to slow down and/or take smaller cuts each time.

trlong · Dec 12, 2005

( ...I am going to tell my wife! It will double our fun, giving us more time to enjoy other things in lieu of spending all day mowing... ) 

Welcome to the forums. I would caution the over emphasis on the idea of giving you more time for other things, especially if that is taken as time to spend together. If you get a Front End Loader, and then, ah, a few other necessary "tools" /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif you may find you love the seat-time and end up eating those words!

Beyond that, I don't think you could go wrong with a FEL, be it on a new, or a well maintained used small tractor. If you go that route, please take the safety warnings seriously so you can have fun for years to come.

Tom

BillG_in_TX · Dec 12, 2005

TxSteve,

Make sure you check out the Mahindra SCUT line, like the 2015HST.
Liberty Hill Tractor on 29 is a branch of Bill's Tractors in San Antonio.

KubotaSteve · Dec 12, 2005

( This weekend my wife and I drove to College Station to visit our daughter in college. Each town that we drove through I kept hearing, "Oh look a tractor dealer!" I think my wife is starting to warm to the idea. )

Careful with her warming up too much to the idea. I made the mistake of getting my wife to help me mow once and now whenever it comes time to mow she jumps on my tractor and leaves me to do the push mowing and trimming /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
She is now asking to help me do other chores which is cutting into my seat time.

Soundguy · Dec 12, 2005

A lawn mower for 3 ac? yes it will do it. Yes it will take all day.. Yes you will need a new mower in 3ys.

My neighbor mows 3 ac with a jd riding mower. He replaced it once already since I've been there.

Soundguy

TxSteve · Dec 12, 2005

( ( This weekend my wife and I drove to College Station to visit our daughter in college. Each town that we drove through I kept hearing, "Oh look a tractor dealer!" I think my wife is starting to warm to the idea. )

Careful with her warming up too much to the idea. I made the mistake of getting my wife to help me mow once and now whenever it comes time to mow she jumps on my tractor and leaves me to do the push mowing and trimming /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
She is now asking to help me do other chores which is cutting into my seat time. )

Somehow, I think that will be my destiny too.

TxSteve · Dec 12, 2005

( TxSteve,

Make sure you check out the Mahindra SCUT line, like the 2015HST.
Liberty Hill Tractor on 29 is a branch of Bill's Tractors in San Antonio. )

I know it well. I drive past them everytime I go to Bertram. I have not worked up the nerve to stop in yet but it's coming. I'm one of those that will research the issue to death before I hand over any money.

If you know the area, do you know anything about some place called Johns on 183 by a Shamrock station? He has a Farm Pro and another Farm something.... sitting out front.

TxSteve · Dec 12, 2005

( I see many sites offering a 5 foot and 6 foot shredder. Why the two sizes. 
The larger size will mow more grass faster. But the extra foot also requires extra horsepower to run it. For a 6 foot, you need close to 30 PTO hp minimum to run it well, especially if you routinely cut tall grass or weeds. The 5 foot model will run well on several HP less. I run a 6' model with 27 PTO hp and it does well as long as I mow fairly regularly. If I let the pasture grow too long, I have to slow down and/or take smaller cuts each time. )

Understood, thank you for the information.

I have noticed that Tractor Supply Co and a few other places have attachments sitting in their parking lots. Are the attachments generic enough to fit any mower? Do people buy one brand of tractor and then attachments from someone else?