Seeking advice for 5 acres tractor? if so which?

Schmoopette · Apr 17, 2016

Hi all. I'm currently a suburbanite getting ready to move out to the country. We are going to be on 5 acres. Right now, the land is grass, flat or very gently sloping, and it's currently fully maintained. The driveway is quite long, and we are where it's quite possible to get some snow every now and then. Initially, we thought ZRT mower would be good for the land. But, my cousin is trying to convince me to go subcompact tractor. His selfish reason is that he wants me to make my kids some dirt bike jumps and a duck pond. But the sensible reasons are to use it for snow removal and mowing, moving mulch or carving out a garden. We are kind of lost trying to figure out what to do.

Does subcompact make the most sense?
Are all more or less created equally? (Kubota, Mahindra, John Deere, New Holland, Kioti)?
How long would it take to mow with a subcompact roughly, assuming 4.5 acres is going to be mowed?
How good are they at handling snow?

What else do I need to ask? I'm a total green rookie now, so I appreciate any thoughts.

Regards,
LB

TheMadOne · Apr 17, 2016

LB,

I'm a newbie as well. One of the best pieces of advise I've heard here is, "buy the dealer, not the tractor." What this means is that dealer support and reputation are more valuable than the color paint on the tractor. As for subcompact vs compact, I'm not the person to ask, since my situation dictated a larger compact for ergonomic reasons.

A subcompact will do everything you've laid out, except for maybe the duck pond. And even that's just a matter of the time it would take.

I will say that a commercial grade zero turn will outmow anything else, especially if you have any obstacles to navigate around.

Schmoopette · Apr 17, 2016

The Mad One,

Thanks for the reply. We don't have many obstacles. It's just a few trees. Good point about "dealer" over paint color. I have read that elsewhere too.

Regards,
LB

barko1 · Apr 17, 2016

I recently moved and have 10+ acres of woods and fields, quite hilly and with 1/3 mile of gravel drive so really a mower would have been pretty worthless and the Kioti 2510 with a FEL is serving me well. When I went shopping I kept in mind the message about buying the dealer along with the tractor and ended up going that way. The Kioti is more substantial/more weight than some of the others and I need all the traction I can get, very happy so far, a mere 35 hours. Take a look at really what else you can use it for, read what others do with them.

jenkinsph · Apr 17, 2016

I would suggest something slightly larger than a sub compact (scut) with more ground clearance . In Deere a 3032E comes to mind with a 3 ph finish mower. There are lots of goodtractors that will work for you in all the brands. A simple hydrostatic tractor with the taller stance is the important consideration, will allow you to get through the snow when needed.

brasco426 · Apr 17, 2016

I have a subcompact and love it. It's done all I've needed it to do. Got it this winter and only had the loader to move snow and did it just fine, ground clearance no issue whatsoever. I picked up a mid mount mower for mine, but you could also get a rear finish mower for the 3pt. hitch as well if that's what you want. We have gravel driveways and picked up a box blade too to be able to maintain it. Another job this tractor does is move a fair amount of horse manure from our paddocks and riding rings. Another little add on we're thinking of getting is a chain drag to help groom the horse rings. The best advice o could give in addition to finding a reputable dealer regardless of color is go out and see these machines up close. Decide all the tasks the machine will need to be able to do, and match the machine to it. Good Luck and Welcome to TBN. Donnie

Sawworcs · Apr 17, 2016

I own the kioti CS2410 and have just over 200 hrs on it. I did a lot of research before more purchase and settled on Kioti because of quality, warranty, dealer, and price. The tractor mows excellent and has yet to fail us. For mowing I would not recommend going to a bigger tractor as it will not turn as sharp.

airbiscuit · Apr 17, 2016

The driveway is quite long, and we are where it's quite possible to get some snow every now and then. Seriously, every now and then? You mean October through May!

A SCUT sounds perfect for your situation.

Elite Lift Truck - Kioti in Ramsey and
Olson Power - Kubota in North Branch are both good dealers.

Part of the fun of buying a tractor is going top the dealerships and looking, learning and trying. Let the games begin!

Handloader109 · Apr 17, 2016

I've just over 3 acres. About an acre is maintained yard, mainly Bermuda and a fescue under several trees. Another 2 is pasture, sloped along rear. Decently smooth, but a number of holes where trees were removed in the past. (I'll be filling these over time) the 25hp cabelas scut is perfect. I have a fel and 3pt hitch tiller, and a belly mower. If I remove the fel, it travels great over my entire property at a decent speed. Not as fast as a zrt, but I'll not be cutting the pasture every week. Not saying cabelas is the best, but I'd say look at all you can.

Schmoopette · Apr 17, 2016

AirBiscuit...Umm.. ok.. should say that we are moving out of MN to Woodstock, IL. That may or may not get a lot of snow. We won't be getting a tractor up here - but rather down in Woodstock.