Sub-Compact/Compact Recommendations

[Bdsankey]

I am looking for recommendations for a sub-compact or compact tractor. Right now my wife and I have a smaller property (1.2 acres). We have property that we will be building on in the next few years (15 acres with a ~600-800ft planned driveway). I am looking to get a front mount blower, front loader, and belly mower for the time being. We are planning a 1.5-2 acre finish cut area at this time. If I need a backhoe I will rent one. Another usage will be at my family cabin for doing some light work moving dirt and moving wood around.


I'd like to stick to a company that I can expect to have a long service life (IE 20-30 year part availability) which has really pointed me toward units like a JD 1025R or Kubota BX2680.

 

[fishdrivel]

I am looking for recommendations for a sub-compact or compact tractor. Right now my wife and I have a smaller property (1.2 acres). We have property that we will be building on in the next few years (15 acres with a ~600-800ft planned driveway). I am looking to get a front mount blower, front loader, and belly mower for the time being. We are planning a 1.5-2 acre finish cut area at this time. If I need a backhoe I will rent one. Another usage will be at my family cabin for doing some light work moving dirt and moving wood around.


I'd like to stick to a company that I can expect to have a long service life (IE 20-30 year part availability) which has really pointed me toward units like a JD 1025R or Kubota BX2680.

The BX2680 is a fine sub-compact tractor. If you are looking at 15 acres I would seriously consider a compact tractor. They are a little bigger but this is a good thing. They are still light enough to tow easily. Kubota has several models under the EPA threshhold of 26 HP. Staying close to the 26 HP threshhold is a good idea except for those folks who need a heavier duty tractor. I don't like belly-mount mowers for myself. I use the tractor far more as a tractor and not so much for mowing. Dragging a belly-mount through the woods and uneven ground can be expensive. If you will be mowing around a lot of obstacles the 3-point mower can be a pain. My B2601 has a much stronger loader than you will have in the sub-compact and tractor weights are similar. Hopefully others will elaborate on the advantages of the compact over the subcompact.

 

[Bdsankey]

Our goal is to leave most of the property wooded and only maintain the yard and driveway, maybe a small firing range where I could handle mowing that with either the belly or a 3 point. I am pretty familiar with the cut quality of the 1025R with the 7 iron deck as I've used our neighbors and it cuts far better than my older Husqvarna with a 48" fab deck.


Most of my mowing will be the yard. If I need to mow field/do tractor work I plan on taking the deck off which makes the drive over of the JD extremely enticing. I'm planning on using the mower on my current property now (~1.2 acres of lawn) until we finish construction which may be a few years.

 

[fishdrivel]

Our goal is to leave most of the property wooded and only maintain the yard and driveway, maybe a small firing range where I could handle mowing that with either the belly or a 3 point. I am pretty familiar with the cut quality of the 1025R with the 7 iron deck as I've used our neighbors and it cuts far better than my older Husqvarna with a 48" fab deck.


Most of my mowing will be the yard. If I need to mow field/do tractor work I plan on taking the deck off which makes the drive over of the JD extremely enticing. I'm planning on using the mower on my current property now (~1.2 acres of lawn) until we finish construction which may be a few years.

The ground clearance of the compact tractor is valuable especially in your "wooded area" Both sub-compact tractors you noted have less ground clearance even without the belly mower on. Some of the expensive stuff on the bottom of the tractor is easily damaged in the woods.

 

[Bdsankey]

The ground clearance of the compact tractor is valuable especially in your "wooded area" Both sub-compact tractors you noted have less ground clearance even without the belly mower on. Some of the expensive stuff on the bottom of the tractor is easily damaged in the woods.

What is the cut quality of a B2601's belly mower or is this a case of "let the dedicated mower be a mower", IE buy a dedicated mower for mowing and a tractor for tractor work?


On another note, it does appear that LS is currently running a promotion for a free loader...............

 

[fishdrivel]

What is the cut quality of a B2601's belly mower or is this a case of "let the dedicated mower be a mower", IE buy a dedicated mower for mowing and a tractor for tractor work?


On another note, it does appear that LS is currently running a promotion for a free loader...............

I don't have a lot of grass to cut. I was a licensed landscape contractor in 3 states and planted plenty of grass. On my own property, I get rid of most of the grass. I use a mower and leave the tractor for tractor work. The Kubota belly mower has excellent cutting quality, it's just a personal thing.

 

[Williy]

If you have a Yanmar dealer in your area
you might wanna check this tractor out SA324:

willy

 

[fishdrivel]

If you have a Yanmar dealer in your area
you might wanna check this tractor out SA324:

willy

Still a sub-compact but has a nice wider stance!

 

[Rdrcr]

What is the cut quality of a B2601's belly mower or is this a case of "let the dedicated mower be a mower", IE buy a dedicated mower for mowing and a tractor for tractor work?


On another note, it does appear that LS is currently running a promotion for a free loader...............

The cut quality of the B2601 w/60" MMM is very good and my B2601 is my dedicated mower. It might not be as good as the fabricated decks on ZT mowers but, its pretty darn good.

Mike

 

[Bdsankey]

The cut quality of the B2601 w/60" MMM is very good and my B2601 is my dedicated mower. It might not be as good as the fabricated decks on ZT mowers but, its pretty darn good.

Mike

Guess I know the route I'm going. Overkill on my 1.2 acre lawn but when I buy a new mower here I'd rather buy once cry once.

 

[kenmbz]

I love having my little tractor on 6 acres, but I would go bigger by 1-2 sizes for 15 acres.
How dense are your trees and how much slope if any?
My neighbor has the next size up Kubota and he really likes that, but uses a ZTR for mowing.

With 15 acres, you may need to do tree cleanup and you might want trails in the future.
I can do those with my tractor and I love the BH for trenching and stumps. Great for planting trees and bushes too.

 

[jeff9366]

We have property that we will be building on in the next few years (15 acres with a ~600-800ft planned driveway).

For fifteen acres, especially fifteen acres on sloping ground or with hills, a wider, heavier tractor such as the Kubota MX series will be appropriate.

Buy for your needs now. You cannot stretch a JD 1025R or Kubota BX2680 to work fifteen acres.

 

[Bdsankey]

My apologies. I am in Wisconsin. The properly is not overly hilly, nothing that a garden tractor couldn't maneuver.

I also am not trying to maintain 15 open acres, our intent is to leave ~10 wooded. The main usage will be misc projects, snow removal, and mowing. General land scaping to save using a wheelbarrow is realistic. I do not have intentions of using this to build the home or put in any major wire/utility runs.

 

[Kevin1967]

My apologies. I am in Wisconsin. The properly is not overly hilly, nothing that a garden tractor couldn't maneuver.

I also am not trying to maintain 15 open acres, our intent is to leave ~10 wooded. The main usage will be misc projects, snow removal, and mowing. General land scaping to save using a wheelbarrow is realistic. I do not have intentions of using this to build the home or put in any major wire/utility runs.

If you are going to have a gravel driveway, a land leveler is the bomb! I love my 7' land leveler. Makes my rock seem like new and smooth as a regular concrete driveway.

 

[Rdrcr]

My apologies. I am in Wisconsin. The properly is not overly hilly, nothing that a garden tractor couldn't maneuver.

I also am not trying to maintain 15 open acres, our intent is to leave ~10 wooded. The main usage will be misc projects, snow removal, and mowing. General land scaping to save using a wheelbarrow is realistic. I do not have intentions of using this to build the home or put in any major wire/utility runs.

You’ll probably be good with a smaller compact (like the B2601) for now, but if your plans change, like mine did, you’ll be buying a larger tractor...and that is why I own a B2601 and an L2501.

Mike

 

[dodge man]

I always say the size of your property doesn’t always control what you need, it’s what you are using it for. People here 15 acres and start recommending a larger tractor, you’ve made it clear you aren’t going to work the entire property.

That said i would still recommend a larger tractor. I had a Kubota BX for 10 years and a couple of years ago I bought a John Deere 2025r. I like the larger sized tires and bucket. It rides better and once you get used to it, doesn’t feel any bigger driving it.

I think in the long run you would be happier with the larger size of a smaller compact tractor in at least the 25hp range.

 

[jeff9366]

I also am NOT trying to maintain 15 open acres. Our intent is to leave ~10 wooded

The main usage will be misc projects: snow removal, and mowing. General land scaping to save using a wheelbarrow is realistic. I do not have intentions of using this to build the home or put in wire/utility runs.

For five acres to be worked with a tractor a <2,000 pound bare weight Kubota 'B' series is appropriate. An L2501, the lightest of the Kubota L series at 2,700 pounds bare weight would also serve, if you can forego the deLuxe features which come on the 'B' series, most importantly the front PTO.

Dinky subcompact tractor wheels drop into holes, disrupting traction. Larger wheels and tires supplied on heavier tractors bridge holes and ruts, increasing traction. Larger wheels and tires permit higher operating speed over uneven ground by reducing implement bounce and operator perturbation.

When considering a tractor purchase bare tractor weight first, tractor horsepower second, rear axle width third (for stability), rear wheel/tire ballast fourth.

 

[rfoxinc]

THe Yanmar 324 is a fine machine that I highly recommend.

I compared it to the B2601 / JD2025 and the Massey Ferguson 1526.
The Yanmar has a 10 Year warranty and was alot less $$. The JD is Yanmar-powered.
The others have a 3 range HST, tilt and speed control. Not enough to justify $thousands more.

My Dealer offered a "no-strings" tryout of the 324 for a week and gave a great trade in $.

 

[Rdrcr]

I always say the size of your property doesn’t always control what you need, it’s what you are using it for. People here 15 acres and start recommending a larger tractor, you’ve made it clear you aren’t going to work the entire property.

That said i would still recommend a larger tractor. I had a Kubota BX for 10 years and a couple of years ago I bought a John Deere 2025r. I like the larger sized tires and bucket. It rides better and once you get used to it, doesn’t feel any bigger driving it.

I think in the long run you would be happier with the larger size of a smaller compact tractor in at least the 25hp range.

Much agreed.

I’m on 5 acres of undeveloped forest and never owning land before, I was originally planning to buy a sub-compact, however neighbor’s, friends, coworkers and the dealer suggested larger, so I purchased a B2601 (it has been a fantastic tractor and experience) as a compromise. As time has gone on, I realized that the jobs I needed done were too big for the B2601, so I opted for a larger tractor, the L2501 and kept the B2601 as my primary mower and general land care machine.

I think the L2501 is pretty much the perfect machine for my tractor needs on my property, however, the larger Grand L or Mx wouldn’t be as ridiculous as I previously thought....

Mike

 

[Rdrcr]

THe Yanmar 324 is a fine machine that I highly recommend.

I compared it to the B2601 / JD2025 and the Massey Ferguson 1526.
The Yanmar has a 10 Year warranty and was alot less $$. The JD is Yanmar-powered.
The others have a 3 range HST, tilt and speed control. Not enough to justify $thousands more.

My Dealer offered a "no-strings" tryout of the 324 for a week and gave a great trade in $.

View attachment 698096

That depends on if and how much mowing you do with your machine...that 3 range transmission is a time saver in most cases...

Mike