Three Acres compact or sub-compact?

laffer98 · Jun 9, 2005

I have three acres of rolling hill North of Kansas City, Mo. (actually somewhat between Liberty and Kearney). I want a good practical tractor that will be easy to use and maintain for finish mowing, snow removal, first year or two landscaping, some gardening etc.... what's everyones opinion and who doesn't look for the best deal in town to go with the best tractor /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif?

RoyJackson · Jun 9, 2005

A Sub CUT would probably do the job, but I have a Deere 790 with the same acreage.
The Deere is a great tractor, but I think a Kubota B7500 series is probably the best fit, if you have no intention of getting a chipper/shredder (which is why I went for the 790's PTO HP).

The first machine I looked at was a Kubota BX2200. For cutting grass, it's the best choice. For the other tasks, not as good IMHO.

I really enjoy my 790 and would recommend it to anyone..but it is a bit of overkill for most of my tasks...but, I'd buy it again!

I just think a B7500 is probably a better fit for three acres. Or, if you go used, look for a Deere 670..perfect fit for 3 acres (I know...I owned one)!

jim_wilson · Jun 9, 2005

I really depends on what you intend on doing with that acreage. If all you want to do is mow it and some other occasional tractor type work then a BX series or another SubCUT would probably do fine. If you intend on doing any serious digging, plowing, or ground engaging work you should probably go bigger.

laffer98 · Jun 9, 2005

My first inclination is to tell you it will be mostly for mowing, but since we are not there yet I don't really know. I did want to get something versatile, for landscaping and snow removal, good on hills and easy to operate(wife). I suspect, since I am close to retiring, eventually I will have lots more time to work with it. We are still trying to get our house plans completed so we can get the site survey done, to get water in and excavation work started. Last year we had most all the scrub trees knocked down and piled up. So those will have to be moved and burned eventually. Trenching work for utilities, sewer etc... might be a learning experience for me.. I'll reiterate the order of things that are important to us, mowing, snow removal, landscaping, gardening. Thanks to all for your insight and experience.

Bob_Skurka · Jun 9, 2005

My thoughts are either a Sub-CUT or, as Roy pointed out a B7510 series Kubota. The little B7510 is virtually the same size as a Sub-CUT, it is very light, similar to a Sub-CUT, but with a little added ground clearance. It is essentially the next step up from a Sub-CUT but as with the Subs, it is an excellent mower, won't tear up the lawn, and a bit more capable with other implements.

JDFANATIC · Jun 9, 2005

laffer98,

Everything in your posts says sub-CUT with the exception of the trenching comments. For three acres though, I'm thinking hire out the BH work (or rent) and then settle down to the size machine that fits your needs.

Oh, and I think the JD2210 would do just fine for this. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

jim_wilson · Jun 9, 2005

I bought a BX23 last summer and I have only have a 1/2 acre lot. But so far most of my work has been some pretty heavy duty excavation, moving rocks, clearing snow in the winter etc. The BX has done ok in most of this and there have only been a few instances where I wished for more capacity from the tractor.
The thing with the tractor is once you get it you will start to view things differently because the machine will allow you to do things that you wouldn't have thought about doing if you had to do them manually. For that reason I would recommend that if you think that a SubCUT like the BX really will handle all of the work you will want to do that you think about maybe going up to a B7610. If you look at the specs of the BX vs. the B7510 there is not a huge difference. For a tractor that is only slightly larger than the BX the 7610 will give you a tractor that has an appreciable increase in capacities for the loader etc.

frank_f15 · Jun 9, 2005

think i would go with a cut, they have a bit more ground clearence.

laffer98 · Jun 9, 2005

Ok I've looked at the specs, and I am going to go to Kubota and John Deere and checkout the B7510 and JD4110. I'm thinking short term these will be a little more than I need, but from what everyone has wrote I think it wise I go up one size larger. That way I won't be looking to upgrade next year, simply because I wished I'd gotten something larger. I will probably sit on the BX and JD2210 but ground clearance issues on what is now only a pasture say's go with the larger CUT. Unless I find issues I don't like with one or both of them, I imagine I will be buying one, probably based on dealer and price.

seapea · Jun 9, 2005

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Ok I've looked at the specs, and I am going to go to Kubota and John Deere and checkout the B7510 and JD4110. I'm thinking short term these will be a little more than I need, but from what everyone has wrote I think it wise I go up one size larger. That way I won't be looking to upgrade next year, simply because I wished I'd gotten something larger. I will probably sit on the BX and JD2210 but ground clearance issues on what is now only a pasture say's go with the larger CUT. Unless I find issues I don't like with one or both of them, I imagine I will be buying one, probably based on dealer and price. )</font>

Let me know how these price out for you. Although the JD4110 has more feature than the B7510, my take is that the price differential is bigger than it should be.