Time to get a real tractor

mhull61 · Feb 23, 2011

Hi, Matt here. I live in RI and have 7 acres, a 500 yard gravel drive. After visiting a friend in Maine who has a Massey Ferguson 1528. I kind of got the bug and I'm looking to upgrade from a garden tractor (Cub Cadet 1641) to a compact tractor. There are kubota, Deere, Kioti and TYM dealers nearby - Massey Ferguson, and Cub cadet/Yanmar a little over an hour away. I am open to looking for a hardly used machine as well.

I have already done a good bit of research on the web, and I am leaning toward a the Kubota b2920. Some of the tasks I am looking to do are maintaining the gravel driveway, snow removal from said driveway mowing 4+ acres, garden and general yard maintenance. Right now I am planning to get a FEL, belly mower, rear snow blower and box blade with it. Any advice on the tractor or where to look on this site for info is very welcome.

A few questions I still have:
1. What is the difference in hydraulic control valves: position control vs. quarter inching
2. Pro's and con's between a belly mower and rear finish mower.

Muhammad · Feb 23, 2011

Welcome to TBN.

DAY · Feb 23, 2011

Ditto the welcome!
If you have never used a tractor, see if one or more of the dealers will let you have a used one for the weekend, and try it out. (act stupid, and rich):laughing:
You will not only be learning if you like tractors, but also a lot about the dealer. . .

Carl Bert · Feb 23, 2011

mhull61 said:
Hi, Matt here. I live in RI and have 7 acres, a 500 yard gravel drive. After visiting a friend in Maine who has a Massey Ferguson 1528. I kind of got the bug and I'm looking to upgrade from a garden tractor (Cub Cadet 1641) to a compact tractor. There are kubota, Deere, Kioti and TYM dealers nearby - Massey Ferguson, and Cub cadet/Yanmar a little over an hour away. I am open to looking for a hardly used machine as well.

I have already done a good bit of research on the web, and I am leaning toward a the Kubota b2920. Some of the tasks I am looking to do are maintaining the gravel driveway, snow removal from said driveway mowing 4+ acres, garden and general yard maintenance. Right now I am planning to get a FEL, belly mower, rear snow blower and box blade with it. Any advice on the tractor or where to look on this site for info is very welcome.

A few questions I still have:
1. What is the difference in hydraulic control valves: position control vs. quarter inching
2. Pro's and con's between a belly mower and rear finish mower.

To start off, if you are paying cash I would definitely look at hardly used machines. You can save quite a bit on a 1 or 2 year old tractor. A tractor loses 25% when you drive it out of the showroom. If your financing then you can't beat the 0% deals that most dealers are offering today.

If you were buying a backhoe then I would without a doubt say go with Kubota. Its a great machine and thier backhoe specs are unbeatable. If you have no intentions of adding a backhoe, then I think you should look at the John Deere 2520 or 2720 with a 7 iron MMM or belly mower, as you call it. These mowers are very simple to attach and detach. I have never had a rear mount mower, but I would imagine they are more difficult to maneuver around trees and such.

You said you have 500yd driveway. Wow, thats a lot of backing up with a rear mount blower. I would seriously reconsider and look into a front mount blower with a cab. That will be money well spent.

Which ever brand you go with you will not be disappointed. They are both top quality machines. If and when you get one, post some pictures.