Too much Tractor?

[boda1968]

Mike,

I checked into having a logger come in and pay me for the pine trees. They offered me $500 which is a positive cash flow no matter which way you look at it ,but after witnessing(sp?) their work ethics and quality, I didn't need the extra headaches.

Roy

 

[boda1968]

Rob,

Thanks for the response.
That exactly how I feel about the tractor, I may think that I will only mow with it, but there may be plenty of other things I could get done that I am just not thinking about at this time.

Roy

 

[Henro]

You will have a lot of work on the 4 acres after the contractor leaves. A larger small tractor like the B7800 or B2910 would be a good fit initially. When I bought my B2910 I thought it was huge, but now it seems like the perfect small real tractor to me. As would any similar sized traxtor of any color, had I bought something else.

My B2910 did a pretty good job cutting my short weeds that have learned over the years to look like grass. But it was cumbersome and I ended up trading it in as part of a deal on a BX 2200 last summer. I needed a MMM for the kind of cutting I do...

My question would be are you adverse to having two tractors? Meaning a larger tractor like a B7800 size and some kind of grass cutter to accompany it in the future?

In our case we have 3.7 acres which I am improving. I use my B2910 for everything EXCEPT grass cutting. I fully expect that over the next couple years I will be using the larger tractor less and the smaller one more. But I intend to keep both, and to have the larger one there to do the grunt work when I need it.

If I were in your shoes, I would buy a tractor that would make my life easier during the initial phase of clean up and ground preperation. Might even buy a RFM in the future and see how things went...

And since I'm me, I know I would keep that tractor and add another something to the stable when I reached the point of wanting to. That might be a ZTR or a machine like Bob has, or who knows what.

My neighbor has a 38 pto HP tractor on 4 acres, so keep in mind that tWestern PA may raise some strange dudes...who believe bigger is better and all that... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif But this one also believes smaller is better...actually I guess I really believe "More than one is best..." /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Poppa]

Mike,

One thing that this forum has shown me is that anyone east of Dallas thinks all trees are weeds that need to be removed for more lawn, a pond or just on general principle. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Us poor fools on this side of the plains realize that trees are gold and would never even think of removing one, instead being willing to spend extra thousands of dollars to move the house. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif In my area, a fifteen foot pine with a trunk of 7 inches in diameter is considered "Old Growth" and fetches about five hundred dollars. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

I try not to let it get to me when someone gets a new tractor and the first thing they do is go out and push down a half dozen trees. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Best thing I have found to do is look outside at a sunny day when they are complaining about rain /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Mike

 

[Poppa]

Roy, lots of good advice here, time to break out the pen and pencil to weigh the pros and cons.

How many dollars to spend?
How much each option costs.
IS a mowing machine like the Ventrac a better fit or would a tractor make better sense?

Biggest factor only you can answer: Do you WANT!! a tractor.

If the answer to the last question is yes then go for it. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Mike

 

[DAP]

I agree with Bob on this one. If you really like tractors and can afford to have more than 1, then my point is moot.

If you have 4 acres of finish mowing lying in wait ahead and this task represents 95% of your needs (you may have other needs you don't know about yet however) then a tractor with or without a loader and a 3ph would not be prudent. It might be fun, it might be desireable, but a zero turn machine or some other dedicated mowing device will save you money, time and ultimately do a better job.

I know of someone who uses a B2910 (R4s) to mow 3/4 acre of flat finish lawn. First they mow, then they get out a honda push machine to finish where the B2910 cant go. I mow 5+ acres of less flat finish lawns with an LX JohnDeere class machine. As objectively as I can put it, my floating 4' deck does a noticbly nicer cut than that 72" suspended MMM. I might take a little longer owed to the deck size difference, but I only need ONE machine for mowing and my deck does not scallop the turf and my wheels don't injure the surface. Its either operator error, wrong machine/cut for the task or both.

If I was flatter, I would definetly go to a zero turn machine.

 

[boda1968]

Poppa,

LOL.
You can have the hundred or more that I am about to bury or burn for free!

"Come and get em"

Roy

 

[JayC]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( My neighbor has a 38 pto HP tractor on 4 acres, so keep in mind that tWestern PA may raise some strange dudes...who believe bigger is better and all that... But this one also believes smaller is better... )</font>

Maybe you need to talk to my neighbor a couple houses down. I think he thinks bigger is better. Well, I do too, but I would know my own limits. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif He has a Class III New Holland Boomer. His total lot size is about less than an acre! It is a very nice tractor but it sits in the garage probably 10 out of the 12 months a year. He seems to use it mostly for plowing his driveway out in winter. His driveway is also small enough where you could get by with a walk-behind, self-propelled snowblower! It seems like such wasted potential just sitting there in the garage... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Generally I think HENRO and I have the same concept about tractoring, we just use (some) different tractors to achieve the results we desire.

It sure is nice to be able to turn the key on the right tool for the job and get it done the way it should be, and get it done quickly too. One of the things I love about the Ventrac is the effective mowing speed, and if my garage was bigger, I would have gone with a bigger deck. But that said, the original post really didn't ask about a mowing machine eventhough it was stated that mowing would be 95% of the task. Which is why I wrote about tractors until the dedicated mowers were brought up.

I would say that a B2910 or TC29 would be a great size tractor for doing some tractoring and an asset when/if you plan on building your landscape. The B2910 is about 15" or so longer than the TC24 and maybe 10" wider (depending on bucket size) but is still fairly small. I just can't imagine using it for mowing, and there has never been a deck hooked up the mine.

One of the problems we have when we answer posts is that we often don't know the frame of mind of the original poster. My brother (a NON-tractor person) would never dream of building his landscape, even if he had more than his 1/4 lot. He has crews come in and put in beds for him. Me, I love to get out and dig in. So without knowing if "boda1968" plans to be a "builder" or a "maintainer" it is hard to even make a reasonable recommendation. And even then, being a "builder" is pretty relative. I'm considering adding installing a 65' by 4' stone retaining wall and doing it myself, my neighbor might consider digging out a 6' by 4' patch and call that a garden . . . so we each have to consider those things.

The little Ventrac 3000 is a great mower that can do a bit more than mow, but it is not a tractor for a builder. Now a Ventrac 4200 or a Steiner 430Max might be a nice little tractor for a builder. Both are designed to mow golf courses and the quality of cut from their mower decks is supurb! And both can operate real front end loaders, where my little funny looking Ventrac cannot. And given that mowing will be 95% of the use of the machine, perhaps a tractor like either of those units is really what is in order?

All your choices are compramises. Picking a good mowing machine that is suitable for YOUR property will shave a lot of mowing time off your life, but you will have to decide what type of machine suits your needs best.

 

[ns_in_tex]

I know this disagrees with a lot of folks on tbn, but we all have our own opinions.

I understand, the smaller the mower, the nicer the cut. This makes the 18" walk behind mower, the best cut. I also know a man that hires his lawn mowed this way. Sorry, I don't fit this catagory.

I mow about 1-1/2 acre for myself and about 1/2 acre for a neighbor. When we have enough rain, this means once a week. I have finally graduated to the best I have ever owned. Kubota L4610 (cab & air) with a 7' rear finish mower. If I were mowing 4 acres, I would be wanting a bat wing finish mower.

The cab is barely over 7' tall & gets around my 7 pecan trees well. I never enjoyed mowing the lawn, more than now, but I still want to do the job with as little work & time as possible.

Just one more opinion. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif