Buying Advice Tractor for newbe , new home, 5 acres, lawn, brush, garden, driveway

ejb14 · Mar 22, 2016

Hi all;

I have been researching this quite a bit, and would like some advice. I have a five acre, somewhat hilly property with heavy grass some trees and some brush. We will be doing some planting here and there and moving multiple yards of soil around (want: front end loader). Also have a 1/4 mile gravel driveway that will need grading very occasionally.

I am somewhat handy, work on my own cars, work on the house, the garage, etc - but I am getting older and my back is not what is used to be - not that I want to admit it with all the stresses I put it through ...

That brings me to the advertisement for the John Deere 1023E - drive on/off mower deck - no crawling around under it or sliding it out from under (back stressing). The other attachments look really easy to attach/detach too. But I read the Kubota's BX line are a better, more reliable machine. I have a JD dealer very close, and a Kubota dealer a little further from me.

Also, there are some very interesting older Kubota's for sale nearby on craigslist - a BX22, BX23 - those with a backhoe no less, and for less money. However, my little voice is telling me that don't know tractors well enough (like I know cars) to be able to maintain them properly myself - hence I am leaning towards new through a dealer until I learn all the quirks.

Thanks for any help!
-Ed

jeff9366 · Mar 22, 2016

The BX22 and BX23 are both well regarded. All metal, no plastic. Advantageously less complex than the current BX25.

This thread from the archive is focused on the BX23: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-buying-pricing/350295-used-2005-bx23.html

There are many "Do It Yourself" threads in the T-B-N archive dealing with the BX series.

Here are a number of TRACTOR FOR FIVE ACRES threads from the archive: www.tractorbynet.com]Google-Tractor For Five Acres[/url]

Good luck.

jeff9366 · Mar 22, 2016

You will soon find that MMMs are EXPENSIVE because they are proprietary to each tractor brand and each tractor size. Should you desire to sell your MMM, finding a "matching" customer can be difficult.

Three Point Hitch mounted Finish Mowers are generic, meaning any Category 1 (size) Finish Mower will fit any Category 1 (size) Three Point Hitch.

However, the best mower is a Zero Turn.

U-Tube VIDEO: 3 Pt finish mower - YouTube

mkr7734 · Mar 22, 2016

You will find that everyone likes to think their machine is the best choice. So take it all with a grain of salt. Do the research as you hear more and more opinions. Then see if the dealers will let you try one of the ones you think you like then pull the trigger. JMHO.
Belly mowers have advantages as well as 3 point mowers have advantages. Think about your narrowest place you will need to mow. You may end up like me with a 48" riding mower for around the house and a 72" 3-point finishing mower for the more open areas.
Good luck.

varmint · Mar 22, 2016

In regards to buying used, if you change your own oil, filters and spark plugs, and used to adjust valves and such in the past, I wouldn't worry at all about maintaining a diesel tractor. They are fairly simple beasts, compared to autos and trucks, and if they are working well when you buy them, you can figure on them continuing, assuming they are serviced per the book. I had a 20+ year old Kubota, well maintained, and never had the first concern with it. Even the battery was at least 12 years old when I sold it, working fine! I happen to love Kubotas, but everyone who has owned Kiotis, or Deere's or whatever probably says the same. You will find a lot of Kubotas out there, lots for sale used, and they seem to hold their value nicely. Perhaps there is a reason for all that? If you look at a used tractor, and all seems well and operates properly, it is likely fine.

The small Deere's, at least some of them, reportedly have aluminum rear ends and plastic fenders, two things that don't make sense to me. I mow with a dedicated garden tractor, because of weight issues and soft ground, (plus my wife doesn't mind using it, but the tractor intimidates her) but if I mowed a larger area, a 3-point finish mower, or a zero turn, would be my choice.

grm61 · Mar 23, 2016

I would suggests buying a lawn mower for around the house, and a tractor at a minimum of 30 to 35 horse with a brush hog for the rest ,and other land maintenance duties. I don't know what you mean about multiple yards of soil? Are you going to get rock/gravel hauled in also? The buckets on the little guys are pretty small..it.takes along time to shuttle a lot of material around.

As varmint mentioned guys tend to like what they have, that is the case for myself, my tractor is to heavy too mow the lawn with, but it is safe, stable, and has a very strong loader.
You can get some work done when time counts.

PsRumors · Mar 23, 2016

We have a little better than 5 acres, started off with an 8n then bought a Deere 4410. The 4410 was awesome to get the property cleared and a fence up, then it got to big. Used a Deere 332 garden tractor for about 7 years and it was good but limited. Bought a Deere 1025R 3 years ago and it has been great. It does everything I ask it to do "good". Cut grass, moves dirt, lifts things, digs a heck of a lot better than a shovel, etc. Does it all good but I wouldn't say anything exceptional except changing from a TLB to a mower. The backhoe can be slow, the loader can be a little light on power and grass cutting can be a little slow.

Do not get me wrong, the 1025 is a great machine, has helped me to complete quite a bit of work it's just it does everything it does "good". And the size is great for 5 acres.

Earlier this year I bought a Kubota ZD326H, it kicks butt cutting grass but it isn't going to move dirt, bury a goat, dig a stump, etc.

I bought the 1025R because of the following items

Best hydraulic oil cooler of the sub-compact tractors (it gets hot here and I pulled a 5 ' trail mower)
Two directional peddles as compared to the single rocker peddle
Position control on the 3pt rather than tractor valve used on the 1023 and other small tractor
Drive over, auto-connect deck
Dealer support
Online support

I am sure I have missed something but it has been 3 years since I shopped.

Would I buy the 1025 again? Absolutely. It has been rock solid and expect it to be for years to come.

Is Kubota or the like better / worse/ the same? I'd say each has their strong suit and are likely just as good.

I like metal bodies better because they are metal but the plastic has stood up very well, absolutely no cracks dents etc.

Hope that helps

PsRumors · Mar 23, 2016

Oh and if you go Deere, buy the 1025r over the 1023, the few extras you get are well worth the $1200 price difference

sea2summit · Mar 23, 2016

I'm going to say a BX isn't your machine if it's hilly and brushy. I love mine and have done my beast to break it but uneven terrain is what made me upgrade. YMMV.

dodge man · Mar 23, 2016

I've got hilly and brushy ground that is a little over 3 acres and the BX does fine. If you are doing a lot of work in the woods, I agree, something bigger would be nice. I don't thing you can go wrong with a BX or a Deere. Both great machines and good dealer networks. I looked at the Deere autoconnect deck. It looks very slick.

I personally have a mid mount mower. I don't see the need for another machine if you buy a BX sized machine. I originally kept my riding mower but found I never used it. A 3 point mower if great if you have a lot of wide open ground but if you are mowing around stuff, the midmount is best. I take mine off in the fall and put it on in the spring.