Tractor Recommendation

[MtnHeightsWV]

All, Greatly appreciate the input. I've been pretty tied up this week with work, but will further comment when i get a chance to catchup this weekend. good to hear you like the MT2, they were pointing me towards a MT 240E TLB... and yes, i'd need to get the mower fixed.... it's too tight around the house with the retaining walls and landscaping...

The local shop spoke with tufftorq and said the only way to do the trans upgrade is to buy the kit from K66 Upgrade Kits... but they haven't returned my call and says the web says are out of stock on everything... so...not sure what i'm going to do at this point. i'm probably going to buy a replacement 46 and put it in myself and then just replace it in 5years again. I hate that.

as much as i'd love an older backhoe or skidsteer, not sure thats the right choice for me personally... i don't really have the experience, tools or knowledge to work on them... by the time i buy something i can afford, reliability really becomes questionable, and dollar for dollar, think i'd rather have a newer machine w/ warranty, that i can store and work on if need be. plus multiple machines means 2x the service work... not 100% ruled out, but its unlikely... (oh, and I'm not sure a tired skid stear will work on the hills/property, and again, i'm thinking tracked units are too much $$ for me...)

I double checked, my neighbor has a TYM 554. couldn't find a pix of him moving the rocks, but heres him plowing the drive...

 

[Frogmore]

You are not going to find one machine that will do all the things you want well. The requirements you have need, at least, two machines.

One should be a mower. The other a tractor. I have a less hilly property. I started with a JD X300, was thinking a 100 series, but decided on the X300 after comparing the two. I have not had a problem with the transaxle, but the X300 was not a really great choice for my property. It has no difflock and would get stuck too often. Over the years, I modified the property some and got AG/bar tires, which helped a whole lot. The reality of it was the X300 was really too big for right around the house and not really that capable for the other parts of the property. Last year I upgraded to a year older X534. It is currently 15 years old and has 400-ish hours on it. It runs mostly like new and I expect it to give me trouble free service for many years, now that I have taken care of the previously deferred maintenance. I am into it for less than half the price of a new X584. I looked at the K66 upgrade for several years. But, I could never justify it. Every time I ran the numbers, it was cheaper to just upgrade to a tractor I wanted. I would rebuild the K46 and then sell it to someone who doesn't have slopes and get something with a garden tractor transaxle. Depending on condition, age, part of country, particular model, this could be $2K to $4K or more for nearer new. That should take care of mowing. If you want more advice on that go to my tractor forum and you will find many people happy to help you spend your money.

12 years ago I bought a Kubota B2620. The similar model today is a B2601. Since you have significant hills, you will need wheel spacers and loaded tires. You probably would be better off with a wider tractor, but many of them have a higher center of gravity, which makes them easier to tip. I feel very unsafe on the B2620 (loaded tires, but no spacers) on side slopes greater than about 10 degrees. I drive my X300, X534, and X749 on side slopes of 15-18 degrees and it never feels like it will tip. No way I would drive the B2620 there.

Since you have some very demanding requirements, you need to decide if you really want to spend the money and live with the compromises (for some other tasks) to get a machine that can handle your extreme tasks. If you need to lift a 3 ton rock 5 times in your life, do you really need a loader and grapple that can easily handle that? Especially if most of the time the max load you really need to lift is 600lb (1/10th as much)? I have reached the limit of my loader a few times, so I had to figure out a different way to accomplish the job. But, most of the time I am using less than a 1/4 of the capacity, when I am actually using it.

Maybe you are doing things regularly that really require a 4 or 5 series tractor. If so, get one. My old neighbor had a Case 580K. It was a giant that could do amazing things. It also tore up things everywhere it went. Figure out the tasks you need done. Prioritize them. Then figure out which machines can do which jobs well or at all. Then figure which machine fits the most needs the best for the price you are willing to pay.

There are many choices and any of them will probably satisfy some of the needs/wants you have. But, finding one to solve them all is unlikely.

 

[dodge man]

I think you are on track with the size of a JD 2038r. It will do most of what you need and you can stick a 72“ mid mount mower under it. They also have a pretty decent loader for their size. A 2032r is the same tractor but with less power. JD also makes an auto connect deck system that makes taking the mower deck off and on easy.

Lots of choices in other brands too. In my area Kubota and JD seem the most common.

 

[Williy]

Just for general information: Also I see that the
MT 125 is powered by a Yanmar diesel engine
Model (Tier 4 ): Yanmar 3TNV80F


Yanmar SA324

Lift Capacity (Pivot Pin) lb. (kg)

1,199 (545)

MT125​

Lift Capacity (@ Pivot Pin) (lbs.): 966

Not all tractors are created equal

willy

 

[stevem5215]

I have a Steiner 420 and a Simplicity ZTR. Two machines can do tasks better when designed for that task(s). The Steiner is great at clearing my driveway. A 10 out of 10 in the winter with a rotating brush on it. The Simplicity ZTR is great at cutting the grass, a 10 out of 10 with a suspension ride over bumpy fields. Each machine has advantages.

Personally, if I were you, I'd fix the Lawn tractor as it's pretty new and worth fixing. And then I'd get another machine to do the other stuff you want. Something used probably would do it. Ask your local dealer what he has. And keep an eye on the Craigslist etc. Maybe you'll see something that works better for you.

Although spending 25,000 for a nice new shiny machine is always nice too !

 

[Williy]

Did I see that the LS tractors have a discount until
the end of June?? Some good package deals??

John Deere tractors some of the 2000 & 3000 series
are made for JD by Yanmar! I noticed that the cab
on the 3039R looks just like the cab on the Yanmar
YT235C!

Here is the list: List of tractors built by Yanmar for other companies

willy

 

[MtnHeightsWV]

Update:

Well, I bought the bullet and pulled the trigger.... on a new Husqvarna T354xd, from lowes. Long story short, I called around to order a replacement trans for the CC and nobody had them and the local repair shop said wasn't sure when or if they'd get a new one. I did ask about buying a new T354 from him, but he was 200$ more than lowes and wouldn't budge on price.

First season with the husky has been 0 issues (as I'd expect of a new machine), it is a bit slower than the CC, but so far so good. I wish I had a smaller deck, but...

This probably puts off buying a full size machine, but its still my goal... but will need to save some $ at this point. Prob be better off next year at least for availability and once interest rates stabilize.

 

[dodge man]

Looks like a nice machine. I looked it up I think it has a Kawasaki engine which is solid and a differential lock.

 

[MtnHeightsWV]

Funny enough it is the same engine that the cub had, which i liked and have had 0 issues with. It does have an electronic diff lock, unlike the other, which was an 'automatic' lock. the heavier trans and diff locks were requirements with my property. At almost $4500, I hope this one will last me a while, and with a stronger trans (k66), it should.

 

[jyoutz]

Whatever you get, I recommend 2 machines: one to do mowing and the other to do field/utility tractor work. Get whatever you need for the actual tractor work, then find a decent mower for the lawn. Unless you’re looking at. BX or small B series (or other brand equivalent), tractors just aren’t great for landscaped lawns. And even those that work well for mowing aren’t very handy at tractor tasks unless you remove the mmm. Not fun to do frequently. And those smaller tractors may not be capable of doing the heavy work that you plan. One thing that should be considered for the mower: instead of buying another throw away consumer grade mower, see if your local shop has any reconditioned commercial grade mowers. I recently bought a nice Toro self propelled mower with a commercial grade Honda engine that was previously owned by a landscaper who retired. Even as a used unit, it will no doubt work better and last longer than a cheap throw away box store mower. See if you can find a commercial riding mower in good condition: it may not cost more than a new model from Home Depot. Then you can focus on a tractor large enough for your needs.