Tractor Recommendation

[MtnHeightsWV]

OK, First post, longtime lurker. I have 12+ acres of (somewhat hilly property. 1.5acres lawn, 4acres 'field', the rest woods.Here's my situation. I've been looking at tractors for the past 6 years. I intended to purchase a larger tractor for the hay field and landscaping tasks. I bought a CC XT2 lawn tractor when I moved in 6years ago, thinking it will last and handle mowing duties and keep hours off the tractor. So much for that...

I can summarize tasks into three major tasks:

Mowing*: I currently own a Cub Cadet XT2, 46 fab deck, diff locks, lawn tractor. The TT K46 transmission is already shot at 180hrs. I don't abuse the mower, but I use to mow, and pull a garden cart. Dealer wants $1400 to replace the trans.... i've discussed local repair shop or me doing same replacement for about $800. The catch is... I don't want to replace the K46 with another one.... I don't want to replace a transmission every 5 years, plus I want to be able to work the machine and not worry about burning the transmission everytime I mow or move firewood. I've considered replacing it (myself) with a K62 for 1600$, with the intent of it lasting longer. (*edited nov2022: I bought a new mower to handle yard mowing.)

Maintenance: 500' gravel driveway maintenance,4acre Field / brushcutting, maybe annual snow removal on occasion..

Landscaping: The largest (most challenging tasks) are to move large rocks from the field/woods up to the house for retaining /landscaping walls. How big are the rocks... well, all sizes... they come in tiny, (I can move by hand) to big (can move by tractor,(big, think 1'x2'x4'),), to house size. I don't consider the property extra hilly for WV, in fact, I'd call it mostly flat. The picture of rocks by the garden are typical, they were moved by my neighbor's TYM 4series tractor, and he said it was about maxed for the big ones. Other tasks... building retaining walls with rocks / patio / installing drainage lines, leveling the lawn (smooth it for mowing), property clearing (cutting/moving trees)... etc... (re-locating the driveway entrance uphill)

Things I've already ruled out:
I'm not renting tractors, or mini excavators to do the landscaping tasks or moving rocks.
I'm not paying someone else to cut the yard or field or do any landscaping.

i'm back and forth on frame size... do i want a tractor small enough to cut the grass, or one that can move the rocks i need for landscaping... and repair the mower.

Things I'm considering:
small compact such as JD 2038R to handle all tasks (except moving the large rocks... just not big enough)
LS MT2 or MT3 series (will not buy Kioti, since thats same dealer as cub cadet)... other colors are fine, but I find the LS to be the best bang-for-buck tractor for what i'm going to ask it.

Thoughts on mower fix... I've seen a few people upgrade the K46 with a 52, but I thought going with the same trans as CC XT2 GX54 w/ Diff Locks, how hard could it be?

which also ... recommendations?
cheers,
kevin

 

[dusty3030]

2 machines - compact track loader / skid steer and get a good zero turn to do all of the mowing, field included.

I'd get grapple for the track loader/skid steer as well as the regular bucket and a rock bucket. You can rent a trencher attachment for it when doing your drain lines as well as a harley rake to level your lawn.

 

[jeff9366]

You probably need a stone-boat to skid the large rocks with a compact tractor.

GOOGLE SEARCH: tractor stone boat

Some use a suitably shaped old car hood from the junkyard as a stone boat.

 

[Egon]

My previous Kubota B7100 hst moved lots of rocks of the size shown. If it could not lift them it could push or pull them.

For the work that is mentioned a slightly larger tractor with backhoe should be suitable.

 

[dusty3030]

You know a Kubota B26 would be right up your alley too.

Tractors - Tractor Loader Backhoe - B26 | Kubota

Browse through Kubota's B26 Tractor Loader Backhoe tractor inventory, filter search by features to find the best fit for you, or even build your own. Then find a dealer close by with your desired product!

www.kubotausa.com

 

[Williy]

Any LS tractor except the LS 125 unless you are a mechanic!
If you have a Yanmar dealer nearby check of the SA324 it maybe
just what you need.

willy

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Any LS tractor except the LS 125 unless you are a mechanic!
If you have a Yanmar dealer nearby check of the SA324 it maybe
just what you need.

willy

well, the SA324 might lift some of the smaller rocks, but not the mid size or up.... it's a subcompact! The same class as the MT125.

Did you own an LS 125? Pretty strong statement....

Well, I had one.... 225 hours in less than 2 years. NOT ONE PROBLEM! That was grading a new homesite, grading/ box blading a new drive / parking area, then spreading over 100 tons of roadbase gravel. Then digging and installing a full septic system (another 65+ tons of stone), trenching water and electric lines. Then doing a final grade around the house.

That was all in addition to mowing 5 acres with a 6' finish mower, digging 50+ post holes, and carrying most all the materials for building the house. It did everything that I expected it to do plus some.

Then I sold it, for just $500 less than what I paid for it! And purchased another LS.

I now have 225 hours on my LS MT2 series TLB in less than 2 years. Again, absolutely trouble free!

To the OP, I think you will be VERY HAPPY with either an MT 2 or MT 3. Very capable for what you need to do. I would fix your mower to be used in the tight spaces, but recommend you get a rear finish mower for whatever tractor you get.

I wouldn't toss out the idea of a Kioti.... especially the CK2610. Very capable / nice machine. Really nice that you can get a belly mower on it in addition to being a strong machine.

Good luck with your search.

 

[jjp8182]

May just be me, but if the stance is wide enough (and CG is low enough) on either of the LS tractors to keep them from getting tippy on a side slope I don't see why they also couldn't be used for mowing -- but then I'm also using a Kubota L3560 with 3pt 72" finish mower on about three acres (2/3's pasture & 1/3 lawn with the lawn having about a dozen trees on it) so there is that to consider. BTW I went that route after getting tired of dealing with name branded big box store mowers (with air-cooled engines) dying at low hours after only being used to mow the yard.

Alternatively going the route of buying the JD 2025 for mowing/maintaining and buying a used piece of construction equipment (skid steer, mini excavator, whatever) for the heavy landscaping work (and selling it when those tasks are done) might be something to consider. From what I've seen used construction equipment seems to hold it's value relatively well (occasionally look at prices to make my own buy/rent decisions).

 

[TractorTYMe]

What kind of TYM does your neighbor have a T474 or T494? TYM's has pretty world class FEL capacities. T474 2150# and T494 2700#.

 

[Williy]

LS Tractor Owner: I check out the net and LS
Corp was giving LS125 owners grief about warranties. It was just the LS125. was told that the S125 is a very big seller. this is from a forum: sticky pedals,and some have reported hydro system problems. maybe they have corrected the problem I hope so as its a nice tractor. t I would suggest an LS over a JD any day from what I have seen and heard. The plastic JD's just don't hold up as they really crack up! The plastic gets brittle and that's the end of it.

You can go to the LS tractor section and see 2 guys with brand new XR3140hc within 10 minutes problems they have a real good dealer that was working on the problems. Any tractor can have
problems but some are prone to have more than others.

willy

 

[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.