First, I am new to the forum, and I am thanking everyone in advance for your help in making a buying decision. I have been reading as many forum posts as I can find, but I would like to give some info about what I have and expect the tractor to do. I have just purchased five acres in the NE Georgia mountains. It is a mix of about 3.5 acres of cleared pasture that slopes up to 1.5 acres of wooded area. The pasture area consists of fescue and a mix of weeds, clover, etc. It is not the smoothest, and pretty bumpy when driving the truck or utv around the property. It is however relatively flat. It transitions into a slope going up to the wooded area. It rises about 3' every 10'. Through grading, I plan to lessen the steepness of the slope to make mowing easier. The wooded area is loaded with poison ivy and other undergrowth. Hopefully, I have described the property well enough to facilitate ya'll giving me informed advice. Work wise, I will be mowing the pasture area, clearing brush in the wooded area, moving firewood, maintaining a gravel road, tilling and maintaining a garden, the occasional snow removal, and other small farm chores. Construction wise, I will be building a couple of pole barns, so an auger will be necessary, doing the site work for the barns, landscaping around the house and property, and doing some final grade work. Seems like used units in great shape are hard to come by, and with the free loader offer the difference between new and used is very small. What type of mower would be best for my situation? Would a finish mower or a bush hog serve me best? What size mower/bush hog decks can I use? My head is spinning, and since I do not have any tractor experience I am leaning heavily on the opinions of others. Thank you so much in advance for everyone's help. I would really like to know what Kubota models ya'll would recommend for the above jobs. I have been looking at the BX's, B's, Massey Ferguson's, and Kioti's.
Buying Advice What model to buy???
- Thread starter jwrambo
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gwdixon
Elite Member
You are going to need something a bit bigger than a Kubota B model. Don't even consider a BX for what you have to do.
An L-series with a 6' bush hog and a 6' box scraper would do you well. A loader is essential without a doubt. If you have fences to put in or want to sink poles for a pole barn or barn then a PHD will be a big advantage.
My tendency would be to go bigger with an M series but that is just me. They can do a lot of work in a hurry. You've bitten off a lot with the projects you mention so buy the biggest your budget will allow with enough left over for the attachments necessary to do the job(s).
Verticaltrx
Veteran Member
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I wouldn't rule out the B-series, however you should only be looking at the largest of the B's if that's the route you want to go (B3200/3300 or B3030).
I have a B3200 that I use commercially most of the work you describe and it works great. For some reason it just appealed to me more than the L-series, 400hrs later I still think I made the right decision.
The implements I use most for the aforementioned types of work include 5' bush hog, 5' medium duty Box blade, post hole digger with hydraulic down-force (9" & 12" augers) and a 6' landscape rake. Of course I also have a loader w/ 54" bucket with a tooth bar.
This little setup is fantastic for all types of grading and some light excavating jobs. I would never try to cut and fill 3.5ac as you described however (that's D6 or larger dozer territory) I find the quarter inching 3pt hitch excellent for grading, some would vehemently disagree however.
I also use it around the farm for haying, feeding livestock, cleaning out the barn, hauling fire wood and mowing. Great all around little tractor.
I have a B3200 that I use commercially most of the work you describe and it works great. For some reason it just appealed to me more than the L-series, 400hrs later I still think I made the right decision.
The implements I use most for the aforementioned types of work include 5' bush hog, 5' medium duty Box blade, post hole digger with hydraulic down-force (9" & 12" augers) and a 6' landscape rake. Of course I also have a loader w/ 54" bucket with a tooth bar.
This little setup is fantastic for all types of grading and some light excavating jobs. I would never try to cut and fill 3.5ac as you described however (that's D6 or larger dozer territory) I find the quarter inching 3pt hitch excellent for grading, some would vehemently disagree however.
I also use it around the farm for haying, feeding livestock, cleaning out the barn, hauling fire wood and mowing. Great all around little tractor.
Sounds to me like you have two fundamentally different circumstances going there: a) Clearing and smoothing your level ground so it's a useable area, and b) Some kind of cut and fill work to make the grade on the sloped area more tolerable.
You can do a) with a range of equipment. Obviously, the larger the equipment, the quicker and more efficient it will be with that task. Could you do it with a BX? Sure, but in relative terms, that's kind of like saying you could also do it with a rake and shovel. Conversely, your total acreage is comparatively small, and you won't need a really large tractor to maintain it once your prep work is done. So, either buy something you plan to keep, maybe going a bit larger than you'll need long-term (I'm thinking L or Grand L), or get something big (maybe a used TLB, for example) for your initial heavy work and swap it later for a more practical chore tractor (B series).
The b) project - changing the grade of a 1 1/2 acre hillside - sounds like it involves a lot of earth moving, if I'm interpreting your message correctly, and you'd probably be better served to hire or rent a dozer and/or excavator to come in and get it done. The big iron could do more in a few days than you would in a year with smaller equipment. Besides, a 3 in 10 slope is at or beyond the roll-over limits of ordinary tractors so you'd be doing a massive digging/dirt moving project in very marginal, potentially risky conditions.
You can do a) with a range of equipment. Obviously, the larger the equipment, the quicker and more efficient it will be with that task. Could you do it with a BX? Sure, but in relative terms, that's kind of like saying you could also do it with a rake and shovel. Conversely, your total acreage is comparatively small, and you won't need a really large tractor to maintain it once your prep work is done. So, either buy something you plan to keep, maybe going a bit larger than you'll need long-term (I'm thinking L or Grand L), or get something big (maybe a used TLB, for example) for your initial heavy work and swap it later for a more practical chore tractor (B series).
The b) project - changing the grade of a 1 1/2 acre hillside - sounds like it involves a lot of earth moving, if I'm interpreting your message correctly, and you'd probably be better served to hire or rent a dozer and/or excavator to come in and get it done. The big iron could do more in a few days than you would in a year with smaller equipment. Besides, a 3 in 10 slope is at or beyond the roll-over limits of ordinary tractors so you'd be doing a massive digging/dirt moving project in very marginal, potentially risky conditions.
I need to clarify a little. I do not plan to do the grading to decrease the slope. I am contracting that out. I may do a little hear and there as far as finish grading, and working on the road. I will however be doing the site work for the pole barn, and the subsequent construction of it. Then yes, it will be mostly maintenance/hobby farming. Does that change ya'lls opinions?
BobcatT870
New member
I would go with a L3200HST or a L3800HST. Both will easily pull a 6' bush hog and have plenty of hydraulic flow/power
LD1
Epic Contributor
Another vote for the L3200/3800 from me:thumbsup:
Since you only have 5 acres, and some of it is wooded, I think an M-series might be a hinderance at times trying to navigate through the woods.
And since you didnt mention any finish mowing (just bushhogging the pasture) I didnt mention the B series.
The B-3030 and B3200 cost just as much (pretty close) as the L3200/3800 But you get much more tractor with the L's.
But also keep in mind that there are two L- lines. The Grand L's which end in a 40 (Lxx40) and the basic which end in a 00 (Lxx00).
The GrandL's have a bunch more features and are a little bigger, but cost as well$$$.
The Basic is just that, basic work tractor.
Since you only have 5 acres, and some of it is wooded, I think an M-series might be a hinderance at times trying to navigate through the woods.
And since you didnt mention any finish mowing (just bushhogging the pasture) I didnt mention the B series.
The B-3030 and B3200 cost just as much (pretty close) as the L3200/3800 But you get much more tractor with the L's.
But also keep in mind that there are two L- lines. The Grand L's which end in a 40 (Lxx40) and the basic which end in a 00 (Lxx00).
The GrandL's have a bunch more features and are a little bigger, but cost as well$$$.
The Basic is just that, basic work tractor.
TripleR
Super Star Member
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Along the line of Grandad4, you "can" do it with a variety of machines including some pretty small ones. I have done a LOT of work with a BX. I would not, however, recommend one for your uses. Yes, one of the B's will do it, with several owners on here doing pretty much what you plan.
My personal choice would be one of the Grand L models, probably a 3540 though the 3240 would also work well. As mentioned, the Lxx00 offer good tractors at an affordable price, so each person has to determine their priorities.
I find the GL to have a roomier operator platform that is flat and easier to enter egress and really like the HST+, but you will pay for it and in the end both will get the job done quite well.
As to the mower, it will depend on the size tractor you choose, but I would be looking at a 5'-6' whichever fits best and would be getting a rotary cutter or flail mower depending on your property. Mine does not lend itself to a flail, so we use rotary cutters.
While my preference is Kubota, MF, Kioti, JD etc. all make good machines and I would spend some time looking at them as well.
For those one time or rare uses, we find renting or hiring to work best for us.
My personal choice would be one of the Grand L models, probably a 3540 though the 3240 would also work well. As mentioned, the Lxx00 offer good tractors at an affordable price, so each person has to determine their priorities.
I find the GL to have a roomier operator platform that is flat and easier to enter egress and really like the HST+, but you will pay for it and in the end both will get the job done quite well.
As to the mower, it will depend on the size tractor you choose, but I would be looking at a 5'-6' whichever fits best and would be getting a rotary cutter or flail mower depending on your property. Mine does not lend itself to a flail, so we use rotary cutters.
While my preference is Kubota, MF, Kioti, JD etc. all make good machines and I would spend some time looking at them as well.
For those one time or rare uses, we find renting or hiring to work best for us.
art
Super Member
I'd like to see a large B chassis like a 3200 or a small L-series 2800-3200 for what you have.
As usual, the other posters have nailed it pretty well by my reckoning. Couldn't improve on the advice given so far. If it's more a bush-hogging field than a finish mowing one, go with something big enough to handle a 5 ft. brush mower.