Tractor Sizing What size and/or brand tractor?

[Turbys_1700]

I maintain approximately 7 acres with a 28 HP New Holland 1720. I use a 6' Woods rear finish mower. I really like the utility of 3 point hook ups and changing out implements with this type of mower. I don't have a lot of trees and obstacles to mow around so that helps out with the rear finish mower.

I would start out by visiting several local dealerships to sorta get your feet wet. The advice you will get here is great.

 

[jbrumberg]

12.75:

You have been given a lot of decent opinions so far. JoeinTX raises a good point about 2WD and a little more HP, and good used 2WD tractors in that HP range are usually available. What I like about 4WMFWD is that it appears to give more traction in a given tractor "footprint". It's like saying a 20HP 4WD tractor appears to have the "pull" of a ~25 HP 2WD tractor even though it really does not. A lot of the readership will say I am talking from where the "sun don't shine" with that statement, but it is how it feels on the tractor. I like the suggestions of a tractor in the 25 to 30 HP range, but if you need a cab your options are limited. I now wear a respirator mask for lawn mowing (rider) and rotary cutting (tractor) as well as doing dirt work. Like I said earlier if dirt work will be your primary task go with a heavier tractor; if mowing lighter. I agree that MMM's rob you of ground clearance. You will learn how to get up "close and personal" with a rear mount mower when mowing, but there will probably be a few "learning curve" situations . I also like 4WMFWD for increased traction on wet grass especially if you will be wearing
R-3's (turf tires). Go with the highest ply tires you can. Good luck and keep us posted. Jay

 

[Soundguy]

Wow.. 11 ac of finish mowing!

Anything inthe mid 20's to mid 30's hp should be fine.. you can then use 5'-6' finish mowers.

Rear mounted mowers give you the option to drop them off easilly.. mid mounted mowers give you more maneuverability. Turf tires will be easier on that 11 ac lawn.. but will sacrifice traction.

There are dozens of possible tractors that fit your needs.

I'm partial to CNH ( blue ) tractors.. but there is probably a perfect red, green, or orange one in addition to blue to meet your needs ( Big 3 tractors.. hard to go wrong on quality or service availability ).

Talk to alot of dealerships.. the dealer is almost as important as the machine itself.

test drive alot of them.. find one that you are comfortable with. Compair hyd and lift specs.. and tranny options.

You may also consider 2nd brands.. like montana's.. and mahindra's.. etc. there are also other 3rd brands in the economy lines.. like branson, and other chinese tractors like jinma, Nortrac ( rebadged jinma usually ), kama, foton.. etc.. )

You may also want to look at a used model.. especially from one of the 'Big 3'.. a low hours unit can be thousands cheaper and just as capable... just depends on your 'wrench tolerance' level if you go with used or 3rd brands.. etc.


post back with more questions.

soundguy

I have 12 acres of land that I need to maintain. I will be finish mowing about 11 of it and doing some dirt work also. I plan on installing approximately 2400' of fencing, so a posthole digger would be needed.

The question is what size tractor will suit me best? What type of mower should I use, a rear mower or MMM mower?

Is a cab tractor a good idea also?

Thanks for the input.

Dave

 

[DK35vince]

11 acres is a lot of finish mowing.
How fast do you want/need to mow it.
20 - 27 HP would run a 5' finish mower. 27 - 35 HP for a 6' mower and 35 HP will get you into the 7' finish mower range.
I maintain 15 acres and finish mow around 7 of those acres with 35 HP and a 7' rear finish mower and its a good combination.

 

[jbrumberg]

12.75:

If you plan on keeping that 11A's lawn you are going to spend most of your grass growing season on the "seat" which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it could cut into work, personal, and family time. I have "lawn" (~1A, rider) and I have field (~7A, tractor & rotary cutter). The difference in appearance is apparent for a lot of reasons. Of course you could consider one of those batwing units like Soundguy has , but you would need a much bigger tractor (more cab options though ). Big tractors require bigger attachments which can get real expensive .

 

[Soundguy]

Yep.. 10a on the batwing would be about 1hr 45 minutes from starting the tractor till shutdown..

soundguy

 

[12.75AC]

Yep.. 10a on the batwing would be about 1hr 45 minutes from starting the tractor till shutdown..

soundguy

I figured around 3.5 hours to mow 11AC with a 7' RFM being pulled at 5mph. Does this sound reasonable?

 

[Farmwithjunk]

More like 4 to 4-1/2 hours. You need to allow for turning, some overlap, ect. I run a mowing business. One tractor carries a 7' mower. A savvy operator can average 2-1/2 acres an hour (or just a tick more at times) with that combo.

 

[DK35vince]

I'm guessing closer to 4 1/2 + hours to mow 11 acres
Mowing around the house, trees, the shed, Etc. it takes me between 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 hours to finish mow approx. 7 acres with my 7' mower.

 

[jacobweaver32]

Takes me about 5-6 hrs to mow an open 11 acres (0 trees, some creek and house obsticles) depending on how thick the grass is with a 7' RFM and a ~24-25 pto HP tractor. When you start talking about the speed at which youll be moving... remember to consider how rough your ground is... I know I could get mine done faster if ONE the tractor had about 5-10 more pto hps and TWO my ground was not so rough (i could not stand moving much faster)...

If you are like me and like to have your whole yard finished mowed and are going to stick with it.... basically get a 7ft RFM and a 25-35 pto hp tractor and enjoy mowing it..... when the grass starts growing in the spring and summer it is hard to find 6hrs a week to mow so your gonna want the speed, even though, like me, you find mowing to be enjoyable...

For mowing the 4WD is obviously not needed, and turfs are obviously fine. However, if you want a tractor that can take on FEL and some ground engagement jobs, then you definately want 4WD and R4s.

Keep researching .... along as you have funds... you wont regret your purchase when it does happen.