Cedar Bill,
I currently maintain approximately 20 areas of land near Cincinnati, OH, 10 that are wooded. In the past, I have used a Kubota, as well as a White Field Boss compact tractor to do the weekly 8 to 10-acre grass cutting and bushogging.
Five years ago, as a result of new construction, I needed a better tractor. Like you, I did the research, then purchased a used Yanmar 2001D, four-wheel drive tractor from the Little Miami Trading Company ( LMTC), in Blanchester, OH. I purchased the tractor with a 4’ loader, which I highly recommend; it will pay for itself in no time at all! Along with the tractor, I purchased a 6’ finish mower, a 5’ rotary mower, a 4’ box blade. Last year, I purchased a 6’ scraper blade to remove snow; we get that up here from time to time!
The tractor has been a real workhorse! I can’t begin to tell you what a blessing it has been. Although it is used year-round, as I stated above, grass cutting is the tractor’s primary mission. I pull a 6’ finished mower deck behind the tractor, and with it can usually cut the grass in about 4-5 hours, on not much more than 3 gal. of fuel. From time to time, I install the 5’ rotary mower to clear out brush. I should tell you that I also have a lawn tractor that I use to cut around the house. It is a John Deer, and I wish it was built as good as my Yanmar. It is two years old and already I have had to do more work on it than on my Yanmar.
During the construction, I used the tractor to re-distribute approximately 10,000 cubic feet of dirt/clay. For those less informed, that’s about the amount of dirt that will completely fill a large basement. When stacked up, it’s a fairly good size hill. The box blade was useful in smoothing out the dirt/clay once I have it where it needed to go. Also during the construction, I used the loader to move trees that had to be cut down, and to distribute approx. 100 ton of gravel around the construction site. See what I mean about the loader? It is also great for collecting firewood or removing debris.
As I said the tractor gets used a lot! Preventative maintenance is easy to perform on these tractors, and oil filters can be purchased at any Wal-Mart store. I wish I could say this about my John Deer lawn tractor, which uses a more expensive oil filter that always seems to be hard to find.
Being a used tractor, I have had to perform some unscheduled maintenance on it from time to time. I have replaced the voltage regulator, several bearings, a fan belt, and recently replaced the seals in the front axel. I received fantastic customer support from LMTC, they supplied me with the service manuals, advice, and all the parts I need. These guys really know their stuff! When I needed the seals for the front axel, I called the ordered in on Thursday, and by Saturday, I had the parts and the axel back together. Talk about your customer service, I can’t get parts for my Ford truck that quick!
One word of advice, when picking out a tractor, I found out size matters. I decided to choose one big enough to do the cutting that needed to be done, but one small enough that it won’t cost a fortune to operate or damage the yard when the ground is soft. About the same time I bought the Yanmar, one of our neighbors bought a 60-horse JD 4-wheel drive tractor to cut his 15-acre field. His thoughts were “the bigger the better”. I noticed that in the springtime, his field looks a mess. As it turns out, that’s when the grass grows the fastest and if he tries to cut it with that heavy tractor, it puts deep ruts in his yard. If you need help choosing a model, ask for Wayne at LMTC he will give you the straight scoop and help you pick out one that is right for your application.
Best Wishes and God Bless,
John24255