yet another newbie question

[Sigarms]

I will have at least 8 acres to mow in the near future.

Total acreage is 38.

I have a full time job ouside the house and land, and will be doing weekend work with either a new/used tractor.

Looking at the Kabota L3130. Is this "too big" for mowing 8 acreas (will need a bush hog and some other "goodies" in the future for other parts of the land).

Am I incorrect in thinking along the lines of at least 30hp?

I'm trying to gather as much info as possible before I make a decision to buy the most expensive piece of equipment I've ever owned (my used pickup tops the list at 13k

Thanks in advanced.

 

[RoyJackson]

You could easily get by with well under 30 HP (engine HP, not PTO HP).
8 acres isn't much (more then me, you lucky guy!).

The Deere 790, 4210, Kubota B7800, B2710 or NH TC 30 or equivalent would be a great match for your acreage.

If you went used, a Deere 770, 855 or 955 would be fine...the 955 would be more HP then required, but would be a good machine if you need hydro transmission. A buddy of mine maintained 15 acres with an 855 for many years.He wanted to upgrade..but his 855 was a solid machine. He just wanted something new.

The Kubota 3130 would be nice, but you really wouldn't' need that much tractor unless you really want to spend the extra dollars.

I've a 790. Unless I go more then 10 acres, it's more then adequate for my needs. My old 670 (19 engine HP) was fine..I just wanted more PTO HP for a chipper/shredder.

So...your money..what do you want to spend?

 

[frank_f15]

Besides mowing 8 acres what are your tasks to be done on the other 30 acres? that will have a bearing on what size is good for you.

 

[frank_f15]

Roy: i think he is going to mow or rush hog 8 acres but he actually has 38 acres of land. i think that will make a difference in his choice of size tractor.

 

[Sigarms]

Apologies for not being more speciffic.

8 acres of grass to mow directly around the house.

About 20 acres of land being "rented" as pasture for cattle.

Another 8 or so with woods and a couple of fields (total of 36 acres).

There is a creek that runs through the property. Down the road (no pun intended), I may have some drainage work to do along an access road through the property.

All in the future, looking at stump pulling, tilling for a "small garden", bush hogging a couple of small fields (far away from the house). Perhaps some "landscaping" with some of the land as well.

I'm figuring a tractor would be a better buy in the long run compared to a "zero turn" wide cut lawn mower (I almost fell over dead when I saw those prices for some of the "needs" I will have in the near future.

I have the chance to buy an L275 (1984) with only 1900 hours on it, tractor is in "very mint" condition (comes with a bush hog as well), for less than half the price of the L3130.

I'm just not sure which way to "go" on this "investment".

Thanks

 

[RickO]

I agree with Roy, that you could maintain that much land with the size tractors he listed. My dad maintains 28 acres with a Ford 8N and a 54" cut Saber lawn mower. He rents out 20 acres just like you will be doing. Don't go below 30 Hp. so you can run a 6' deck.

If you are going to be doing a lot of Hoe work get a heavier tractor than a B series. Look at Mahindra, Kioti or an L-series Kubota if you have the money.

 

[ronjhall]

My B2910 (same size as B7800) with 72" MMM will cut 2 acres of lawn per hour. If you have flat open area's you may be able to do a little better.
The L275 is about the correct size for your size place. Does it have a loader? <font color="orange"> Kubota </font> list 2 different models L275 DTS & DTSC. DTSC has 2 stage clutch and live PTO. Which would be the preferred model to have for lawn cutting. With 26 PTO HP it may be able to pull a 84" RFM. This will get lawn done a little faster.

 

[Moon]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Looking at the Kubota L3130. Is this "too big" for mowing 8 acreas )</font>

I don't think it's too big for mowing 8 acres. Thats what I used for the past few years with a 72" RFM. I have alot of open area to mow but still do not do any better than what Ron J Hall said (approx 2 acres an hour).
I think the size will come in handy for managing your addtional acres down the road. We have 50 acres and mow a little over 4. We did use a smaller simplicity for tight spots and mowing close to the house. Last year the simplicity died, we replaced it with a ZTR. Now the ZTR does all the mowing duties while the bigger Kubota does all the real tractor work. The ZTR didn't cut our mowing time in half, but it did come close.

Moon of Ohio

 

[Moon]

One more note. The first few years we had the property we didn't really have a choice, we had to go with used tractors, cause thats all we could afford.

If any way possible I would recommend go new or close to new. It will save you many headaches. At least, that was my experience. It is so nice to have a chore to do, go out to the tractor and it starts right up. My used experience was more like hoping it would start, normally it wouldn't, so I'd spend and evening or two fixing it before I could get to the task at hand.


Moon of Ohio

 

[Sigarms]

Ronjhall

I'm not sure what model the L275 is. I should be going over this weekend to look at it. I do feel comfortable buying from the guy selling it, in talking with him. He used it for mowing, tilling and bush hogging. Heck, even even waxes it (tractor) once a year, and looking at his pictures, it looks like it (I'm also impressed that he has the owner/parts manual after all this time).

That's why I'm up in the air. Can I really afford a "bigger unit"? Well the farm credit union says yes (thier doing my house/land).

My thoughts are the L275 might be easier to maintain, it has low hours for it's age, and it should last for some time down the road (and as mentioned, over half the cost, plus a bush hog as well).

But...I'm not sure what I will be able to do in the future with this tractor (L275).

In 2-5 years I will at least be doing some "trench" work on the land.

By the way, the land is mostly flat with a few trees.

Thank you for all your replies by the way

 

[Sigarms]

Moon

At first I was looking at a ZTR mower, but when I saw the cost, I thought that for the price difference I would be better going towards a tractor.

At this point, I can't afford both.

We already have a small push mower for around the house.

Antoher point is that some of the pasture is in a small valley with hills. The L275 is 2wd, and since I don't know what I'm doing yet, I may feel more comfortable going with 4WD (I tend to be on the cautious side and don't mind to admit that I don't know what I'm doing).

Another dumb question (actually two).

What is FEL and PTO? I'm not sure/comfortable with these terms.

I would like a better understanding please.

Thanks.

 

[ronjhall]

FEL = Front End Loader
PTO = Power Take Off. Power to attachments through a shaft at rear of tractor. To a attachment such as Rear Finish Mower (RFM)
Here is a link to a Glossary of Terms. Click Here.

 

[creeper]

I would get as much as you can afford. With cattle around and pasture maint. you will continue to find things that need work and with the size of modern tractors they dont leave much of a footprint.

 

[Moon]

I was in the same boat. If the taxman hadn't been extra nice to us last year I doubt we could've swung getting the ZTR.
By all means, get a tractor first. Maybe in a few years you'll be able to add a ZTR to your tractor family.

Moon of Ohio

 

[Mith]

my word would be, if its in good shape ect, get the L275
see how you go with it
the older tractors dont really lose value unless you damage them, well thats my understanding anyway..
even if you decide you dont like it you can use it for getting the brush hogging done on the rough stuff so if you go shiny tractor you wont have anything to do that will likely damage it, itll be cleared already.
also, if you get it at a good enough price, you may be able to sell at a profit.
i guess if youre new to tractors youre better off learing on something that it doesnt matter if you crunch it into a ditch ect if you hit the wrong peddle.
seeing as if you get attachment for it they will fit on any new tractor ou get i feel you cant really lose
no doubt others on here will say 'go new' but they just like spending money, especially other peoples.
new may be the better option if you dont fancy fixing stuff, but youve gotta learn sometime and on an old tractor that doesnt matter as much if you cock up might be good
anyway thats my thoughts, based mainly on what ive done