"You'll never regret going bigger" Does that apply to mowing?

[MossRoad]

... Please tell me if there are any downsides to going bigger as it pertains to mowing. ...

When you try do drive your 5' mower through your 4' gate....

 

[tgmind]

I get by pretty well using my tractor (Deere 1025r) for mowing as well as loader/backhoe work. It is a pretty good compromise in my opinion. I don't want two units to maintain and store.
The backhoe, loader and mower are all very easy to attach/ detach.

This playlist shows in pretty good detail how easy it is to switch:
John Deere 1�25R The Ultimate Transformer Toy - YouTube

Any larger tractor begins to cost you a lot in turning radius. I'm not sure that it will cost much in compaction or ruts, etc because the tires are larger, distributing the weight better.

The Deere or new Kubota BX (23s) both have very easy 'attachability'.

This is very important for me.

Hope this helps.

Tim

I have watched a few of your videos. Very cool. Thanks for your reply.

 

[tgmind]

Thanks to everyone for replying.

I know a ZTR would be better for mowing but I am willing(for now) to accept a lessor mower to get more versatility and the Boss would not be cool with me buying two machines plus I don't have a ton of storage space at the moment.

I decided on the Mahindra eMax 25s(impatience got the best of me). It has the largest tires of the SCUT's, powerful hydos(but slow), faster mower blade and travel speed than most, but mostly it was about getting it quick and the dealer. Very close to me and very helpful. I also like the two pedal HST a lot. I get it Thursday. I have downed Black Walnut trees all over and really looking forward to getting the trunks moved and stacked.
Thanks again.

 

[IslandTractor]

You will not see me saying bigger is better. Bigger is more expensive. There are reasons why smaller tractors are built, just have to know what their limitations are and see if they fit what YOU want from a tractor.

Don't believe everything you read. You WILL regret going bigger than what can be efficiently used for your purposes. You will also use more of your budget for the tractor and have less available for implements which are more important than horsepower for getting jobs done right and efficiently.

You are looking at small CUTs and those are very efficient tractors when set up right. Make sure you look at loader capacity as well as horsepower. I'd rather be able to lift an extra 300-500lbs than have a higher horsepower model that cannot lift that much.

The Kioti CK2510 is a nice tractor. I owned it's predecessor the CK20 and loved it. IMO the 2610 is worth the upgrade though for loader capacity though if you are really just mowing that would not make much of a difference to you. If you really are just mowing then consider a Zero turn mower as those are considerably faster on lawns than any tractor. 2 acres of lawn is exactly what ZTRs are designed for. A CUT is designed to do additional tasks but if you don't have any then the ZTR might make more sense.

 

[piercedtiger]

I bought my GC2600 with loader, 60" MMM, and 54" tiller with the plan to replace several other aging pieces of equipment. The mower helped justify the cost because I'd use it every week to mow the lawn if nothing else (about 1 acre). I went with that size because I could still maneuver it around my yard. Despite what others have said I generally mow with the loader on, without issues (just need to pay attention to what's in front). The ROPS, lights, and larger mowing deck require just as much attention as the loader to avoid hitting things. I swerve around apple trees, blueberry bushes, fire pit w/benches, kids' swing set, currant bushes, pallet fence for the goats, pellet stove vents sticking out of the house, a pool, and a ton of other crap that used to make this a 3 hour chore with a 48" husky. Now I'm down in less than an hour even with the loader on. A bit less without it if I take the 3 minutes to drop it. (This year I'll have SSQA so I'll see what just dropping the bucket does for me.) It used to take so long to mow I'd put in headphones and zone out dreaming about the zero turn used by the landscaper the neighbors hired. Seriously thought about buying one until I saw prices near $10k for some and thought it was stupid when I could get a tractor that does so much more for just another $4k.

I don't have the backhoe, so that's something you'd have to consider. It looks like a bit of a pain to take off/put on frequently so what 3PH implements would you use? I put my tiller on a few times each summer, rear blade for winter, draw bar to move my trailer, and a box to carry tools and supplies for other projects around the property. I switch things so frequently that it was worth a $99 harbor freight quick hitch, and a few mods to make all the implements work with it.

What do you want the backhoe for? I have a friend who dug out a 40yd pistol pit next to his house with a borrowed JD1025. Took him about 5 months to complete because he works nights, had mandatory overtime, and fought with rain. Had he rented a tractor or excavator for the duration of the project he would have far exceeded the cost of buying his own tractor first. Around these parts it's $325 or more per day to rent something like that. So around $13k if he rented it every weekend for 5 months (plus time/fuel wasted transporting it back and forth), or $26k at their $1300/week option in case he had an hour or two to mess with it during the week. So at this point, even if he never used the backhoe again it would have paid him to buy it, use it, and park it next to a shed until needed again.

 

[tgmind]

Plans for the backhoe are to cleanup 400ft of shoreline, Digging out aquatic weeds/silt and Excavate an area to install a door in my basement. Also considering a hole for the kids trampoline and trenching some drain lines. Like your example above, I see the value in being able to use it at my leisure. I may only have 1-2 hours a week available so renting something doesn't work well for me. I have a little buyers remorse but once its delivered and I start having fun with it I'm sure I'll be thrilled.

 

[Tractor Time with Tim]

Plans for the backhoe are to cleanup 400ft of shoreline, Digging out aquatic weeds/silt and Excavate an area to install a door in my basement. Also considering a hole for the kids trampoline and trenching some drain lines. Like your example above, I see the value in being able to use it at my leisure. I may only have 1-2 hours a week available so renting something doesn't work well for me. I have a little buyers remorse but once its delivered and I start having fun with it I'm sure I'll be thrilled.

These sound like perfect uses for the backhoe! You'll love it!

 

[IslandTractor]

I bought a backhoe with my tractor despite needing it for only 5-7 days a year. I could justify that because being on an island it would cost me about $1000 a week to rent a small excavator and transport it and would need to do that a few times a year. Lots of time and money wasted on transport. Or, I could have paid a contractor close to $1000 per day to do the work. After ten years it is clear that the $8000 I spent on the BH has easily paid for itself. It also lets me help neighbors and they do various things for me in return.

Consider lost time in transport of rentals and some value for convenience and intangibles when pondering purchase of any implement, especially a BH.

 

[Garandman]

Hi All, Total noob here wanting to buy my first SCUT or CUT. As I read this forum (thanks for all the awesome info) I see this same statement over and over "You'll never regret going bigger". Please tell me if there are any downsides to going bigger as it pertains to mowing. I have a little over 2 acre lawn to mow. I'm leaning towards sub compact (eMax 25s, cs2510, 1025r) thinking the heavier tractors would cause depressions in the lawn. However I like the capability of something like CK2510 Kioti which has longer reach and 180 degree swing on backhoe vs 140 or 150 swing on any SCUT. I will mostly be using for mowing but want a loader and backhoe because why not have a loader and backhoe.

Thanks for any info.

its not good advice. I think the basis, though, is that some people are cheap and buy a tractor too small because they are always cutting corners.

If I had a bigger tractor I could not work a lot of the woodlands on our property. I hired a Forester with a 50+ hp Deere and had to move some of the logs myself because the Deere was too wide or too heavy. Had to cut down some of the logs as I could only lift 1,400 lbs.

 

[piercedtiger]

Plans for the backhoe are to cleanup 400ft of shoreline, Digging out aquatic weeds/silt and Excavate an area to install a door in my basement. Also considering a hole for the kids trampoline and trenching some drain lines. Like your example above, I see the value in being able to use it at my leisure. I may only have 1-2 hours a week available so renting something doesn't work well for me. I have a little buyers remorse but once its delivered and I start having fun with it I'm sure I'll be thrilled.

I missed the post where you said you ordered one, but it sounds like you did well. I looked at the Mahindras myself as I didn't like the Kubota rocker peddle. It came down to finding my Massey used at a New Holland dealer who made a deal with me to throw the 54" tiller in at cost to meet my $14k budget (tractor/loader/mower was listed at $13.9 originally), getting me everything I wanted for less than the Mahindras. It was 3 years old with 144 hrs so barely used and initial service already done. The one thing where I wish it were "bigger" is lift capacity as someone mentioned earlier, and that's only from experience using it. After getting it, seeing what I can lift, projects I never would have attempted before, and helping friends I realize I could use a bit more power. I had some regret over that, but I know a bigger tractor wouldn't fit where I take this one. And now thanks to another thread here I found a way to increase hydraulic pressure, which will increase lift capacity (and I assume PTO HP, 3ph lift capacity, travel speed, and mower speed since they're all hydraulic as well).

I'm sure you'll love it once you get it, and find other uses for it too. Another reason to buy vs rent is how much time do you spend learning how to use it while paying big money to the rental company? Now you just burn your own fuel money figuring out the controls and working when you have time.