Newbie recomendations for lawn tractor

[kllrbee]

Hey guys,
First post, just joined. Sorry if this question is like beating a dead horse....:laughing:

I am moving from a townhouse where I did no mowing (association did lawn care) to a house with 5.5 acres. I will be keeping about 3.5 acres wild as it is mostly wooded. There is also a half acre pond, so I will really only be mowing about 1.5 acres.

There are some hilly or sloping areas. Primarily around pond and from house to the creek that is about 75 feet away. There are also about 10 trees packed together in about a 1/4 of the 1.5 acres that I will need to work around.

I have been doing a little research, but to be honest, there is so much info out there, its hard to keep it all in line.

I was thinking something along the lines of JD x300 (48 inch deck), but I dont know if this would be overkill or not enough. I do not mind spending the money on a quality tractor that will last for many years. Therefore, I would like to stay away from the big box stores.
I might also want to plow snow and pull a cart with it as well.

Do you guys also recommend a walk behind/push mower for the tree area and around the house? Please give me recomendations on those too.

Thanks alot for helping out an extreme newb. :smile:

 

[Rivets]

Best advice I can give you is to search this forum for "best mower" "best riding mower" etc. In the past six months this question has been ask and answered dozens of times. Remember that each person supports a specific brand over all others, due to many reasons. You will get a variety opinions, but remember go with your gut at the end. If you have specific questions please post again.

 

[soulman]

Hey guys,
First post, just joined. Sorry if this question is like beating a dead horse....:laughing:

I am moving from a townhouse where I did no mowing (association did lawn care) to a house with 5.5 acres. I will be keeping about 3.5 acres wild as it is mostly wooded. There is also a half acre pond, so I will really only be mowing about 1.5 acres.

There are some hilly or sloping areas. Primarily around pond and from house to the creek that is about 75 feet away. There are also about 10 trees packed together in about a 1/4 of the 1.5 acres that I will need to work around.

I have been doing a little research, but to be honest, there is so much info out there, its hard to keep it all in line.

I was thinking something along the lines of JD x300 (48 inch deck), but I dont know if this would be overkill or not enough. I do not mind spending the money on a quality tractor that will last for many years. Therefore, I would like to stay away from the big box stores.
I might also want to plow snow and pull a cart with it as well.

Do you guys also recommend a walk behind/push mower for the tree area and around the house? Please give me recomendations on those too.

Thanks alot for helping out an extreme newb. :smile:

I would recommend the JD X310, serviceable hydro, hydraulic lift and power steering which would be nice with a snowblower. About $5300. should come close for tractor, mower deck and blower. You'll get lots of recommendations on this forum for X5**, X7** or used garden tractors but if it were me the X310 would be it.

 

[Rivets]

I would take a look at the Kubota BX series. They will give you lots of options in a wide price range depending on you needs now and in the future.

 

[scott47429]

some advice i will give you is when you find a dealer and a mower you like ask them if you can try it out first most dealers will let you if they really want to sell you a mower

 

[MBTRAC]

It's always interesting moving from the suburbs to the country....I'm sure you will enjoy the change in lifestyle.

In terms of Riders/CUT( Compact Utility Tractor) I'd suggest going for a little larger ( maybe a size or two up) than you first plan on, particularly if you are going to keep it for "many years" - You'll find many additional uses over & above mowing as time goes on: firewood collecting, fencing/tree planting, grading the driveway, vegie gardening, hauling & possibly slashing (or as I think you guys in the USA call it "bush hogging") which will handle your paddock tree area.....etc
And if you're considering a bit of landscaping, soil/mulch spreading maybe even a FEL( Front End Loader) ?

So recommendations:-
- Don't go zero turn (great fast mowers but not as versatile as a CUT), not as easily controlled on hills/undulations & limited ability for hauling
- Mower Deck: also consider bigger cuts faster, but bigger maybe needs a slower speed in taller grass & stresses the driveline more. Also if you have an undulating lawn bigger may give an uneven cut/scalping
- Horse power? min. I'd suggest is c.18HP in a petrol & 16HP in a diesel (more is always better provided it's a quality engine - Kawasaki, Briggs, Kohler, Yanmar, Kubota etc. )
- If your intent is to use it as tractor rather than just a mower consider a diesel engine above petrol as it will last far longer & provide more useable power in lower rev ranges + use heaps less fuel (diesels too are easy to self service & like all engines clean air, oil & fuel is all they require)
- For max versatility & you want to spend the $$$, ideally get a CUT with a rear 3PL (Three Point Linkage) that is Cat1 (3PL's come in Category's starting at the smallest CAT 0 which really limits usage/implement choice - CAT1 is the next size up & will handle anything you could possibly need on 5acres) & rear PTO (Power Take Off) for your slasher/bushhog/hoe ..etc
- Hydraulic outlets/remotes ? The Salesman may try to upsell these if you go diesel & they are cheaper to fit originally (& a bargaining "freebee" new) - Hyd remotes will run the FEL & rams for things like log splitters, post drivers, self emptying catchers ..etc (FYI- Hyd remotes are just another way of tapping into the power of the CUT by using pressurised hyd fluid outlets). From "down under" I have no experince with snow blowers but it seems a hyd ram would make a real nice way of controlling the tilt/bite of this gadget.
- 4WD/FWA (Front Wheel Assist) ? Only you can judge if you need it, handy sometimes to have on hills & in wet conditions but not necessarily a show stopper as the limited traction with Turf Tyres doesn't make the best use of it (& chains on a 2WD will usually suffice)
- Consider also S/H units in good low houred condition, I've purchased most of mine S/H without drama & just picked up a 200hr JD415 Diesel f/w with the "works" (inc. hyd catcher) for under $7K
- Maintenance: suggest do it yourself, buy a technical manual for whatever you purchase & you'll save a fortune ( & do it better than most shops anyway), use after initial "run in" the best synthetic oils available (see my other posts for my maintenance schedule) & if you're not mechanically minded you'll fast gain some new skills handy in a rural environment
- As for brands there's best, better & less robust in all quality brands - avoid the entry level & lower end mid range machines as they probably won't hold up as well with long term rural usage

Personally I mow c.3 acres (I live on a large commercial farm) to date with a S/H JD LT155 15HP Kohler/38" deck which has done c.1050hrs & still runs fautllessly, now to be supplemented with the JD415/54" deck - I also have a S/H Iseki TX2160 FWA 18HP Diesel for general yard duties (& many more non-JD much larger farm tractors ) so for me the
"colour" makes no difference as long as it's on a quality brand machine.
Good luck.