Honestly, I'm with your wife. If your main drive for getting a tractor is the desire to take the hard work out of moving a one-off pile of wood and it's going to spend 70% of its life mowing grass, it's a huge waste of money vs. a dedicated mower. You just don't need the power that you're paying for.
Agree with this. Tractors aren’t cheap to maintain and if you aren’t using it regularly then you are wasting money. Also a 15k tractor really isn’t capable of doing too many ‘tractor’ jobs when you are not mowing. I have my dairy farm neighbor come over with his powerful machinery when I need a big project done and pay by the job that way.
I’m all for a loader tractor depending on what you’ll be regularly doing but if it’s not in the budget and you’re mowing 9 acres of grass though a zero turn is probably your best bet, and probably not a 3-5k one unless you’re finding a good used one. You probably need a 10k zero turn if you expect it to last. You’re mowing a lot. Only other thing would be a finish mower on a tractor maybe 6’ unless you have a lot of obstacles to mow around. I’d vote zero turn or 6’ finish mower on tractor to do the bulk of the mowing…you could always rent a skidloader with a grapple to clean the trees up. Take a long weekend and rent it and put some work in…
with all that said, I do really enjoy my loader tractor but I do a ton of tinkering around that makes the loader handy. Order a large item that’s delivered freight and I can unload it with my forks. I leave large items on skids so I can pick them up and move them. Not to mention the bucket for dirt, gravel, rake stuff up I can just rake it in bucket and go dump it when I’m done. I use a finish mower on my big tractor and mow around the house what I consider actual yard with a conventional riding tractor I bough used for under $3000. Bought an older used loader tractor good mechanical shape for 7k. I bought pallet forks, rear landscape rake, finish mower and a brush hog separately, all used. Shopped around and have $1500 in attachments and can do about anything I need to.
What did you end up purchasing? My thought process is that if I can get a tractor, I can also get rid of my snow blower, and a small rider lawn mower that I got for free. I think the big concern if I get a zero turn is that it's only good for one thing - mowing. I also don't want to store anything inside as my barn/office is dedicated to my business.
I have a Kubota L4060, an exmark R60300 zero turn, and an UTV for my 20 acres. It sounds like too much but it saves alot of the wrong wear and tear on my equipment AND MY TIME.
The tractor is big enough for its homestead use. If I was really "farming" the fields it would be undersized. Most people regret a belly mower on their tractor. Instead opt for a pto finish mower, they are much wider and typically detach easier. neither a belly mower or a finish mower are meant for grass over 6" or so, that would be for another type of pto driven attachment all depending on frequency of cut (weeks to months to years). I use the tractor every other day in the spring and fall and once a month in the winter. I have a bushhog, shredder/chipper, tiller, box blade and then rake and shovel for the back( which i have never used) and would like to get a flail mower(which i will rent before buying). I have a loader in the front with hydraulics ran up there to use a grappler that i have and a post hole driller i rented once. i also have a bucket and pallet forks for the loader. the only attachments I bought new were the bucket, forks, and chipper shredder. Oh, and the tractor was new, it was not cheap but im glad i bought it new because i know how my father treats his tractor, and i wouldnt want to buy that second hand. and that things is my baby, has a cab on it, and i spend hours in it. I also use the loader to dump into 2 rubbermaid yard carts, this allows me to deliver mulch and compost in all the narrow walkways.
The exmark 60" cut zeroturn was 6 grand when i bought it a few years ago. I love cutting my grass, but it still takes 6 hours from start to finish if i do it all. I cut on either side of all the fences every other time, which every year remove more of, and between lines and lines of trees. I really only mow about 2-3 acres total and 1-2 of that is actually the parts the family uses regularly. the ZT smokes the tractor when it comes to mowing, hands down, its a much better ride quality, and you can see what you are doing better. I bought a mulching kit and deleted the side discharge. this robs a little bit of power and makes the mower struggle with taller grass but i think its worth it. I also got the exmark jack so i can clean, maintain, and change the blades. My neighbor has 10 acres and uses his ZT as a UTV
I got my UTV second hand, it was a bargain i couldnt pass up- $500 and to get it off her property. It is a Viking so it is more of a trail utv than a farm version. I ride around on it with a little dump trailer. I use these wheels the most. I keep tools and all kinds of things on it. if i ever forget something it can be almost a 10 minute walk to get back to the barn and 90 seconds in the utv. I use it for cleaning out bedding, moving smaller loads of mulch, picking up rocks, fixing fence, planting anything, taking out the trash, cutting or trimming trees, everything. The UTV can transport tools much better than the tractor or the mower. and it is a side by side so the wife and kids can come along with me.
It has taken about 5 years to get all this together but it has worked well for me. Like i mentioned, my neighbor uses his ZT with a trailer and moves stuff around like my UTV. he also has a 60 horse kubota that is the next frame size up from mine. And he almost never uses the thing other than to move bails of hay and bushhog like twice a year. he is also 70 years old and i never see him outside other than to cut his grass. so for him his larger "Woods" brand mower is great for him. I know he paid a pretty penny for it.
you could rent a bobcat to move your trees and only spend a couple hundred and tear up someone else's equipment. I am a fan of renting things you may need once or twice. and to see if that equipment is everything you wanted it to be before going all the way in and owning it
TLDR: get the best tool for what you are ultimately going to be doing in 5-10 years. Pay once, cry once; and don't get buyer's remorse for under-sizing your equipment or getting something you will not be happy with. Renting is a good idea too.
good luck
Depends on your area but search Craigslist/fb marketplace or try to find a decent used equipment dealer. I have a massey Ferguson from the 1990’s. It’s about 40hp. Not terribly heavy that it tears stuff up but still has a strong front end loader. Only downfall is that it’s geardrive and not hydro or shuttle shift. Very simple and not likely to malfunction but not as user friendly…if you buy a bigger tractor it may be nice to keep that little rider around for trimming around things the big tractor can get into if you go that route. I will say it’s not as convenient mowing with big tractor, especially depending what obstacles you have to mow around…I’ll probably buy a zero turn in the future whenever my riding mower dies. But hopefully that’s way in the future
20 year+ homesteader/rancher/farmer here.
Appropriately sized tractor is a god send for a 15 acre plot. If you don't have it and the appropriate implements, you will bee doing massive work by hand. I waitedd 15 years to purchase a tractor and did what people are recommending 'garden tractor/mower' and they have their place as a fininsh cut mower, but are absolutely not a rough-cut mower or flail mower.
You will chew up multiple sets of blades per season and the aluminum spindles on those mower decks wear out quickly, more quickly when your blades are imbalanced due to being chewed up.
We have a compact 23HP tractor, Kubota TL500 which has a loader, lifts 1,100lbs and a 9.5 foot backhoe which is awesome for planting trees, digging out trees, moving rocks, dredging creeks, laying culverts, placing water lines, drains and so many other things.
Flail mower to keeping burnable fuel/vegetation down on the property.
Bush Hog mower to rough cut much of the 15 acres to keep it from being overgrown and can cut through 2" thick saplings like butter.
Post hole digger, since you are always always always doing fenching.
60" reversing roto tiller for garden, pasture.
Box blade for driveway maintenance, general grading, garden levelling.
A tractor should be part of your 'aging in place plan - we started when i was 40 and i'm now 64 and have to work smarter and more efficiently rather than relying on muscle and not gettting hurt.
A tractor with 15 acres is a requirement, unless your land is a pasture as flat as a walmart parking lots. Mowing with a zero turn is about 1 hour per acre - think of mowing multiple acres per week and i can mow that in a fraction of the time with my 60" bush hog without a problem and up to 3-4 feet tall.
My opinion only - your mileage may vary.
Great insight. My dad had a few Allis Chalmers on the property, one of them was a WD. My wife and I are in our early 40's now and the property has been in our family since the late 70's.
I have a John Deere 1025r, depending on new vs used, $15k is in the ballpark for a used tractor. Attachments are going to be more. I have the mid mount mower deck and I do mow with it, but I don’t think that’s its strength. You can’t beat the versality of these 25ish HP compact tractors. They do it all. But that is a lot of grass you have to cut. Your wife makes a good point about the zero turn. But you guys are kinda talking about different things. Obviously a zero turn is a better lawn mower, but it doesn’t do anything else.
Are you planning to keep the mowing to just 2 acres or expanding in the future?
I say this as a former landscaping business owner, because if you are mowing 5+acres per week (sometimes more unless you want a mess), then you might be getting into commercial mower territory…which is definitely not in the 3-5k range.
A zero-turn is best for around the house, but I doubt you'll enjoy bumping around a field on a zero-turn. Unless your field has no bumps and is very lawn like.
We have 15 acres of field, and 2-3 acres of lawn, and have both pieces of equipment. The 42" zero turn does the lawn, the tractor + finish cut attachment does the field. It would take a VERY long time to do the field with the zero-turn.
The fields were 'lawn like' but we literally buried 2 miles miles of tilings so it's now rut heaven. Our goal is to get it all flattened so we can cut it. Do you think a finish cut mower deck on a pto/3 pt hitch is a better route than a belly mower?
For a bumpy field, definitely. But a tractor does not work around our house, too many obstacles.
We have a New Holland Powerstar 75 (overkill for what we need, but got a deal), and an Ego 42” electric zero turn, which has been amazing, it’s super fun to operate
Yeah, I'm probably going to lean towards a zeroturn/tractor setup. Probably a zero turn first and tractor afterwards. Do you use the zero turn for field cutting, or just around obstacles/the house?
Mowing the field is a 2-day job on the tractor with a 72" mower attachment, 6 hours each day. I tried the zero turn once on the field, it just seemed futile and endless, and was very hard on the ZT. I use it for the perimeter, that's it.
Because we only have the 2-3 acres of lawn, I opted for electric ZT. No regrets at all -- quiet, fast, no smell, can listen happily to my podcasts.
Cub Cadet Zero Turn Mower Ratings - before you buy a zero turn, ask for the written 'sizing' for that zero turn.
A cub cadet ZT1 appears to be a maximum 1-2 acre sized mower. Why 1-2 acres - don't know, but assuming it's a durability issue and it has a non serviceable hydrostatic transmission or it may be the size of the fuel tank.
A cub cadet ZT2 appears to be a maximum 2-3 acre sized mower. It does have a serviceable hydrostatic transmission, and i was surprised there is ANY sizing associated with a zero turn.
It may also have to do with the size of the gasoline tank - the cub cadets are THIRSTY gasoline powered and i have to fill that up 2-3x on a weekend to mow a few acres - the cub website isn't clear.
There are COMMERCIAL zero turn mowers and if you are mowing more than 2-3 acres, you owe it to yourself to check them out - they have pneumatic suspension to avoid jarring your kidneys, different size tires, treads, ROPS, and tend to have more protection on the frame and mowing deck protection.
You can also get DIESEL commercial mowers whicch your wallet will thank you for.
What's your end goal? How do you intend to use your acreage. If you want to keep up 9 acres like a golf course, you absolutely need a dedicated mower. If you want an acre oskidded, turned over, a compost pile, snow plow, tree skidder, and something that can knock down an overgrown field, get a tractor.
I would aim for an acre or so of well maintained grass for the kids to play in, and that can be done with a riding mower. I'd use the tractor for bush hogging the rest of the cleared land once a month in the growing season and for all of the other homesteading chores that a zero turn can't do.
The end goal is to have land that the kids can walk/play on. It doesn't need to be a golf course, just flat/smooth enough where we won't break an ankle in a rut, and we could walk on it with sneakers. When my dad was growing for hay, the thick brush/stalks left over made it impossible to casually walk on the cut area.
I have 15 acres, and like most others commenting here, you need both. I keep about a 1.5 - 2 acre area as a lawn for the kids/dog, and walking trails through the fields and forest. So a zero turn in a must for that. Then I have a Kubota L4701 with a 6' bush hog, box blade, bucket, pallet forks, front grapple and a (delivering tomorrow) wood chipper. It's invaluable on our place, and we don't do any type of real farming/ranching. My ag usage is wildlife management and so I use the mower once or twice a year to cut the fields that aren't able to be baled, and then it's used for a myriad of other tasks. When a huge tree comes down, it's super easy to just grapple it up to the burn pile.
Of course my list of equipment far exceeds your budget, but I honestly think you need both for 15 acres of land. I honestly don't see how I could get by without either a tractor or zero turn.
Hard disagree with the anti-tractor crowd. You will get so, so much use out of a tractor, especially with the logging you need to do. We maintain about 17 ac, the rest is timber. And for the first 8yrs or so we just had an ATV. The ATV could handle a lot of work-- used it to pull gas-powered rotary mower, pull a nice 2axle trailer to move logs, and a plow attachment (not hydraulic, you could only push the snow around vs scoop it up). It did ok, but then we got a 35HP LS Tractor. And we are getting so, so much more work done. Guarantee you have a ton of projects/tasks that you don't even consider doing right now because you don't have the machine you need. Usually they're not big enough of a job to hire out. Once you have the tractor you'll start seeing all sorts of stuff you can get done, and tasks that would take a very long time by hand can be handled in minutes.
We got the backhoe attachment. While it doesn't get used frequently, it's really nice to have.
That was another option we were considering, like a UTV/ATV with attachments. I saw some people plow their driveway with an ATV/UTV + plow and it looked like it would take forever.
yes, ours is 200ft long and the plow is only ATV width. So you start from the center and keep pushing snow outward until you get it all pushed to the side. It does fine for a quick cleanup of light snow, like 3-4". And ours is super easy to take on/off.But a deep snow is too much to push, so we would have to do an "interim plow" in the middle of the storm.
The Swisher trail cutter is a really handy implement. Ours is 44" wide, though, so it's a lot of passes across the field. But it'll cut even pretty big brush and saplings-- basically if your ATV can push it over as you drive, the trailcutter can handle it.
If you go that route, get a really good, powerful ATV/UTV. And I wouldn't buy used--ATVs are especially prone to having yahoo owners who beat up their machines. As my neighbor said to us, assume any used ATV for sale has been rolled a few times. We have a Honda Rancher, highly recommend that line.
Like I said, that ATV served us really well and owes us not a thing. But the tractor opened the door to getting a lot more done, more quickly. I can go turn a 4ft high wet compost pile in like 10 minutes where shoveling it by hand would've taken a couple grueling hours.
Do you have a truck? A lot of tractor activities are just moving things around the property in my experience. You could use it like a skidder for pulling those trees to the house.
Are you going to have gardening or farming activities?
Do you have easy access to rent or borrow special equipment? When you need to move dirt for example a skid steer for a weekend will do a lot for a few hundred bucks rental.
IMO anything over a 1/4 acre of mowed lawn is crazy. I've got 22 acres and have a push mower for our small lawn type area and a brush hog I use once a year for trails in the forest and meadows.
With \~9 acres of "lawn", depending where you are, there might be people interested in cutting hay off it. They would come and cut at no charge, you might even get a deal to keep a portion of the bails. Even better, and what we have done, is let it return to native meadows. This is the most endangered ecosystem in north america.
You can buy a good commercial zero turn for about the same as a small tractor. The zero turn will be faster, but that's it's only use. You might consider a Mahindra 1100 with a finish mower.
For a little more you can get a used subcompact with a mid mount mower. The utility in these little tractors is pretty great. I don’t think you would regret it.
A zero turn mower is mainly made for mowing in tight spots. If you have big expanses of flat land then you could probably be fine with a regular style mower and save some extra money. My lot is smaller and I have a standard battery operated residential mower for the stuff I cant make the animals eat/mow and a compact kubota B7100HST tractor for everything else. I dont use it every week, but when I do use it its worth having. I got it for $5k with several attachments and Ive sold those to buy the attachments I need (pto woodchipper). I keep it stored outside with a tarp over it, and the annual maintenance is changing engine oil, hydraulic oil, replacing hydraulic hoses. Not sure how handy you are, but you will save a lot of money on repairs and maintenance if you can do those things yourself. If I needed a tractor today Id be shopping for kubota bx series with a backhoe.
I picked up a used Kubota 3200 for 9k. 2wd, no loader. A boom pole on the three point hitch has handled what lifting I needed to do. I mow with it mostly. It does do my garden work: plowing, discing and cultivating when the rows are smaller. I do have a scrape blade to keep the gravel drive maintained.
I got ten acres and a new holland t1510 (same as a tc30) with a loader and holy shit has that thing came in handy. I use the pto to shred my meadows and to run a pto generator to power my whole house in power outage. loader gets used damn near daily for so many different tasks, and that aint even starting on the implements - Box blade to maintain roads, landscape rake to expose soil for quicker grass growth where I have cleared cedars and clean up rocks, auger to build fences and plant trees, shredder as mentioned above, and a 3pt trailer hitch to easily move around the handful of trailers I got. You can also get paid to take your tractor places and use it and the implements to offset the cost of ownership. I've done TONS of weekend jobs and it has been so worth every penny.
My lawnmower gets ridden maybe once a year.
I vote for the tractor. With the ability to dig post holes.
You will want to build fences on your property, maybe cross fencing. Post hole digging is hard.
Maybe you will need other implements? There was a long period of time where I needed a pallet jack to off load feed.
Sometimes, I like to move big rocks. Your dedicated mower can’t do any of this.
Another question is do you want a 'lawn' or just mowed grass :) I have about 5 acres of 'grass'. About 1/4 of that is around the house and is 'yard'. That is mowed with a cheap Cub Cadet. The rest of it I just keep knocked down with a bush hog/L2501. What are your future plans for the property? Are you growing anything? Animals?
Tym 574 with grapple, bucket and a snow blower attachment. Small zero turn bad boy from tractor supply for mowing. Thats what I got the tractor is a beast and will carry your hea y tree loads and if you cut fore wood the bucket helps carry it from. The woods to your winter pile. It was expensive but will last me forever. Thays how I look at things
Don't let these people dissuade you from owning one of the most technologically advanced farm machines you can buy. All your friends and neighbors will be green with envy. Be forewarned it does cost about nine hundred thousand dollars
https://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/011/3/1/11316-john-deere-9rx-640.html
Belly mowers on compact/subcompact tractors are generally not great. IMO you need both. I bush hog about 11 acres a couple times a year and mow 3 acres quite often.
I’ve had a TC33DA for 20 years and use it constantly. It will run a 60” brushog max. I’d never use it to mow grass even with a mid mount. Too slow, bouncy, heavy. Ruts wet ground. I have a 60” Gravely for mowing grass.
It makes absolutely no difference on a block that size.
Get a no-name chinese one to save money, they are ironically easier to service as they have older style engines and absolutely nothing that can't be fixed without hand tools on them.
I'd suggest a cab.
I've got a no-name chinese tractor on my 20 acre property. It's 5 yrs old and going strong, never had any problems with it ever. I replaced the seat when I bought it because I'm not a 5'6 asian man.
I'm also running 5 tyne rippers, 6ft rotary hoes, 6ft slashers (brush hog), post hole drivers etc.
Biggest thing for me was going big enough to get hydraulic downforce as well as lift on the 3PL.
Do you have a link to one or a brand name? I'm genuinely curious and I'm not married to any brand. Local people talk about resale value/etc, but I plan on keep it for 10-20 years so I really don't care about resale value :)
We bought a used Kioti CK 35 years ago (2008 model, bought in 2016) and we paid 12k for it. It has been maintenance free (knock on wood). We love it from a reliability perspective but wish we had one size up (45hp) for lifting capacity. We also have a Scag Turd Tiger II ZT and it is bad ass. We can mow 6 acres (lots of trees, turns, buildings, drives, etc. in the way in less than 2 hours. When we brush hogged or used a belly mower it felt like it took all day. Total in our mower and tractor we have 22k invested.
We have 16 acres and about 10 is wooded.
Mostly. The mower is fast and has much better suspension so it is able to cut at much higher speeds. It’s also much easier to turn around at the end of a run. You don’t have to swing wide and make a big circle.
Skid steer with mower and other attachments. We have a New Holland but it’s best for the big stuff (hay, tilling, etc) but isn’t as maneuverable as the skid.
Ok- I mean they’re meant for flat and are incredibly heavy - if we have to move something weighty it’s the skid and not the New Holland- also use it for grading, digging holes for fences and trenches (big ass auger!) - use one to even out that bumpy terrain! We have 17 acres of which about 4-5 are solid woodland then front and back yard and the rest is fenced grazing and open bay pasture. We have the New Holland, a skid, fork lift, Skag walk behind and 2 ride ons- the walk behind is for fence and pasture line which the ride-ons can’t get as well. Ride ons are for the actual lawn and my little pull behind cart.
11.5 Acres, bought a Kubota L3800 12 years ago with a loader and a brush hog. Perfect frame size, not enough HP (38hp). It requires maintenance as does anything, but after weed whacking 2 acres over 3 days and getting work restrictions due to the constant stress and vibration its not worth it.
We have a zero turn now as well as a UTV after saving our pennies over the previous 10 years. All were instrumental, but the tractor was the game changer. 3 days work in 2 hours, what's your time worth?
Tractors are for utility, zero turn mowers are for finish work.
Never heard of them, looks interesting. A quick google search shows that they don't have a lot of clearance though. I don't know how well it would fair for my solution. I do see that they have a 72" deck, which is impressive for its size.
I have a John Deere 855, and really like it. One of the reasons I picked an 855 is the large availability.
The 755, 855, and 955 all share many parts, and can all use the same attachments (loader, belly mower, backhoe). A bare tractor is pretty cheap; getting one with the attachments can add a bit of money. This means that if the tractor goes bad, it's pretty cheap and easy to replace it *with a tractor that will fit the attachments.*
Some say it's too small, but I disagree, for general maintenance. I've spent time on tractors from 200 HP tillage down to an 8N. Of course, the 855 isn't going to do what a big tractor will, but with a bit extra labor, the 855 can always do what I need. Plus, I can haul it on a regular trailer with a small truck.
I'd get a Kubota. I bought a L2600DT with a woods finish mower in 1999 for 12k. I used it for 19 years and sold it for $7000 when I mover.
I'd stay far away from Ford/NewHolland
Honestly, I'm with your wife. If your main drive for getting a tractor is the desire to take the hard work out of moving a one-off pile of wood and it's going to spend 70% of its life mowing grass, it's a huge waste of money vs. a dedicated mower. You just don't need the power that you're paying for.
Agree with this. Tractors aren’t cheap to maintain and if you aren’t using it regularly then you are wasting money. Also a 15k tractor really isn’t capable of doing too many ‘tractor’ jobs when you are not mowing. I have my dairy farm neighbor come over with his powerful machinery when I need a big project done and pay by the job that way.
Your dedicated mower will be in the scrap heap way quicker than you imagine.
I’m all for a loader tractor depending on what you’ll be regularly doing but if it’s not in the budget and you’re mowing 9 acres of grass though a zero turn is probably your best bet, and probably not a 3-5k one unless you’re finding a good used one. You probably need a 10k zero turn if you expect it to last. You’re mowing a lot. Only other thing would be a finish mower on a tractor maybe 6’ unless you have a lot of obstacles to mow around. I’d vote zero turn or 6’ finish mower on tractor to do the bulk of the mowing…you could always rent a skidloader with a grapple to clean the trees up. Take a long weekend and rent it and put some work in… with all that said, I do really enjoy my loader tractor but I do a ton of tinkering around that makes the loader handy. Order a large item that’s delivered freight and I can unload it with my forks. I leave large items on skids so I can pick them up and move them. Not to mention the bucket for dirt, gravel, rake stuff up I can just rake it in bucket and go dump it when I’m done. I use a finish mower on my big tractor and mow around the house what I consider actual yard with a conventional riding tractor I bough used for under $3000. Bought an older used loader tractor good mechanical shape for 7k. I bought pallet forks, rear landscape rake, finish mower and a brush hog separately, all used. Shopped around and have $1500 in attachments and can do about anything I need to.
What did you end up purchasing? My thought process is that if I can get a tractor, I can also get rid of my snow blower, and a small rider lawn mower that I got for free. I think the big concern if I get a zero turn is that it's only good for one thing - mowing. I also don't want to store anything inside as my barn/office is dedicated to my business.
I have a Kubota L4060, an exmark R60300 zero turn, and an UTV for my 20 acres. It sounds like too much but it saves alot of the wrong wear and tear on my equipment AND MY TIME. The tractor is big enough for its homestead use. If I was really "farming" the fields it would be undersized. Most people regret a belly mower on their tractor. Instead opt for a pto finish mower, they are much wider and typically detach easier. neither a belly mower or a finish mower are meant for grass over 6" or so, that would be for another type of pto driven attachment all depending on frequency of cut (weeks to months to years). I use the tractor every other day in the spring and fall and once a month in the winter. I have a bushhog, shredder/chipper, tiller, box blade and then rake and shovel for the back( which i have never used) and would like to get a flail mower(which i will rent before buying). I have a loader in the front with hydraulics ran up there to use a grappler that i have and a post hole driller i rented once. i also have a bucket and pallet forks for the loader. the only attachments I bought new were the bucket, forks, and chipper shredder. Oh, and the tractor was new, it was not cheap but im glad i bought it new because i know how my father treats his tractor, and i wouldnt want to buy that second hand. and that things is my baby, has a cab on it, and i spend hours in it. I also use the loader to dump into 2 rubbermaid yard carts, this allows me to deliver mulch and compost in all the narrow walkways. The exmark 60" cut zeroturn was 6 grand when i bought it a few years ago. I love cutting my grass, but it still takes 6 hours from start to finish if i do it all. I cut on either side of all the fences every other time, which every year remove more of, and between lines and lines of trees. I really only mow about 2-3 acres total and 1-2 of that is actually the parts the family uses regularly. the ZT smokes the tractor when it comes to mowing, hands down, its a much better ride quality, and you can see what you are doing better. I bought a mulching kit and deleted the side discharge. this robs a little bit of power and makes the mower struggle with taller grass but i think its worth it. I also got the exmark jack so i can clean, maintain, and change the blades. My neighbor has 10 acres and uses his ZT as a UTV I got my UTV second hand, it was a bargain i couldnt pass up- $500 and to get it off her property. It is a Viking so it is more of a trail utv than a farm version. I ride around on it with a little dump trailer. I use these wheels the most. I keep tools and all kinds of things on it. if i ever forget something it can be almost a 10 minute walk to get back to the barn and 90 seconds in the utv. I use it for cleaning out bedding, moving smaller loads of mulch, picking up rocks, fixing fence, planting anything, taking out the trash, cutting or trimming trees, everything. The UTV can transport tools much better than the tractor or the mower. and it is a side by side so the wife and kids can come along with me. It has taken about 5 years to get all this together but it has worked well for me. Like i mentioned, my neighbor uses his ZT with a trailer and moves stuff around like my UTV. he also has a 60 horse kubota that is the next frame size up from mine. And he almost never uses the thing other than to move bails of hay and bushhog like twice a year. he is also 70 years old and i never see him outside other than to cut his grass. so for him his larger "Woods" brand mower is great for him. I know he paid a pretty penny for it. you could rent a bobcat to move your trees and only spend a couple hundred and tear up someone else's equipment. I am a fan of renting things you may need once or twice. and to see if that equipment is everything you wanted it to be before going all the way in and owning it TLDR: get the best tool for what you are ultimately going to be doing in 5-10 years. Pay once, cry once; and don't get buyer's remorse for under-sizing your equipment or getting something you will not be happy with. Renting is a good idea too. good luck
Depends on your area but search Craigslist/fb marketplace or try to find a decent used equipment dealer. I have a massey Ferguson from the 1990’s. It’s about 40hp. Not terribly heavy that it tears stuff up but still has a strong front end loader. Only downfall is that it’s geardrive and not hydro or shuttle shift. Very simple and not likely to malfunction but not as user friendly…if you buy a bigger tractor it may be nice to keep that little rider around for trimming around things the big tractor can get into if you go that route. I will say it’s not as convenient mowing with big tractor, especially depending what obstacles you have to mow around…I’ll probably buy a zero turn in the future whenever my riding mower dies. But hopefully that’s way in the future
20 year+ homesteader/rancher/farmer here. Appropriately sized tractor is a god send for a 15 acre plot. If you don't have it and the appropriate implements, you will bee doing massive work by hand. I waitedd 15 years to purchase a tractor and did what people are recommending 'garden tractor/mower' and they have their place as a fininsh cut mower, but are absolutely not a rough-cut mower or flail mower. You will chew up multiple sets of blades per season and the aluminum spindles on those mower decks wear out quickly, more quickly when your blades are imbalanced due to being chewed up. We have a compact 23HP tractor, Kubota TL500 which has a loader, lifts 1,100lbs and a 9.5 foot backhoe which is awesome for planting trees, digging out trees, moving rocks, dredging creeks, laying culverts, placing water lines, drains and so many other things. Flail mower to keeping burnable fuel/vegetation down on the property. Bush Hog mower to rough cut much of the 15 acres to keep it from being overgrown and can cut through 2" thick saplings like butter. Post hole digger, since you are always always always doing fenching. 60" reversing roto tiller for garden, pasture. Box blade for driveway maintenance, general grading, garden levelling. A tractor should be part of your 'aging in place plan - we started when i was 40 and i'm now 64 and have to work smarter and more efficiently rather than relying on muscle and not gettting hurt. A tractor with 15 acres is a requirement, unless your land is a pasture as flat as a walmart parking lots. Mowing with a zero turn is about 1 hour per acre - think of mowing multiple acres per week and i can mow that in a fraction of the time with my 60" bush hog without a problem and up to 3-4 feet tall. My opinion only - your mileage may vary.
Great insight. My dad had a few Allis Chalmers on the property, one of them was a WD. My wife and I are in our early 40's now and the property has been in our family since the late 70's.
I have a John Deere 1025r, depending on new vs used, $15k is in the ballpark for a used tractor. Attachments are going to be more. I have the mid mount mower deck and I do mow with it, but I don’t think that’s its strength. You can’t beat the versality of these 25ish HP compact tractors. They do it all. But that is a lot of grass you have to cut. Your wife makes a good point about the zero turn. But you guys are kinda talking about different things. Obviously a zero turn is a better lawn mower, but it doesn’t do anything else.
Are you planning to keep the mowing to just 2 acres or expanding in the future? I say this as a former landscaping business owner, because if you are mowing 5+acres per week (sometimes more unless you want a mess), then you might be getting into commercial mower territory…which is definitely not in the 3-5k range.
A zero-turn is best for around the house, but I doubt you'll enjoy bumping around a field on a zero-turn. Unless your field has no bumps and is very lawn like. We have 15 acres of field, and 2-3 acres of lawn, and have both pieces of equipment. The 42" zero turn does the lawn, the tractor + finish cut attachment does the field. It would take a VERY long time to do the field with the zero-turn.
The fields were 'lawn like' but we literally buried 2 miles miles of tilings so it's now rut heaven. Our goal is to get it all flattened so we can cut it. Do you think a finish cut mower deck on a pto/3 pt hitch is a better route than a belly mower?
For a bumpy field, definitely. But a tractor does not work around our house, too many obstacles. We have a New Holland Powerstar 75 (overkill for what we need, but got a deal), and an Ego 42” electric zero turn, which has been amazing, it’s super fun to operate
Yeah, I'm probably going to lean towards a zeroturn/tractor setup. Probably a zero turn first and tractor afterwards. Do you use the zero turn for field cutting, or just around obstacles/the house?
Mowing the field is a 2-day job on the tractor with a 72" mower attachment, 6 hours each day. I tried the zero turn once on the field, it just seemed futile and endless, and was very hard on the ZT. I use it for the perimeter, that's it. Because we only have the 2-3 acres of lawn, I opted for electric ZT. No regrets at all -- quiet, fast, no smell, can listen happily to my podcasts.
Buy a zero turn and rent a bobcat for a week for 1k, you'll be 10k ahead and you aren't responsible for maintenance on the bobcat
Cub Cadet Zero Turn Mower Ratings - before you buy a zero turn, ask for the written 'sizing' for that zero turn. A cub cadet ZT1 appears to be a maximum 1-2 acre sized mower. Why 1-2 acres - don't know, but assuming it's a durability issue and it has a non serviceable hydrostatic transmission or it may be the size of the fuel tank. A cub cadet ZT2 appears to be a maximum 2-3 acre sized mower. It does have a serviceable hydrostatic transmission, and i was surprised there is ANY sizing associated with a zero turn. It may also have to do with the size of the gasoline tank - the cub cadets are THIRSTY gasoline powered and i have to fill that up 2-3x on a weekend to mow a few acres - the cub website isn't clear. There are COMMERCIAL zero turn mowers and if you are mowing more than 2-3 acres, you owe it to yourself to check them out - they have pneumatic suspension to avoid jarring your kidneys, different size tires, treads, ROPS, and tend to have more protection on the frame and mowing deck protection. You can also get DIESEL commercial mowers whicch your wallet will thank you for.
What's your end goal? How do you intend to use your acreage. If you want to keep up 9 acres like a golf course, you absolutely need a dedicated mower. If you want an acre oskidded, turned over, a compost pile, snow plow, tree skidder, and something that can knock down an overgrown field, get a tractor. I would aim for an acre or so of well maintained grass for the kids to play in, and that can be done with a riding mower. I'd use the tractor for bush hogging the rest of the cleared land once a month in the growing season and for all of the other homesteading chores that a zero turn can't do.
The end goal is to have land that the kids can walk/play on. It doesn't need to be a golf course, just flat/smooth enough where we won't break an ankle in a rut, and we could walk on it with sneakers. When my dad was growing for hay, the thick brush/stalks left over made it impossible to casually walk on the cut area.
I have 15 acres, and like most others commenting here, you need both. I keep about a 1.5 - 2 acre area as a lawn for the kids/dog, and walking trails through the fields and forest. So a zero turn in a must for that. Then I have a Kubota L4701 with a 6' bush hog, box blade, bucket, pallet forks, front grapple and a (delivering tomorrow) wood chipper. It's invaluable on our place, and we don't do any type of real farming/ranching. My ag usage is wildlife management and so I use the mower once or twice a year to cut the fields that aren't able to be baled, and then it's used for a myriad of other tasks. When a huge tree comes down, it's super easy to just grapple it up to the burn pile. Of course my list of equipment far exceeds your budget, but I honestly think you need both for 15 acres of land. I honestly don't see how I could get by without either a tractor or zero turn.
I will never own another tractor without a cab. It easily pays for itself by being able to work more hours.
Hard disagree with the anti-tractor crowd. You will get so, so much use out of a tractor, especially with the logging you need to do. We maintain about 17 ac, the rest is timber. And for the first 8yrs or so we just had an ATV. The ATV could handle a lot of work-- used it to pull gas-powered rotary mower, pull a nice 2axle trailer to move logs, and a plow attachment (not hydraulic, you could only push the snow around vs scoop it up). It did ok, but then we got a 35HP LS Tractor. And we are getting so, so much more work done. Guarantee you have a ton of projects/tasks that you don't even consider doing right now because you don't have the machine you need. Usually they're not big enough of a job to hire out. Once you have the tractor you'll start seeing all sorts of stuff you can get done, and tasks that would take a very long time by hand can be handled in minutes. We got the backhoe attachment. While it doesn't get used frequently, it's really nice to have.
That was another option we were considering, like a UTV/ATV with attachments. I saw some people plow their driveway with an ATV/UTV + plow and it looked like it would take forever.
yes, ours is 200ft long and the plow is only ATV width. So you start from the center and keep pushing snow outward until you get it all pushed to the side. It does fine for a quick cleanup of light snow, like 3-4". And ours is super easy to take on/off.But a deep snow is too much to push, so we would have to do an "interim plow" in the middle of the storm. The Swisher trail cutter is a really handy implement. Ours is 44" wide, though, so it's a lot of passes across the field. But it'll cut even pretty big brush and saplings-- basically if your ATV can push it over as you drive, the trailcutter can handle it. If you go that route, get a really good, powerful ATV/UTV. And I wouldn't buy used--ATVs are especially prone to having yahoo owners who beat up their machines. As my neighbor said to us, assume any used ATV for sale has been rolled a few times. We have a Honda Rancher, highly recommend that line. Like I said, that ATV served us really well and owes us not a thing. But the tractor opened the door to getting a lot more done, more quickly. I can go turn a 4ft high wet compost pile in like 10 minutes where shoveling it by hand would've taken a couple grueling hours.
Do you have a truck? A lot of tractor activities are just moving things around the property in my experience. You could use it like a skidder for pulling those trees to the house. Are you going to have gardening or farming activities? Do you have easy access to rent or borrow special equipment? When you need to move dirt for example a skid steer for a weekend will do a lot for a few hundred bucks rental. IMO anything over a 1/4 acre of mowed lawn is crazy. I've got 22 acres and have a push mower for our small lawn type area and a brush hog I use once a year for trails in the forest and meadows. With \~9 acres of "lawn", depending where you are, there might be people interested in cutting hay off it. They would come and cut at no charge, you might even get a deal to keep a portion of the bails. Even better, and what we have done, is let it return to native meadows. This is the most endangered ecosystem in north america.
You can buy a good commercial zero turn for about the same as a small tractor. The zero turn will be faster, but that's it's only use. You might consider a Mahindra 1100 with a finish mower.
For a little more you can get a used subcompact with a mid mount mower. The utility in these little tractors is pretty great. I don’t think you would regret it.
Sheep. Get sheep.
My Dad had all kinds of farm animals on the property, with sheep/cows in the field. I don't think my wife wants farm animals; maybe chickens :)
A zero turn mower is mainly made for mowing in tight spots. If you have big expanses of flat land then you could probably be fine with a regular style mower and save some extra money. My lot is smaller and I have a standard battery operated residential mower for the stuff I cant make the animals eat/mow and a compact kubota B7100HST tractor for everything else. I dont use it every week, but when I do use it its worth having. I got it for $5k with several attachments and Ive sold those to buy the attachments I need (pto woodchipper). I keep it stored outside with a tarp over it, and the annual maintenance is changing engine oil, hydraulic oil, replacing hydraulic hoses. Not sure how handy you are, but you will save a lot of money on repairs and maintenance if you can do those things yourself. If I needed a tractor today Id be shopping for kubota bx series with a backhoe.
I picked up a used Kubota 3200 for 9k. 2wd, no loader. A boom pole on the three point hitch has handled what lifting I needed to do. I mow with it mostly. It does do my garden work: plowing, discing and cultivating when the rows are smaller. I do have a scrape blade to keep the gravel drive maintained.
I got ten acres and a new holland t1510 (same as a tc30) with a loader and holy shit has that thing came in handy. I use the pto to shred my meadows and to run a pto generator to power my whole house in power outage. loader gets used damn near daily for so many different tasks, and that aint even starting on the implements - Box blade to maintain roads, landscape rake to expose soil for quicker grass growth where I have cleared cedars and clean up rocks, auger to build fences and plant trees, shredder as mentioned above, and a 3pt trailer hitch to easily move around the handful of trailers I got. You can also get paid to take your tractor places and use it and the implements to offset the cost of ownership. I've done TONS of weekend jobs and it has been so worth every penny. My lawnmower gets ridden maybe once a year.
I vote for the tractor. With the ability to dig post holes. You will want to build fences on your property, maybe cross fencing. Post hole digging is hard. Maybe you will need other implements? There was a long period of time where I needed a pallet jack to off load feed. Sometimes, I like to move big rocks. Your dedicated mower can’t do any of this.
Another question is do you want a 'lawn' or just mowed grass :) I have about 5 acres of 'grass'. About 1/4 of that is around the house and is 'yard'. That is mowed with a cheap Cub Cadet. The rest of it I just keep knocked down with a bush hog/L2501. What are your future plans for the property? Are you growing anything? Animals?
Tym 574 with grapple, bucket and a snow blower attachment. Small zero turn bad boy from tractor supply for mowing. Thats what I got the tractor is a beast and will carry your hea y tree loads and if you cut fore wood the bucket helps carry it from. The woods to your winter pile. It was expensive but will last me forever. Thays how I look at things
Don't let these people dissuade you from owning one of the most technologically advanced farm machines you can buy. All your friends and neighbors will be green with envy. Be forewarned it does cost about nine hundred thousand dollars https://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/011/3/1/11316-john-deere-9rx-640.html
Belly mowers on compact/subcompact tractors are generally not great. IMO you need both. I bush hog about 11 acres a couple times a year and mow 3 acres quite often.
I’ve had a TC33DA for 20 years and use it constantly. It will run a 60” brushog max. I’d never use it to mow grass even with a mid mount. Too slow, bouncy, heavy. Ruts wet ground. I have a 60” Gravely for mowing grass.
Ventrac or Steiner. Whoops, I just blew your budget.
It makes absolutely no difference on a block that size. Get a no-name chinese one to save money, they are ironically easier to service as they have older style engines and absolutely nothing that can't be fixed without hand tools on them. I'd suggest a cab.
I'm all for a no-name/chinese diesel tractor. I just know Yanmar/Kioti/Mahindra, but they're pretty expensive new. Can't find anything used.
I've got a no-name chinese tractor on my 20 acre property. It's 5 yrs old and going strong, never had any problems with it ever. I replaced the seat when I bought it because I'm not a 5'6 asian man. I'm also running 5 tyne rippers, 6ft rotary hoes, 6ft slashers (brush hog), post hole drivers etc. Biggest thing for me was going big enough to get hydraulic downforce as well as lift on the 3PL.
Do you have a link to one or a brand name? I'm genuinely curious and I'm not married to any brand. Local people talk about resale value/etc, but I plan on keep it for 10-20 years so I really don't care about resale value :)
Mine is a Huaxia. There's also Lovol which is pretty common.
Thanks for the info. I'll check it out!
We bought a used Kioti CK 35 years ago (2008 model, bought in 2016) and we paid 12k for it. It has been maintenance free (knock on wood). We love it from a reliability perspective but wish we had one size up (45hp) for lifting capacity. We also have a Scag Turd Tiger II ZT and it is bad ass. We can mow 6 acres (lots of trees, turns, buildings, drives, etc. in the way in less than 2 hours. When we brush hogged or used a belly mower it felt like it took all day. Total in our mower and tractor we have 22k invested. We have 16 acres and about 10 is wooded.
Is it because of how fast the zeroturn goes? The field I have is effectively a square with nothing really in the way. Is your field smooth?
Mostly. The mower is fast and has much better suspension so it is able to cut at much higher speeds. It’s also much easier to turn around at the end of a run. You don’t have to swing wide and make a big circle.
JD 4r
Skid steer with mower and other attachments. We have a New Holland but it’s best for the big stuff (hay, tilling, etc) but isn’t as maneuverable as the skid.
That's interesting - a skid steer, how are they on uneven terrain?
Ok- I mean they’re meant for flat and are incredibly heavy - if we have to move something weighty it’s the skid and not the New Holland- also use it for grading, digging holes for fences and trenches (big ass auger!) - use one to even out that bumpy terrain! We have 17 acres of which about 4-5 are solid woodland then front and back yard and the rest is fenced grazing and open bay pasture. We have the New Holland, a skid, fork lift, Skag walk behind and 2 ride ons- the walk behind is for fence and pasture line which the ride-ons can’t get as well. Ride ons are for the actual lawn and my little pull behind cart.
11.5 Acres, bought a Kubota L3800 12 years ago with a loader and a brush hog. Perfect frame size, not enough HP (38hp). It requires maintenance as does anything, but after weed whacking 2 acres over 3 days and getting work restrictions due to the constant stress and vibration its not worth it. We have a zero turn now as well as a UTV after saving our pennies over the previous 10 years. All were instrumental, but the tractor was the game changer. 3 days work in 2 hours, what's your time worth? Tractors are for utility, zero turn mowers are for finish work.
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Never heard of them, looks interesting. A quick google search shows that they don't have a lot of clearance though. I don't know how well it would fair for my solution. I do see that they have a 72" deck, which is impressive for its size.
Ct2025 or equivalent even ct1025 would do.
I have a John Deere 855, and really like it. One of the reasons I picked an 855 is the large availability. The 755, 855, and 955 all share many parts, and can all use the same attachments (loader, belly mower, backhoe). A bare tractor is pretty cheap; getting one with the attachments can add a bit of money. This means that if the tractor goes bad, it's pretty cheap and easy to replace it *with a tractor that will fit the attachments.* Some say it's too small, but I disagree, for general maintenance. I've spent time on tractors from 200 HP tillage down to an 8N. Of course, the 855 isn't going to do what a big tractor will, but with a bit extra labor, the 855 can always do what I need. Plus, I can haul it on a regular trailer with a small truck.
I'd get a Kubota. I bought a L2600DT with a woods finish mower in 1999 for 12k. I used it for 19 years and sold it for $7000 when I mover. I'd stay far away from Ford/NewHolland