bought acreage, need tractor.

[tomcat]

Hi all,
My wife and I bought about 8 acres of land this spring and I need to find a tractor to mow it and take care of other chores. I came across a johndeere 2305 with a rear finish mower and front loader. Any thoughts on rear finish mower verse a belly mower. probably mowing about 5 acres worth. thx

 

[lenny]

I've done both, belly and pull behind mower although the bush hog was a JD and not a finish mower but it did very well and easy to put on and off. Does the model you are referring to have a belly mower deck that you can drive over and quickly connect. In my opinion having the loader will be huge for you with working the grounds so be sure it's big and powerful enough and with that said my opinion would be a pull behind so you don't have to remove the belly mower when you get into rough terrain with the loader work. I guess it depends on how easy the implements are added and removed.

 

[tomcat]

sounds like a belly mower on the 2305 isn't a drive on off style. This tractor doesnt come with one but has a tow behind style. Not sure of bucket size but imagine probably 4 foot or so. tractor is a 23 horse diesel. Should be enough for what I'm doing (I think). Ive heard some say rear mower is a pain and some really like them. I have a smaller jd riding mower (38 inch deck) that I could keep for trimming around trees, etc. Also, thoughts on using a tractor for snow removal vs a plow truck? I was going to probably buy a plow truck but if a tractor is the better option I should probably look into a little bigger tractor/bucket. Lane is probably about 3-400 ft.

 

[snoseekr2]

If said tractor has a three point hitch on the rear with a PTO. then you could probably get a blower and put it back there.

 

[mrbb]

personally I think your better off with a pull behind mower, over a belly one
the main reason is, ground clearance
and its a LOT faster and easier to work on a tow behind than a belly mower
have owned both and used both for 20+ yrs
all the more so when you have a loader on the front
as you will be using that for more things than you expect and the belly mower will just be in the way, and a pain to take on/off
, you can even use the loader to lift the tow behind up and wash and clean out the undercarriage
will make it last longer if you do so!

 

[rp7x]

how many of the 8 are you going to cut

 

[tomcat]

probably only need to cut about 3 but have around 5 that could be cut if I have the equipment to do it. Rest is woods. Got some pics of the 2305 sent to me today. A little rough around the edges but not a bad setup. I'm sure I can find other uses for this thing down the road which is why I'm steering away from a zero turn or something smaller.

 

[dmsrx]

We have 8 acres of which we mow 3 and could cut 5 (neighbor bales) and the rest is woods. I have an International 574 which is a 68hp tractor. It is a heavy frame tractor but is compact in size and has a 6' loader. I would recommend going this route over a smaller tractor like the 2305. I originally got it to do final grade and seed when we built our house. Builder wanted 4000. to do it, I got the tractor with the loader for 5000. and did it myself. Also did the drive for my shop using a landscape box with the tines lowered and cleaning it up with the bucket. Was able to go 12" deep. Also have a backhoe attachment for it which a smaller tractor wouldn't be able to handle. Point of all this is in my opinion get something you will be able to do anything you want and not wish you had a bigger tractor. I use a 60" zero turn mower to cut grass. Much faster than the tractor with a bush hog. Buy a mower to cut grass and a tractor to do the work with. As far as moving snow, a truck is much faster. Unless you have chains tractors don't really go through the snow very well and moving it with a loader is slow. I have a back blade for snow but most of the time I use the Grizzly to plow snow, much faster. Only use the tractor if it is drifted. The money I spent on mine has been one of the best investments I have made. I use it all the time and even though it is older it is built to work with what I do with it I'm sure I will never wear it out.

 

[tomcat]

We have 8 acres of which we mow 3 and could cut 5 (neighbor bales) and the rest is woods. I have an International 574 which is a 68hp tractor. It is a heavy frame tractor but is compact in size and has a 6' loader. I would recommend going this route over a smaller tractor like the 2305. I originally got it to do final grade and seed when we built our house. Builder wanted 4000. to do it, I got the tractor with the loader for 5000. and did it myself. Also did the drive for my shop using a landscape box with the tines lowered and cleaning it up with the bucket. Was able to go 12" deep. Also have a backhoe attachment for it which a smaller tractor wouldn't be able to handle. Point of all this is in my opinion get something you will be able to do anything you want and not wish you had a bigger tractor. I use a 60" zero turn mower to cut grass. Much faster than the tractor with a bush hog. Buy a mower to cut grass and a tractor to do the work with. As far as moving snow, a truck is much faster. Unless you have chains tractors don't really go through the snow very well and moving it with a loader is slow. I have a back blade for snow but most of the time I use the Grizzly to plow snow, much faster. Only use the tractor if it is drifted. The money I spent on mine has been one of the best investments I have made. I use it all the time and even though it is older it is built to work with what I do with it I'm sure I will never wear it out.

thank for your thoughts. Ive had a couple friends today tell me I will regret getting a subcompact. I went to the kubota and deere dealer yesterday to price some 25 horse or so subcompacts. Sounds like I may be better off looking for a used bigger tractor. I still want it to be able to do everything. I don't want to have another 5k plus wrapped into a mower. I have a small 38 inch deck deere that I could use for the immediate area around the house. How will a heavier say 30-40 horse tractor do mowing. I'd like to think Im not picky but I do have one of the nicer lawns in my current neighborhood so I probably am!

 

[dmsrx]

A 30 - 40 HP tractor will handle any mower I think. With a rear mount finish mower I'm sure you would get a nice cut. I just have a brush hog for mine. I'm definitely with your friends, get one big enough you never have to worry about it being big enough. You'll be shocked how much you use it. You being from Iowa is like me, look around and I'll bet you'll find a good buy at an auction or an implement dealer. Just be ready to buy, they don't sit long.

 

[mrbb]

you want about 7 hp at the PTO for each ft of a mower
that's the average I always went by and found to work out well with

 

[LarryD]

I have a 23 HP Ford 1510 with a 6 ft finish mower in back. Have mowed 3 of the 10 acres at my house for the last 15 years. It is 4WD with loader and I have blade for snow remove plus plow, disk, chisel plow and drag for doing food plots and garden. Very good all around mid frame sized tractor. I see that they now sell used for $6000. I also have a grasshopper zero turn that we use for going around trees, flower beds and the like.
I would go just slighly bigger on HP and then a little wider on the deck but it is a good combination and recommend it.

My dad has a Kubota with similar set up and it is great.

 

[mrbb]

a finish mower takes less HP to run than a brush hog, and sorry that was what I based my HP suggestion on/for
as a brush hog needs a little more HP for the bigger things it can cut
But I still feel its a good rule of thumb, as you won't need to be running higher rpms to get it to mow

 

[greggk]

I have the 2305 and have had it for 10+ years with absolutely no problems. I have a bush hog on the back for trail mowing and a bucket on the front. It has a 4 wheel drive option and gets in and out of just about anything. The PTO/lift rack on the back is easy to load for 1 person. The bucket is limited on how much weight since I do not have the addtional ballast on the rear of the tractor. I have moved snow but it is not really a great snow plow as I have it set up now. Perhaps a blade or more ballast would help. There are other attachments that could make this machine more versitle. For instance I have a log splitter that I hook up to the back and connect to the hydraulics and is great in the woods. I wish I had a power rake/roto tiller for food plots but no in the budget. This tractor is a good machine, easy to maintain. I welded a couple cup/beer holders on it and hooked up some speakers to the anti roll bar and this is a nice way to spend time in the woods or mowing fields.

 

[elf]

My dad has a Massey Ferguson for sale. Can't remember the model # but it's 42 HP and is in perfect shape. I think less than 200 hrs on it. Let me know if you want anymore info on it.

 

[elf]

My dad has a Massey Ferguson for sale. Can't remember the model # but it's 42 HP and is in perfect shape. I think less than 200 hrs on it. Let me know if you want anymore info on it.

Its a Massey Ferguson 231S, 2002 yr with 171 hrs on it. Its a 42 HP diesel, great little tractor. Keep trying to convince him he should give it to me and I'll sell my 8N but he's not falling for it. Looking for $8800

 

[tomcat]

Massey looks like a nice rig but is it 2wd? I think I'll want 4WD as my property is very hilly. What attachments does it have? thx

 

[elf]

Massey looks like a nice rig but is it 2wd? I think I'll want 4WD as my property is very hilly. What attachments does it have? thx

It is only 2wd and he's not selling any attachments with it.

FWIW, based on my personal experiences with my tractor, I don't think you'll need 4wd. When we'd bought our previous house we were on 20 acres with a large yrd, 2-3 acres, and a field and trails thru the woods, etc... and I told my wife I was going to buy a tractor. I was convinced I was going to buy a compact diesel, AWD, etc... I kept looking for the perfect tractor (in my price range) so my search went on for over a yr when I fianlly realized I didn't need all that. i bought a restored/repainted 1952 Ford 8N with a brush hog for $3200. It does everything I need it to and more. I mow trails with it, have a back blade for it, skid logs with it. Always has enough traction for any hills in the summer and if I put the wheel chains on it in winter. The only thing is doesn't have is a loader, which would be nice but I can live without.

I guess what I'm saying is don't buy more than you need. Sure, I'd love to have a newer AWD compact diesel but my 63 yr old 8N does everything I need and still runs great. Don't know if you could say that about a new Kubota or JD in 63 yrs. Kind of like snowmobiles, I'd love a new Pro RMK 155 but my 600 RMK 144 gets me everywhere I need to go 98% of the time for the riding I do.

 

[frnash]

… i bought a restored/repainted 1952 Ford 8N with a brush hog for $3200. …

Ye gods, I guess that ol' iron horse 8N will never die! I remember my maternal grandad getting a bright shiny new 8N around 1947 - 1949, trading in an earlier 9N that was still useable; that 8N was the primary farm tractor for many years thereafter, with an Allis Chalmers (WD series?) added to the inventory in the mid-1960s(?). I got lots o' seat miles in that ol' 8N on summer vacations!

 

[elf]

Ye gods, I guess that ol' iron horse 8N will never die! I remember my maternal grandad getting a bright shiny new 8N around 1947 - 1949, trading in an earlier 9N that was still useable; that 8N was the primary farm tractor for many years thereafter, with an Allis Chalmers (WD series?) added to the inventory in the mid-1960s(?). I got lots o' seat miles in that ol' 8N on summer vacations!

I grew up on a farm with a 8N also. Spent a lot of time mowing hay/raking hay/pulling a drag/cultivating with that dang tractor. Funny thing is we also had a Allis Chalmers WD. My dad still has and uses that 8N, it was his dads originally bought new in 1949. Looks a lot rougher than mine.