I didn't mean to imply the Cub is a do-it -all tractor. It's a large lawn tractor. Good for cutting large areas of heavy growth and some other medium duty jobs around a homestead. For the real work I've always liked the M. I'm biased like I said earlier.
Sounds like me. Older Kubota B9200 (had for 19 years), 60" Ford 970B finishing mower, 48" bursh hog, 60" blade for 3pt, and a Husqvarna 48" mower I use around trees and the house......
A quad with a self-powered pull type mower is a good idea but.... The quad would need selectable 4wd and an open rear diff to avoid damage to the lawn. That's only an issue if you want the stereo typical acerage lawn. There is something to be said for a rougher cut for most of the lawn and a nicer cut up around the house. Think fairway with a rough. The alternative is to find someone fairly local with sheep to take care of the bulk of your mowing needs.
That beater truck idea? If you've got a spot to put snow and don't have to blow it off the road then that beater will be much more attractive cost wise. It'll also be amazingly more attractive for those mornings when you look outside and the wind is howling at 50mph (we get well over 100mph gusts here at my place). An open tractor seat in a howling wind is not a pretty place to be blowing snow from.
A closed cab tractor with heat is nice, a closed cab skid steer w/ a snow push blade is also nice. A truck is nice too, although you cannot so much "relocate" snow with it, and they aren't as maneuverable. At a family business we push the snow off w/ the plow truck, and it builds up at the edge as the truck cannot push the big piles up and over the curbs far enough that it doesn't build up and create a large pile. Then you end up coming back with a tractor and relocating snow further off the side, MAJOR draw back to a plow truck if you get lots of snow, and have no where to push it. If you're driveway is gravel, you cannot beat a blower, get a layer packed down, and you don't push your gravel into your yard. Its a major battle every year, plow snow and gravel into yard, go around raking the gravel back our of the grass in the spring so you don't destroy your mower blades. But then again, blowers are expensive kit, and not all tractors can be equipped with one.
Don't know allot about your two choices but I needed one for some land I need to clear and a few other chores around the place so I started this thread. I am pretty happy with the Kubota I ended up with and have found I use it a lot. I have also made a few attachments for it. This detachable rake I built for it is great for clean up and burning.
Buy a Kubota and you will not regret it. I have owned four of them,still have two and never had a problem.(knock on wood)
Kioti makes a nice tractor, I've had this for a few years with zero problems. It was about 5K cheaper than the big name brands when I bought it.
My neighbor has one of those big tractors like that with a loader on the front. He only has an acre of land, so it is amusing to watch how he uses it for the most trivial jobs-I guess to justify its purchase to his wife.
Kinda like my buddies that deer hunt together. They all have tricked out Rangers and Mules with all the latest gadgetry. They hunt together and usually only can take one to the lease when they go. I only have 4.5 acres and am amazed at the jobs I can find for mine. Tree pushing, burning and dirt work make up the majority of it. Made a detachable 5' jib for the bucket. I've lifted all kinds of things with it. Needed to work on my lawn mower so I used it to lift it onto the welding table.
While I can't add much to the snow removal discussion, I can to the mowing. I have four acres of property with three being horse pastures. I mow between three and five times a year for weed control. For the first ten years I mowed with a Minneapolis Moline tractor, very similar to the old Ford 8n's and 9n's. I had to add an external over-running clutch to it because without it (and sometimes with it) there is no control over the movement of the tractor with the clutch pushed in as there is a tremendous amount of energy stored in the heavy mass of spinning blades under the mower deck. Also when mowing heavy vegetation and I needed to change direction from forward to reverse, as soon as I pushed in the clutch, the mower would no longer be supplied PTO power. Eventually I got smart and donated the Moline to the AG department of the local highschool and bought a modern diesel 4wd compact tractor with FEL. I have NEVER looked back wishing I had that old tractor back. Now using the same Bush Hog I can do the job in half the time, while feeling a whole lot safer. And once you have an FEL, you get real good at finding uses for it, from drainage ditches, carrying hay, pulling posts, lifting trusses..... Back ten years ago my research led me to a Kioti LK3504 as the best bang for the buck. I don't regret that purchase a bit as it has performed flawlessly since.
My family is in a similar boat, we bought 16 acres of nice flat land in VA and my step Mother will be farming 12-14 of them, what would be some good options?
That is exactly what I am trying to do. I want something like that but probaly only have a few days worth of work for it. Although I could build a wicked motocross track with one of those.
What does she want to do with those 12-14 acres? Would be different requirements depending on if she plans on doing U-Pick produce or a bunch of hay. Don't know what they do out in VA.
It depends upon your local area. But don't over look the old Fords. This one came with the wife and her folks. They can be real work horses. This one has over 12,000 hours. Yes that is 12,000 hours. Never been rebuilt still starts first twist of the key. I don't get out to the farm very often, but when I do, you'll find me on the tractor doing somehting around the farm. OBTW, the farm is 100 acres.
Right now it is just hay and the neighbor pays them to bale it and use it for his cattle. But when the build on the land and move in I am pretty sure it will be mostly produce like a garden on steroids along with a couple acres of apples.
I just bought this one. I'll pick it up tomorrow and haul it to the farm. It has a finish mower, but no brush hog. I'll have to buy one later.
Hmm. Maybe he has some sort of physical ailment. Maybe he has a limitation that you are unaware of. I find it amusing that you find it amusing that someone else has a tool you think he doesn't need. I used to have a Kubota B series 23HP diesel with FEL and 5' blade for my 5 acres. But I paid for it by doing snow removal for about 25 of my neighbors for 2 winters. Price was $50 for a short driveway, $100 for a long one, or $1000 for a season pass. I out-priced all the other snow removers in the area and I lived close enough to just drive over [everyone had 5-10 acres) and we all live 1/4 - 1/2 mile from the paved road. My wife was flabbergasted how easy it was to pay for the $13K "toy". But I heard from people all the time: "Why do you need a tractor for 5 acres. That's stupid". I just gave up explaining. It is so nice to have a FEL and I did find 5000 things to use it for besides snow removal. When we sold the property a few years ago and moved to the burbs I sold that tractor for almost what I paid for it because the prices had risen. I still smile over how much fun it was to do routine tasks with a diesel powered tool. We have a small cabin in the mountains with a small acreage. I am now 55 and clearly see why someone would like a small tractor with FEL to help out. Work becomes fun and the remaining time can be used for more fun stuff like riding. Someday soon I may be that neighbor with the tractor and you can laugh at me too. T.
Everyone has their own idea of what someone else needs or not I guess. I have a Kubota BX2200 with a loader, 52 inch mower, 50 inch blower, PHD and 60" rear blade. I don't even have an acre, but my driveway is stupid and if I didn't have it I would not have the Kubota. That said, I have the largest lot on the street and I have accomplished so much around my house using my favorite cordless tool that is isn't funny. Do I NEED it, no. Does it lighten my work load, help my beat up old body, cut my working times down to free up more time to do other things, can I afford it, Yes to all and I am glad that I have it. I'm sure to some on my street it is over kill. You know what? They seem to like my Kubota enough when I head up the street and clear their driveway in no time afte a big storm......for free.