Go Bottomwhat tractor for me
 | Paul B.
Join Date: Posts: 1 
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1999-08-28 7428
I own a gentleman's farm which is about 6 1/2 acres. I have a 3 1/2 acre pasture (needs to be cut once in a while) and the rest I mow (currently with a small Simplicity tractor - cutting the time down would be helpful). I can envision using a front end loader pretty often as I have horse stuff and other debris to move.I am in the market for a small utility tractor to help. My budget is pretty high but not unlimited. Can anyone make a suggestion as to what I should buy and what options and implements make sense.Thanks in advance!
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| A different PaulB
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1999-08-28 7431
Small world. I also have a gentlemans horse farm, 10 acres, 5 pasture and 5 lawn. I just this year bought a Kubota B1700 4wd, hydrostatic transmission.At present all I have for it is a front loader, a drag harrow for the riding ring, and a rear blade. I mow everything with a garden tractor. I use the front loader all the time, in fact I spent all day today putting new clay floors in my stalls. The blade was bought for the driveway in winter, but also gets lots of use leveling dirt, pulling out old fence posts with a chain, etc. Next year I will get a bushog for the pasture, but I will never use it for the lawn for 2 reasons. First, I have ag tires which tear heck out of the lawn, and secondly, I find it to be much more "tippy" feeling than my garden tractor. Maybe that is just a feel thing which will improvwe with experience, but I do have hilly property . Why the B1700? I liked the overall construction quality, the 3 year vs 2 year warranty, and the price compared to the 20 hp models I looked at (JD, NH Boomer, Cub). Things I definately recommend regardless of brand are : hydro for sure, ag tires if you have hills, mud, snow as I do, use your seatbelt, and buy from a dealer you can trust. My little 1700 does so much work I can't imagine life without it now, and I can't imagine what a bigger machine like the 2710 would be capable of. Any other questions, e-mail me.PaulB ....
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| Alan L.
Join Date: Posts: 1
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1999-08-28 7434
I recommend the B2170. You can use a 5-foot shredder and 6-foot finishing mower with it, and you could do the whole thing in a three hours or so. Plus the loader is really strong. I paid $19,000 for the tractor, loader, 5-foot Rhino SE5 rotary cutter, 5-foot Rhino FM60 finishing mower, and 4.5' box blade.I'm rotary cutting about 12 acres and its about a 7 hour job. It was 105 today and I got too hot before I finished. Go for a bigger tractor than you think you need. ....
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| Alan L.
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1999-08-28 7435
Woops - I mean 2710 - not 2170. ....
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| droz
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1999-08-28 7440
I disagree with most of the people on this board that always recommend getting a bigger tractor than you think you will need. You will end up spending more, getting a tractor that is heavier and more likely to damage your lawn, harder to transport, etc. Analyze your situation and get what you need. The resale value is very good and if you find in a few years you really need something bigger, you can trade it in. I have a JD 4100, just right for my uses on 40 acres. If I need power I have a Bobcat. If you really are going to be doing heavy work, than by all means get something bigger but don't get talked into more than you need and having to spend more time cutting your lawn to avoid damage. ....
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| Alan L.
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1999-08-29 7465
Droz, if your mowing the entire 40 acres with that 4100 your butt is a lot tougher than mine. I doubt if thats the case, however, the point I was trying to make is that mowing is a time consuming, boring job and anything that can speed it up is good. A bigger tractor can mow faster because it uses larger implements, and with more power you can go faster. I advised to get a bigger tractor that you think you need because if I think many tractor buyers initially under-evaluate the mowing job.With the right tires and careful driving the tire scuffing problem can be minimized, and still save a lot of mowing time. Not pushing Kubota (I have the 2710 myself), but I read where the JD 4000 series tractors apparently have more of a scuffing problem than Kubota. My tractor has R4 tires and doesn't scuff at all, although it is very dry and the ground is very firm where I mow. The B2710 weighs a whole lot less than the JD 4200 which has about the same horsepower. You would think that would translate to less turf damage although I don't have first hand knowledge of the JD.I would hate to cut my 12 acres with a smaller tractor, but if I had only half as much to cut I wouldn't want a smaller tractor. Thats why I recommended the 2710 for the 6.5 acres. ....
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| droz
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1999-08-29 7466
All excellent points of course. But the bigger the tractor, the less maneuverable it is also. I have lots of trees and bushes and would hate to try to drag a large tractor with huge implements around them all. If I had 40 acres of pasture, I could do it all in one pass with a huge mower and a huge tractor and save huge amounts of time. And of course I don't cut 40 acres with the 4100. My only point being, don't get talked into too much. Everyone has a good opinion here, listen to them all and test drive and evaluate. ....
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| Bird Senter
Join Date: Jun 1999 Posts: 962 
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1999-08-30 7470
Paul, I have 10 acres; a little less than 3 in lawn. I bought a B7100 in 1995 with front loader for $10,800 and a Cub Cadet riding mower for $2,300. I also bought a 4' box blade, 40" tiller, 48" brush hog, bottom plow, and cultivator. That 7100 was a lifesaver and I got a lot of work done here as well as for neighbors and family on their property; however, last month I bought a B2710 with loader for $15,500 and a 60" finish mower for $1,695, and the dealer gave me $8,000 for the B7100 and $1,000 for the Cub Cadet. There is just no comparison between the power, comfort, and convenience. This 2710 is great! ....
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| Pete R
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1999-09-01 7541
Hello. I'm still looking for what compact to buy. How well does your 4100 dig? meaning how well does it handle the 60" loader bucket? Does it lift 1000 lbs and can it actually "dig" into the ground a bit, or does it seem under powered?I'm still thinking of Kubota, JD or NH and find this very hard to decide. Most people say just get a good dealer that will stand by the equipment it sells. That makes sense. But, why did you choose between the 4100 and the new 790, which has 10 more hp?Thanks for any comments. Pete Reinhard ....
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| droz
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1999-09-01 7557
I can't help you a lot yet. I have a Bobcat that I use for most heavy work. Next year I will be using the 4100 for much larger acreage for tilling and brush control but so far it is mainly grass and weed control. I have been happy with it and don't want anything bigger for my uses. I need the ability to maneuver in close quarters. I considered the NH but the dealer didn't have much to sell and didn't seem too interested plus I worry about who owns the company this week. I went to the Kubota dealer and the salesmen didn't even both to stop chatting on the phone to help me so I left. There was a 4100 on the lot at the JD dealer and I had been reading a lot about them. It was the perfect size for me and had the features I wanted. They are all about the same price and I think the JD is easier to resell if necessary. Otherwise they are all similar from my viewpoint although the two-pedal JD system for the hydro is superior I believe. I don't know what the 790 is? But when I went up in HP the weight increased tremendously (good and bad) and so did the cost. Hope this helps some. ....
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