Go BottomVery confused and in need of help
 | MichaelSnyder
Join Date: Jun 1999 Posts: 0 
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2000-05-01 15257
I'll attempt to put my struggle in 3000 characters or less.. For those of you who remember, we settled on a JD4100 as a "Do it all unit". Mowing, loader, ect. Well, a year later I'm startin' to feel as if I we bought "too small". I feel as if I've outgrown the 4100's abilities already. Mostly while using the loader. Kind of a shame because the unit is a wonderful, easy to use piece of machinery. As many of you know, we just finished overseeding & re-seeding much of our 2 acre yard. Comprised of 1 acre wide open grass, 1 acre full of trees (Thinned forest) complemented by an old fashioned wooden post fence all around. Which by the way, the 4100 sat idle because it wasn't big enough to handle a 3pt overseeder. OK, we've climbed that hurdle. Next hurdle, much of the soil is still soft, so I've held off selling our 12hp garden tractor till everything is established enough to handle the weight and turns of the 4100. So it looks like the 4100 sits idle for most of the summer, depending upon rain fall. In doing so, I've also come to the realization that "I" prefer to cut the lawn in a back n' forth direction, similar to a baseball field. This is supposed to be better for the grass,looks better,etc...??. Doing this with any type of tractor is a "task" to say the least, especially in the wooded area. Well.. between my feeling of outgrowing the 4100, and wondering if a 0 radius mower would be the answer ....I'm busting at the seams because I'm afraid to tell the little lady that I may already want to sell the 4100 for a larger unit and a 0 radius mower!!! Half of me is torn knowing many guys around me would kill to be in my shoes. Yet here I am... wanting more. Going further, a year ago we didn't care for the B line-up (B2100), so we went JD. Yet now..I'm really curious about a B2710 or TC29-33, especially after all the good stuff I've read about em. But I'm worried about lossing my shirt on our next to new JD 4100 for a Kub/NH. I really could use some advice here from guys who understand my pain. Maybe I just need a little sense knocked into me and learn to be satisfied with what I have.
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| Derek
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2000-05-01 15268
I have the same sized machine as you, a TC21D, and like you the only thing I wish was more powerful about it is the loader. But it's not that the loader won't do the job, it just takes longer than it might with more power. I can live with that.
I'm not sure about the JD and Kubota series', but in the Boomer line once you move up passed 21hp, the physical size and weight of the machines increase dramatically. While this may be good for earthmoving and landscaping type work, it makes finish mowing more cumbersome and more destructive to the lawn. I settled on the 21 because it seemed like the "do it all" type tractor I wanted, which sounds like what you thought when you got yours. Since you've already got the seeding out of the way, and merely need to let your lawn mature until you can use the JD on it, it sounds like you want to sell it and buy 2 more machines just because you like the infield mowing pattern of Wrigley. I agree, it looks good. And if I were willing to spend 4 times as much time mowing, I'd use my little JD push mower to do it...looks great!
But one thing you should keep in mind if you decide to get the 0 radius, is that your tractor will get even more down time than it does already. I don't know if you have horses or something that allows you to use your tractor alot, but I'd get quite a guilt complex going if I had mine sitting for weeks at a time between projects. As it is, I can at least count on firing it up a couple hours per week for mowing. If I got a different mower, I'd have to come up with a new landscaping project every couple of weeks just to justify keeping it.
I was in a situation similar to yours last spring when I got it, and logged over 100hrs on it during the summer putting in a back yard and doing a lot of landscaping. But now that's over and the tractor is primarily a lawnmower, brushcutter, and landscaping maintenance machine for my 5 acres. But that's ok because I am still able to use it quite a bit. But be careful, because if you go get another mower you might have to eventually start explaining to the little lady why the new TC29 you have sitting out there never gets used. ....
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| Larry in MI.
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2000-05-01 15269
MLS, I sure am happy that you wrote what I have been feeling. I too have been thinking of a way to present my case to the war department (a.k.a. my wife). The 4100 and 410 loader does everything and more than I need around the house. But I want a bigger tractor. Maybe a 4300 or the equivilant Boomer. It would be a financial disaster, I am sure. Have you ever considered the "retirement job angle"?? When I retire in 1 1/2 years I have to have something to do. So why not dig holes and rototill gardens? The alternative is that I stay around the house and be bored. At worst the argument may not work and we still have our 4100's! ....
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| Mike
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2000-05-01 15270
M Snyder,Don't feel like the Lone Ranger,I also seem to have a hard time being completely satisfied with whatever I've got.My wife does'nt understand how I have kept her around for as long as I have.I guess the grass always looks a little greener.Anyway, we own a B2710,and it's been nothing short of a great compact,it actually full fills all my needs"not thinking about trading it off" Taked to the Kubota dealer while back,he says they are coming out with a O-Turn mower one day,maybe next years model line up,might be worth the wait. ....
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 | cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York 
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2000-05-01 15279
Michael,
I have been in your shoes twice. First trade was to a B7100 which was a great machine. Then I decided a loader was needed (rather my back decided), and shopped around for a machine with a quick attach feature and enough HP to run my 5' hog. The JD seemed to fit the bill and the dealer swore it was enough machine for the hog. It wasn't, and the rest is history (also felt lack of power for loader use). I priced several brands and they all have some great features. One (competing) dealer mentioned transmission problems on the 4100, and when I checked on this a JD mechanic re-enforced his statement. But that may be a local problem, I have only heard it mentioned a couple of times on this site. That was the deciding factor for me, however. The NH had more creature comforts so that is what I purchased. I figure I lost around 4k during that trade, but had the use of the 4100 for almost two years. I struggled over the choice, and almost went for the 2710. It was a bit less money than the tc29d (and I have had a few problems with the new machine). My reasoning was to cut my losses and get the machine I would be happy with before the 4100 depreciated any further. Also, my old Chalmers is in need of a ring job and the bush hogging has to be done with my compact this year, no more pushing the old machine beyond it's limit. If I had it to do over, I am not sure what my choice would be. I never had a problem with the Kubota, but that may not be true for someone else. Actually, I priced the JD 4200 and 4300 as well, but the dealer in my area was just too pricey. There wasn't a whole lot I didn't like about the Deere. Good luck. ....
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| Eddie Watkins
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2000-05-01 15280
Michael, I can give you the other side of the story. I have a 18 hp sears lawn tractor w/46 inch deck that I mow with. It takes about 2-3 hours to mow what I mow. I told my wife I was going to get a tractor with a finish mower to mow the yard faster so I bought a JD 4300. I can move all the dirt I want to, lift as much as I need to, brush hog the pasture, pull fairly sizeable stumps but, so far, have only test driven it on my lawn a couple of times to see what the weight would do and how it would mow. My wife keeps asking me when I am going to mow with it. The tractor weighs about 2900 lbs. so I have been a little reluctant to get it out on my yard. My brother has a Grasshopper brand ZTR that mows like a dream (for about $7,000) and mows about the same amount of yard as I mow in a little over an hour. I am sure thinking about getting something like that rather than try to make a nice tractor do something poorly it is really not designed to do. I mow 2-3 acres which is about 250 feet wide and 400 feet long with some trees. About the time you get it straightened out it is time to turn again. I have plenty of big projects so I can keep it busy a couple of years probably then a may think about getting a smaller one. SOme of the smaller tractors I looked at would not have done some of the stuff I have already done but probably would have been better at mowing and certainly would have pulled a brush hog. I guess until they make a tractor that is part dozer and the other part lawn mower, we just aren't going to get the perfect machine. By the way, my wife has already figured it out and she is merciless in her pursuit to find out when I'm going to mow with the tractor. I have already tried the retirement job angle and it has bought a little time but the end is inevitable. Good luck!! ....
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| Chuck Westerfield
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2000-05-01 15281
The size of tractor to purchase is hard to determine. I looked at the complete line of 4000 series and choose the 4400. The 4500 and 4600 were rather larger tractors to use on the lawn. I figured if the 4100 was good the 4400 was the best and never let a budget determine the purchase. I did overlook the axle problem but have one coming. The 4400 has ample power and low end torque. Personally I can't see why they bothered making the 4300 as it is the same tractor except underpowered. Same for the 4200. I think it was all a pricing deal. Keeping all this in mind, I've never heard anyone that purchased a tractor say. "This thing has too much power". ....
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| Alan L. Lewis
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2000-05-01 15282
If you sell that 4100 on the open market I would bet you would get decent price for it. Quite a few folks thinking about buying a 445 or 455 might want to have a real JD tractor.
I have a B2710 in my garage (and my Suburban sits outside), and a 1.25 acre lawn. Using a Rhino 5' rear mount finish mower I mow the largest span (about 100 X 400 feet) in about 25 minutes. I have R4 tires and only have scuffing problems when the grass or the ground is wet. I have a Craftman 15.5 HP lawnmower that I used for the tight spots of the yard. If I was concerned about scuffing the yard I would get turf tires on the 2710. I wouldn't consider spending 2 hours to mow that acre with the lawnmower when the tractor will do it in 20 minutes. A ZTR would be great, but I can't afford both.
Of course I didn't buy a tractor as "big" as the 2710 for my 1.25 acres. I bought 24 acres about 6 miles out of town that I trailer my tractor to for brush cutting, hauling limbs I have cut down to size, etc. We hope to build out there in the next couple of years. But the tractor has sure come in handy on my in-town property in the meantime. You should see the neighbors' expressions when I get that 2710 out on the lawn. ....
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| KlayW in MI
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2000-05-04 15438
These are some GREAT comments from all of you since I struggled with the cost vs. current need issue. I could have got by with a 4100 or B7300 but for just a little more I went for the B2710. Cutter, you say you lost $4K in the deal, I spent $2.5K more than I wanted to but I guess it might be worth it. Check in a year from now! Got 4.5 acres to mow, 300' driveway and one horse to tend to, can't wait to get mine delivered. C. W. said you don't hear complaints of too much power, I learned that lesson playing around with boats years back, it's hard to ADD horsepower. ....
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| Eddie Watkins
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2000-05-05 16005
Clay, your comment about a JD4100 and B7300 turned on a light for me. I had looked at the 4100 and thought it was a little underpowered but I had compared it to the B2710/B2910 because it was more the same size they are. I wonder why JD has put such a small engine in the 4100. It would be much more comparable with the 26hp engine they have in the 4200. It seems like around 25-30 hp is where you can start using the bigger implements. ....
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| Rob Munach
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2000-05-06 16018
We just bougt a 5ft. Bushhog Squealer rotary cutter with slip clutch for use on our JD790 (25 PTO HP). What an amazing tool. We have about 10 acres of scrappy pines and sweetgums ranging from 1 to 1 1/2" in diameter. It seems if the tractor can push it over, the bush hog will shread it. It definitely bogs down the engine at times and we probably could not do it with any less horsepower. ....
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