Newbie in Western Carolina

[HappyTopster]

Glad to stumble across this forum. I’m currently in search mode. We have 3 acres in Nantahala Forest region of WNC above 3,000 ft. About 1 acre unlevel grass I mow w/48” ZTR with knobbier tires which actually almost works. No sliding and minimal turf damage if it’s dry and I’m careful. Standard turf tires were a Disney ride. There’s a curving gravel driveway uphill to the house ~500 ft long. I’ve actually not been able to get the Wrangler up the drive on certain snow conditions (I’m better w/the Wrangler now- but it can be tricky during the ocasional snows. We have a 40’x40’ fenced garden w/ a common fence for the adjacent chicken coop/run. There’s a large compost bin up behind house. I get trailer loads of manure from family a few miles away. There’s always adjacent forest land or neighbors w/ standing dead or tree falls. We have wood stove in basement for 100% heating needs. Runs pretty constant about 5-6 mo/yr. I am currently recovering rotator cuff repair, have back issues, carpal tunnel, etc.
5x8 landscape trailer and Honda Pioneer 700.
Considering B2401 (gear drive) and LX2610SU. I’ve borrowed larger gear drive Kubota from neighbor and like gear drive but not essential.. Originally set on backhoe but box blade and grappler may be better start? Or post hole attachment?
I’ve been checking FB and plan to visit local dealer once shoulder doesn’t feel like it’s filled w/ glass shards.
Advice appreciated. I’m retired and have plenty of free time. Wife will balk at anything over $8,000 but she doesn’t understand! I know I’m looking $20-30k based new /used unless I risk older.

 

[skeets]

Welcome to the orange. You might look at a BX series ,trust me they are a lot more than they seem to be. I have an older BX 2360 that has pushed more snow than I care to think about, pulled firewood logs out of the woods, mowed my 5 + acers and I live in coal country so it isn't flat by any means. She has been beaten used and abused and comes back for more. From what you say that would work, but bigger is sometimes better. I bought a new B 2601 a while back, and while it looks nice I am not impressed with it, so choose carefully. I will add Kubota has some good deals on new tractors, and were I to do it over, I would go with everything thing you want/need right from the get go. Warranty, and the right tools, to do what you want and need. Yep , Mama is going to balk at monthly payments, but trust me, trying to MAKE DO with things you don't have and need, ain't no fun, and sometimes dangerous. A thought, take her with you to look and let her run one around the lot, you might find out, she is more interested than you think, the down side is she might want to spend more time on it than you Most of us have seen this happen more than once!

 

[PaulL]

HST is definitely better for tree work and anything loader related. Yes, you can do it with gear drive, but I definitely wouldn't have a preference for gear drive in a small tractor.

B2601 I think is a better size for what you describe than a BX, although a BX will do it. A BX is short on ground clearance for working in the woods, and you can do damage to the HST fan unless you install a guard.

Would you keep the zero turn, or mow with the tractor? You'll probably want industrial/R4 tires for woods work, they work OK in snow but not great....you'll probably want chains.

Plowing snow or blowing snow? Or not using the tractor for snow work?

Agree on no backhoe, it's a lot of extra cost, you need to have a clear use for it. Post hole augers are OK, but they are a bit of a death trap. How much fencing are you really doing? Can you borrow, hire, or contract out if it's not that often? Fencing generally sucks, a good contractor will do it cheaper than you and way faster, and without destroying your back. They'll get enough discount on materials that it covers their labour usually (at least in my part of the world). Having the right equipment makes it really fast. And doing it properly means not having to redo it in 3 years when it turns out you didn't ram the posts well enough.

I put a small log splitter on my B2601, and I'm really happy with the result. The forum recommends against it, but it's way way better than using an axe. Or you can get a gas powered splitter I guess, I was happier with a 3ph mounted one. https://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/threads/hydraulic-outlets-on-b2601-for-log-splitter.70676/

You might want to consider a tiller given garden size. Often can be found in good condition used.

In the B size range, you can go reasonably old and still get a good machine. There are a bunch of early 2000s B machines for OK prices that have a lot of life left in them - and there aren't really a lot of features in a newer machine that you'd be missing out on a lot if you bought an older one.

If it were me, I'd buy a new B2601. In fact, I did. But a BX would do the job in a pinch, and an LX would be better/stronger/more ground clearance. It really comes down to budget and whether you really want new.

 

[Speed25]

On hills and in the woods, I've found my little BX to be much more useful than my L ever was. Capacity is notably lower, but I can reach so many places I couldn't reach with the L and with wheel spacers, this thing is much more stable in the steeper terrain too. I've really got to be aware of the minimal ground clearance though, especially in the muddy spots. I'd rather have certain chores take longer with a smaller machine that allowed me to reach more places, but if you've got pretty clear trails for access and trees spaced less tightly than mine, a larger machine will definitely make the work easier. With the loader, the L was just too long to make some turns to reach certain areas, and the wider bucket wouldn't fit between a lot of the trees.

For mowing, I constantly hear people saying to mow when it's dry. That's not often an option for me due to many natural springs and the water table being only a few feet below the surface, so the BX is invaluable for mowing in these conditions compared to a zero-turn that'd constantly slide down wet hills and be stuck. Knowing that I'm still likely to slide some in the BX, the lower center of gravity is a benefit.

Walk the areas where you'd be using your tractor and starting taking notes of what areas might be accessible with a smaller tractor, and what chores would be helped with a larger tractor and weigh the pros and cons. A smaller capacity tractor won't be as helpful for logging since it can't carry as much, but if it can reach more places than a larger tractor could, it might be a net benefit to go with the smaller unit.