I had an enormous amount of poison ivy and Virginia creeper. I cut the vines about four feet above the ground, then waited for them to get a lot of new leaves. Roundup needs to be sprayed on green foliage so I sprayed a strong mix on it so that it would kill roots and all. After the vines came loose from the tree I pulled them down with the tractor, the roots were left alone till I was sure they were dead.
1.33 acres, heavily wooded and overgrown... Need advice on a tractor purchase!
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When I bought my first tractor, a BX,I already had a ride on mower, a cub cadet XT2, which I had bought a few years earlier for like $1700. I thought about getting the mower deck for the tractor, but between the annoyance of taking it off and the cost of it, I just kept the mower. I also have a hilly/sloped property, so the ride on is better suited and I had the space to store both.
For the price of a MMM or a rear finish mower ($2k range) you can get a basic ride on lawn mower. A ZTR is a waste of money for a small property unless you have $3k-$4k burning a hole in your pocket.
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
You need patience and timing to get cheap riders,especially nowadays with the 'covid pricing'. Silly battery is $100 these days, so I just modified both mower and blower units for car batteries.
Local K dealer takes 'tradeins' and offers me deals now and then. Late fall is a good time to buy riders.Dealers need the space for blowers,will cut a deal....
Local K dealer takes 'tradeins' and offers me deals now and then. Late fall is a good time to buy riders.Dealers need the space for blowers,will cut a deal....
Are you talking about an actual forklift or pallet forks for a tractor? Surviving without a forklift would be quite easy for most folks 'cause it would need to be a monster to get around on dirt/gravel.
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
real forklift, older A-C unit, Buda BD-153 engine,rated for 5000, easily lifts 6000#, 'big' front tires. I only get stuck once per year in a soft spot of the lot,early spring.....
they do have their uses now and again...
they do have their uses now and again...
Attachments
Biker1mike
Well-known member
Equipment
B6200, Kubota 2030 Front Blade, King Cutter 60" finishing deck
Be aware of 'cheap" riding mowers. Due to leg surgery I had to buy a rider. I went rock bottom as it was a temporary thing. BIG mistake. I got a riding mower and not a lawn tractor. It is made by the 'bull' name company.
It is tippy to the point of dangerous , slips on the slightest of inclines , cuts like crap and is down right scary to ride.
I have to much stuff on the nice lawn for the Kubota to work around.
It is tippy to the point of dangerous , slips on the slightest of inclines , cuts like crap and is down right scary to ride.
I have to much stuff on the nice lawn for the Kubota to work around.
Or brush/squirt BrushBeGone, Brushtox, Crossbow, something with triclopyr on the cut end right after you cut it.
Convincing the wife on two machines?
Yep, that’s typically an obstacle. However, in my case, it took just a couple years of working the property for her to understand the benefits of two machines which, in my case was safety (hilly property) and time savings to get her to agree.
Your next obstacle after the initial purchase, will be additional implements and attachments.
Mike
Yep, that’s typically an obstacle. However, in my case, it took just a couple years of working the property for her to understand the benefits of two machines which, in my case was safety (hilly property) and time savings to get her to agree.
Your next obstacle after the initial purchase, will be additional implements and attachments.
Mike
if you don’t have 2 M9000s, you don’t have anythingNah. Go big or go home!
Getting a quote from my dealer on the B2601. He said the issue is going to be a 4-6 month wait time on the front end loader... So the tractor will ship without it, and then sometime this winter we would have to go back and pick up and install the loader.
Does anyone else have a similar experience? Is there a nationwide shortage of front-end loaders??
Does anyone else have a similar experience? Is there a nationwide shortage of front-end loaders??
I didn't experience this, but that has been the "norm" for about a year.
I mean it doesn't surprise me, everything has been this way it seems. I was just hoping the tractor would come with a loader...
So now it looks like either a BX with the loader on it, out the door, ready to go today...
Or a B2601, and maybe waiting til next spring for a loader.
Overkill is only in the eyes of the beholder
A neighbor of ours had a health problem in the early 90's and couldn't mow the lawn at their place. Pic below. I volunteered to take care of it if they didn't mind the pattern the R1 tires on the Ford may make. He said to have at it. I did until about two years ago. He passed many years ago and the widow lived there till she went to a home around 2020.I mowed their place with whatever I had at the time, starting with the Ford 1210 (5'RFM), Kubota B7500 (5'RFM), Kubota L3200 (6'RFM) and the L4240 (7-1/2'RFM). I think the place was about half an acre with the house and a few trees to mow around. After mowing all it took was less than 10 minutes with the string trimmer and a blower. None of the tractors ripped anything up and the Ford probably left the most noticeable tracks. After the R1's on the ford, the rest all wore R4's.
My suggestion would be to ring around and see if anyone has a B2601 with a loader before you place a firm order with your dealer. Otherwise you'll get 3 months into waiting, and someone will say "but you could have just gone to another dealer." You don't want to piss off your local dealer by cancelling an order.
I did this in the local reserve when I pulled the ivy out. I cut it at a height I could reach, then worked on the ivy that was on the ground. The stuff up the trees I left. I pull out the dead from time to time, but it's a reserve not my property. Pulling fresh/green ivy out of trees is a crappy job. I didn't try pulling it with the tractor though, that's a good idea.
This is very good advice. Tractors don't devalue much, look at it as a loan to yourself rather than money spent. They pretty much sell for what you paid for them once you're done with them.
I own a B2601, I take the mower off a couple times a month, I take the loader off every week.
The loader I only do on flat level concrete (in the shed I park it in - I take it off where I park, and then park between the arms). That takes all of 2 minutes, probably less, and my better half can do it although she doesn't often. I usually leave the loader off, as she doesn't use the loader much - so I put it on when I want to use it.
The mower I do on the grass. The better half doesn't take it off or reattach it. Set the height dial to zero, drop it on the ground, pull the pins front and rear and the driveshaft, drive over it. Super easy. And much easier on a B than a BX, the BX I had to lie on the ground and I couldn't drive over it so had to lift the front wheels with the loader and skid it out. Putting it back on is the reverse, and takes no more time. The one trick is lifting the deck a bit before attaching the driveshaft - when it's down hard on the grass the blades won't spin so it's harder to align the driveshaft.
People who've owned BXs think it's hard, but I've owned both and the B2601 is massively easier to remove and attach the deck. Do get the dealer to show it to you, but when you see it you'll go "why was everyone making a big deal out of that?".
Also, once you've done your clearing, you'll mostly leave the deck on anyway. Unless I need the clearance mine stays on. I leave it on when I put the boat in the water. I leave it on when I turn the mulch. I leave it on when I load the diesel tank onto the trailer. Those 6 foot sticks are leaving you enough clearance for a 60 inch mower deck plus plus a foot for the chute. I have a chain on mine so I can pull the chute up and tie it up without leaving the seat - gives you another few inches clearance.
It's a good way to break branches. Fine if you are dropping the tree, but if you are dropping the tree, why pull it out?
Leaving it to die on the tree works well, if you can be patient. After a year it comes down pretty easily.
It’s pretty much the norm these days on anything with a hydraulic cylinder. There has been unprecedented demand all while dealing with supply and material shortages.
I would call around, even if you need to look at dealers not local to you and ship/go pick it up. Some of the larger dealers have inventory.
Yea, it’s been a mess for sure. Is used out of the question? May pay a small premium, but you’ll have it now.
Lots of guys, myself included, bought a bit too small. Sold and upgraded. May find something like that near you.