I recently bought a 5.8 acre property. Currently I am wearing out and damaging my 46"/24hp 1 year old Sears lawn tractor with just grass cutting duties. I need to upgrade to a tractor for other property maintenance and to take over the duties of doing standard mowing. Chores for the tractor will include maintaining my 1480' long driveway, starting a 1 acre vegetable garden, and standard mowing duty of the grass.
Currently the property is littered with pine stumps since the previous owner harvested all the timber. Ill need to dig few of these stumps up, bushhog all the tall grass/weeds that are growing (currently have about 1.75 acres of nice, clean cut grass around the house and shop), and rake all the logs/branches that were left when the timber was cut.
In the long run I'll replant pines on about 3 acres and I want to groom the rest for finish mowing. Will dig about a 1/2 acre pond.
I think I'll enjoy the bigger L Series when digging up stumps and cleaning up the property, but once that is done, would it be overkill for everything else? Would the smaller B Series be enough to do my harder work?
Homestead:
Your original questions regard the use of what tractor for 5.8 acres. We have 6.5 and an L3700SU (L3800). Box blade is the perfect tool for your requests. It will rip up soil for your garden and maintain your driveway perfectly. It has done ours and several others. It will dig ditches for you, spread gravel and even help you dig out for a rock wall, which we have done.
Now, your message/request got side tracked into gears vs. HST. Here's a couple of thoughts to add to those. I've owned both types of tractors. Similar to a Cushman scooter, with gears, you must keep all your hands and feet aware and active for any potential problems and then look behind you for what's going on with your box blade or scraper blade.
Now, with our HST, my wife can drive it safely as well as our 14 year old Grandson. I don't get concerned if they have set the brake correctly, at least on level ground, as it neatly "locks" itself as you stop. Of course, there is also a brake. However, if someone else in your family will use the tractor, it will give you a sense of comfort that they don't have to be a tractor monkey with hands and feet going everywhich way at once.
Now, the rationale behind the production of these originated with the smaller lawnmower types of "tractors." They are simply easier to use, especially for the women who cut their own lawns or for their husbands when gone or ill. The other rationale is that, like trucks and cars, it is easier to make one type of product than two just for economy of scale. I like it. One thing I hear everyone saying is that they want a tractor really cheap but they want it also really well built. The rational behind HST's gives you a higher quality for less money, not dumping others preferences into the mix and charging you for it.
It's an old story. I'm an old dog who was able to learn new tricks and I'm better for it, so is our property and you will be also. I am also more secure knowing that my wife can start it, run it, use the loader, box blade, and scraper safely.
The best advice has been given. When in doubt, buy bigger, go the next size up and if you compromise, you will look back and wonder why all this good advice was ignored.
If I had a Cushman scooter today, I'd sell it as fast as I could. Anything that vibrates that much and need so much attention isn't good for your frames, the physical one or the mental one.
Read back over these messages with your original question in mind. The L3800 will do everything you want plus. The stumps are a one time thing, the rest is where you will be living and maintaining. Go with the purpose, not someone else's preference.
The HST VS. Gear has been drummed almost to powder in this and other forums. Read those reports and compare.
Go get a tractor.
Burt