Buying advice and pricing :)

[SDT]

We do have a relatively high water table in the area. There is a lot of farmland to the west and it all drains our way towards the river where it gets diverted into a tile and ends up in a creek in the 40 acres of woods behind me.

We have a basement but our house was built on the highest point in the area based on the topographical map that came with the house from the previous owner's estate. We have a sump pump and it's pretty active in wet weather, and tapers off in the summer. We have had the basement flood twice when the pumps failed and we weren't home.

This house floods mostly because it was built close to the road as most houses were back then and the road bed is now higher than the house and there is a ditch out front. For whatever reason, they never tiled under the driveway to the east so water from the west builds up in the ditch in front of the house and ends up under it. I will probably also use the loader to dig out that driveway and allow the water to move east the way it is supposed to.

I'm just going to dismantle the house, eliminate the foundation, and turn everything back to grass. It's right next door to our house so it's an investment in a building lot we can sell when we decide to move. It's probably 200' wide and 700' deep so there is plenty of room to build back away from the road and by the pond where it's higher.

The well is amazing on that properly and it's actually inside part of the house. The current owner filled a fairly large above ground pool off of the garden hose with no issues. I'm going to leave power to a structure over the well head and keep the well going.

Going to dig out the driveway?

Be advised that tractor loaders are not excavators. The are intended to move loose material, not for digging.

Might want to rent a skid steer to dig out the driveway.

 

[SDT]

I am not very familiar with the B1550.

On another note - there is nothing wrong with a geared machine, used one for many years, the ONLY reason I would consider one, is IF I needed all the HP at the PTO. Any type of moving back and forth, the HST will win hands down, as for open field cutting without obstacles, the gear may be better.

As you already know - the HST is more user friendly and can do more work in a shorter time - the kubota's hst is bullet proof - that is, as long as you place the CORRECT fluid in them and change the filters.

B1550 HST is a B1750 HST with a smaller engine and 4 fewer PTO HP.

Great tractor but too small for OP.

 

[SDT]

TractorData.com Kubota B1550 tractor information

www.tractordata.com

It's decent sized but 3 cylinder and only 17 hp.

For years, I cut a few acres of ground with closely spaced trees, so close that a 38" deck was the only thing that would fit between and I used a JD 180 (that I still have, been 20+ years now). It's 5 speed gear drive and it was a mighty pain with the gear drive until I figured out a pattern to best weave between the trees.

The HST (TuffTorq K series) on the JD 345 and LX188 is certainly easier to navigate and they are pretty durable. I just got an LX188 to rebuild that has a new HST but I found out they jacked up installing the cooling fan and it came off of the shaft not long after they installed the new HST. Oil is pretty dark and doesn't smell great but it drove into my truck bed and seems fine since I've changed out the oil.

I'm glad to hear that the Kubota HST is pretty solid, thanks for that information. I guess I look at it from the standpoint that I'll be lucky to find something with service records to tell me that the HST has been well cared for and if it lays down on me, it will be expensive to fix. Clutches and mechanical bits are cheaper, if more labor intensive to deal with and I buy manual cars and trucks if I can find them.

B1550 has a 17 HP engine.

The gear drive model has 14 PTO HP whereas the HST model has 12.5 PTO HP.

Be advised that tractordata is a decent place to start but is not to be trusted if you need accurate data.

 

[SDT]

Thanks, can't have too much land in a rural area near a good school district.

The house is pretty close to a fencerow of evergreens I want to save and I believe there is a lot of good 1885 lumber in there so I'm going to try to disassemble the top half of the house. I know there is wood siding under the vinyl and suspect there are good planks under the relatively new shingles.

I have about 5 gallons of bleach to start the eviction process. It worked when they started tunneling into my barn a few years ago and also convinced a family of skunks to vacate the space under my deck at the last house. It may be the same groundhogs in there that I evicted from the barn!

Curious where you are in SW, OH.

I recently moved from extreme SE, IN (Dearborn County), where I lived most of my life.

 

[PaulL]

An L would be great, but a B would do most of what you describe. You're budget limited, so you'll have to buy what comes up probably. I'd keep an eye on Bs as well.

@pigdoc you say "Are the Kubota F-series mowing machines any good?". Yes. Yes they are. They're a mowing weapon, but very much a one-trick pony.

 

[SDT]

I don't really mind the manual trans on my L2500, because I'm usually just shifting back and forth from R to 1-2. I hardly even think about it anymore. I rarely want to be moving faster than 2nd gear around here anyway.

For mowing, hydro trans is a MUST, because of the variable speed needed for tight spots.
I'd say the G-series are just a bit small for 3 acres, even with a 72-inch deck.
And, sounds like you need great forward visibility with all the obstacles you're mowing around.
But, that 4-wheel steering is NICE! Would be better if it was power steering!

Seems like you're needing ZTR. Very expensive, but also very time-efficient.

Are the Kubota F-series mowing machines any good?

Shooting groundhogs is GREAT sport. They are very wary, and have good eyesight, so you gotta set up a blind. I use a scoped Browning semi-auto .22 with hollow-points. A chest shot at 150 yards is one-and-done. And, they usually bury themselves.

Thumbs up on the lumber! I lived in a 1930s farmhouse for awhile. ALL the trim was machined chestnut. All the floors were heart pine, even the attic! I remodeled the bathroom when I moved in, and found a 1935 penny under the old linoleum.

-Paul

F series mowers are exceptional but very expensive.

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

An L would be great, but a B would do most of what you describe. You're budget limited, so you'll have to buy what comes up probably. I'd keep an eye on Bs as well.

@pigdoc you say "Are the Kubota F-series mowing machines any good?". Yes. Yes they are. They're a mowing weapon, but very much a one-trick pony.

I think they are more than a one trick pony, however I don’t think they are a jack of all trades.

I believe there are several front attachments that are compatible with the F series…mower deck for one, snowblower for two….and I believe there are others.

 

[8888]

Curious where you are in SW, OH.

I recently moved from extreme SE, IN (Dearborn County), where I lived most of my life.

I'm 20 miles north of Dayton and the 70/75 interchange.

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

I'm 20 miles north of Dayton and the 70/75 interchange.

Hi Neighbor! (I am slightly (a county or so) NE of you)

 

[SDT]

I'm 20 miles north of Dayton and the 70/75 interchange.

High former neighbor.

I lived and worked in Dayton for 20+ years in the 70s, 80s and 90s before returning to SE, IN near Cincinnati.

 

[8888]

High former neighbor.

I lived and worked in Dayton for 20+ years in the 70s, 80s and 90s before returning to SE, IN near Cincinnati.

I grew up in NW Dayton, went to school in Cinci, spent 25 years in Brookville (Ohio), currently live midway between Tipp City and West Milton.