Tractor for Municipal Easement Work

[biketopia]

I manage a fleet for the local water utility just outside of DC. We are responsible for maintaining our own easements and right-of-ways. Currently, the group responsible is using a 2013 B3200HSD with a 4ft bush hog and a John Deere 325G with a diamond brush cutter pro x to maintain them. The Kubota is showing its limitations and age. I have around $45k in my replacement budget that I could allocate towards a new machine for them.

Off the top of my head, I'm thinking something in the "L" family. Now is that L, LX, Grand L...I'm not sure, and I'm looking to the collective hive mind for some input.

We're thinking 35+ hp, want to run a slightly bigger cutter (either flail or rotorray) with added stability and ground clearance over the B. They would also like to eventually run a decent 3pt chipper. FEL, probably 3rd function, HST, don't see a need for a mid-mount PTO, no backhoe. No need for a cab...they will absolutely just tear it to bits and blow windows out.

So, we've got someone else's money to spend, let's hear your recommendations and reasoning. I'll be meeting with the end users next week to get more insight and will add it in when I do.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Standard L
L3902, L4802
or even look at an MX4900

 

[PaulL]

How wide are the easements and right of ways? I mow roadsides around the community (my community service, and I like them being mowed). There are only a few sections where a wider mower would benefit, because it's mostly 3-4 foot off the side of the road. There are sections where wider would actively be a problem.

If you're mowing a right of way, and it's 7 foot wide, then you go down one side (4 foot), back the other (4 foot with one foot overlap), you're done. A 5 foot cutter won't be any faster. But if it's a 9 foot right of way, then the difference between a 4 foot cutter and a 5 foot cutter is massive - it's now one pass instead of two.

But if the question is really "what's the biggest machine I can get for $45K" then it's the highest HP standard L you can afford, or an MX if you get a great discount. Grand L is too flash to let staff drive, they'll somehow break it.

Do you trailer it from place to place, or drive it? If trailer, then weight matters - an MX is a lot bigger than a B. If you drive it, look at road speed closely, I seem to recall the LX may be the fastest of them, certainly a hair faster than a standard L. And the LX is a lot lighter to trailer.

 

[NCL4701]

L4802 or small MX.

 

[Old Machinist]

The John Deere 4044M would be in that price range.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

How much slope do you have to contend with? Around here, the state and county mow with batwings, partly because of ROW width and partly, I suspect, so they can widen the track (sometimes with duals) to stay right-side-up.

From your current equipment, I'd think you must not have too much slope to work with, so one of the L's or smaller MX should work well. We have a Ford 3930 with a 6' cutter and recently I used a neighbor's JD 5103 with 5' cutter on her pasture. Both tractors are about 50hp, but the 6' cutter sure seems to cut more than 20% more grass. This was open fields, if you're always cutting consistent width ROW a different width might suit better.