Compact tractor deccession help

Butch(OH)

Well-known Member
Hi all, First post in this section I think.
Very soon will I be mowing and maintaining a bit over 3 acres. I do not want a zero turn, my back cannot stand the ride so I am looking into compact or subcompact diesel tractors with 60" decks 20-28HP range. We have larger tractors for large tasks so I don't need it to be capable of pulling tree stumps all day long,it will mow and might push a bit of snow. We have decent dealers in all the major compact brands nearby. Deere, New Holland, Kubota, Massey, CaseIH, Mahindra, Kioti, Cub CadetYanamar and probably more I forgot about. I am not a Deere fan but not so dense as to eliminate them, all others are in same league, no favorite. They all seem to fall together in price when you get the dealer down to the dirty. Question is are they any to stay away from? Which do you like and why?

Thanks in advance
 
First of all I believe all of the smaller tractors regardless of brand is made off shore these days and has been for some time. So what ever works for you is what I would go with. I have heard some issues about the Mahindra's not sure if it was abuse or not. I guess if I was to do it I would just buy an old tractor with power steering and live hyd,and PTO. Then add to that will last longer than all those new fangled toys the yuppies use.
 
When I look around at people who use that size tractor to make a living,(landscapers, contractors, etc.) all I seem to see is a sea of orange Kubotas. There has to be a reason for that.
 
Kubota.

Second choices would be other Japanese made compacts.

I have a Kubota B1750HSD bought new in 1994. I use it to mow with a 60" MMM, and to plow snow with a back blade and F & R chains.

In the 21+ years that I have owned it I have had NO problems of any kind. Nothing, other than two battery replacements. Not so much as a fuse, lamp or fan belt. It gets regular fluid and filter chains and is kept inside.

Twice I have considered replacing it with something a bit larger but cannot find anything that I like as well.

Dean
 
When I look around at those that make a living from small tractors in this area (upstate NY), I see a mix of brands usually driven by brand loyalty, cost, dealer reputation, and parts availability. It seems that Kubota is a brand purchased for initial cost. Resale around here seems to belong to Deere. Massey is also quite strong here. When it comes to heavy duty garden tractors, Deere wins going away. This is probably due to availability of parts and the extreme reliability. Sometimes......you get what you pay for!
 
(quoted from post at 08:28:26 07/28/15) When I look around at those that make a living from small tractors in this area (upstate NY), I see a mix of brands usually driven by brand loyalty, cost, dealer reputation, and parts availability. It seems that Kubota is a brand purchased for initial cost. Resale around here seems to belong to Deere. Massey is also quite strong here. When it comes to heavy duty garden tractors, Deere wins going away. This is probably due to availability of parts and the extreme reliability. Sometimes......you get what you pay for!

Massey Ferguson compacts are Japanese ISEKI and have very good reputation over here.

Most popular brands are Kubota & Deere.

Hydrostatic transmission is preferable to gearbox for mowing. Instant speed up or down according the amount of grass to cut and handy around obstacles like trees and corners, and backing up. They have a cruise control lock.

Important to have quick & easy removable cutter deck to let you access the blades for sharpening.

Side discharge of clippings is faster than centre rear discharge, and they don't row the clippings either.
 

I have a small Mahindra (eMax 22) with a loader. I use it most for mowing pastures with a 3 pt. finish mower. Has held up well so far, although I've had it just year and a half. Mine was made by TYM with a Daedong (Kioti in the U.S.) engine, all made in Korea. It's a pretty heavily made unit, good castings and thick steel. Not fond of the plastic hood or fenders but they are heavy and no issues with them, cuts the cost I guess. Mine was about $12,700 from Specialty Tractor in Lancaster... early last year.
 

Last summer I was looking for a large mower/sub compact tractor to mow my very large lawn. At 78 yrs old, I wanted something easy to operate and not have to crawl around with mower deck issues. I looked at Case IH, Massey Furg, New Holland, Deere. I am NOT a fan of JD at all, but their "drive over" mower deck was the reason I bought a JD 1023e. I can attach or detach the 60" deck in a few minutes (same for the loader); no tools needed, no crawling around... just drive over the deck, listen for a "click", attach the 4 hydraulic lines and GO!

I am a Red Power man...brought up on them years ago. But this JD with diesel engine, hydro, ps, easy handling, etc. is a joy to run.

I do not like to contact any JD dealer (not a one will "deal")....they know their business but I also feel Mother Deere charges too much for their green paint. (Of course 60 months with zero interest made my decision very easy!).
LA in WI

PS Nothing runs like a Deere with a Japanese engine.
 
This spring I sold my 1988 John Deere 750 and replaced it with a Kubota B2650. In addition to a whacking great payment, I got live PTO, power steering, hydro trans and a cab with heat and AC.

I didn't even slow down driving past the JD dealer on my way to the Kubota dealer. Three reasons:

1) Local dealer is a jerk. No "deal" at all. Here's what it'll cost ya, pay up or hit the road.

2) JD is out of their tiny little mind on prices across the board.

3) Far too much plastic on the JDs. My Kubota has an actual metal hood and grille among other things.

I did look at Massey Ferguson, but they didn't offer a cab until you got into the 40HP range which is way more tractor than I needed. Also looked at Kioti but the cab on a 25 HP unit was cheesy and the dealer didn't exactly fill me with confidence.

I've dealt with the Kubota dealer, formerly AGCO/Allis, for years. They've been selling real farm equipment since 1958, not Yuppie lawn mowers. Kubota's 0/60 financing cinched the deal.
 
Whatever you try make sure it has a FULL suspension seat on it ! Many do not and even more do not offer it as an option. I specify FULL suspension because I learned that all suspensions are not alike. I wasted some money buying a suspension seat to adapt to mine turns out it is only a half suspension and that is like none at all.
 
Got a new Kubota 2370 spring of 2013 and real satified with it. Looked a 5 different brands and the Kubota was make in Gainsville Ga.
60" deck and sips diesel plus 4X4 and cat.1- 3 point and pto, steers with 1 finger.
 
My best mower is a Jubilee and a woods RM660, 72 inch mower. Everyone tells me how great my lawn looks. I too have back issues and can't ride a ztr or do much on a riding mower. Running in second gear, 1800 rpms, I'm doing 4 mph and the blades are singing, because pto is a little over 540 rpms. I think the tip speed of the blades are close to 200 mph.

My most comfortable mower is my 1950 Farmall C with a 72 inch woods belly mower. That may be one of the first ztr's, it has a narrow front end and can spin on a dime. The Farmall seat is the most comfortable seat.

The Jubilee is around 30 hp while the Farmall is closer to 20 hp. I'm not a fan of diesels because they give me a headache and my gassers have no problems starting. Not to mention I know how to work on gassers.

I can push snow with both tractors. The Jubilee has a 3 pt and I have many other attachments for it. It works best for grading drives and digging post holes.

I don't worry about a dealer, I do my own service work on the old simple antique tractors. If you can't do that, find the best dealer that's the closest and get a truck and trailer to take tractor in for service and repairs.
 
I am like you in likening the gassers ! My diesel with only 600 hours on it had an injector failure, adjusting stem broke which caused a missfire. This is a weird failure but what would amount to a spark plug for a few dollars cost me $ 140.00 !!!!!
 
With that much mowing, I think you should look at a machine made specifically for mowing- if zero turns can not provide the comfort ride you want, look at the front deck mowers- Toro, Deere, Kubota all have them. I just bought a Deere 1435 with 72 inch deck, Yanmar 3 cyl diesel runs great, and it mows more and better than my previous Woods ZTR, yet at slower speeds. i would not hesitate to buy Toro or Kubota either, both proven on golf courses worldwide. There is a snow plow available for the Deere, but very few options beat a pickup and plow. Craigslist has a Deere 1435 like mine with only 300 hours for $10K- a lot, but resale hold up. A coworker has a 25-30 hp Massey he bought to mow a 4 acre future house site, has experienced nothing but trouble with the mowing deck and attaching system.
 
For what a subcompact/garden tractor costs you should hire it done and keep your money in your pocket.
 
Thanks for the comments, I didn't supply a whole lot of info. I have mowed with and owned small old farm tractors with woods 59 and 306 mowers for almost 50 years now and still own 2 but this isn't a 3 acre field with a house sitting in the middle of it and surrounded by grass. Its an old farmstead and with everything to mow around, young orchard, 6 buildings, well house, wind mill etc etc etc. I could probably mow it faster with a 20" push mower and leave the tractors in the barn. The place was made for a zero turn but I cant take the beating, yes I have run a Ferris. Looked at the front mounted mowers like suggested, they are OK but same price as a "yuppie" (my term too) tractor of same quality and age and just about useless outside of mowing. I am listening, just not convinced of anything that will suit me better than a cute little yuppie tractor and deck. Might be right about hiring it done but I like to cut grass, I wouldn't hire it out if they charged 27 cents.
 

If you have a lot to mow around a zero turn is best. If you tried out one that rides rough, it is probably because you were going fast because the ZTR WOULD gpo fast and that made the bumps worse. The better grades of Zero turns, like the Dixie Chopper I have, have very comfortable seats. If you go across a hole fast, yes it is rough. Go slow, no problem. A more important issue is hills. ZTRs don't do hills very well unless you manuever to go up or down hills.

KEH
 
I'll vote the Zero turn. Country clipper has an available seat that will make you think you are in a recliner. They are all air cushioned and are quite comfy. Better seats can be had for some extra money and in your case might be worth looking into. I'm 24 so I don't have those issues yet.
 
As already stated a ZTR with a real good suspension seat that moves for and aft and side to side. My two ZTR's are front mount deck and I would not buy anything else.
 
Mark, What brand do you have? Guess I need to check out seats. Best ride I ever had on a Zturn was an F-620 Deere. They were heavy and used an ATV tire at like 4-5? Lbs
 
From what I've heard you say, I would certainly recommend a Kubota CUT.

I have 8 tractors, all of which are used for various chores.

The one that I would miss the most and the one that would need to be immediately replaced if stolen is my Kubota B1750HSD.

Dean
 
new Holland is the better choice here stay away from economy killing Kubota junk couldn't give me the whole lot of them.
 
I have Woods ZTR's not that new. A friend has a one year old Exmark with the optional seat and it is a great seat.

I just go slow and get done plenty fast, this one has a 72" deck.
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Tell me how a tractor like KUBOTA that sells 4 to one of your New Holland )That is owned by Fiat) is economy killing. More like economy building right now in USA KUBOTA give a job directly to over 2200 folks plus the over 1000 dealerships.
 
I have a Mahindra Maxx25. Steel hood and fenders. Good solid castings. bought it new June 2013 paid 16500 with FEL and Mid Mount mower. Hydrostatic with hi and low range. Hi range is pretty much useless except for mowing and transport. Low range is a tough workhorse.
With the deck on the lack of clearance renders the tractor pretty much useless for any purpose off the lawn. Deck is drive over but you still don't want to change it unless you have to.
You need to be aware that on some SCUTs you must turn your cat 1 3pt pins to face each other. Mahindra is wide enough to work normally.
Mine was built in Japan, uses a 3 cylinder Mitsubishi engine. Tires wheels are Titan, Made in USA, attachments are also American made.
I hava a bit over 200 hours and so far zero problem,
I did a serious clean up under a barn that had many years of build up in the calf pen. probably 3 ft deep in places. Surprised the hell out of me, under that garden tractor exterior lives a serious working machine!
 
(quoted from post at 02:51:31 07/29/15) new Holland is the better choice here stay away from economy killing Kubota junk couldn't give me the whole lot of them.

You do know the small NHs are made in Japan and Korea? Deere has been using Japanese small diesels for many, many years. Ford sub and compact tractors were Japanese. I could go on. It's a world economy, baby!
 
you are all putting the noose around your own neck is all I can say, with that jap junk.world economy baby ya... how's that been working out for us?keep buying jap and Chinese junk just don't whine about the welfare lines and unemployment! ship jobs over seas and buy their junk that's the new American way,working so great too.kubota 2000 jobs nation wide,that's pitiful nothing to brag about there.
 
fyi casenh employs around 10,000 PEOPLE in THE U.S.A. that sounds like economy building to me. wonder how many Kubota employs in japan.also casenh has over 11,500 dealers world wide,years of experience and a much more diversified line up of equipment,and a much richer AMERICAN heritage.in short they are superior in every way.
 
You may not be interested in this but I have an old Skagg 3 wheel design 60" that has a very forgiving seat. The drive belt is slipping a bit but for the most part it's a solid mower. Could save you some $ if interested.
 
(quoted from post at 08:05:52 07/28/15) Hi all, First post in this section I think.
Very soon will I be mowing and maintaining a bit over 3 acres. I do not want a zero turn, my back cannot stand the ride so I am looking into compact or subcompact diesel tractors with 60" decks 20-28HP range. We have larger tractors for large tasks so I don't need it to be capable of pulling tree stumps all day long,it will mow and might push a bit of snow. We have decent dealers in all the major compact brands nearby. Deere, New Holland, Kubota, Massey, CaseIH, Mahindra, Kioti, Cub CadetYanamar and probably more I forgot about. I am not a Deere fan but not so dense as to eliminate them, all others are in same league, no favorite. They all seem to fall together in price when you get the dealer down to the dirty. Question is are they any to stay away from? Which do you like and why?

Thanks in advance
look hard at kioti they are heavy built in south korea which is a good ally of USA
 
(quoted from post at 21:37:40 07/29/15) fyi casenh employs around 10,000 PEOPLE in THE U.S.A. that sounds like economy building to me. wonder how many Kubota employs in japan.also casenh has over 11,500 dealers world wide,years of experience and a much more diversified line up of equipment,and a much richer AMERICAN heritage.in short they are superior in every way.

Yes that's true but at the end of the business day all that money is transferred to FIAT in Italy. So much for building the economy. And if all the guy is looking for in a compact to mow with it matters little what else CaseIH makes or sells. How many does Fiat hire overseas? Far more than 10K. CaseIH has no American heritage other than the name. JD has American heritage but CaseIH no longer. CaseIH/NH (I think the IH part will go away soon and it will be called CaseHN) has their compacts made overseas, was told India but I'm not 100% sure on that. Sure is helping the American economy with em built overseas. As far as superior in every way? Just why is it that both Kubota and JD far outsell both the CaseIH and the NH line of compact tractors? Darn sure isn't price point.

Rick
 
(quoted from post at 11:05:52 07/28/15) Hi all, First post in this section I think.
Very soon will I be mowing and maintaining a bit over 3 acres. I do not want a zero turn, my back cannot stand the ride so I am looking into compact or subcompact diesel tractors with 60" decks 20-28HP range. We have larger tractors for large tasks so I don't need it to be capable of pulling tree stumps all day long,it will mow and might push a bit of snow. We have decent dealers in all the major compact brands nearby. Deere, New Holland, Kubota, Massey, CaseIH, Mahindra, Kioti, Cub CadetYanamar and probably more I forgot about. I am not a Deere fan but not so dense as to eliminate them, all others are in same league, no favorite. They all seem to fall together in price when you get the dealer down to the dirty. Question is are they any to stay away from? Which do you like and why?

Thanks in advance

There are scads of low hour Tier II and Tier III CUT out there in the used market. I can't warmup to the small diesel with Tier IV emissions equipment used in light and medium duty service.
Kubota already has a line of spark ignition engines for applications where Tier IV diesels are more trouble than what they are worth.
In a few years when the EPA drops Tier V emissions specs on North America. Some of the small light and medium duty equipment may go back to spark ignition.
Already forklifts, manlifts, concrete equipment etc ordering more spark ignition equipment.
 

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