OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions On Ride On Mowers Questions On Ride On Mowers Frames Big mower or small tractor?

As some of you know I am trying to get my old rover rancher back up and running but it's really not the best option for where we are living now.

Sorry for the long post but I keep thinking of the pros/cons with my options. perhaps someone that has some experience with these machines or has been through this situation could offer some opinions/insight.

We are on 5.6 acres, we are going to end up with 3 horse paddocks and then some more steeper terrain. There are two steep areas, one is too steep for anything but a brush cutter (or goats) and the other cold probably be done with a 4wd machine of some sort with correct tires and grunt. Want ROPS on whatever I get, or be able to have it fitted :-)

As I have my old Toyota skid steer for sale at the moment I am thinking I would be best to get a more appropriate machine for our block with the proceeds of the sale.

Some of the points I have to consider and have been thinking about.

- Mower -vs- slasher, I suspect a mower is going to do a better job with grass that's not too out of control. One of the reasons we mow the paddocks is to break up the horse manure and spread it. Not sure a slasher would do that? At the moment I drag a sheet of reo mesh with a couple of pallets on it behind the car but that doesn't cut down the weeds (horses only eat the grass)

- My uncle has a John Deer out-front mower with 6 foot deck, the 4WD diesel thing. An awesome machine, so fast at mowing. So I have experience with that machine which is quite good.

- Obviously loosing my skid steer I am back to shovel and wheelbarrow, not something I am built for. Whereas if I get a small tractor I could get one with a bucket.

- Tractor can be used for other stuff too, carry all, towing stuff around, concrete mixers, backhoes and all sorts of good stuff that go on the 3PL.

- An out-front type mower is more maneuverable than a tractor I suspect. Having said that though, we don't have a great number of trees so it's all pretty easy in terms of negotiating around non-mowables. But I would want chunky tires on it, my uncles machine came of a golf course so has grass tires and once the grass gets long and you cut it you get moisture and traction issues.

- After a little "incident" on my uncles mower the other day I like the idea of something that is direct drive off the engine and not hydraulic. I don't know how or why it happened but going down a rather steep hill his mower stalled and then the brake didn't seem to work real well. lucky I was able to stay on and guide it down and then up the other side of the hill to slow down (needed new undies after that). If not direct drive off the engine at least something with a real brake.

- I've been looking on the trading post and there are a few little tractors with slashers and buckets

- perhaps a large standard type ride-on with a good size cutting deck? Then I just hire in bobcat/dingo as required.

- Having a tractor would be pretty cool :-)

- Zero turn is out of the question I think. being 2WD and if it's a bit wet I don't think they would be a good option. the forces required to turn it on a slope would be amazing and I want something that isn't going to shake to pieces or break under the strain.

So that's my thought process at the moment, just a tad all over the place!

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Regards
Nathan

I've given an opinion on this subject here recently. If you want to be a prosperous hobby farmer you can buy a small Kubota tractor and accessories to suit; put enough zeroes on the cheque and you can get a pretty good outcome. I think your property is too small for a 'real' tractor (anything with a 'Category 2' 3-point linkage) but there are several small ones of various degrees of merit available pretty cheaply second- (or more likely ninth-) hand. You do not have to use a slasher to mow your grass - you can get various kinds of 3PL mowers, including cylinder type. A slasher will not give you lawn, it will give you pasture. It's pretty good for flinging horse turds all around and making them invisible though, and it is less affected by the odd two-kilogram rock than a mower is.

Many people with small pasture areas find they need to do things that call for cultivating, or at least harrowing, their grass fairly regularly. They also need to repair erosion, bury pipes, rip tree-planting lines, etc. The enthusiasts end up with 3PL attachments for driving wooden fence-posts, drilling holes in the ground, grading farm tracks, and all kinds of fun stuff. You can test the waters on your interest in this kind of thing by going to a few clearing sales and talking to farmers about the how and why for each piece of kit.

The cheapest solution to your problem is to get a cheap grey Fergie with a petrol engine (for heaven's sake do not buy a grey or early red Fergie diesel: they had a diesel head on the petrol engine, and it is an evil contrivance. You can get old and irritable just cold-starting the thing.) By the time they put the Perkins 3-cylinder diesels in them (mid-1950s)they became nice tractors, and are priced accordingly. Once you have the tractor issue under control, continue to hang around the clearing sales each weekend, learning and gradually acquiring accessories. I used to enjoy clearing sales, though I actually bought most of my kit from junk-dealers and private sales.

Thanks, I think a little tractor might be the best and as you said, can always put a mower rather than slasher on it.

Will have to work out where some of the sales are held up here in QLD, not being in a country area not as many of them. More googling..

Yes, I have read the other thread about what mower for acreage as well. thank god I don't have an orchid to mow around, would drive me crazy :-)

was looking at something like these maybe

http://www.tradingpost.com.au/Rural...003172372?BackToResult=true&AdOnTop=

not sure if this MF is petrol or diesel and no bucket
http://www.tradingpost.com.au/Rural...003195993?BackToResult=true&AdOnTop=

I have the impression that if that Fergie were a diesel it would be called TED20, not TEA20. Forming an opinion on second-hand equipment from photographs alone is a hopeless quest, especially when they are around 60 years old. The difference in prices between the two is somewhat indicative, though the front loader on the Kubota might increase its value by $2k.

Essentially these two examples are at opposite extremes: the TEA20 is as simple as it gets, being based on an almost unmodified Standard Vanguard car engine and fairly rudimentary tractor equipment. The Kubota is a modern machine with 4WD, and has parts and service readily available (at a price). One is a collector's item, the other a convenience item. Depends what you want to spend, and how much convenience you want. In between these extremes there are various less-elderly Fergusons, and even some TEAs and TEDs that have been retrofitted with Perkins engines. Why don't you try driving a tractor or two in an actual work situation, at some neighbour's property?

the tea20, ted20and tef20(diesel) were very light in the frontend
and tendered to rear up on hilly country unless it had counter weights which fitted inside the front rims.I would suggest that
either a massey ferguson 35x or a fordson dexta would suit in the cheaper range as both have a 3cyl. perkins models. i agree that the kubota tractor would suit if you wanted to spend extra
dollars

the local hire shop has a small tractor and slasher, might hire that for a day at some stage and give it a whirl.