Loading up the JD 5103, the *** end of my truck becomes airborne. Not much, but enough to where the truck will slide if I don't have the front wheels blocked. My truck weighs 7800lbs. I wouldn't want to deal with towing it with a half ton. Especially a V-6. A "midsize" tractor (45ish HP) comes in at 4500ish lbs, in 2wd. Add a brush hog (1000lbs), plus a beefy enough trailer (1500lbs), and that F-150 is crying for help.

 

I've heard different stories... JD's seem to be good.

Cool! But I just want something a little step above a garden tractor on steroids... more like a midsize utility tractor.

Yep... with a 5 speed...

Again, I don't plan on towing it any place. I am having it flat bedded to my house.

That's great Zach... next time I need to tow something huge, I'll ask you... but only 2 people are actually answering my original question.

 

Well, if you don't plan on towing it anywhere, then get the tractor now.

 

Yeah, I have no reason to tow it any place.

But I really wish they made mowers for SD's to take advantage of the PTO provisioning...

 

I think ya might wanna consider used. Here's a couple of sites that you can take a look at what's out there and cost. The first one also has a forum to chat about tractors, the pluses/minuses about ownership, which models to avoid, etc:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/classifi...mNum=437636892

The above has the forums but the page is to a used JD for sale kinda in yer area.

This link is for tractors for sale
http://www.tractorhouse.com/listings...RE&mdltxt=1050
You probably can find out what yer looking for and about how much you want to spend. For cutting grass with a finish mower, you don't need any kind of major tractor. Even a Ford 8N would do that....but it isn't a diesel. Parts and expense of maintenance has always been the deciding factor for me in choosing a tractor. I never buy new and most of the name brands like JD, Ford, International, etc. unless they have just been abused, are pretty bulletproof. I'm not a fan of any of the foreign makes like the Kabota. I had one, I won't have another one. Replacement parts prices makes Toyota parts look cheap.
Hope ya find what yer looking for. If your like me, you'll buy it and drive it until it needs rebuilding. Then you'll rebuild it and buy another one so the rebuilt doesn't get scratched up. At least that's the way it works around here.

 

Good thing he is not going to tow it then!

My comment was on the 5.4 that I have and I thought he had! But I still stand by it!

 

Here you go, It is an 8N with a v8. Throw a plow on fron of that baby, and you've got the best of both worlds.



Oh! you need to add a cab also.

 

John Deere's are overpriced. They're made in India just like most other tractors. If price wasn't an option, and someone said pick any tractor it would probably be something like a JD 5325 for me, but I know someone with a JD 5320 which is only a few years old, and he just recently had to get a new motor put in it I believe. I can't remember exactly what it was, but it was a major mechanical failer in a pretty new tractor.

My dads does a lot of hay farming, and has a couple of Farm Tracs which are just older late 90's style Ford/New Hollands. I like the 90's models of smaller Ford/New Holland tractors like a 3930.

We use to tow my dads old Ford 861 with his 4.6 97 F150 quite frequently. You could defanently feel it back there, but it seemed to tow it alright. He's got a Ram 3500 for all his heavy towing now though.

 

why not get an older tractor like a 35 fergson and put a 3pt hitch mower on it and get a small blade for the back of it. It will be alot cheaper than a new one, it will most likley do everything you need and save you some coin

and ill agree with jroc 100% JD's are overpriced, then again im an IH guy, its what we farm with and some newhollands to but my grandpa likes to redo old tractors and he just did a fergson TO-20 and now we has a Massy fergson 35 delux, he uses a finishing mower on both of them for putting arround the road ditches and lane roads, then he has a small grader blade he uses for the lots.

 

i agree on the tractor

 

I'd go with the tractor definetely. If you plan on mowing with it during the spring or fall I would consider industrial bar tires, (like backhoe or skid steer tires)not ag or turf tires. Be careful with the weight of the tractor if it gets wet on your property, it will be rutted terribly.

If you want my honest opinion on brand, I would definetely steer clear of kubota, far overpriced and underpowered. New holland, deere, or cub cadet yanmar is the way to go. You shouldn't need more than a 35 horse tractor, most won't be turbo diesel, steer clear of woods loaders, but they're finish mowers are great

 

 

My uncle has been purchasing NH's for grading/mowing work and they've been solid little rigs. The one I ran was tad bigger than probably what you're looking for, but I was quite impressed with the newer NH's. Lately over the past two year's he's gotten good deals on Kubotas and hasn't had a problem either for his company. One of the Kubotas is the largest tractor model they make and it's been running the hay mulcher which can chew up large round bales. It takes a little longer than the big white 30 yr old case that was twice it's size, but gets the job done.