Need HD mower or tractor recommendation for 20ac

[JavierH19]

I have a cheap residential gravley zt2350 50" from 2006 and I use that on my small farm to cut tall grass, pond reeds where i won't get stuck, a lot of sticks to small parts of tree branches, and a good bit of rocks and the old cheap thing just keeps going and going. Many think you have to buy one of those 7k+ machines for what I put mine through but it's on the original engine and I've replaced the seals in the hydrostats only once recently. It's a simple thing just a hydraulic motor and pump many think they're hard to work on but they're not. I don't baby it i have it at full throttle all the time. I'd suggest buying a decent 3k zero turn and using it until it fails then buying another one.

Looking up basic 50" zero turn prices has me shocked they're almost double but that's par for the course in 2026. If I was buying a new one today it'd most likely be these.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Troy-Bi...-Turn-Riding-Lawn-Mower-Mustang-Z50/338203266

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Cub-Cad...urn-Riding-Lawn-Mower-Ultima-Z2-54P/337657104

 

[TnT_M]

I had 26 acres out in the country and bought a JD4310 tractor with front-end loader, brush-hog, and box blade. Each were super easy to disconnect/connect. My place didn't have a need for a mower, but you just drive over it, make the connections, and go. Once you have a front-end loader like what @IndyIan showed on the Kubota, you'll be spoiled for life. For pristine lawns, you'd want turf tires.

View attachment 339237

I second the compact utility tractor or CUT as they are usually refered to. I prefer JD since service parts will be a non issue. I agree with a loader bucket and probably a box blade and brush cutter. I would scope out FB Marketplace to see what you can find.

 

[Cujet]

What I don't want is a struggle with inadequate toys.

 

[Cruisin'n5thgear]

I'd go with a 1 or 2 series JD or similar Kubota, Mahindra, etc. The 1 series are glorified garden tractors, so I would consider going 2 series. Congrats on a beautiful property!

If you don't want to do loader or 3 point work, I'd go with a x500 or x700. Pretty sure you'll want to upgrade eventually, though. It's the natural progression in ownership of acreage.

 

[4wd]

What I don't want is a struggle with inadequate toys.

I have often used the fish n ski boat as an analogy - they were once hugely popular - but not being really good at either - they have thinned. With the home and yard as the nucleus - a decent ZT will do allot … Once you expand the radius - a small tractor with tools can remove, level, and wheel stomp some trails that the ZT can then maintain - expand as you go …

 

[walterjay]

What I don't want is a struggle with inadequate toys.

I agree. Buy slightly more than you think you will need. You won't be sorry.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

Here is my equipment assessment, based on owning 2 acre, ten acre and 20 acre properties in two different locations in Kansas.

2-4 acres get mowed with 1997JD 325 48” deck, a 2016 X300 48” deck and wife’s 2021 JD X380 42” mower. X380 was used for two ditches we had to mow on two sides of one property.

The 325 is showing its age and the deck is nearly toast after all these years. . Previously owned Husqvarna garden tractors and these mowers were toast after five to seven years, one engine and one transmission problems causing them to be disposed of and not repaired. We have a lot of trees to mow around so I preferred 48-42” garden tractors. Neighbors were split between garden tractors and zero turns.

For the larger acreage, a 30HP 4WD with LandPride and Bush Hog rotary mowers as well as finish mower I did not use much. If I used the finish mower on the smaller properties, I had to go back and trim with one of the JD’s also.

BIL had a New Holland 30 HP with a belly mower that did well on his ten acres.

A FEL has come in handy for post hole drilling, doing all sorts of pasture maintenance and other general maintenance work. We have gravel driveways so an appropriately sized box blade has done well.

If you intend to do trail maintenance make sure what you buy fits on the trails. As we cordoned off more pastures with fencing, we started using the garden tractors for cutting maintenance rather than the larger compact tractor with Bush Hog.

Consider how much fencing you are going to have to deal with. We had to fence ll 20 acres, plus cordon off paddock and pastures for for the horses.

Make sure you have good dealers. I have the good fortune to have a good JD dealership as well as a good Kioti dealer to deal with my issues. Kioti dealer has more issues with obtaining parts than does the JD dealer.

Other people I know have had good experiences with Kubota dealers locally also. They all have been in business for over 30 years.

Some quick thoughts, so best of luck as you evaluate your needs.

 

[spasm3]

Here is my equipment assessment, based on owning 2 acre, ten acre and 20 acre properties in two different locations in Kansas.

2-4 acres get mowed with 1997JD 325 48” deck, a 2016 X300 48” deck and wife’s 2021 JD X380 42” mower. X380 was used for two ditches we had to mow on two sides of one property.

The 325 is showing its age and the deck is nearly toast after all these years. . Previously owned Husqvarna garden tractors and these mowers were toast after five to seven years, one engine and one transmission problems causing them to be disposed of and not repaired. We have a lot of trees to mow around so I preferred 48-42” garden tractors. Neighbors were split between garden tractors and zero turns.

For the larger acreage, a 30HP 4WD with LandPride and Bush Hog rotary mowers as well as finish mower I did not use much. If I used the finish mower on the smaller properties, I had to go back and trim with one of the JD’s also.

BIL had a New Holland 30 HP with a belly mower that did well on his ten acres.

A FEL has come in handy for post hole drilling, doing all sorts of pasture maintenance and other general maintenance work. We have gravel driveways so an appropriately sized box blade has done well.

If you intend to do trail maintenance make sure what you buy fits on the trails. As we cordoned off more pastures with fencing, we started using the garden tractors for cutting maintenance rather than the larger compact tractor with Bush Hog.

Consider how much fencing you are going to have to deal with. We had to fence ll 20 acres, plus cordon off paddock and pastures for for the horses.

Make sure you have good dealers. I have the good fortune to have a good JD dealership as well as a good Kioti dealer to deal with my issues. Kioti dealer has more issues with obtaining parts than does the JD dealer.

Other people I know have had good experiences with Kubota dealers locally also. They all have been in business for over 30 years.

Some quick thoughts, so best of luck as you evaluate your needs.

Your recommendation sounds really good for his pictures. I would add maybe a bucket for the front end to pick up limbs and logs from tree maintenance.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

Your recommendation sounds really good for his pictures. I would add maybe a bucket for the front end to pick up limbs and logs from tree maintenance.

Yes, that is why I included front end loader. It did well on the properties as we at one time had forty trees to maintain over 25 yrs on two acres. Previous owner went crazy planting trees on a previous farm pasture area.

My ag tractor for the horse acreage and the 30 HP tractor both had front end loaders and they got used for all kinds of chores. The 30 HP Kioti cleared snow from my long concrete driveway easily and we had a back blade for the ag tractor on the gravel roads. Sometimes the front end loader skimming slightly above the gravel work just as well as the back blade.

 

[martinq]

I'd go with a 1 or 2 series JD or similar Kubota, Mahindra, etc. The 1 series are glorified garden tractors, so I would consider going 2 series. Congrats on a beautiful property!

If you don't want to do loader or 3 point work, I'd go with a x500 or x700. Pretty sure you'll want to upgrade eventually, though. It's the natural progression in ownership of acreage.

FYI, the x500 series is roughly equivalent to the old GT 235 series and the following GX 300 series. A proper upgrade in capabilities is the x700 series.

 

[Creekside]

1025r or 2025r John Deere will do exactly what you want(the model numbers have changed if buying new but tractors are essentially the same). The 2025 is the same horsepower on a larger frame. Sit on both and pick the one that fits you best.

 

[jeepman3071]

What I don't want is a struggle with inadequate toys.

I'd be looking for a Kubota BX series tractor. You can get a 54 or 60" mower deck, plenty of 3 point brush cutting and heavy duty mowing attachments, and a loader/backhoe, etc. They are also very comfortable to use and have good resale value down the road.

 

[IndyIan]

What I don't want is a struggle with inadequate toys.

Getting a bigger tractor isn't a bad idea, unless you want to build narrower trails in the woods.
I ended up with a 2011 Kioti DK40SE with a HST. 2 tons alone, plus 1000lbs of loader, and maybe 800lbs of liquid in the rear tires. It is 6' wide and fairly long with the loader and bucket of the front, and something on the back. If I'm mowing trails I will take the 6' wide bucket off the front which makes it easier to drive around trees.
I've got a HD box blade that I used to maintain the driveway, and move dirt around, and its a good counter weight to use more of the loader capacity. I wanted a loader that could handle hay bales up to 1500lbs. We have lots of open areas, all moderately sloped, so it works well there, but to go into the woods, it needs a wide swath cleared, where I can snake through with the 4' wide atv pretty easily.

If your place is mostly forest then something a bit smaller would be better in there, but I would still get a heavy tractor for its size so it can still do driveway maintenance and move some dirt with a box blade.

I made a 160'x40' pad on a decent slope for my hoop barn, 100's of yards of dirt moved cutting from the high ground to the low side, then cut a road/swale above it all to keep it dry. It was maybe 30 hours whenever I felt like doing it, and maybe $2-300 in fuel?

Found this rock near the end, but hooked it out with the box blade. Tractors are made to pull so its nice to use the box blade for bigger projects.
Anyways, I could've hired it out for $3-4-5k? But this was relatively easy work for the tractor pulling downhill for most of it, and its the adult version of playing in the sandbox. Depends on what you want to do with your time.

And it can save you some time, this was a Manitoba maple in an inconvenient location in a field, so I cut the roots on 3 sides, pushed it over, scooped it, stuffed the whole tree into a out of the way spot, and put some dirt and a chunk of sod in the hole, all in a couple minutes.

 

[burbguy82]

You've got some slopes I assume? I do and I've never regretted getting a "big" compact utility tractor with Ag tires set out wide as the odd time you do find yourself pointed across the hill or going straight up something quite steep and glad the Ag tires bite in well! Now they have some decent R14 all-purpose tires with a bit of width for less ground compaction, but also some angled tread to work Ok in mud. I do regret not setting up our yard so I could mow it with a 7'+ wide finish mower for it, so I have a bit of an obstacle course to do with 46" riding mower.

I might reconsider what you would do for some landscaping with a small backhoe? Something like a Kubota B3200 with a belly mower and a backhoe is good swissarmy knife. I don't know how easily the mower comes off for getting into the really rough terrain, but I guess with the backhoe you can make smooth trails where you want them!
Keep your lawn tractor for the area right around the house and your fire pit, and then do everything else with something like this.





Or if you don't mind switching out the backhoe for a 3pt brush hog or flail mower, then go even bigger, although I would keep with a HST. You can get a up to 40-60hp 4000-4500lb bare tractor with a HST.
I guess it depends on your budget. Tractorbynet.com has got 1000's of pages on which tractor to get for what jobs/land/budget. I do know a bigger zero turn mower, doesn't do well in rough terrain, or mud!
Hiring a guy with a piece of equipment is probably closer to $2k per day, than $1k, and playing in the "sandbox" is fun with diesel and hydraulics, but if you want to minimize your time spent working on the land, then hiring is certainly better for that.

buy once cry once......

 

[Cujet]

Getting a bigger tractor isn't a bad idea, unless you want to build narrower trails in the woods.
I ended up with a 2011 Kioti DK40SE with a HST. 2 tons alone, plus 1000lbs of loader, and maybe 800lbs of liquid in the rear tires. It is 6' wide and fairly long with the loader and bucket of the front, and something on the back. If I'm mowing trails I will take the 6' wide bucket off the front which makes it easier to drive around trees.
I've got a HD box blade that I used to maintain the driveway, and move dirt around, and its a good counter weight to use more of the loader capacity. I wanted a loader that could handle hay bales up to 1500lbs. We have lots of open areas, all moderately sloped, so it works well there, but to go into the woods, it needs a wide swath cleared, where I can snake through with the 4' wide atv pretty easily.

If your place is mostly forest then something a bit smaller would be better in there, but I would still get a heavy tractor for its size so it can still do driveway maintenance and move some dirt with a box blade.

I made a 160'x40' pad on a decent slope for my hoop barn, 100's of yards of dirt moved cutting from the high ground to the low side, then cut a road/swale above it all to keep it dry. It was maybe 30 hours whenever I felt like doing it, and maybe $2-300 in fuel?

View attachment 339425
View attachment 339426
Found this rock near the end, but hooked it out with the box blade. Tractors are made to pull so its nice to use the box blade for bigger projects.
Anyways, I could've hired it out for $3-4-5k? But this was relatively easy work for the tractor pulling downhill for most of it, and its the adult version of playing in the sandbox. Depends on what you want to do with your time.
View attachment 339428
And it can save you some time, this was a Manitoba maple in an inconvenient location in a field, so I cut the roots on 3 sides, pushed it over, scooped it, stuffed the whole tree into a out of the way spot, and put some dirt and a chunk of sod in the hole, all in a couple minutes.

I’m planning on an 2 car garage and office addition to the house right away. Maybe 45x35 feet. So placing fill for the slab is something that kind of equipment could do. And I need to remove dirt from around my 30x50 shop so the water is well managed. The dummies that put the shop here had water running down the hill right on to the slab. I dug out the edge with a shovel. Ugh.

This property is really rugged to the North and has jeep trails.that need clearing. I could hire all of it out, but that’s no fun. I will probably need to get a good sized excavator in to deal with the 2-3 foot maple stumps. There are some where I want the addition.

There is a cool tiny spring fed lake that needs rework. It has a rock dam that needs to be removed, a drain emplaced and then concrete seal applied. About 20x30 when full. It’s got a rock ridge all around it and would be spectacular if pressure washed and cleaned up. Like a crystal clear flowing lake

 

[IndyIan]

Soun

I’m planning on an 2 car garage and office addition to the house right away. Maybe 45x35 feet. So placing fill for the slab is something that kind of equipment could do. And I need to remove dirt from around my 30x50 shop so the water is well managed. The dummies that put the shop here had water running down the hill right on to the slab. I dug out the edge with a shovel. Ugh.

This property is really rugged to the North and has jeep trails.that need clearing. I could hire all of it out, but that’s no fun. I will probably need to get a good sized excavator in to deal with the 2-3 foot maple stumps. There are some where I want the addition.

There is a cool tiny spring fed lake that needs rework. It has a rock dam that needs to be removed, a drain emplaced and then concrete seal applied. About 20x30 when full. It’s got a rock ridge all around it and would be spectacular if pressure washed and cleaned up. Like a crystal clear flowing lakeView attachment 339462

Sounds like great piece of land, and you've got some projects to work on too.

 

[Slick]

Need HD mower or tractor that can double as a modest brush hog for TN acreage.

I have an older 18HP GT235 John Deere garden tractor which has been epic good. I use it to maintain my semi rural and rather rough FL acreage.

My new TN place is 20 acres and has abundant trails/roads and worthwhile areas between the maple trees that need to be kept clear. Plus about 4 acres of lawn. In the next few weeks I will fence in the lawn/house area to keep the puppy safe and have a nice yard. The property is relatively flat near the house, but rugged elsewhere. I want to keep it from being massively overgrown.

The GT235 is really too small for this. Do I want a rough n tough zero turn, or a better tractor? Maybe one of the 4wd JD versions? Thoughts and suggestions please! I'll get the pro's in to do the backhoe work. I'm not looking to do that with my equipment.

Elevation is about 2100 feet, and there are often clouds in the valley below.

Cujet

Congratulations on the Tennessee 20 acres. It looks very nice and sure you will make it even better. Sitting in a easy chare looking at the clouds in the valley is sweet. Tennessee and Texas are my two favorite state and I have property in both.

My first suggestion is to understand the future mowing and additional work (possible front end loader and box blade work) you will progress to. Likely you will take some time to understand the best fit for you. Currently I have a 60 inch commercial ZTR and a Kioti CK27 (4wd tractor with front end loader and many rear 3 point attachments).

The 4 acres you have; are you planning to keep it as a residential yard or a country yard? The answer makes a lot of difference. If all 4 acres are weekly mow (since it is flat) and if smooth, then a 72 inch commercial ZTR (fast and great cut quality but remember forward speed can be limited if turf is rough unless you and your equipment like being beat up) My guess over time you might choose to keep an acre up by the house as a fine lawn and put the balance in a country lawn that can be mowed by a tractor with a rear 3 point finish mower or a even a rear rough cut Rotary Cutter (often called Bush Hogs) or what I use is a Flail Mower that can mow rough fields but also has a decent cut quality for a country lawn.

I think it will take you some time to understand how much and what cut quality you want. With 20 acres and 4 acres lawn you can make that call over time. The nice thing with a tractor and (I like Flail rear 3 point mower is it can do rough overgrown areas and do a respectable cut for a country lawn.)

Enjoy the new place. It looks very nice. Make sure the puppy is keeping up on the monthly tick pills.

Best regards

 

[Cujet]

The lawn is simply going to be cut short to keep bugs/ticks down as a place for the dog and view. I'll keep the yard maintained free of debris. Not to have something perfect. It's rough n bumpy now, and a box blade is going to be required to smooth it out. Mowing it with my commercial push mower was quite an experience.

 

[Slick]

The lawn is simply going to be cut short to keep bugs/ticks down as a place for the dog and view. I'll keep the yard maintained free of debris. Not to have something perfect. It's rough n bumpy now, and a box blade is going to be required to smooth it out. Mowing it with my commercial push mower was quite an experience.

Any chance you could use your existing JD GT235 riding mower to keep the 4 acres of grass cut in the early stages to give you more time to determine what larger future equipment would be your best fit? I have mowed some church yards over the years with that size riding mowers with 18 HP without issue. Just more time. ( I would not like doing 4 acres with a self propelled walk behind mower. It can be done and used to do it as a kid and you adult when the parents had free labor It built patience and character for sure.)

I am thinking the current rider could do the job now and as time progresses you can make a better call on what larger equipment to add.

My thought is if you are going be smoothing the 4 acres later, a slightly larger compact tractor would be more in line than a sub-compact tractor. I like the sub-compact tractors but they usually only run 3.5 or 4 foot wide 3 point equipment (except belly mowers some higher HP sub-compacts can run 60 inch wide mowers well). The other concern I see if using the sub-compact tractors on rougher sections of your 20 acres is they lack ground clearance. The slightly larger compact tractors with FEL are in the 5 to 6 foot range for rear 3 point equipment. Work goes faster. The other consideration when using ground engaging accessories is tractor weight is a big factor. Mowing only lighter weight is better for less ground compacting and damage. - earth moving with 3 point and FEL you need some tractor weight for traction. Can alway load tires with ballast.

 

[Cujet]

Yes the GT235 will get pressed into mowing duty here pretty quickly. However I know it's only twice as fast as my commercial push mower. So we are still looking at hours of mowing with its 42 inch deck.

On marketplace there is a Deere 1025 with small backhoe, loader and 60in mower deck. That really seems about right. Add in a box blade and I'll be able to move gravel to improve the trails here (I want to be able to drive to the lake in my pickup) pick up logs/firewood and move modest sized rocks.

Thoughts?

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