Yes he did! Very practical information. Lots to chew on.
I don't seem to have any allergies at my Florida house in Jupiter Farms about 11 miles West of the shoreline (clean air). I've not had any issues with TN in the past, but have not lived there.
Need HD mower or tractor recommendation for 20ac
- Thread starter Cujet
- Start date
Crashz
A cab tractor with AC and Heat is on my bucket list. As you mention, the positives of cab pressurization works excellent to keep the dust and chaff out. They are nice to stay comfortable temperature wise, minimize the sun rays with a roof and tinted windows, keep the dust and pollen out, and if you hit the bees/hornets/yellow jacket nests it is nice to see them outside trying to get to you.
We need to work Cujet into a cab tractor slowly as he is just getting warmed up for his first open station tractor
I am sure if Cujet had a cab tractor with AC/heat (and a nice stereo music) he would never get to use the tractor as his wife would take care of all the mowing work and trail maintenance.
My personal plan that I am working on now is to get my lovely wife a compact cab tractor for our next anniversary. I have a generous nature and enjoy getting her gifts that I can use. Note - her current tractor (from memory was a 2010 anniversary gift to her). My kids still occasionally ask their Mother if she has used her tractor recently. It usually still cost me additional as she reminds me it really is not for her and she will pick something out herself.
Just an update. Got the GT235 mower up to TN after repairing the mower deck. Yikes, that did not go well at all. The yard is not smooth, full of stumps, roots, cut branches (which jam up the mower) and rocks. I broke the anti scalp wheel and bracket right off on a hard hit. Came back with a bunch of cracks in the deck mounts. The 18HP was enough to mow the tall grass, that's the only good thing. Took about 8 hours to mow it all, over two days. Mostly because I had to go slow.
I'm going to use bright paint to mark the hazards..
Took a day to weld, straighten and repair the deck after the TN mow... It may last a few mow sessions if I can manage to avoid rocks n stumps. But it is time for topsoil and a grader.
Mowed the woods around the house perimeter to keep ticks/chiggers down.
I'm going to use bright paint to mark the hazards..
Took a day to weld, straighten and repair the deck after the TN mow... It may last a few mow sessions if I can manage to avoid rocks n stumps. But it is time for topsoil and a grader.
Mowed the woods around the house perimeter to keep ticks/chiggers down.
Just an update on on my GT235, I was finally able to upgrade to Field Assignment or Extra Off Road duty package. I replaced the 'under-sized' 23" & 16" tires with 26" & 18". The rears are now RADIAL tires and it does make a significant difference in ride quality but would probably feel better with more weight on them.
Beautiful property, but definitely illustrates the need for a larger machine. As good as a machine that GT235 is, that is pretty rough and will destroy it pretty quickly. You need something with a brush hog and with more ground clearance. Your body will thank you as I imagine that 8 hours was a rough ride.
Nice!! I prob should do the same for my GT235. My tires are really dry rotted. It would be nice to have larger tires and run lower pressure. I think 10PSI is about the max for a reasonable ride.
I put ATV tires in the back of my rider. I don't have a manicured lawn and need the traction on parts of my property. The difference these made over turf tires was pretty amazing.
I was running 5 & 8 psi in the old tires but it was a rough ride and traction was still terrible. I'm now at 4 & 6 and can probably go less in the rear, I'm still playing around with it. You definitely want to look for radial if you can find them.
New quality rubber = better traction & ride
Radial = better traction & ride
Larger diameter = better traction & ride, higher top speed
There are a few rubbing issues that I'm working on so it's not all gravey. Will carry these tires forward if I find a machine to upgrade to.
I also have 20 acres, the obstacles here are numerous limestone rocks hidden in the grass, and cactus. Our X354 barely has 50 hours on it, and spends most of the time needing repairs from rock hits, either a bent blade or shredded belt, the last repair needed a new spindle.
I guess the main advice here is to plan for the same thing, pre purchase some replacement parts unless you can tolerate some downtime.
I also own a BX2350 and 1025R (separate properties), getting one is really essential, it will pay for itself quickly plus the enjoyment is priceless. I have dug water lines, culverts, built a pole barn, land and trail clearance, bulk brush burning, the list goes on. If you do go that route, consider Hydrosplus upgrades, it turns these tractors into monsters.
good luck with the property.
Congrats on the new place. I have lots of relatives in Tennessee.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.
