My 2nd Tractor: B5100 4wd or Used Lawn Tractor?

[kchampagne]

Hey all! So I recently bought a used B2630 for work around a 5 acre horse property. The B2630 has been awesome! I have about 2 flat acres to mow, the rest is pasture. I have been researching belly and rear finish mowers for the B2630, but they are pretty darn expensive and hard to find used. So I got to thinking about just buying a used lawn tractor (Cub Cadet, John Deere) for "mowing only" for around $800 - $1,000, During my search, I came across a Kubota B5100 4WD diesel tractor with a front blade and rear Kubota finishing mower with 560 hrs. They are asking $3,500 for the B5100 and attachments. I haven't seen it yet (about 4 hour drive from where I live) but wanted to get your thoughts on which would be best for my mowing situation. If I decide on the B5100, I'd like to negotiate a price before spending the time and resources to go look at it and pick it up. Maybe shoot for $2,800? I think the B5100 with rear mower would work great. I just can't decide if it would be worth the extra money. Plus, I feel like I would be cheating on my B2630 Any input would be much appreciated!!

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Have you looked on Craigslist or other places online and see if you can find a used rear finish mower for just a few hundred bucks? I see them quite often in my area for 400-500 bucks.

 

[tmessenger]

My mowing situation requires a belly mower a rear mount is good if you are just mowing open areas but if you have to go around stuff then a belly mower is much easier to use.

Nothing wrong with a lawn tractor for just mowing if you can fine a diesel all the better, gas lawn tractors are thirsty.

 

[kchampagne]

Thanks! My property is pretty open and flat, so I could probably get by with a rear finish mower. There are quite a few brush hogs available on craigslist in my area, but no finishing or flail mowers. I also have to consider safety around the house, horses, and kids. I'd love to have a small diesel for just mowing. Still deciding....

 

[hodge]

Thanks! My property is pretty open and flat, so I could probably get by with a rear finish mower. There are quite a few brush hogs available on craigslist in my area, but no finishing or flail mowers. I also have to consider safety around the house, horses, and kids. I'd love to have a small diesel for just mowing. Still deciding....

I mow with a rear finish mower, and it does fine. I used to mow with a rider, and I don't regret going to the finish mower.
I'm sure that there are lots of opinions, and you will need to decide for yourself. I would love to have another tractor to mess with, but I think I would rather put the money into a finish mower, use the tractor that I have, and use the rest that I would have spent on the B5100 for other implements. The 5100 is low on horsepower, so your 2630 will power a mower much better. You can also use a bigger finish mower behind the 2630, saving you time. And, because 1) you are considering spending money on the 5100 and 2) you will get many years of service out of a good finish mower, I would consider buying a new one. You will spend less than the cost of the 5100, have a new mower, and keep life simpler. That is how I would process the decision.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Honestly if it were me I'd spend the $3,500 on a flail mower to keep things cut with rather then another tractor. As you stated safety is top priority an when having kids and large animals near by safety and well being have no price tags if you ask me. Even with a side or rear discharge finishing mower I've still managed to kick up crap and send it flying across the yard.

Flail mower works great because you can rough cut like a bush hog and fine cut like a push mower. And nobody gets hurt.

 

[Russell King]

One reason that I got away from a riding mower (Cub Cadet) was that it would only mow at about 3-4 inches maximum height. I wanted to mow the fields higher so that native grasses would grow better. You may want to consider the highest you ever want to mow.

The flail mowers were what I really wanted but they are expensive and no used ones in this area that I could find.

I went with a rear mounted shredder since that is what I knew and had money to buy. Happy so far but it is tough to get real close to fences and into corners.

 

[tmessenger]

Yes I got the 7100 because I can now mow my field with the belly mower up @ 5" and it has 4wd + AG tires so I'll never get stuck. It's also small enough to mow around my house and trees so seems like the perfect combination for my needs.

One reason that I got away from a riding mower (Cub Cadet) was that it would only mow at about 3-4 inches maximum height. I wanted to mow the fields higher so that native grasses would grow better. You may want to consider the highest you ever want to mow.

The flail mowers were what I really wanted but they are expensive and no used ones in this area that I could find.

I went with a rear mounted shredder since that is what I knew and had money to buy. Happy so far but it is tough to get real close to fences and into corners.

 

[kchampagne]

Thanks all!! I ended up finding an almost new (61hrs) Cub Cadet riding mower at an estate sale. Got a sweet deal on it. It should be perfect for cutting my 2 acres. I will continue to use my B2630 for the heavy work!