Im kinda in the same position as you, and want to do roughly what you are trying to do. But admittedly - I'm tight on cash and big on dreams.

please see postings:
- ingersoll tractors ... pretty cool tranny setup
- Case 44x & Onan Engines - user feedback

I have set my sights on a used case 444/446 unit which have a lot of optional equipment to get the tougher jobs done. Seemingly a 444/446 tractor with a hydraulic PTO & attachments which can deal with a fair amount of hard work - but can still mow the lawn nicely.

these are particularly expensive tractors when new (aprx $8-10k) but used ones along with a nice batch of attachments shouldn't be toooooo outrageous.

Ive been thinking I can get by with a blade for moving incoming truckloads of clean fill. I dont need any backhoe / front end loader attachments (yet). But I have seen a few machines posted which had them.

You can get an idea what this machine looks like at: http://www.ingersolltractors.com/images/4000%20series%20specs.pdf

Good luck to you - Im curious to know what you decide on.

-Dave

Emily,

You are thinking in a good direction.

You probably could do very well with a Garden Tractor with a bucket loader. More affordable would be a GT with a Johnny Bucket.

You also may want a dozer/snow blade and/or a rear grader blade. These can be bought used.

I don't know if you and your husband are good at fixing and maintaining equipment, but if so you might look at used older model GT with a Johnny Bucket. You will probably find you will have to buy the Johnny bucket new.

I am partial to Wheel Horse. You could get a WH in the 12-16 HP range. Some, but not all, of the Hydro models would be fine as would any of the uni-drive manual transmissions.

Best of luck

I'm guessing your budget for a New Tractor is say $3,500
New since you say Budget. I would look at a Craftsman GT or a Husqvarna GT Both will take a Johnny Bucket and this Year the Craftsman scoop has electric lift as well. and even a Cub Cadet 2542 or a JDX300 series with a slip bucket Or Your could go the used route in which I would recommed.

Used John Deere
318 can be had for $1,500
425 can be had from $3,000 to $4,000
200 series Can be had from $800 to $4,000
300 after 1992&GX300 anywhere from $3,000 to $5,500

Used Cub Cadet
3000 series can be had for under $3,000
2500 series $2,000 to $2,500
2000 series $1,500 to $2,200
Any older IH made Cub cadet between $600.00 to $1,200

Used Simplicity
Conquest $2,500 to $5,000
Sovereign $1,500 to $3,000
Landlord $1,500 to $3,000

Used Toro/Wheel horse
Classic 300,400,500 $1,500 to $3,500
265 $1,500 to $3,000
400XT series $2,500 to $4,500
5xi Series $2,500 to $5,000

Used Kubota
G1800 $2,500 to $4,000
G1900$2,500 to $4,500

Used Case/Ingersoll
200 Series $1,000 to $2,500
3000 series $2,00 to $5,000
Those are just a few Good used Brands that I would recommend. Most will take a Johnny Bucket slip bucket. Pesonally I'm a Deere(3) and Cub Cadet(5) man But I do also own a (1) Ingersoll, (2) Simplicity's and a (1) White. Hope this give you somewhat of a Idea what to look for. But I think a GT would be your best bet.

Here is a link that might be useful: Manufacturers links

Wow, thanks for the replies! That's almost too many options, don't know how I'll narrow it down. So can I gather from all this that anything classified as a garden tractor from these brands, more or less regardless of horsepower and other specifications, will be able to do the majority of what we need it to do?

And just to clarify what I should be expecting, what kinds of tasks won't I be able to use a more basic garden tractor for? What am I theorectically giving up, for example, by getting an x300 series with a tractor shovel rather than an x700 with a loader? (Theoretically, because there's no way I could afford the x700 anyway, just trying to get an idea.) What kind of tasks are we likely to still need to rent a dingo-type device for?

Thanks again for all your help!

~Emily

Perhaps you should sit down and think about your plans for this property. Here are some questions to ask yourself.

1. Will we be doing all this work in one year or will this be stretched out over several years?

2. Once all of the landscaping work has been completed, what tasks do we expect our tractor to perform every year from that point on?

3. What sort of access do we currently have to our backyard and will that change as the landscaping work comes to completion?

If you hired a Pro landscaper to perform this work, he would stake out the various areas, shoot grades and then bring in either a small, tracked excavator or skid-steer loader to quickly take care of all the initial dirt work. Any excess fill would be removed from the property immediately and trucked away unless it could be placed in a low spot or used to create a berm.

Once the heavy work was done, then he'd use the same skid steer to bring in top soil, stone and any other materials that were labour intensive to move by hand. Hopefully, he could place those materials immmediately but if they were placed next to the area in a pile, then shifting them with a shovel and wheelbarrow would be simple.

All of this work could likely be carried out with a single weekend rental of a medium size skid-steer loader and there would be no need to agonize over what tractor with a Johnny Bucket would be best. If your husband does not feel confident that he could operate a skid-steer proficiently, then hire someone. An experienced operator can dig out, carry away spoil and shift tons of new material so fast you'll be amazed.

Even if this process was to drag into a second year, all of the above could be done this year. Piles of dirt and stone don't go bad. At least all of that stuff would be sitting right there waiting for the weather to break and your ambition to return.

Pretty much any entry-level Lawn Tractor (LT) is adequate to cut the grass, blow some snow and pull a garden cart around a property that is 2 acres in size or less. If you foresee doing more than those tasks once the landscaping has been completed, then perhaps a true garden tractor is what you need, but I don't think that it should be predicated on these short-term projects.