ernie,
You have a lot of options so don't get discouraged - this is a hard choice. Your hardest chore is snow, even though cutting grass is probably the most often chore. You will need to size properly for the snow or you'll be doing this again in a few years. If you are happy with mulching, you don't need a bagger. Get a pull behind sweeper for a lot less money for the times you want a more manicured look or for cleanup. You owe it to yourself to look at a Bercomac snow thrower instead of limiting yourself to OE. What other chores are you planning? Do you plan to garden/landscape? Need a tiller or a loader? What are your storage plans? For minimum dollars, you could get by very well with JD 100 series (or equivalent) and a walk behind snow blower. That would give you several years of experience to figure out what your wants/needs are on several acres. A big yard can get expensive if you want to do everything at once. If you need more tractor then look for a good used GT down the road. If your not looking for one a deal usually falls in your lap. I'd suggest to you that the large yard tractor (X300 type) is not your best choice. If you want one now, I'd recommend either a X500 class or Simplicity, but they will be considerably more $.

At $6K, you're flirting with 'diesel money' which is what I would want anyway for the chores you have on your list

I got lucky and found me a VERY low hours Kubota diesel with a 54 inch deck for $4500. Added on a $500 hydraulic 3 point hitch so I can use a grader blade and other implements - It already had hydraulics to lift the deck and a front PTO to run a snowblower

Compare whatever else you're looking at with the Kubota link below - I found mine through eBay and I've seen several other machines just like mine sell there for around $5K, many with a couple hundred hours or less . . . . mine was 3 years old, but had just 35 hours on it

Don

Here is a link that might be useful: Kubota G2160

evilernie- I have about 2 acres with many trees and a long driveway also. First I would like to suggest you get a gas snow thrower rather then an attachment. Probably less expensive and easier. I have a Husqvarna lawn tractor,mulch blades, and a cart. I can mulch,haul mulch ,firewood, and I purchased it from a dealer in Carroll County who set it up and delivered it free. If you live in this area,please respond and I will give you the name. I would like to suggest to you that you sit on and try several tractors,then make your choice. Most tractors in the $2000-2500.00 are very good if maintained even though you will here from many that one is better then the other. I have 2 tractors, a Gravely and Husq, and owned a Simplicity. All are or were good. doc Rx

evilernie,
Does your name imply that you are going to jump your new tractor over rows of box store tractors? :^)
With 2 acres are you going to till, landscape, plow? If the snow where you are is heavy would you be better with a snow plow? It sounds like you may do well with something that has some weight behind it. A used garden tractor (or even a new one) seems a likely choice. If you've been lurking I'm sure you've read about my Craftsman Garden tractor with a Johnny Bucket Jr. on the front and a Johnny plow as well. The plow does well with dirt but of course I have lugs and wheel weights. I suspect for snow chains would be better.

Tractor $2100.00 (with mower deck)
johnny plow + bucket 1400.00 (I think?)
sleave hitch (rear) 150.00
chains, weights 200.00
_________

total 3850.00

If you wanted you could add a snow blower. Happy hunting. If you do decide on a Deere it should give you enough years of service that the cost/yr is minimal. I have mulching blades but if I don't let the grass get too long I don't need them.

evilernie -

What part of MD are you in? This will help determine whether a dedicated blower or a tractor attachment is most appropriate. Also, by "long" concrete driveway - how long? How wide? Is it in an area susceptible to drifting? Cutting grass is easy - it's the other stuff you might want the tractor to do that is harder.

Hey thanks for the replies everyone. Lots to think about.

docrx - I'll be located in Montgomery, very close to Howard county.

I'm not sure how long the driveway is, but it's way too long to shovel that's for sure. I've thought about getting a separate snowblower, but I wasn't sure what would be better, a plow on the tractor or the snowblower. It seemed like a good idea to kill two birds with one stone.

Besides snow, I wasn't planning on doing anything other than mowing/mulching grass and leaves and maybe hauling a cart around. However, since the yard is so large I was thinking that I might start a garden sometime in the future. Probably waaaaayy in the future so that's really not a factor at this time.

Thanks again, not sure what I'm gonna do...

I don't think I can find the words to express how strongly I feel about this:

Buy a Zero Turn Radius Mower!

Six years ago, I bought a 42" tractor for my one acre of grass, and I estimate that I wasted about 300 hours (and $1,000 paying somebody else to mow one year) since then. Three weeks ago I finally accepted that I wasted $1,700 the first time, sold the tractor and bought an Ariens Zoom 2350. I immediately reduced my lawn care time by 60% and expect that to get better as I get used to it, and my lawn looks 100% better on top of that.

The difference between the amount of time it takes on a tractor versus the amount of time it takes on a ZTR is staggering. If most of your two acres is grass with trees, I am absolutely sure you will be looking at the same time difference I saw with my property.

In hindsight, it was a HUGE mistake not to buy a ZTR the first time. I really, really think that you would be much happier if you get the best possible tool for both your lawn and your driveway, and not try to get a one-size fits all solution.

Of course if you follow this advice, (and have I stessed enough that I am positive you will be happier if you do?) you will have a whole bunch more research to do.

I looked at ZTRs in the $3,000 range because I've only got an acre and didn't feel that the I needed to spend the extra cash to get one of the many heavier duty options available for about $1,500 more than that. It seems like the general feeling in this forum is that $3,000 ZTRs are the bottom of the line, and that you should consider a used commercial or a high-end residential option for closer to $5,000.

With two acres, it's probably not a bad idea at all to look at the more expensive machines. I saw a beautiful Gravely ZT 2348 XL in that price range, and I also looked at a Snapper 350Z with a 50" deck that was very nice. I think Snapper's got a $400 rebate on that one right now. People have also recommended the Hustler Fastrak and Country Clipper models here. If you can find dealers in your area, and are lucky enough to find them with anything in stock to look at, you can probably get a good deal at this time of year. (Gravely will have the same twelve months, 0% financing that I got with my Ariens. The others will probably have similar deals, which is a nice bonus on top of end-of-season pricing.)

As for snow, I'm pretty sure that you could pick up a plow for a ZTR for about $500 or less. This would let you deal with all reasonable snowstorms, and then I would just pay somebody to plow your long driveway whenever you get one of those lovely 1 to 2 feet of wet snow Maryland blizzards you get every year. Otherwise, you'll need to shell out a lot of money for a blower that will be big enough to handle your biggest snowstorms, and that will be a complete waste for the vast majority of the snow you get.

Sorry to be so wordy, but I feel kind of strongly about the mistakes I made, and would feel a lot better if I could talk somebody out of making the same ones.

John

Oh, and by the way, if you don't want to spend $5,000, my Ariens 2350 is great. I put it in my shed for $3,200 after taxes. If you find a dealer with one in stock, you should have little difficulty bargaining him down to $3,000 and maybe even lower.

With two acres to mow you should consider a ztr. Deere has an
EZtrak z425 with a 48" cut and commercial type pump and wheel motors for $4000. You'll spend 30% less time mowing grass compared with a tractor, which will take 2 hours.

With 2 acres, forget about bagging. Just set your blades high and mow your leaves into small pieces.

For snow you can get a mid-size 2 stage walk behind snow blower for less than $1000. It will clear your driveway the easy way and save wear and tear on your mower.

So for $5000 problem solved, and all with brand new good
quality stuff.

Well now I have even more to think about...

I figured ZTR's were just too much money and too limited in their usage that I didn't even have them on my radar. Plus I've never used one so they are rather alien to me.

evilernie- just a followup- my driveway is over 200 feet. I use a Husqvarna gas snowblower with electric start. I also have a Husq 2148 yard tractor with trailer that does everything else I need. The total cost was about $2600.00 delivered and set up. I have large oak trees that shed many leaves. I also mulch the leaves with the tractor. no need to rake. Do not confuse yourself. Start off staying basic and then you can always upgrade in a few years if you decide to increase your lawn and landscape activities. Whatever tractor or blower you buy I would stick to dealer rather than a box store unless you are very mechanical. good luck on your choice. Deere,Simplicity,Craftsman,Husq,cub cadet are all good tractors in the $2500 class. It is your choice,the same way you would buy a car.I live near Sykesville off Rt 32 in Carrol Co. doc Rx

If all I had to do was mow, I MIGHT consider a ZTR . . . . but I do so many other things with my tractor that no ZTR could ever touch. This is the first time I've ever heard anyone recommend that you PLOW with a ZTR . . . . don't get a cheap one if you plan to use it like that!

I also question how much time a ZTR might save me. My Kubota mows just as fast as the smoothness of the terrain will allow . . . . up to 9.5 MPH which is about as fast as any ZTR can travel and with the hydro and power steering, my tractor is almost as maneuverable as any ZTR

Dollar for dollar, ZTR's cost more because of the added complexity and the last thing I would want is a cheap ZTR - That could be a maintenance nightmare . . . . but if you can do all your own work and have a good source for parts, it might not be so bad. Don't think I would buy a plow for one though

Don

Don,

I kind of tossed in the plow suggestion as an after thought. I've seen a few machines with the plow option, and I would expect that evilernie would talk to a dealer about the feasiblity of adding a plow to one if he went the ZTR route.

To be fair, I think both my suggestion about getting a ZTR and my suggestion about paying somebody to plow his driveway were based on my analysis that evilernie is in exactly the same spot I was in six years ago. Correct me if I'm wrong evilernie, but it looks like the only thing he really knows he will be doing for sure is mow the big, tree-filled lawn every week, and clear the snow off the driveway a few times each winter.

Assuming that I'm reading that correctly, it is exactly the same scenario I was in when I moved from a home with a smaller yard to one with an acre of grass. I bought a tractor, and while it mowed the lawn just fine, it simply wasn't the best tool for the job. The ZTR mower IS much better suited for mowing 1 or 2 acre lots with lots of obstacles than is a tractor. Even if I had your beautiful $7,000 tractor (and it really is a beautiful tractor, I've seen them up close,) it would still not be the best tool for me. It was a complete waste of money and time to buy the tractor first and upgrade later. As it turned out, all I really wanted to do with my tractor was mow my lawn as quickly as possible.

Based on a few statements evilernie made ("I wasn't planning on doing anything other than mowing/mulching grass and leaves and maybe hauling a cart around. However, since the yard is so large I was thinking that I might start a garden sometime in the future. Probably waaaaayy in the future...") I feel fairly comfortable that evilernie isn't really in the market for a multi-tasker.

If I'm right about that, he also probably doesn't have to worry about maintenance nightmares, since his mower is just going to get 90 minutes of work once a week in the spring and fall and less frequently in the summer. If he buys a decent quality brand and does routine maintenance, I see no reason why he should be overly concerned about frequent breakdowns, even with a ZTR built for home use.

All of this is just my opinion based on my interpretation that evilernie is me five years ago: a guy with big plans for his yard, but will soon find out that all he really wants is the mow the lawn as quickly as possible.

True, True - But a ZTR isn't the be all, end all for every user, so making blanket recommendations based on what we THINK we know is probably not what he's looking for

Unless you already know that you really prefer a ZTR, I wouldn't advise anyone to go buy one before they have some seat time on it, preferably mowing their own yard

Believing a long distance recommendation that ZTR's are better for everyone with a large yard with trees in it and then buying one only to find it's not really the machine for you would be a bigger mistake than buying a decent tractor, which is what he was looking for in the beginning

My neighbor has a ZTR and I wouldn't trade with him . . . . maybe he wouldn't trade with me either, because he's a bit of a ZTR nut, but my wife WILL mow the yard with my machine, while his wife WON'T with his machine, so there are other things to consider too ;-)

Don

Hell, if my wife would mow the lawn, I wouldn't have been so concerned with cutting the time I spend on it by 50%. Hee!

In all seriousness, I always try to offer advice based on my own experience and hope that the person asking the question can figure out whether it applies to his or her situation. In this thread, I got a little worked up because I saw myself in evilernie's question. What you saw as a question about a tractor, (which makes sense, since that IS what he actually asked) I saw as a question about what he should do about his great big new yard. I probably should have changed my wording to say "please consider a ZTR."

Unfortunately all I could do was guess, but based on my own experience, I know that if I had come here to ask the question six years ago, I also would have started by asking what tractor I should get. Looking back at my own experience, I wish somebody had given me the advice to consider getting a ZTR. I may not have gone that route back then, but if I had, it would have saved me a lot of time and money in the long run.

Don says: "Believing a long distance recommendation that ZTR's are better for everyone with a large yard with trees in it and then buying one only to find it's not really the machine for you would be a bigger mistake than buying a decent tractor, which is what he was looking for in the beginning."

Well, I must say that I can't recall anyone on this forum saying that they traded their ZTR in for a LT or GT. They may have both, but man, a ZTR for two acres would seem like the best tool for the job. I knew it would shorten my time out on the lawn but didn't dream by how much when I switched. The other day the wife asked when I was going to start mowing, and she was quite surprised when I said, "I'm done." Don, have you owned a ZTR? I know we all tend to steer people to the choice we've made for ourselves, it kind of helps us justify why we bought the expensive thing in the first place. LOL

Bill

Do not make the same mistake as I did...

If you feel, you will NOT be moving any dirt, get a Garden tractor. I've got a friend that works as a service tech for a Deere dealership and even he says to not get stop on a name if the primary purpose is to cut the grass.

Known you're going to 2 acres, I'm guessing you're going to be moving dirt. That is unless, the landscaping is already done to your satisfaction. With dirt to move, do not get anything that you can't hook a front end loader to. You won't regret it.

I made the mistake of getting a DYT4000 because I only have an acre. It's a fine mower, but I've push it beyond it's limits... Yes it pulls my cart around and other things but it just doesn't have enough you know what. I'm now looking for a SCUT or CUT.

I should have listened to my better half when we she said, "lets go to a tractor store", or when we were at Sears with her saying "Get the biggest thing they sell if we buy here", but I didn't listen. All I thought was shoot, what more do I need other then something that will cut the grass and move some mulch.... I WAS DEAD WRONG and now I'm paying for it.

BTW, she had grown up on a cattle and horse ranch in Texas... Me, I grew up in the Burbs here in MD, 2 different perspectives, and I've now come to realize her's was right. :(

evilernie,
crabjoe has a good point. however I move a lot of dirt with the johnny bucket without the expense of a front end loader. the JBJr is NOT a front end loader but it does a lot of the same jobs. I rarely need anything bigger than a garden tractor and when I do, it's easier to rent, then I don't have to store the tractor for the rest of the time.

I mow two acres with a Z425 and around twelve trees (I even out them there on purpose). I have only 50 hours on the mower all season. So, this thing will last as long as you store it well verses use it.

There is NO WAY a tractor will be as easy to cut grass with than a zero turn. Straight line speed? Well 8MPH is 8MPH but now you have to turn it. I'm not sure I buy the complexity part, either. Hydrostatic transmissions are not that comlicated. Just get a better quality one like anything else. The Z425 uses decent drive components for a residential unit, for instance.

The driveway? So what, get a snow blower or something. I weigh my decision on how often an appliance is used for a task. I just don't see the snow as getting in my way often enough to bias my purchase towards it.

I suppose I could push a plow witht ZT by throwing a weight on the front and chains. But again, it ain't worth my time to do it a few times a year, not in Oxford, OH.

jtmacc- I live in the greater Sykesville area of Carroll County. I mow and maintain about 2 acres with many trees. I have a GT Husqvarna which has worked fine for me and suits my needs.. I suggest you try or sit on some tractors before you make a decision. With my GT,I can haul firewood,mulch,etc. I do not need ground engaging equipment but I can also pull an aerator and seeder. I mulch the leaves( 13 large oaks ). Unless you have a large woods where u can dump the leaves,etc-- mulch. My driveway is over 100' ft. I purchased a 5hp snowthrower which has worked great for me and for where u live,it should be more than adequate. Since I am not fully mechanically inclined,I purchased my tractor from a local dealer. There are several good dealers the this area that sell CC,JD,Husq and simplicity. -All are good. I purchased the Husq because of it's comfort for me and good dealer service. If you have any questions,respond to this email. good luck. Better hurray for that snowblower. Looks like we may get some this weekend.

If your not opposed to a road trip, I would highly recommend this 2006 Simplicity Conquest with 42" Snowblower. It is everything you need, and as of this posting, it is still at 0 bids and $2500. It would be a heck of a deal if you can get it for under $3000.

Here is a link that might be useful: Simplicity Conquest