Question for Landscapers/Farmers/Bored Retirees

[johnnykillz]

Does anyone have an opinion on a cost effective yet functional tractor such as this one (there's actually two) by John Deere?

Side By Side Comparison - X700 and 1 Family JohnDeere.com


We're in the process of building a house and I'm going to need to landscape as well as a few other odd jobs and I wanted an opinion for a good multiuse tractor with a choice of accouterments.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Kingbish01]

I want one now

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Does anyone have an opinion on a cost effective yet functional tractor such as this one (there's actually two) by John Deere?

Side By Side Comparison - X700 and 1 Family JohnDeere.com


We're in the process of building a house and I'm going to need to landscape as well as a few other odd jobs and I wanted an opinion for a good multiuse tractor with a choice of accouterments.

Thanks in advance!

I can only tell you what little I know:

I have never had a problem with a John Deere product. I just had my dad's old 36" Snowblower from the late 70's rebuilt with a new carb put on and that thing still runs like a mo, fo. Had a lawn mower that lasted until the wheels fell apart, too!

Always buy one size up from what you estimate you need, except unless you have less than an acre to mow, and don't have a zero turn radius mower. You didn't give us a size, (acreage).

Tractors really don't have accouterments, they have accessories or options.

Take the purchase price and the maintenence and figure it over the life of the equipment. If you are going to be a gentleman farmer, ignore the following couple of sentences. When I divided things out, I rented heavy equipment for the inital job, and bought specialized smaller pieces of equipment for some of the jobs. For example I bought a small deck mower, self propelled for the lawn, about 8/10 of an acre, with the twists, turns, trees, and garden beds, that is faster than having a rider, and having to mow around the edges by hand.

 

[phgreek]

I purchased a backhoe (cost about 12K for JD 510 C [older] in good shape)...dug foundation, and did the large scale tree removal and earth moving. Sold it, and purchased something smaller with attachments to put finish grade, push gravel around, and maintain roads etc.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I had some serious earth moving to do that contained big, big rocks...seemed like the best approach for expediency and equipment wear...just food for thought...

 

[goldandblue]

John Deere makes a good product. Not as good as the price but good. I would spend a little time researching the market for something more cost effective that will get the job done just as good or better.

I'm a crop farmer as a second occupation here in TN. Tobacco specifically. In my area, If your buying a John Deere it's because you want to buy some expensive A$$ paint.....

With a tractor that size, you won't be able to move jack with the front bucket but the hoe on the rear should be able to do some work assuming that the tractor weighs enough to keep it on the ground.

just my .02

 

[Bogtrotter07]

I purchased a backhoe (cost about 12K for JD 510 C [older] in good shape)...dug foundation, and did the large scale tree removal and earth moving. Sold it, and purchased something smaller with attachments to put finish grade, push gravel around, and maintain roads etc.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I had some serious earth moving to do that contained big, big rocks...seemed like the best approach for expediency and equipment wear...just food for thought...

Either way works I dug to uniform 10' with the shovel I rented, and it cost me $500 for the weekend. In addition I tore up all of the old lanscaping I wanted to remove and dug all my new holes and did everything else I could, including straightening a sunken piece of concrete.

I had a friend who did as you did, purchased, resold and purchased.

Either way works because you can right size that way best for each project! Specificity is king!

 

[scUM Hater]

I would recommend a Bobcat. Plenty of attachments and very powerful.

 

[johnnykillz]

I kinda like the bobcat idea, but I'll need a mower.

The digging is easy topsoil, and I'll only need to dig a footer for a CMU block fence and trenches for a sprinkler system.

Then I'll need a yard tractor with a mowing deck. I don't have a zero turn radius mower. The lot size is just over .5 acres, but the back yard will be nearly 3/10 an acre.

Good questions and suggestions. I would finish up corners with a hand mower for sure.

 

[phgreek]

Either way works I dug to uniform 10' with the shovel I rented, and it cost me $500 for the weekend. In addition I tore up all of the old lanscaping I wanted to remove and dug all my new holes and did everything else I could, including straightening a sunken piece of concrete.

I had a friend who did as you did, purchased, resold and purchased.

Either way works because you can right size that way best for each project! Specificity is king!

Yea I agree if you know exactly what you want to do...renting is awesome.

My approach...in truth, an acknowledgement of my personal reality too

...my wife doesn't always know WTF she wants...What she wants develops over TIME...trying to dovetail that reality into inspection schedules and renting equipment...NOPE!

If you have time you can make $$$ with a big boy as well because people aren't shy about approaching you...hey can you dig my foundation...how bout lifting some rafters..hey I have this bolder. Honestly I turned away enough people to where, even at modest rates I could have paid for my entire Foundation and most of my roof just dealing with odd jobs...

 

[phgreek]

I kinda like the bobcat idea, but I'll need a mower.

The digging is easy topsoil, and I'll only need to dig a footer for a CMU block fence and trenches for a sprinkler system.

Then I'll need a yard tractor with a mowing deck. I don't have a zero turn radius mower. The lot size is just over .5 acres, but the back yard will be nearly 3/10 an acre.

Good questions and suggestions. I would finish up corners with a hand mower for sure.

Only ever used one for spreading gravel...IT WAS AWESOME. Pretty stable and super maneuverable, comfortable...

 

[Bogtrotter07]

I kinda like the bobcat idea, but I'll need a mower.

The digging is easy topsoil, and I'll only need to dig a footer for a CMU block fence and trenches for a sprinkler system.

Then I'll need a yard tractor with a mowing deck. I don't have a zero turn radius mower. The lot size is just over .5 acres, but the back yard will be nearly 3/10 an acre.

Good questions and suggestions. I would finish up corners with a hand mower for sure.

I am telling you, I bought of all things a TimeMaster, 30" deck mower, I replace a large Simplicity mower, and saved a TON in mantenance and fuel cost. My Toro is even more fuel efficient than my old John Deere, and I get my .8 acres of grass cut faster than when I had my big rider. This think even has a strudy frame and handle to hold my beer in an individualized cooler. And, I will be able to get my kids to operate this easier than a rider, too. (Wife, kids, neighbors that think my lawnmower is cool, it doesn't matter!)

The best power tool I ever bought was my Bearcat Chipper shreader. At the end of the lawn season, I found out that I could bag my leaves with my Toro, and dump the bags in my chipper, put a fine screen on it and make loam like dirt out of my clay. Plus, I have bunches of huge bushes around here. Or should I say had. I suppose our soil and need are different, but I am having fun recountouring my yard!