Need Advice from the Brain Trust...

...or was that "brain t'rust...?

Anyway, here's the deal: Mom and Unk jointly own the family farm. It's 13 acres, with about 10 tillable and in hay, which is taken care of by a neighboring farmer who's a longtime family friend. It's not a "this is your half, that's mine" split, but a "share and share alike" split of the farm.

Unk, in his infinite (??) wisdom, decided that the only "tools" required to maintain the farm was a zero-turn mower [$13,000 new in 2008, current value between $6-8k]. Unk also died in January, so his kids [who live out of state] "gave" me the zero-turn [rather than split any maintenance costs, apparently].

I'm to the point that I need a small utility-type tractor with a blade to maintain the driveway, among other things...so I'm thinking about turning the zero-turn and buying something the size of an International 240 or 340 Utility with a finish mower and a blade...and if I can find one with a conventional 3-point, I can add implements as needed [thinking about a balanced head sickle mower for mowing the bank next to the highway, for example].

Since Unk passed away, all the maintenance duties at the farm have fallen on my shoulders...and I'm also Mom's POA, so I have to be responsible with her money as far as outlays for the farm. My THOUGHT is that if I can sell the zero-turn for somewhere near the mid- or high part of market value, I can likely buy the size tractor I need along with the implements I need, and still have a few bucks left. [Buying new is out of the question, obviously].

So...any thoughts on how to proceed? The zero-turn has the Kubota diesel, so it holds decent resale value, it seems. I had all the recommended maintenance done at the dealership this spring, and I'm not exactly wearing it out with 10 acres of the 13 in hay. I guess I'm looking for someone to tell my that I'm not wrong about getting a more versatile piece of equipment with attachments, rather than hanging onto a high-priced single-purpose "toy." I grew up in my family's Farmall garage, which is why I'm more oriented to the 240 or 340 Utility. I think the 4-cylinder gas engines in these are both reliable and economical, and the independent PTO on the 340 has a certain appeal. I'm not Deere oriented at all, not diesel oriented at all, and I saw enough gremlins with the N-series Fords [especially the 9N and 2N] when Pappy was buying and selling tractors that I'm a bit gunshy of them [and NO Select-O-Speed at ANY price, even free].

Thanks for any advice.

I'd be figuring out how to buy the half farm of your uncle's first. You will work your azz off maintaining the farm,maybe have to put some of your money into your maintenance machinery and then Uncl's kids are going to come along and say we want our money out of the farm...and where did Unc's lawn mower disappear to ??

Since you asked, I'd say your nuts.
If you have any kind of mowing to keep up with, why would you get rid of the one machine durable and dependable enough to get the job done and trade it for a tractor 40 years old and would take four times longer every time you mow? You'd be better off to keep your mower and purchase a small tractor for 500-1000 bucks and buy your implements as you need them. As time goes on you can always trade up your tractor if you need bigger. This is coming from someone who used to have a 72" finish mower on a low profile case 430 with shuttle shift (a sweet setup) and I wouldn't give up my zero turn mowers for nothing.

Agree with Straw Boss, should keep the zero-turn. It will eat up that 10 acres of mowing territory which sounds mostly like what you 'll be doing (mowing) -- with not much maintenance since it's not that old. Do you have the time to fiddle with an old 240 or 340? If you found something for $1500-2500 to purchase, you might still have to sink $2000 or more into it with tires, brakes, fixing leaks, hydraulics, oils, fluids, etc. and put a lot of hours into getting it reliable. Then you'll have to find a decent finish mower and also maintain that.

I'm with Mr. Soldan. Doesn't sound like uncle's kids care about the farm, only the money, so you better buy it from them as fast and cheaply as you can, then spend you money on "your" farm as you see fit. Otherwise be ready to walk away disappointed when something happens to your mother and they force a sale.

Amen. Keep the ZTM. If you need a toy, buy something separately. Hire a service for the 3 days a year when it snows where you are, or wait for a thaw.

I think buying a 40 year old tractor to replace the zero turn is a crazy idea. The zero turn will mow circles around it. If you need a tractor, buy one, but keep the zero turn.
Josh

Running a lot of old equipment myself, I'd agree with others that you may not want to downgrade.

Assuming that mowing is a large part of what you do, you'll end up working more hours and spending more money, not to mention the constant worry about what's going to snap next, and how long it's going to take you to find a replacement part for it.

I do it because I love playing with the old stuff. But even I'm starting to tire of it. There's a LOT to be said for a modern dependable machine, especially one where you can get spare parts easily.

You've got a good foundation with that mower - build on that.

If you're lacking somewhere else, find a way to fill the gap without giving up what you've got.

Like others said: Buy the farm. And don't do any more work on it until you do. The better it looks to those cousins, the greater their expectations. Let the hayfield grow up in weeds if you have to. That Kubota ZT will knock it back down to size in quick time, and it will amaze you how quickly you can mow the entire place with that machine. I keep up 15 acres with a much smaller zt.

When the farm's in your name, then shop around for a small tractor if you must have something to play around with. Don't ignore the 8N; mine has done everything I've ever asked it to do.

I haven't read the others replies but, I have a news flash for you, a ZTR of that caliber was an excellent investment. I have a high end Lazer I bought a couple years ago, just made the final payment on it a few minutes ago (the only reason I am here at the desk!). I mow 2.5 acres here and another 2.5 acres around the farm house lawn. In addition there are 3+ miles of lanes to keep mowed around the fields and thru the woods, barn yard, equipment yard...probably around 6-7 acres there. In prior years I used a very nice Ford 3 pt mower. I can do it in half the time now and would never go back to a 3 pt mower. I think you are correct that you need some type of versatile small tractor...preferably with a loader, but I would not sacrifice a fine ZTR like what you describe to buy it. Just my thoughts, but I work 7 days a week managing my properties and the ZTR is the best time saver I have.

Maintenance decisions would be easier without the multiple owners. Do you, your mom or anyone else live on the farm? Do you, your mom or any of your cousins desire to buy the others out? Since you are not an owner, can you work out a way to get paid for your work, or can those duties be shifted to the tenant? I would get those issues settled before investing any money in equipment.

Nothing worse than undivided real estate. Nobody wants to buy your share outside of the other owners who want it for nothing. Not helping out with your question, just an opinion and I feel for you.

Hi I'm with the others keep the zero turn and try get the farm for you if nobody else wants it. I cut grass here with a Fordson major diesel and a woods type mower been using it 15 years and collect majors, so real attached to them.
I had a customer 695 Case IH here for repair I needed to diagnose pto and test it when I fixed it. so put that on the mower. I had a real hard time putting the major back on when the guy took the CIH home. I was to the point of finding one cheap to fix and use grass mowing. The difference that new tractor with luxury's like nice seat power steering better pto and tighter turning was unreal and that was only driving it an hour or 2. you will kick your self hard going to that old clunky tractor after a month of it being hard to drive and problems you will find keep coming up.
Regards Robert

I would advise you not to spend one penny on anything that isn't absolutely required until YOU own it even if it is your mothers money. I have no idea what your family situation is, but keep your hands (and your money) in your pocket until you know who is going to own what. Hate to sound negative, but watch yer back, Bub.

make you a blade for the ZTM and use it. I used my Hustler ZTM to pull a 2200 lb vertical milling machine into my shop over the weekend. 24 HP Honda sure made the job easy. I used a kubota tractor with a front end loader to get the old one out. Would have worked a lot better had I used the ZTM. Only had about 6 ft of path to get in and out.

Who is using the driveway that it needs maintained? If its like all other farm driveways it needs bladed once a year (if that) for the gravel. Ask the guy putting up the hay to do it once in the while for $20-$40 off his rent. Many times cheaper than buying your own and using it. Especially given the fact this is probably a short term stituation - 5 to 10 years max?


I agree with every other post below - don't sell the 0 turn.

Not as worried about snow as I am the fact that the driveway hasn't been bladed in the past 10-15 years, and it's pretty damn deplorable. Had some #8 gravel hauled to fill the ruts and washouts, and as you know the dump truck can only do so much as far as spreading the gravel evenly. I'd like to blade the driveway before I have them come in with some #12 to top the driveway.

rent a tractor and blade to do your driveway work. We mow about 6 acres where I work and a 60 in ZTR- JD 777 will out mow a 84 in mower on a JD 5303, the tractor and mower rarely gets used on anything but the largest area.