So I'm looking for a dual purpose tractor. I need to mow the yard, and drag logs out of the woods. Does anyone have recommendations on a specific tractor I should be looking for. Budget is $1000. Yard is 1/2 and acre, the woods are semi hilly and the logs can be cut down to suite the tractor.
Tractor
- Thread starter pwoller
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HitchC&L
ArboristSite Member
You are probably going to have a hard time with that budget.
You will be able to get a decent used riding mower for that...but your going to have trouble hauling wood out of the woods with a garden tractor
You are going to have to look into a sub-compact tractor to be able to efficiently haul any amount of wood.
It might be easier to get a beater 4 wheeler to haul wood and buy a self propelled walk behind mower, a 1/2 acres not too much to walk
You will be able to get a decent used riding mower for that...but your going to have trouble hauling wood out of the woods with a garden tractor
You are going to have to look into a sub-compact tractor to be able to efficiently haul any amount of wood.
It might be easier to get a beater 4 wheeler to haul wood and buy a self propelled walk behind mower, a 1/2 acres not too much to walk
I have a small trailor and I was thinking I could get by with a small tractor that can be used to cut the lawn as well as help get wood out of the woods too. Seems like some of the old heavy garden tractors can do both. I dont think that I could justify a 4 wheeler just to pull wood out on a part time basis. But I could justify something that did both. Even if it isn't ideal for logging, it would surely help get small rounds out of the woods.
Those old heavy garden tractors are getting harder to find. Those who have them in decent condition won't let go of them. If you find one, snatch it up fast!
WidowMaker
Addicted to ArboristSite
Cub Cadet with the bolt on rear wheels, wheel weights, creeper transmission and 12 HP Koler engine and 42" cuting deck... good luck...
dingeryote
Blueberry Baron
Take a look around and hit a few farm auctions and estate sales.
They are out there.
There's a nut that works for the local tractor dealer that buys the old iron that isn't worth trading in. He usually tweaks 'em a little bit and turns them around for Beer Money. I have seen some really scruffy but solid old Iron sold by him in the last couple of years, and for around 1-2K.
They are out there.
Good luck to ya!
Stay safe!
Dingeryote
mtfallsmikey
Addicted to ArboristSite
I've got a Cub Cadet 1450, 14 hp Kohler, late 70's pre-MTD. Tows a tub-type lawn trailer with wood very well. Those QL (Quiet line) models (1250, 1450) don't really interest the collectors like the 60's era Cubs. The 682's are still fairly easy to find.
DJ4wd
ArboristSite Operative
$1000 isnt a bad budget ,but its the daul purpose part youll have trouble with. A bigger garden tractor with no deck like a big roper,cub or even a wheelhorse, and pulling a med sized trailer or a smaller skidder would be good. Or buy a compact tractor like my MF 2210 and get yourself a finish mower. That will run you more than what you want but you get the point.
i have a mid 80s crapsman 12.5hp with chains on the rear tires. i iuse that to tow a crapsman lawn tractor trailer that i modified to hold double the normal capacity. as long as i dont go overboard with loading the trailer down it pulls a loag of rounds out quite nicely. is it ideal? no but it sure beats the hell oft of the wheel barrow! i will say it wouldnt do anywhere w/o the chains though their the key to the operation.
isaaccarlson
Addicted to ArboristSite
I snatched up a John Deere M for $1000 and it even came with a plow, cultivator and disc. I found a bigger disc for nothing. Works great and they don't wear out if you take care of them. They also start when it is -30°F!!!
mtfallsmikey
Addicted to ArboristSite
Trying to remember...Cockshutt was Canadian, right?
Another one to die for: an Ingersoll Rand...
Some of the older stuff getting hard to get parts for...befriend a member of your local antique tractor club, they normally have a subculture of garden tractor freaks.
Blackjack1234
ArboristSite Member
Look for a Ford 8 or 9N with a belly mower on it. It would do your mowing, you could get some attachments for it, they still make parts for it, and its about 25 HP for your log pulling.
It can be hard to find something for a grand that will last you as well. You might find a decent cheap machine but it might need alot of work. This might be good for you but that depends on your mechanical ability and the availability/cost of parts.
Cry once!
Keep your eye out for an older John Deere 400 series tractor. I have a 1996 455 diesel with 54" hydro blade, 60" mower deck, trailer, wheel weights and chains. She takes care of my hilly acre and a half, plows snow, mows the lawn, hauls leaves, hauls wood, grades my driveway etc... The best thing is that the yanmar diesel is a fuel miser. My neighbors complain about spending a few hundred bucks a season on gas for their lawn tractor, whereas I spend no more than $30 on colored diesel all mowing season (I mow once a week for an hour from May to October), and no more than $50 or $60 a year.
Sure the tractor was more than a grand but the fact is that it is very reliable and cheap to maintain. It is also tough and takes alot of abuse that the heavy jobs throw at it like plowing heavy snow.
If you really need a tough machine then lay down the coin.
Cry once!
Keep your eye out for an older John Deere 400 series tractor. I have a 1996 455 diesel with 54" hydro blade, 60" mower deck, trailer, wheel weights and chains. She takes care of my hilly acre and a half, plows snow, mows the lawn, hauls leaves, hauls wood, grades my driveway etc... The best thing is that the yanmar diesel is a fuel miser. My neighbors complain about spending a few hundred bucks a season on gas for their lawn tractor, whereas I spend no more than $30 on colored diesel all mowing season (I mow once a week for an hour from May to October), and no more than $50 or $60 a year.
Sure the tractor was more than a grand but the fact is that it is very reliable and cheap to maintain. It is also tough and takes alot of abuse that the heavy jobs throw at it like plowing heavy snow.
If you really need a tough machine then lay down the coin.
ya know what, I have did a lot with my craftsman LT 1000, grant it it won't move the world, but shockingly If you use a little patience and work it it will move some nice size logs. I have some chains on the back of it and grant it the front tires may come off the ground a bit every now and then. It cost me a grand with the mower in 2001. I am still using it today to move around my logs. the nice thing is it keeps me out of trouble if it won't move it , its probably too big for me to mess with .LOL
gandrimp
ArboristSite Member
The 12 and 14 hp wheelhorse's are tough as nails.
pucksaw
ArboristSite Lurker
I was in the same situation about 10 years ago. This is what I did, bought a 10 year old jd lawn tractor 175, and also got a 1949 Farmall H. Well in hindsight the lawn tractor was a great investment, and I pulled way more wood with it then the old farmall.
My advice would be to go all in with the best old lawn tractor you can, get a small trailor and enjoy more trips.
Get a cup holder!
My advice would be to go all in with the best old lawn tractor you can, get a small trailor and enjoy more trips.
Get a cup holder!
Steveguy
ArboristSite Operative
To answer the OP's question about the cub cadet 125, they are a very solid garden tractor and will last almost forever with some care. The drivetrain is strong enough to do some serious pulling. Add weight, tire chains, more weight and pull to your hearts content. There is a reason almost all of the garden tractor pullers use cub rearends, even if the tractor is a different color!
If it is in good shape at a good price, buy it. Something that size is practical to mow with and you can still get some work done with wood.
I have a Bolens H16XL with a cast iron hydro transaxle that is very stout too.
I liked it well enough that I put a new 18hp Briggs Vanguard V-twin in it to give it a new lease on life. I have a dozer blade, snowblower, mower,and trailer for it, so it was worth spending money to replace the nasty old Tecumseh engine in it.
I think the cub should have a kohler in it. They are a good engine and are commonly rebuilt when they get tired. Hope this helps.
If it is in good shape at a good price, buy it. Something that size is practical to mow with and you can still get some work done with wood.
I have a Bolens H16XL with a cast iron hydro transaxle that is very stout too.
I liked it well enough that I put a new 18hp Briggs Vanguard V-twin in it to give it a new lease on life. I have a dozer blade, snowblower, mower,and trailer for it, so it was worth spending money to replace the nasty old Tecumseh engine in it.
I think the cub should have a kohler in it. They are a good engine and are commonly rebuilt when they get tired. Hope this helps.
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