All - This may be my first post on this forum, but I hope to become a regular contributor in the future. I have 20 acres, but really only maintain about 3 acres around the house, trails in the woods and a quarter mile gravel lane with some steep grades. I've lived here almost three years and have gotten by with a 24hp Craftsman 42in riding mower for lawn duties and mowing back in the woods, plus pulling a small trailer for firewood. I use a driveway groomer pulled behind my truck for leveling my lane - works ok, but no way to recover the gravel on the sides of the lane without manually raking.
The implements I plan on using include:
60" MMM
H120 Loader
Rear Blade (60" or 72") with offset capability to pull gravel back onto lane
Box Blade
3pt Spreader for salt/sand/ice melt
3pt 12v sprayer
3pt 2" receiver hitch (to initially pull the driveway groomer)
Price wise, the 1025r with 60in MMM and H120 loader fits within my budget, especially now with the current 0% financing and $1500 implement credit. The new tractor will take some of the mowing duties away from my rider, which will hopefully extend its service life, as I will really only need it around the house area and between a few trees.
My primary concern is snow removal - initially with the rear blade and loader, perhaps adding a front blade down the road. This past winter we received several snows of 6-8" as well as a couple ice storms, which I'm hoping I can prepare for with pre-emptive ice melt spread on the steep areas of the lane.
Thoughts? Any and all are appreciated.
Jim
The implements I plan on using include:
60" MMM
H120 Loader
Rear Blade (60" or 72") with offset capability to pull gravel back onto lane
Box Blade
3pt Spreader for salt/sand/ice melt
3pt 12v sprayer
3pt 2" receiver hitch (to initially pull the driveway groomer)
Price wise, the 1025r with 60in MMM and H120 loader fits within my budget, especially now with the current 0% financing and $1500 implement credit. The new tractor will take some of the mowing duties away from my rider, which will hopefully extend its service life, as I will really only need it around the house area and between a few trees.
My primary concern is snow removal - initially with the rear blade and loader, perhaps adding a front blade down the road. This past winter we received several snows of 6-8" as well as a couple ice storms, which I'm hoping I can prepare for with pre-emptive ice melt spread on the steep areas of the lane.
Thoughts? Any and all are appreciated.
Jim