I'm not retired, yet. I have another 5-6 years as a minimum. I make pretty good money, er... made pretty good money, but got nicked with sequestration and only recenlty got a pay raise (first one since the current president took office--the 1% raise doesn't even cover the rise in insurance premiums and co-pays).
Anyway, rant over...
I guess I want to do too many things with one machine. Right now I'm on a small (.18 acre) residential lot with a large detached garage (2 1/2 car). However, I do have access to about 1/3 acre for a garden spot, but it's 3 miles away. I don't want to leave the tractor there due to possibility of theft or vandalism... so, I'm trying to find a machine that I can use in a residential setting--compact, agile, but with enough power to do some real work. My Bolens HT23 is plenty powerful enough, and the loader is actually deeper than several I've seen on larger Kubotas and Yanmars--it just doesn't have 4 wd, and, when I'm finished will only have a CAT O 1/2 Hitch (CAT O on lower end of arms, CAT 1 on uppers).
I have to haul my tractor around, so I'm trying to keep the weight down as my K10 Chevy pickup is the light duty version, although 4 wd.
Eventually, I'll probably either get a place in the country, or be living at my mom's helping take care of her. She has about 10 acres at the house and a couple more 8 miles away.
Maybe the solution is to get something handy and small now, and something a little larger when I do get some elbow room...
Thanks for your reply,
Smitty
I know the feeling! I think we all want too many things in one machine?? I know for a fact that a 1/2 ton pickup will haul a 2,000 pound tractor. I have a 2000 F150 and Dad has a 96 Chevy and both have pulled my Ford tractor on a trailer w/o a problem.
Your Bolens seems to do a good job, I saw your thread on the Ice moving and in the snow you were running in you could hardly ask more of it. Stepping up to a small Cut/Scut will not have a great effect on your turning radius. My 1500 will turn as short or using the brakes turn shorter than my 318. 8 miles is a fur piece to drive a small tractor back and forth, and it would be close to an hour each way to drive back and forth. I think your going to want to trailer it?
When I found my Ford, I was trying to buy two Kubota B3200's, was trying to get apointments to look at them(Both priced around $3200 but did not have a loader). They are not physically much bigger than your Bolens yet are a little heavier and would do a ton of work.
1/3 acre is a good size garden and I think a SCUT/Cut would be a perfect fit(it has been for me in my 7,000 sq ft garden). I know you like me like to grow potatoes and I found the Middlebuster was perfect both for cutting the furrow for planting and digging potatoes. That one implement(relatively inexpensive) saved me untold hours and back ache working the potatoes.
The Post Hole digger will not be an issue as there are diggers sized for the CUT's It is just something to keep in mind when your buying. I was going to buy one last summer, but the neighbor got a quote from a fencing contractor, I could not build the fence as cheap and he did in one day what would have taken me a week.
There are some good tractors out there, just be paitent and keep loooking and you will find something close to fit your needs.