Kioti DK4710SE HST

[SpaceBus]

I bought a wood chipper from Woodland Mills and we had to cut about 3" off of each shaft. My tractor is new too, so the 3 point arms should of "standard" length. This is the first shaft I've had to cut out of the four or five PTO driven implements I have.

I wonder if some manufacturers ship their attachments with longer PTO shafts so they know they will be compatible with any machine out there.

I was really looking hard at the 8" machine they sell. Looks like a solid unit.

 

[SpaceBus]

Pete's Easy Change adapters came in today. Unfortunately I probably won't be changing any attachments for a few weeks. Soon I'm going to order the grapple, post hole digger, land plane, chipper shredder, and stump grinder. My dealer is going to be installing a third function for the grapple and a second remote for the stump grinder. Once we start getting into digging out vegetable gardens I'll get a backhoe, and the wife wants a mid PTO mower deck, so that will probably happen soon.

 

[TreePointer]

Have you seriously investigated the pros/cons of a mid-mower deck vs a dedicated mowing machine like a ZTR?

Some mid-mower owners end up with a dedicated lawn mowing machine after realizing the tractor/mid-mower's limitations. (Of course, you know your land and budget, and a mid-mower may be best for your situation.)

 

[SpaceBus]

Have you seriously investigated the pros/cons of a mid-mower deck vs a dedicated mowing machine like a ZTR?

Some mid-mower owners end up with a dedicated lawn mowing machine after realizing the tractor/mid-mower's limitations. (Of course, you know your land and budget, and a mid-mower may be best for your situation.)

We don't have nearly enough grass to justify a ZTR. Most of our land is covered in scraggly crab grass, blueberries, and other random stuff. I'll snag a push mower for around the house.

 

[SpaceBus]

Just placed the order for my grapple and stump grinder.

 

[Ashful]

Have you seriously investigated the pros/cons of a mid-mower deck vs a dedicated mowing machine like a ZTR?

Some mid-mower owners end up with a dedicated lawn mowing machine after realizing the tractor/mid-mower's limitations. (Of course, you know your land and budget, and a mid-mower may be best for your situation.)

Ditto. I had both, but only ever used the ZTR. I eventually sold the mid mount mower.

 

[SpaceBus]

Actually my tractor doesn't have a mid mount mower available, I was mistaken. I guess a 3Pt mower is happening

 

[TreePointer]

Ditto. I had both, but only ever used the ZTR. I eventually sold the mid mount mower.

I've never owned a mid-mower on a utility tractor, but I've used one and wasn't a big fan. I keep kicking myself for waiting as long as I did to get a ZTR. Best looking cut, much easier to maneuver, and the job gets done much more quickly.

 

[SpaceBus]

Man, I just don't know if the cost is worth it for us. We don't have beautiful manicured grass here. It's more like a meadow/untended field, and my wife wants to keep it that way.

 

[TreePointer]

Man, I just don't know if the cost is worth it for us. We don't have beautiful manicured grass here. It's more like a meadow/untended field, and my wife wants to keep it that way.

Yeah, a ZTR is a big expense and isn't worth it for some of my neighbors. I regularly cut a lot of grass with multiple obstacles (trees, buildings, rock walls, etc.), and a ZTR makes the most sense for me.

I also cut a large field with a Woods 84-inch 3-point finish mower (got a good deal on one a few years ago). If it were up to me, I'd just cut that field a couple times a year with a brush cutter, but my mother wants to look out the kitchen window to a nice green field (gotta keep Mom happy). It does a great job because it's blade tip speed is actually faster than my ZTR; however, it's not the right implement for a field with a lot of uneven ground because of it's width.

 

[SpaceBus]

Yeah, a ZTR is a big expense and isn't worth it for some of my neighbors. I regularly cut a lot of grass with multiple obstacles (trees, buildings, rock walls, etc.), and a ZTR makes the most sense for me.

I also cut a large field with a Woods 84-inch 3-point finish mower (got a good deal on one a few years ago). If it were up to me, I'd just cut that field a couple times a year with a brush cutter, but my mother wants to look out the kitchen window to a nice green field (gotta keep Mom happy). It does a great job because it's blade tip speed is actually faster than my ZTR; however, it's not the right implement for a field with a lot of uneven ground because of it's width.

Good pointers, my field is pretty bumpy with some marshy spots. Seems like a smaller rough cut pull behind might be the right tool. My wife suggested I get into landscaping with all of the attachments I'm getting to landscape our own place. If I ever pursue that maybe a ZTR mower would make sense.

 

[SpaceBus]

Just got my shipping notification on the stump grinder. It should be at the dealer by Thursday. They are picking the tractor up this coming week to get the hydraulics ready.

 

[Ashful]

To me, the ZTR is about speed, more than anything else. I can do my very hilly and highly-manicured 4 acres of lawn, with numerous garden roundings and maybe 75 trees poked in the lawn, in under 2 hours on the ZTR. With any 3-point mower, it’d be twice that time, and then I’d have a ton of manual trimming left to do. The ZTR can mow closer to and and around more objects than any mid mount mower, and I couldn’t even imagine trying to use my 3 point mower around the house. I have owned all three, but as I mentioned, I have only kept the ZTR for the lawn and the 3-pt mower for trails in the adjacent woods and fields.

You’re retired, so maybe taking all day to mow the lawn is not such a bad thing. But 3 point mowers can be mighty tough to maneuver near the house or landscaping. Hide the garden gnome, before you decapitate him.

BTW, saying ZTRs are bad on uneven ground is BS. Mine is only 60”, it does great over hill and dale. If I have a serious pothole in the yard, I drop some dirt and seed into it, problem solved.

 

[SpaceBus]

To me, the ZTR is about speed, more than anything else. I can do my very hilly and highly-manicured 4 acres of lawn, with numerous garden roundings and maybe 75 trees poked in the lawn, in under 2 hours on the ZTR. With any 3-point mower, it’d be twice that time, and then I’d have a ton of manual trimming left to do. The ZTR can mow closer to and and around more objects than any mid mount mower, and I couldn’t even imagine trying to use my 3 point mower around the house. I have owned all three, but as I mentioned, I have only kept the ZTR for the lawn and the 3-pt mower for trails in the adjacent woods and fields.

You’re retired, so maybe taking all day to mow the lawn is not such a bad thing. But 3 point mowers can be mighty tough to maneuver near the house or landscaping. Hide the garden gnome, before you decapitate him.

BTW, saying ZTRs are bad on uneven ground is BS. Mine is only 60”, it does great over hill and dale. If I have a serious pothole in the yard, I drop some dirt and seed into it, problem solved.

When I go back out to run the splitter I'll get some more photos.

 

[SpaceBus]

The skidding winch has become my favorite attachment for the tractor so far, but really I only have a few anyway. I've pulled out five widowmakers from along my driveway in the last five days, one of which was hanging over my power lines. So far all of the trunks have been good firewood with no rot or punk, aside from their broken bottoms which were on the ground.

 

[SpaceBus]

The deck side of the house faces south, so the photos take you on a "clockwise" tour around the house. My wife wants to kind of zero scape garden all the way around the house, so there is zero need to finish mow anything. I'm more focused on keeping the south facing hill short enough to walk through in the summer with my dogs. I think a flail mower will do the job very well with decent maneuverability. I'm also planning on clearing a few acres of trees to start a tree farm, so it will be handy managing those areas as well.

The house is under a surprise renovation, so please pardon all of the plastic

 

[SpaceBus]

Well, the photos didn't go up in the order I wanted, but you get the point.

 

[Ashful]

Yeah. I’d be shopping a small (eg 48”) zero turn for those spaces around the house and shed, mowing that close to buildings with a 3-point mower is no fun. If that field is getting planted with rows of Christmas trees, I’d be shopping a small rotary mower (brush hog) for that.

 

[TreePointer]

+1 on the ZTR for the reasons Ashful mentioned.

I think I see some slopes/grades, too. A ZTR has two transmissions (one for each drive wheel) which give it significantly more ability to climb hills/slopes than typical riding mowers/lawn tractors. Today's big box store lawn tractors have "unserviceable" single transmissions (transaxles) that provide disappointing torque for slopes and often need replacement around 500 hours or fewer. That's easily a $1000+ expense just for the replacement part.

A ZTR mower can be light with wide tires just like traditional riding mowers/lawn tractors that won't tear up or make ruts/mud tracks when lawn needs to be mowed when a little damp.

 

[SpaceBus]

Yeah. I’d be shopping a small (eg 48”) zero turn for those spaces around the house and shed, mowing that close to buildings with a 3-point mower is no fun. If that field is getting planted with rows of Christmas trees, I’d be shopping a small rotary mower (brush hog) for that.

None of those sheds are going to be there for more than a year. That's an area my wife wanted to "zero scape" with gravel and stone and some garden areas within the gravel. The open field will most likely stay open and then I'm going to clear some of the wooded acres on the western side of our property for a tree farm. We like to watch the deer and other critters browse the field for blueberries, Alder buds, etc. The east side of the house is the closest to the property line and will be almost entirely gravel to the treeline, which will probably get filled in with wood chips after I clear enough room to store a three point chipper shredder. I think at most I'll be using my propane torch and a trimmer to maintain the drained gravel we plan on putting around the house. A three point bush hog or flail mower should be fine for our minimal cleared land. Eventually we are going to cut some trails into the property and there should be more than enough debris to cover them in wood chips.

 

[SpaceBus]

This makes it all worth it. Our first winter here was really difficult and the nice equipment arrived right at the end. The ground near where I was processing firewood today thawed and I didn't realize it before putting a giant rut in the ground... My wife will not be happy about that, hence the zero scaping idea. Things will still be pretty annoying until I clear some space for covered parking. Baby steps!

 

[sloeffle]

Beautiful country @SpaceBus

I agree with @Ashful about the ZTR too. I mowed with a 3 point pull behind mower for about 7 or 8 years. I bought a ZTR about 5 years ago and I wouldn't go back to the 3 point mower if you paid me. It is good for open ground but it just isn't conducive to mow close to stuff.

 

[SpaceBus]

I'll keep an eye out for a small used ZTR, but it's not a priority right now. Tomorrow I'm going to start felling trees. I wish I could take advantage of this beautiful weather today, but I don't like felling trees alone and my wife is at work. Unfortunately my dogs can't operate a car or phone.

It's a beautiful day, but I've run out of trees to process that are not buried in the ice and snow.

 

[SpaceBus]

Just ordered a Land Plane from EA, it's going to be a long six weeks! I'm about to pull the trigger on a chipper shredder as well. There are piles of evergreen tips and branches growing very quickly now that I have an easy way to get trees out of the woods.

 

[SpaceBus]

Chipper Shredder is on order, probably another month until I see it.

The dealer is picking my tractor up on this coming Tuesday to put the third function and second remote on. Then I'll be able to use the grapple and stump grinder.

I've starting looking into backhoes. I found a used one across the state, but I'm still considering new. I'm still considering my mower options, but it seems that the majority of my yard is actually just blueberry, so I might not even need to mow it?