# Help!



## davinnah (Apr 8, 2004)

I was recently divorced and my ex left me with the house, boat and 3 acres of weeds. He took the green tractor we had and left me with the weed eater. I need a tractor and a friend at work husband said I should join this group and get advice on a Sears garden tractor. What the heck is a graden tractor???

I am all by myself out here and hope to clean up the mess the stooge left me. I'm very independent so if you give grease advise, so be it.

Thanks guys!

Davinnah


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

welcome to the forum divannah, post a pic of yourself.. you may get members willing to come cut your lawn for you... Kidding of course... :furious: 

are you looking for new? how much did you want to spend? What did you plan to do with it? You going to snow blow with it also or just cut the grass? You on hilly or flat area?? 


A garden tractor vs a lawn tractor refers to its ability to run implements and attachments.. its basically a little more heavy duty and bigger than a lawn tractor


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Can you give a little more info. such as is the 3 acres level or sloped? Up until your marital mishap, was it regualarly cut and maintained? Is there much trimming involved (i.e. many trees, bushes, flower beds, obstacles to cut around?) Were you considering any other uses for the machine other than cutting and maybe pulling a dump cart? Gas or diesel? Price range? Used or new?


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## Rodster (Sep 26, 2003)

He gives up the house, boat and 3 acres and just takes a tractor. Sounds like she got the well and he got the shaft. 
 Rodster


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## Rodster (Sep 26, 2003)

Sorry
My last post was out of line. That is no way to treat a new member. 

Like John said the garden tractor is a heavier machine and usually built stronger. If your 3 acres is rough with uneven ground
a stronger tractor is better. I have found that a smooth lawn
can be cut with a lawn tractor. But like Chief said if you plan doing more like plowing snow and pulling it makes a difference.
What price range are you looking in?
Rodster


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

Welcome! I have to say that I think you are the first woman that I have seen to post here. That is awesome! Most of the folks here are a little partial to the brands we own, but hope we can help you with a decision. 

Have you looked at all at any tractors concerning features and prices??

Like the other guys said a little more info would be great and then sit back and watch the ideas flow. Feel free to ask any questions, we all have more that enough opinions to go around.

Again welcome, I wonder if there is some sort of award for being the first female??????


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

Well if you do decide to get a GT5000 there are lots of attachments you can use on them to do all kinds of work.


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## jodyand (Sep 16, 2003)

Yes and you can get a johnny bucket to haul dirt around with they are really great. And like Paul said you can get all kinds of attachments to work that tractor like its supposed to be used for.
Jody


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

busted...


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## davinnah (Apr 8, 2004)

My God! I didn't get this much attention since my last bikini contest. Thanks for all of the posts.

The 3 acres was mostly an old cow pasture that wasn't maintained too well. Some small trees, vines and thistle?

Some farmer wanted to disk it, but I want to clear it myself (sort of a way to do the mans job my wimp ex refused to do), so if it takes 5 years so be it.

I think getting a new tractor for myself will do me good. I am going to the Craftsman and Massey Fergsuon stores this weekend. I wouldn't take one of those green tractors if someone offered it to me for free.

I let you all know what I find.

Thanks again fellas!


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## jbetts13 (Dec 28, 2003)

> _Originally posted by davinnah _
> *My God! I didn't get this much attention since my last bikini contest. Thanks for all of the posts.
> 
> The 3 acres was mostly an old cow pasture that wasn't maintained too well. Some small trees, vines and thistle?
> ...



bikini contest got any pics lol l hope it turns out well get some pics of your work and you doing it if you get a massey you can get the johnny bucket as jodyand said :tractorsm


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## bear (Oct 20, 2003)

welcome davinnah hope you enjoy your stay at tractorforum
good call on the johnny bucket jody no tractor should be without one


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

Right on the money on that johnny bucket:thumbsup: Even though I got a loader on my Ford/NH, the more I look at that johnny bucket, the more I think about gettin' one for my GT5000.


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Pardon my manors in the first post. I neglected to welcome you to Tractor Forum. In my opinion, you best course of action would be to hire someone nearby with a tractor and rotary cutter to clear the area you want to cut. Then go back behind after the rotary cutter and clear out the debry and obstacles and trim it up with a string trimmer. Afterwards, you can keep it cut and under control with a mower of your choice. The farmer who wants to disk it is probably right on the mark. That will break up the soil and make a good seed bed for grass seed. If you have a lot of small trees, vines, thistle; spraying something along the lines of glyphosphate (aka Round Up), Cross Bow, or some other broad leaf defoliant might be in order as well. After all the vegetation has died off, reseed it and keep it damp until the seed takes hold. 

Since you would take one of those "green tractors" (I take it that you mean John Deere) then I will just keep my suggestions to myself.  Those "green tractors are one of the best lines of equipment built. That is all I use and I use mine commercially. Kubota makes a very good piece of equipment in the same class. Not saying the other brands are bad. I have had Cub, Kubota, Murray, and some others and I LOVE my "green tractors" and so do my customers. The ONE and only exception to this would be the Johnny Buckets attachments on the garden tractors. Especially mounted on the GT5000 garden tractor. You can do just about ANYTHING with these tractors including plowing hard ground, running chipper/shredders. You can even pull and disk with a spring tooth harrow! In fact I have seen an owner carry 750 lb. lead ballast weight in a Johnny Bucket. Simpley amazing! :thumbsup:


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## Chris (Sep 15, 2003)

<h1><font color=red>GT5000</h1></font> is a great GT. I own one myself. I have heard that some people think the world of it and are even willing sneak around at night dressed up like their wife to talk about it incognito. 

:furious:


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

You may want to consider the disc. If it is real rough it will tear up most garden tractor type machines. My neighbor brushhogged our back acre and I take care of it now. It was in real bad shape and is still pretty bumpy. A disc and drag will smooth it out quite a bit and not tear up your new tractor. 

What is your aversion to the green tractors? 
If you don't like em it is no problem I am just curious


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## tisenberg (Sep 20, 2003)

Welcome aboard. I agree that it might make the most sense to get someone in there with bigger equipment to get you started. 

Look around to figure out what is close to what you need. Then post the models you are looking at and this group will help narrow it down.


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## DeereBob (Sep 16, 2003)

> _Originally posted by davinnah _
> *...I wouldn't take one of those green tractors if someone offered it to me for free... *


John Deere makes tractors not ex-husbands so cut the folks in Moline some slack. There are nice people that own JDs too so don't disregard the brand just because of your ex!  

A key consideration for you in selecting a tractor brand is the ability to get service. Can't go wrong on that account with Sears and you mentioned there is a Massey Ferguson dealer nearby. Check out others also to see who treats you the best, especially being one who could actually entered a bikini contest. It is very important that they will come out and either pick up the tractor for service or perform it at your house. JD and Craftman, I can vouch, will do this and I am sure other brand dealers will also.

Nobody has suggested this yet, but you might want to investigate getting a used tractor instread of a new one. Assuming funds may be a bit tight, you can likely get a higher end model used for about the same money as you would pay for a lower end one new. I saved $1,800 on my second JD tractor this way. But only consider buying a used tractor from a good dealer and not a third-party since you want some warranty for a period of time.

Finally, decide exactly what you want to do with the 3 acre cow pasture before you select a tractor. If you want mowable grass for the whole thing, then Chief's suggestion to have someone with heavy equipment come in and plow/till it smooth and then replant grass is a good one. Mowing 3 acres of smooth grassland would take less tractor but a bigger mowing deck. Conversely if you want to go it yourself, then you will most likely need a more rugged machine as others have suggested with some attachments. What ever tractor you end up buying, insist on a test drive around the dealer lot and if there is grass, test out how it mows. Sears isn't likely to let you do this but other tractor dealers I am fairly sure will. It's unlikely that you would buy a car without driving it first so why should a tractor be any different.


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## bear (Oct 20, 2003)

> _Originally posted by davinnah _
> * I wouldn't take one of those green tractors if someone offered it to me for free.
> 
> I let you all know what I find.
> ...


u may want to consider a sabre


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## bear (Oct 20, 2003)

> _Originally posted by admin _
> *<h1><font color=red>GT5000</h1></font>even willing sneak around at night dressed up like their wife to talk about it incognito.
> 
> :furious: *


andy do you actually know some clown that dresses in his wifes clothes. thats disturbing. what do his neighbors think. why haven't they sent him to the loony bin,put him in a love yourself jacket, lock him in a rubber room or something?


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## Chris (Sep 15, 2003)

They locked up in a real torture room, bear. It was filled with nothing but green and yellow tractors and the walls were made of dirt --- the only implement was a Johnny Bucket -------- the story still goes on....but from I hear he does make appearances from time to time ----- mostly as various women. Strangest darn thing I have ever seen. All they ever found of him were carvings on the walls that looked strikingly similar to a GT5000 tractor. 

Such is life I guess.
Andy
:furious:


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## memmurphy (Sep 18, 2003)

Oh brother! What you hear when you have'nt got your boots. 

:furious: 

Mark


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## jodyand (Sep 16, 2003)

OK it Sat evening the stores are closed did you go and look at the <h1><font color=red>GT5000</h1></font> And what did you think of them.
Jody


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## Rodster (Sep 26, 2003)

Man I love this site. I might even be a paying member if Andy would take something besides Pay pal.......like a check.
Rodster
:jumpropeb


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## bear (Oct 20, 2003)

did you buy a tractor davinah


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Johnny bucket is coming out with a rear pto adapter attachment for the GT5000 and a 32 brush hog so you may want to look at one of those.  Sear also has a 3 pt. hitch kit that you can mount a back hoe on too. You can dig out some of those trees. indian bartmoon


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## spook291 (Oct 26, 2003)

Davinnah:

Welcome to the forum and to the world of tractors. I am glad that you are doing your research before you buy. There are many different tractors with many different uses, each suited to a particular group of tasks.

I am kind of partial to the original garden tractor. The McCormick-Deering International Farmall Cub. It was originally designed for the small 40 acre or less farm whose crop was primarily vegetables and such as you would find in a truck garden. Over the years, actually very quickly, implements were produced for the Cub that extended its area of expertise into the landscaping and yard care market with finish mowers, reel mowers, brush hogs and all kinds of attachments designed for homeowners with large areas to maintain. The Cub became so popular that there were 250,000 FCub's and almost as many Lo-boys built that saw service with the highway departments of many states as well as the Federal Park Service, here in Canada with our National Railways, Municpal Government, Schools and lawn care companies all over North Americal. Parts are plentiful and the tractor is easy to maintain, with a wealth of information on maintenance etc., on the server below.

I would suggest that you check out the Cub Manual Server at the link below. Have a good read in the Ad's, Brochure's etc., section, view the Cub and Implement Gallery as well as the Cub FAQ's # 1 & 2, Cub Info, General Tractor Information and Articles sections. You should have a good idea then of what type of tractor you will need to accomplish what you wish for your property.

I certainly hope this helps, and if you have any questions, please ask away! That is what everybody is here for!

Again, welcome to the forum and to the world of tractors.


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## tisenberg (Sep 20, 2003)

Hi TG, how ya been doing?


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