# belly mowers and front end loaders



## highway32south (Jan 18, 2009)

I need to buy a tractor this spring. I like belly mowers much more than finish mowers because for me, they're much easier to maneuver. The only new tractors I see out there that come with belly mowers, however, are New-Holland and around 30HP.

That wouldn't be so bad, except that I've got a number of acres that I want to clear and am hoping to buy something that will do it all. I'd like a front end loader that would be capable of doing some leveling of land, as well as helping remove trees about 6-8 inches in diameter.

Am I asking for too much, or does someone have any ideas?

Thanks....


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## Simpleprestige (Apr 20, 2007)

Anyofthe Deere CUTs come with belly lowers


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## chrpmaster (May 5, 2004)

First Welcome to the Tractor Forum!

Second all the major brands (Kubota, John Deere and New Holland) have belly mowers available on their CUTs. Go to your local dealers to test drive and price them out with a loader and mower. There are slight ergonomic differences between them so find the one you are most comfortable operating since you will own it for a long time.

Third as far as removing good sized trees and clearing land. You are going to run into the size problem. Namely these are Compact Utility Tractors not bulldozers. They will not push trees out of the ground because they don't have the weight and power. They are great to maintain the land after it is cleared so you may save the wear and tear on your new tractor and hire a dozer operator out to do the initial clearing then you can keep it cleared from there. 

Also a belly mower is a finish mower not a bush hog. They will quickly break if you run over many bushes, small trees or rocks. They will mow large lawns very well. You may need to invest in a bush hog mower to keep rough areas mowed down and just use the belly mower for the nice lawn. 

Bottom line depending on how many acres you want to clear you may be better off hiring someone with the right equipment to knock it down the first time. Then you could maintain it with your equipment from there.

Andy


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Let me add my welcome to Tractor Forum as well. Most of the major brand CUT manufacturers offer a belly or mid mounted mower (MMM) as well as a front end loader (FEL). 

Purchased my John Deere 4410 with both the 430 FEL and 72 inch MMM. Although the MMM can be mounted with the FEL, the MMM is typically a pain in the butt as it sits pretty low to the ground and is better removed when doing a lot of FEL work. For an occasional chore, the MMM is not an issue. 

The 4410 is about 35 hp and it newer equivalent I suppose would be the John Deere 3520. 

Shop around and ask questions about the design with respect to ease of removal and servicing. My favorite brands are Deere, Kubota, Kioti, and Mahindra. Cub Cadet is making some nice machines as well and using the Yanmar engines like Deere too.


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