There are Bad Ideas, and then...

"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion) 10/19/2018 at 14:13 • Filed to: Ain't nothin in this life fo' free

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...there are bad ideas that are “free.”

No one is going to tell me that taking possession of a neat little 80's diesel Kubota is a bad idea, objectively. It’s just that I certainly don’t need another machine to take care of. Nor is our lawn big enough to justify a machine like this (it includes a 60" deck mower) - I can do it in an hour with our riding mower with its 42" deck.

The enticing thing about this machine is that it has a snowblower attachment.*

* the snowblower is in the same garage as the tractor, but no one knows if the two have ever been attached to each other, and my brief online research leads me to believe it will either be easy or prohibitively expensive

But due to circumstances, this fine little orange beast needs a home for this winter, and I just might become caretaker.

Pros:

- all I have to do is pick it up - which does involve borrowing both the truck and trailer necessary to do so, but I’ve got that lined up

- these are nearly universally praised as a fine mid-sized machine, highly versatile, reliable, and powerful enough for lots of yard work

- tons of accessories can be had, including loaders, backhoes, etc. - if you can find them

- I am sure I would find other uses for this thing on my property, and maybe it could just replace my riding mower, and I’d get a push mower for the tighter spaces.

Cons:

- I’m going to end up spending money on it. I’d need chains to use in it for snowblowing duties; there’s basically no way the snowblower is going to magically work without needing something. Chains will be 100% necessary because 2wd.

- I think it just barely fits into a door of my shed that I just built, but a) definitely not with the mower deck attached, and b) it would take up 1/2 of my wood storage space, which is half the reason for the shed in the first place.

- THE TIME. Even if I don’t spend a penny on this thing, and I get to use it for anything useful at all (best case scenario), it will take up some of my time just maintaining it, storing it, and you know, tinkering with it. I don’t have extra time.

- The most useful thing it might be able to do - snowblowing - is going to be a bit of a bitch because it’s a diesel and it will be stored out in the cold. Yeah, block heater, battery maintainer, etc. but still. Diesels that don’t get run very often plus cold weather equals... headache. Oh, and it’s not 4WD.

Bottom Line:

I might end up having this thing stored on my property for the winter anyway, so I guess I might as well *try* to make it useful. It has a giant leaf-collecting trailer that maybe I could hook up to it, if I can figure out how it works.

Edited to add: It’s only “free” because I will be a caretaker of it unless I decide I really do like it, in which case I have no doubt some money will change hands. But yeah... “free” in the short term. 

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > functionoverfashion 10/19/2018 at 14:17

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if you came to oppo hoping for someone to talk you out of it youre gonna be disappointed lol

Party-vi > functionoverfashion 10/19/2018 at 14:25

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F r e e      t r a c t o r

Chariotoflove > functionoverfashion 10/19/2018 at 14:26

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My dad would be all over this. He cou ld really make use of it, too. I wonder if it would take his bucket and bush hog attachments.

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > functionoverfashion 10/19/2018 at 14:27

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Longtime Lurker > functionoverfashion 10/19/2018 at 14:29

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Yes buy it!

Don’t worry about a trailer just drive it onto the roof of the wagon.

Install big turbo.

That snowblower will install no with no effort and won’t have any problems from sitting for years.

That should cover most of the bad advice your going to revieve.

thejustache > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 10/19/2018 at 14:30

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Exactly. I did some work on a small farm in Highschool that had one of these with a bucket, it was fun for 16 year old me to operate. I would definitely take one now if offered, and there doesn’t exist a world in which I would encourage someone to NOT have a tractor...

Future next gen S2000 owner > functionoverfashion 10/19/2018 at 14:35

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Get it. Use it for a year. See if it is useful. Then sell it. I’m a fan of getting free things and selling them.

Censored > functionoverfashion 10/19/2018 at 14:39

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My FIL had one of these, exactly like this one to be exact, and it was awesome. Easy to work on and very versatile . His cost quite a bit more than free.

MoCamino > functionoverfashion 10/19/2018 at 14:47

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It’s already been said, but I’ll repeat it. Free tractor . My yard isn’t huge, but it takes about four hours to cut with the 38" rider I have now. Couple the 60" deck with the fact that I’m sure it would cut much faster, this thing would knock my mowing time down to an hour I’m sure. Now add in the snow blower to knock out the snow shovel duties and the leaf trailer to attend to the bazillion-cubic feet of leaves that accumulate in the yard every year...done, done, and done.

There is also no question I’d cuss the thing every time I had to work on it because it’s a diesel and it’s old. :) But still. Free tractor .

Mini Guy- Now has a 4Runner > functionoverfashion 10/19/2018 at 14:54

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but.... its free

lone_liberal > functionoverfashion 10/19/2018 at 14:54

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When my grandfather retired and sold his farm he bought one of those to use at his new house that had about 10 acres of land . This was a man who had used many different tractors over many years and was part of the WWII generation so he had a built in bias against Japanese equipment, but he loved that Kubota. Do it.

functionoverfashion > Future next gen S2000 owner 10/19/2018 at 14:56

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I think that’s the plan, more or less. If it doesn’t work out, I sell it and pass on the money to the actual owner, on whose behalf I am storing it. 

functionoverfashion > Longtime Lurker 10/19/2018 at 14:57

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I’m surprised you didn’t suggest putting it in the back of my truck!

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > functionoverfashion 10/19/2018 at 14:57

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Yes. Take it. Those little old diesels are dead simple and dead reliable. Also, unlike a larger engine a block heater will actually warm up the entire engine, and once its started it will warm up mu ch quicker than a large diesel will. 2wd is sort of a bummer, but with chains you should be fine, and chains for that size tire aren’t insanely expensive, unlike chains to fit my Zetor...

Snow blower beats shovel every day. 

functionoverfashion > Party-vi 10/19/2018 at 14:58

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free*

*unless I decide to actually, you know, keep it long term. Still, won’t be the same as what I’d pay a random craigslist serial killer I mean seller. 

Longtime Lurker > functionoverfashion 10/19/2018 at 17:37

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That would make too much sense.

TheRealBicycleBuck > functionoverfashion 10/19/2018 at 17:52

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My best friend and I had a brush hog /mowing business built around a similar vintage Kubota. It had a belly mower and a brush hog, so we’d strap on a push mower and weed eater and drive it to the jobs. I did the small work, he ran the tractor. It was a great summer. When it snowed , we would ski behind it like we were water-skiing. I miss that tractor. 

functionoverfashion > Mini Guy- Now has a 4Runner 10/19/2018 at 20:32

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*unless I actually like it, in which case I’ll have to hand over money to continue possessing it...