Food Plots Tractors and Four wheelers

[Cedarsavage]

So I got two pieces of land, 20 and 14 acres. Want to do food plots on them and be able to remove snow (we get 170” average a year). Planning on buying a riding lawnmower that I could run a blower on, and planning on getting a small tractor or four wheeler. One of the properties I wanna do plots on is too swampy to get a tractor back there but could get a four wheeler too in the right conditions. The other is flat and easy to access. My house backs up to a ton of public so I could use the a wheeler for access there. Right now I’ve got a 1/4 acre open but over time I’d like to get 2 acres give or take open. I can spend up to 30k not counting the riding mower. For sure I need a snowblower and not sure if I want a wheeler, small tractor or both. I’m close to 40 and my wife said I need to start buying equipment cuz my body is falling apart lol

What do you experienced food plotters think?

 

[LostArra]

Are you going to blow more snow or cut more grass? If it's cut grass I would get a zero turn mower for that, infinitely more efficient than those little lawn and garden mowers. Not much snow blowing around here but I would think a dedicated snow blower would be best unless you splurged on a big Grasshopper mower that has a dedicated (and pricey) snow blow attachment. Lawn mowers in general are made to cut grass not plow or blow snow.

With 34 acres you will eventually need a tractor but you can get started on plots with an ATV or SxS with a sprayer, broadcast spreader (hand spreader works) and some type of drag harrow that is easily homemade. There are all sorts of pricey gadgets for " ATV farming" but I would hold off on those for a real tractor with a disc and maybe your snow blower. Cultipackers and drills are cool, can be pricey even used and really not mandatory for food plots unless you are going to post pretty pics online. I just double the seeding rate when broadcasting seed. Deer don't care how it got there.

When you get the tractor: get MORE hp than you think you'll need and get a front end loader.
(My wife likes a SxS much more than an ATV. She doesn't drive the tractor very often)

Just my 2 cents. I'm sure others will disagree.

 

[Cedarsavage]

Are you going to blow more snow or cut more grass? If it's cut grass I would get a zero turn mower for that, infinitely more efficient than those little lawn and garden mowers. Not much snow blowing around here but I would think a dedicated snow blower would be best unless you splurged on a big Grasshopper mower that has a dedicated (and pricey) snow blow attachment. Lawn mowers in general are made to cut grass not plow or blow snow.

With 34 acres you will eventually need a tractor but you can get started on plots with an ATV or SxS with a sprayer, broadcast spreader (hand spreader works) and some type of drag harrow that is easily homemade. There are all sorts of pricey gadgets for " ATV farming" but I would hold off on those for a real tractor with a disc and maybe your snow blower. Cultipackers and drills are cool, can be pricey even used and really not mandatory for food plots unless you are going to post pretty pics on Tik Tok. I just double the seeding rate when broadcasting seed. Deer don't care how it got there.

When you get the tractor: get MORE hp than you think you'll need and get a front end loader.
(My wife likes a SxS much more than an ATV. She doesn't drive the tractor very often)

Just my 2 cents. I'm sure others will disagree.

I have roughly an acre to mow. Need to mow about once a week. This year we’ve had a ton of snow and it’s a little more than you want to do with a walk behind blower. It’s not unusual to have snow from October to may. For sure I’m buying a mower this spring, tractor would probably be next year, but I could swing a four wheeler this year. My wife probably wouldn’t mind having wheeler and tractor but we’re both very frugal so we try to get by with stuff if we can.

Maybe a wheeler soon and tractor down the road?

 

[wind gypsy]

Snow Blowers worth using on a tractor are freaking expensive as are newish tractors that will handle a snow blower. I've never heard of a garden tractor with snow blower.

Edit: Something like this might not be too bad i guess! Not going to be great for food plotting though. Could carry a sprayer, broadcast spreader, or cultipacker but I think i'd rather just put that stuff on an ATV/UTV though.

Pardon Our Interruption

So ^ + a used 2 seater UTV, 50 gal sprayer, electric broadcast spreader, and cultipacker would be enough to grow some good plots. Might want a pull behind rough cut mower for thick stuff though instead of that belly mower.

 

[Skerhunter]

Mowing with a lawn tractor/moving snow does nothing but waste time, get a good zero turn mower and an ATV with a plow.

Loader tractors that are worth buying 70-80hp+ are super expensive also. That is a much bigger purchase. If your only doing a few acres of food plots maybe hire it out and the maintain with the ATV.