How Aggravating is it to Care for Unimproved Pasture?

[SteveHGraham]

Here's a question I didn't expect to be asking this month: how much of a hassle is it to take care of cleared, unimproved land?

Things have worked out so I am going to be able to leave South Florida, North America's epicenter of rudeness and inept driving. I have a realtor, and I'm looking at stuff in the North/Central Florida area. Land is not terribly expensive up there, so the price difference between 10 acres and something considerably bigger is not that great. Naturally, I am leaning toward more acreage. I don't want to be aware my neighbors exist unless I choose to go bother them.

Here's my issue: how much is the extra land going to make my life suck? A lot of these places have acres of pasture. Am I going to have to go out every month and bush-hog all of it, or is there some magical process that keeps it under control?

When I was a kid, my grandfather had a lot of farms, and he didn't have to mow, because he had numerous autonomous devices known as "cattle," and they did a fine job turning grass and weeds into poo. I don't really see myself taking care of cattle or filling my property with cow piles that will be in my way when I walk to change rifle targets.

This area of the country is really made for me. The houses have big detached workshops, and some of them have car lifts. It must be wonderful, being able to walk around in a shop instead of climbing over stuff.

[ctwo]

Doesn't mother nature take care of everything? Depends if there is some artificial requirement in place. Maybe you'll just get a tractor and disc it once a year?

[BadDog]

Or rent it to your neighbors to keep their livestock, or farm, and include requirements for them managing the upkeep. You get the land, which may pay for itself, and they get most of the hassles. The only thing you may need to do up front, depending on who you want to rent to, is put up a fence.

Other than that, yeah, get a smallish (CUT sized) tractor with rotary cutter and knock it down a few times a year. With acreage you'll want a tractor for many other things anyway regardless of whether you rent most of it or not.

For shooting (within reason), I would say just keep a separate range area outside the rented area and have fun. Long ago I had 26 acres in N AL and I shot all the time, didn't mater much if any to my neighbor's cattle (when they were in the adjoining pasture, only part of the year). And I shot up to 12ga and 30.06 with some frequency.

No way you would cut it more than maybe 4 times a year unless you just want to keep it looking manicured. The cutter will take down most anything that will grow in a single season, the main thing you just don't want saplings and briars taking over and getting too big to cut readily. As long as you know the property (ditches, mud holes, etc), I just set my small MF at a rather good clip and let 'er roll finishing several acres in a matter of hours a few times a year on my other disconnected property (roughly 14 acres, with over half clear).

[SteveHGraham]

I absolutely must have a tractor.

[warmstrong1955]

I mow, for self preservation.
When we bought this place, the pasture was at least knee deep. Cheat grass, tumble weeds, and much stuff dead & brown.
A couple of crows set up on a transformer, which was OK, until they touched each other. (Found 'em later, what was left of 'em, below the pole, welded together, beak to beak)
Poof....fire. No water....the fire burned the power cable to the well. Not even a muck stick, our stuff hadn't got here yet from Alaska.
Lucky for us, a neighbor came to the rescue with his Case 580. Lost a few trees, and the siding on one side of the garage.
So.....I've been keeping it mowed down ever since.Religiously. Not a lot of work really, with a small tractor.....just 3 acres of unimproved stuff.
May not be such a big deal in Florida.....with rain & all, it stays green I imagine.

Bill

[RONALD]

We bought 5 acres in 1958 for $5000, and then the next 5 for $6300 in 1962.

Over the years, we found having the biggest heavy duty equipment you can afford is the way to go, currently my brother has a 60" Kubota F series mower, I have a used 60" Ransomes 725, and a 2012 Kubota 54" GR2110, and that is just for cutting grass on his 5A, and my 5A.

One of the best tools one can buy for RR work in any gauge is a Toro Dingo, it's sort of a "Swiss Army Knife" of tools. I bought a TX427WT in 2009, and it really helped in RR construction, much more than the Kubota L3940 I later purchased.

One can never have too much equipment!

[warmstrong1955]

Those Dingo's are neat little machines.
We bought a couple for some rehab work in an old mine in Idaho some years back.
Old mine, and all narrow and low drift. Not much else would fit. Held up quite well actually, which was not what I expected!

Bill

[Steggy]

Things have worked out so I am going to be able to leave South Florida, North America's epicenter of rudeness and inept driving.

I thought Boston was the epicenter of rudeness and inept driving.

[SteveHGraham]

I will admit that Miami drivers have improved a lot since they finally started thinking about AMERICAN traffic laws back in about 1990, but the rudeness here has to be seen to be believed.

[steamin10]

IMHO it is what you feel.. I/we take care of 5.5 acres of swampy fields, that we used to plant in truck gardens. Tomato, green pepper, squash and melons. It has gone out of style here, people being too lazy to U-pick, and not being knowledgable to conserve the plants. any way, the problem we have is keeping scrub willow, and other bush like tree starts from taking over the open land. Only a yearly mowing takes care of that, more often mowing, keeps the grasses, and supresses the weeds, so that a heavy duty mower is all that is needed.

In the past, an IH 140 and sicle bar mower, run over the property twice a year , did a bang up job. Now 30 yrs later, it has fallen to a Case compact tractor, and 60 inch finish mower. Lowered down, it does a nice clipping around the house on a ten day basis. The fields get cut with the deck up at about 5 inches rather than 3 on a monthly basis. I dont stress about the timetable, just keep in mind to do the roundy-rounds when I have an hour or two to spare, and enjoy my machine.

If ya dont like doin the grass, dont buy so much. My neighbor just bought a coupla fainting goats, and they do well for his 3 acres. Sheep are another option for small animals, I am considering a couple of feeder cattle from calfs, but held at a friends farm of 140 acres, where he has catlle on grass now. It just depends on what you want to do.

This year, I have a salvaged board fence to install across the frontage, 5 foot tall to hide my collections. We will see how that works, as I have several chicken houses, and pens to hide from open view. To each his own, and may you enjoy your trail. (or dont do it).

[SteveM]

My brother has about 20 or so acres. When he was living up here and using it for a vacation home, his neighbor was maintaining the property. The neighbor asked if he wanted him to mow the field in the back and my brother said not to bother. In about five years, it had been transformed into a forest.

Steve

[SteveHGraham]

I looked around online, and it seems like you only have to mow it once a year to prevent disaster.

Now I'm wondering if a small tractor can be used to move machine tools.