I have put money (cash plus Kubota loan for balance) on a Kubota 1850 with front loader, 54 inch finecut deck and front loader with tooth bar. I have a back yard that is a hillside, not a fine lawn but with some fruit trees. Main use will be cutting the grass, some winter snow removal from the driveway and general sorts of use of the front loader to move some dirt etc. Not a farm, but not anything like a city lot. (about 2 1/2 acres with 1 in grass and 1.5 in woods) I am going to get a rototiller for it and also have some concerns about stability on the hillside slope for cutting grass etc. Used a sears 46 inch garden tractor before. Never rolled it but makes me get jittery with the turns at the top of the hill. Is the 1850 more than enough HP for this kind of general use or should I be looking at upgrading to the 2350. Dealer wants chunk of change to redo paperwork since it is already set up with Kubota. Any thoughts on power on the 1850? I really cannot justify a 24 with backhoe but it might come in handy upon occasion just hate to spend almost 6 grand more for an occasional toy. Could have someone come in and do the work for less, just not as convenient. Another question is on tires. Are the turf pretty good even with the front loader? Dealer is going to alcohol fill them to help with the balance against the front loader.

LOL @ this thread :) My "truck" is a red, 1995 Chevrolet Beretta (yeah, the 2 door model). It's paid for and runs great. And I can get an amazing amount of crap in there. Of course, I have serious truck envy! I'm just waiting for the F150 hybrid...though I fear I'll have a looonnnggg wait. :) This thread reminds me of a great story (sorry if it's long and slightly offtopic, but I thought you all would get a kick out of it): About 3 years ago I was in the parking lot of HomeDepot and trying to figure out how I was going to get these 3 4X5 sheets of lattice home. I had bought them thinking I could get them in the trunk or partway. (DUH!)I had just decided that I would use some rope to tie the wood to the roof, and put some spare clothes I happened to have in the car between the lattice and the car when the man in the large red dodge parked behind me came out. He said "Honey, do you need some help?" I tried to say no, but all he could do was giggle. Keep in mind it's like 830 on a Fri. night. He said, "if you don't live too far from here, I'll haul that stuff for you". Against my "better judgement" I accepted his offer--the whole way home I kept thinking--oh jeez, what is he gonna want in return? thinking the worst. We get to my house, he unloads the wood--won't let me help him --carries it up to the porch. And won't take anything but my profuse gratitude! Never got his name, wouldn't take gas $$, or a drink of water. That was the day I realized how incredibly neighborly and kind southerners can be. Where I'm from, that wouldn't happen in a bazillion years--or the guy would drive off with the wood, or come back & rob me blind. Someday when I have a truck--I hope I get to return the favor to some other hapless gardener! :)

Well it looks as if you are getting answers on all the forums you posted this on so we might as well post here. ;) JMO but if you already know or can easily find out from the local county extension what the basic structure of and mineral content of your native soil is then all you would need is the basic test IMO - pH, N-P-K, and organic content. But if you don't know or can't get that info for some reason or if you have trucked in soil or have new construction zone soil or if the garden area has been abused in some fashion in the past (like it used to be a garage floor or dump area etc.) then go for the advanced analysis this one time so you will have all the details on just what you have to work with. Dave

Different units make different amounts of noise. Sometimes the achievable power levels are different as are the size of the induction zones. If you boil or sear a lot, look at the maximum pan sizes and the maximum power levels of each zone. Be aware of those for the unit you're testing and see how comfortable it feels. Just in case, the units have a maximum power draw that somewhat controls the speed of boiling and the heat of sear, the recovery rate and the time involved in big batch cooking. Using a gagg, fagor and viking cooktops, the top end burner is 2400, 2800 and 3700 watts. There have been issues in the past (and maybe are currently) for some people with the cooktop total wattage not being enough to run all of its zones up high. The widths and lengths of the cooktops are different even though I chose the same nominal size. Just as importantl the Viking was about 1.5" deeper than the other two. That kind of difference can be the difference between being able to have a short top drawer and having none. Some units have extra features like automatic pan detection or dry pan shut off. There is a linking feature for larger griddle that you may want or might not. I don't think there is a "standard set" of extras. I'd imagine that different units from different makers varying in reliability. I'm not sure enough units of any type have been installed in this country to be able to tell from reviews unless a large maker like GE has an identifiable issue. Hth. As always, your opinion is the one that counts, I'm just listing what I'd be checking.