[AT] Honda 5518

[Alan Nadeau]

Dean, I have to differ with you about the small tractors being able do "real 
work".  I own the Grandfather of your 425, a 400 JD L&G tractor.  I've been 
using it to keep snow off about 10,000 s.f. of driveway/parking area.  The 
400 is 20 hp and I think the naked weight is greater than your 425 by a bit. 
I'm running a 6'8" light duty pickup truck plow mounted on the loader and a 
63" Kubota blower, heavily modified, mounted on the rear.   Our average 
snowfall is 80", last year we had 120+".  While the 400 is not the best 
choice for the job it is adequate.

As for the Honda, I think it is pretty much an orphan.  I don't think Honda 
is still making anything like that and I'm not sure just how good the parts 
pipeline is for them.

Al Nadeau
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dean VP" <deanvp at att.net>
To: "'Antique tractor email discussion group'" 
<at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Monday, December 05, 2011 3:55 PM
Subject: Re: [AT] Honda 5518


> Phil,
>
> IMHO, anything that has a Cat "0" three point hitch is too small to do 
> real work.  I too
> own a JD 425 which is one of the better Garden Tractors that JD has ever 
> made. But for
> snow removal and loader work I have a JD 750 which is the smallest Compaq 
> tractor I would
> ever consider for snow removal. I have a blade or a loader on it and they 
> are quite handy.
> The whole JD 650, 750, 850, 950, 1050 compact tractor series have 
> mechanical transmissions
> but can have 4 wheel drive.  They can be had for much less than $10,000 
> with low hours
> quite often under 1000 hours.  I would recommend these for road snow 
> removal.  The 425 is
> better for sidewalk snow removal.
>
> So it kind of depends on what kind of snow removal you are going to do.
>
> Dean VP
> Apache junction, AZ
>
> While creating husbands, God promised women that good and ideal husbands 
> would be found in
> all corners of the world...... then He made the earth round.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com 
> [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com]
> On Behalf Of Phil Vorwerk
> Sent: Monday, December 05, 2011 12:53 PM
> To: 'Antique tractor email discussion group'
> Subject: [AT] Honda 5518
>
> Hi Guys -
>
> I've been re-evaluating how I've been doing my snow removal at home, and 
> started looking
> for a compact utility tractor with a blower.  I was cruising Craigslist 
> and ran across a
> Honda 5518 that looks appealing, but I really don't know much about them. 
> 4 wheel drive,
> 4 wheel steer, pto's front and back, cat 0 three point hitch.  Comes with 
> a deck and a two
> stage snow blower.  The idea of being able to add a tiller or a loader is 
> appealing - I
> have a pair of JD 425's, but I feel like they are a little small for that 
> kind of duty.
>
> Anybody have any experience with these?  How many hours would be a "lot" 
> of hours?  I know
> they haven't made them since the 90's, so I'm wondering if parts are a 
> problem at all.  My
> other option is to put a blower on one of my John Deere 425's, but looking 
> this I can pick
> up the whole tractor for not much more than it would cost me to pick up a 
> JD blower.  I'm
> thinking that if parts are still available they can't really be much worse 
> than buying
> them for a JD, other than I can't just stop at my local JD dealer to pick 
> them up.
>
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Phil Vorwerk
>
> Courtland, MN
>
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