opinions wanted

[ww874]

hi all, this is my first post and i'd appreciate all advice
my situation-
1. 1 arce of rough sloping terrian. 2 arces somewhat level
2. 2nd home and i'm not able to mow weekly, usually only every 3 or 4 weeks. (if it rains in late may when i'm there and i don't back until mid june the grass gets high, easily over a foot) i have a ford tractor with a 5 foot bush hog but i find its tough to get close around the house and dangerous on the slopes.
3. i'm guessing a garden tractor would be just the ticket around the house and in the fields after i've bush hogged.

My choices are a cub cadet 2544 for 3,200 otd (which seems to be a good price) or a john deere x500 for 5,500( which is about retail price)
Would either machice be adequate for my situation and is the jd worth that much more.

 

[roxynoodle]

I just have a cheap Troy-bilt lawn tractor. They will cut grass a foot high provided you go very, very slow and stop every 10 feet or so for the mower to clear itself out. It's a pain in the you know what but it will work. So, I would use your bush hog as much as possible and save the trimming for the lawn tractor. What kind of Ford do you have? Those old 8Ns are pretty wide and low to the ground. On the slopes, make sure you are mowing up and down, not side to side.

 

[LBrown59]

hi all, this is my first post and i'd appreciate all advice
my situation-
1. 1 arce of rough sloping terrian. 2 arces somewhat level
2. 2nd home and i'm not able to mow weekly, usually only every 3 or 4 weeks. (if it rains in late may when i'm there and i don't back until mid june the grass gets high, easily over a foot) i have a ford tractor with a 5 foot bush hog but i find its tough to get close around the house and dangerous on the slopes.
3. i'm guessing a garden tractor would be just the ticket around the house and in the fields after i've bush hogged.

My choices are a cub cadet 2544 for 3,200 otd (which seems to be a good price) or a john deere x500 for 5,500( which is about retail price)
Would either machice be adequate for my situation and *is the jd worth that much more.

*Not to me.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I would look into the Ferris Zero Turn Mowers. You can get into a 1500 series for the money you are talking. In my opinion Ferris is the best on the market. My neighbor has a lawn care business and has had them all but the Ferris out performs them all. I do all the maintenance so I know what is involved in running these things and the Ferris mowers have 1/10th the needed wrenching form his past mowers which were Scags, Dixon, and a few others.

Chris

 

[IslandTractor]

PowerTrac all the way. Either the 425 or it's smaller sibling. Great on slopes. Check out the PowerTrac forum here on TBN, they'll help ya.