Zero turn or tractor, 2.5 acre property

[Gary Fowler]

I have had a Gravely 60" HD ZTR for the past 4 years with a Kohler Courage engine. I average over 100 hours a year & have been very happy with it. New they are now selling around $5,200. Who knows what type of end of season deal might get. We have 4 Gravely ZTR in the family now. Everyone is happy.

I have run Ferris ZTR mowers & do not feel the difference in ride is worth paying twice the price.

If you cant tell the difference in ride quality, put one side by side with any other brand and run one pass with the Ferris and then get on the other one. YOU will be amazed at the difference. If your lawn is supper smooth and groomed, you may not notice a difference but if it is like mine with pot holes, ditch crossings, crawfish mounds and other bumps you will immediately see the difference.
I don't know where you get Ferris as being twice the price. My Ferris IS700Zwith 52" deck which is a bit wider than I needed with the uneven ground but a good compromise for the acreage I need to mow lists for $5800 + tax at my local dealer and has a FS 691 Kawasaki engine, fabricated steel deck and the smoothest ride around. I cant see $600 (difference in your quote for the gravely)being double price of any other entry level commercial mower and I would take a Kawasaki engine over any B&S or Kohler engine ever built. As far as mowers and cutting goes any of the brands of heavy duty commercial or semi-commercial duty will last a lifetime. I just like the smoother ride and performance of the Ferris over any other brand I have tried, looked at and priced. I didn't find them priced any higher than any other HD models available and actually cheaper than Grasshopper and Exmark mowers of similar size and HP.

 

[TSO]

There have been times when I would welcome the suspension of the Ferris mower... sounds like my lawn is alot like Gary's.

 

[Observer]

The ZTR is the obvious choice at this time. However, should you in the future decide to acquire more property, then a compact tractor would be the ticket! IMO!

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Here's the way I look at it. If you get the compact tractor now, then when you want to buy a ZTR later, your wife can say "But you can mow with the tractor."

If you buy the ZTR now, then when you want to buy a compact tractor, you can honestly say "But I can't do XXX with the ZTR."

So buying the ZTR now gives you a better chance of having both someday.

See, you gotta think about this stuff. :laughing:

 

[Carl_NH]

Get a Max 25 or Kubota Bx25 with the BH and the ZTR as well and have fun. The Scag @ $6K is a decent price and they are good machines.

You might want to stop by a Kubota dealer and look at a BX25 AND a ZTR for a package deal with 0% financing too on a 2013 model end of year deal..

Like Gary I have the Ferris ZTR and Kubota BH - makes work seem like play.

Good luck, '

Carl

 

[EddieWalker]

I have a Scag Wildcat with a 61 inch deck and the water cooled Kawasaki engine in it that I bought new for $8,500 a couple years ago. I also have a 35 hp 4x4 tractor with a 7 foot finish mower. Both are better at some things then the other. The zero turn gives a much nicer cut. Its not even close to how much better it looks. And yes, I replace the blades of both with new ones every year in the spring.

The tractor excels in open country, rough ground where going straight and wide turns are involved. Once you have to go over ground again, or start backing in and out of an area, the tractor is wasting time and not the best choice.

In my yard, along my driveway and the front of my land, the zero turn excels. It's also much better on steep side hills!!!! Seeing your picture, it looks like there are quite a few trees and you have a need for maneuverability. The tractor will do this, just like the riding mower, but it will be slow compared to the zero turn.

If the grass is short, I'll take my zero turn down to my big pond and mow around it over the tractor because it looks a lot nicer. Time wise, the tractor is way better when the grass gets long, but if I keep it cut, the zero turn is even better out in the open area, even though it has a smaller deck.

Eddie

 

[ModMech]

I reconsider this question every spring....

We have ~2AC of "yard" and it wouldn't matter if it was a ZTR or tractor the deck size is the critical metric. A FEL is handier than a pocket on a shirt, a ZTR is only good for mowing.

If I ever have a chance to push the "do-over" button, I would get slightly larger tractor (We have 13 total acres) with a FEL, grader blade, and 84" finish mower and do everything with one machine.

 

[iptman]

Wanted to finish up this thread. I went with the used Scag. 92 hours on the clock. Now I just need to learn how to run the zero turn controls efficiently.

 

[TSO]

Very cool, looks nice. What are the specs?

And don't worry about a learning curve, they are extremely intuitive; you'll be a pro by the end of your first day!

 

[xtn]

On a property like that... as long as I didn't let everything ever get too high in the first place... and as long as there are no surprises... and assuming sharp blades... I could mow it with my 60" ZT in an hour and 15 minutes.