Whats your opinion?

[BradyP]

Just purchased 12 flat to slightly rolling pasture acres that I need to mow weekly by my house. Would like everyones thoughts about what would be the best way to go about it. Go with a top of the line Dixie Chopper or buy a 30-40 hp diesel tractor and 6 foot finish mower. Any and all thoughts would be greatly appreciated. The Chopper would have a 32 hp diesel. Thank you!!!

 

[Bird]

What else are you going to do on that 12 acres? A tractor, especially with 4WD and front end loader, is much more versatile and can be used for many other chores. However, if mowing is the only thing you're interested in, the the Dixie Chopper (or some other ZTR) will get that one job done faster.

 

[teddydo]

Brandy, my opinion is.....the small tractor with the finishing mower maybe with a cab if you like. It is more versatle and I think it would last longer. Tractor are tough. Finishing mower require little upkeep. Life being what it is you never know what other uses will arise. Luck be yours and that just my opinion.......teddy

 

[thcri]

I would go the tractora nd mower route. Just think you can even get a loader. Now you may not think you would ever need a loader but you would be surprised what you would use one for. As a new member go back and fill in your profile complete. This way everyone has an idea of where your from. Also this tractor would last a lot longer.

murph

 

[DmansPadge]

While I would agree that a tractor would last longer and would be capable of a lot more than a dedicated mower... if all you plan to do it mow... a ZTR would be the way to do. And a Dixie is a great choice. We have about 5 Dixie Choppers at work with 25hp Kohler gas engines that have tons of hours on them and they are still great machines. They are built very well and will last a long time with proper maintenance.

A tractor would be great if you have a use for it. A finish mower would do a fine job but it still wouldn't compare to a diesel Dixie Chopper. It all depends on if you will ever have a need for other attachments, a FEL, etc. The Dixie, while not cheap, would be less expensive than a tractor and FM that would handle your chores quickly.

 

[coveredbridge]

Unless you just love to mow, I would think that mowing 12 acres every week is going to get old pretty fast. When you start to get other ideas about what to do with the pasture (horses, orchard, vegetable garden, etc) it would be nice to have a versatile tractor to accomplish many different tasks rather than a dedicated mower.

Of course, if you're sure that all you'll ever want to do with the property is mow, then the mower would make more sense. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[KiotiJohn]

Brady, welcome to the forum. I agree with those who say if you only want to mow, go ZTR. However, most people I know with that amount of acreage want to do more than just mow it.
A good compact tractor can offer so much more than a ZTR. Even an ATV with a tow mower offers more than a ZTR for that amount of land. You can buy lots of attachments for an ATV these days.
I'm not recommending one thing or another, but let us know more about what you think will be your ultimate uses, and we could help more.
Go to MY HOME at the top of the page, click that, and then fill out your "personal setting" so that members can give a little more local information when needed.
John

 

[GeneD14]

A zero turn will get your finish mowing done in a fraction of the time that a tractor can do the job. With 12 acres mowing time will be a huge issue. On the other hand a utility tractor with a loader will come in handy on 12 acres. I would ask your dealer what type of package deal he can give if you buy both. I bought a zero turn at the same time as I bought my tractor and the dealer sold me the zero turn at his cost.

 

[MossRoad]

I'd go with a smaller tractor and buy two tow behind self powered finish mowers. You could get a couple of these and tow them behind and offset giving you a 120" cut. You will need some overlap, but you could still get a 9' cut from a small tractor. It would make quick work of 12 acres. Then just drop one off to do the tight areas.

 

[elemint]

Why do you think you "need" to mow all 12 acres? My advice would be to convert most of that land to a habitat for wildlife and just mow the acre or 2 around your home. A ZTR mower is always best for mowing if there are trees that need to be avoided.