I've got 10 acres that we plan to build a house on. I'm going back and forth between a ZTR and a 25 to 30 hp tractor. It was pasture land before. I just mowed it yesterday w/ a friends ZTR. It mowed extremly fast, but was pretty rough. My primary use will be mowing, but I can think of a few times when it would be nice to have a tractor. I just don't want to spend a lot of time mowing. Looking a the Kubotas the top speed is around 11 to 12 mph. The ZTR also goes about 10 mph and in alot of areas I was able to mow that fast. Will the tractor be able to mow that fast?
How fast can you mow w/ a compact tractor?
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LeadPoison
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Max will be about 5 mph for a tractor, but you will get much more use out of a tractor.
I agree that you're not going to go 10mph mowing with a tractor, but depending on the size of the deck you get on a tractor, you may be able to mow faster.
Trying to go 10mph on a tractor will probably be at least as rough or rougher on you on a tractor.
Now, if you buy a tractor and a boxblade, you can level out that pasture and then you could cut faster!
If you have 10 acres, you need a tractor. There will be so many jobs that you can't even imagine right now that you can do with a tractor and loader and maybe a backhoe. Of course, I don't know how much of the 10 acres you plan to use as opposed to let stay wooded (if it is now) but with that much property, I'd want a tractor around.
I do my lawn with a ZTR, but I'm always finding something to do with my tractor as well.
John
Trying to go 10mph on a tractor will probably be at least as rough or rougher on you on a tractor.
Now, if you buy a tractor and a boxblade, you can level out that pasture and then you could cut faster!
If you have 10 acres, you need a tractor. There will be so many jobs that you can't even imagine right now that you can do with a tractor and loader and maybe a backhoe. Of course, I don't know how much of the 10 acres you plan to use as opposed to let stay wooded (if it is now) but with that much property, I'd want a tractor around.
I do my lawn with a ZTR, but I'm always finding something to do with my tractor as well.
John
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A tractor with belly mower will probably be your most comfortable solution. It won't mow as fast as a ZTR, but the extra comfort may outweigh the time. If you have alot of open areas that don't require trimming, the tractor will perform well. If you need to go around a bunch of trees, etc. you may want a ZTR.
RoyJackson
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The ZTR mower will be quicker. That machine has a much lower center of gravity allowing for higher ground speeds.
So, if mowing is your primary task on a level 10 acres, go for the ZTR. Your land is a pasture...it's not going to be "lawn-like" for a while.
If you go for a tractor and that 10 acres is reasonably flat, go for as large a rear mower as you can. A 25 (plus or minus 1 PTO HP) should handle a 72" mower easily, as long as you mow frequently. You might even get by with an 84" unit, but that's pushing it. You probably won't be going at high speed though...5-6 MPH is about the maximum...and that's on a very level lot.
But a tractor would give you more versatility. In your circumstances, the non-traditional tractors like Steiner and Power Trac might be worth a look.
So, if mowing is your primary task on a level 10 acres, go for the ZTR. Your land is a pasture...it's not going to be "lawn-like" for a while.
If you go for a tractor and that 10 acres is reasonably flat, go for as large a rear mower as you can. A 25 (plus or minus 1 PTO HP) should handle a 72" mower easily, as long as you mow frequently. You might even get by with an 84" unit, but that's pushing it. You probably won't be going at high speed though...5-6 MPH is about the maximum...and that's on a very level lot.
But a tractor would give you more versatility. In your circumstances, the non-traditional tractors like Steiner and Power Trac might be worth a look.
Ryno1
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Can you really do a good job mowing at 10 mph with a ZTR? Never used one so .....
flusher
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I have the same setup as you: 10-acres, flat, pasture land, 30 almond trees in an orchard centered on the property.
The house is near the orchard and there's about 3/4 acre of lawn/shrubs that I keep mowed with a cheapie lawn tractor ($1000 18HP Huskee 42" mower from Tractor Supply co.).
The rest of the parcel is weeds that I let grow to 2-3 feet and then cut with my 21-HP Kubota B7510HST tractor and a 4-ft wide King Kutter rotary mower (brush hog). I figure the weeds occupy about 7 acres and it takes me all day to mow.
But I mow slow, in low gear with the FEL bucket lowered near the ground, because the ground is pretty rough and so I don't get any unpleasant surprises when the mower runs over a piece of debris that I missed in my site inspection. I don't think a ZTR would last very long mowing the weeds on my place. Also my kidneys would probably give out if I tried to use a ZTR in my weed patch.
Also my neighbors on two sides both have horses so I'm careful when the animals are around so I don't toss anything harmful in their direction. I have rubber "mudflaps" on both ends of the mower to minimize the flying debris problem.
The house is near the orchard and there's about 3/4 acre of lawn/shrubs that I keep mowed with a cheapie lawn tractor ($1000 18HP Huskee 42" mower from Tractor Supply co.).
The rest of the parcel is weeds that I let grow to 2-3 feet and then cut with my 21-HP Kubota B7510HST tractor and a 4-ft wide King Kutter rotary mower (brush hog). I figure the weeds occupy about 7 acres and it takes me all day to mow.
But I mow slow, in low gear with the FEL bucket lowered near the ground, because the ground is pretty rough and so I don't get any unpleasant surprises when the mower runs over a piece of debris that I missed in my site inspection. I don't think a ZTR would last very long mowing the weeds on my place. Also my kidneys would probably give out if I tried to use a ZTR in my weed patch.
Also my neighbors on two sides both have horses so I'm careful when the animals are around so I don't toss anything harmful in their direction. I have rubber "mudflaps" on both ends of the mower to minimize the flying debris problem.
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Nate22: You have received a good deal of good information in this thread. To give you a point of reference I used to mow my lower ~6 acre sloped obstacle course with a Ford 1100 (4WD 13/11 HP) with a 40" rotary cutter in 6 - 7 hours. It is best to move slow especially through the thicker vegetation and I believe the cut is more even. This was a geared machine and I usually ran in 3rd and/or 4th gear (low range) which works out to be 1 - 1.5 mph. I highly recommend a 4WD tractor for its overall utility and if you believe that your primary use will be mowing go with turf tires>R4's; ag/R1 tires tend to chew up turf with a bigger/heavier tractor. Jay
Ryno1,
Yes you can mow that fast as long as you can hold on. I had to slow down on some of the rougher areas, but if it was somewhat smooth I could mow at full speed with a very nice cut. At first it bounce the you know what out of me, but after a while I got used to it. But the ZTR I used did not have suspension or a suspension seat. I think a suspension seat would make a difference. And Ferris makes on with shock on all four wheels so that might be even better, but I haven't used one. The one I used was a Scag Turf Tiger with a 61" deck. Like I said, it gave a clean cut even at faster speeds, but it was very bumpy. I had previously mowed about 2 acres last saturday with a pull behind mower behind my 4 wheeler. Yesterday I used the Scag to mow roughly another 6 or 7 acres. I did it in 3 1/2 hours. My land has a terrace that is about 1 1/2 acres and the rest has a gentle slope. There are currently no trees.
Yes you can mow that fast as long as you can hold on. I had to slow down on some of the rougher areas, but if it was somewhat smooth I could mow at full speed with a very nice cut. At first it bounce the you know what out of me, but after a while I got used to it. But the ZTR I used did not have suspension or a suspension seat. I think a suspension seat would make a difference. And Ferris makes on with shock on all four wheels so that might be even better, but I haven't used one. The one I used was a Scag Turf Tiger with a 61" deck. Like I said, it gave a clean cut even at faster speeds, but it was very bumpy. I had previously mowed about 2 acres last saturday with a pull behind mower behind my 4 wheeler. Yesterday I used the Scag to mow roughly another 6 or 7 acres. I did it in 3 1/2 hours. My land has a terrace that is about 1 1/2 acres and the rest has a gentle slope. There are currently no trees.
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If you are just thinking about the mowing aspect go with the ZTR. I have used both, am now using a Ferris ZTR with IS and the trimming aspect alone is going to save you time. I don't think there are to many compacts that can keep up with the ZTR's. Go to Lawn Site. com and check the opinions there from the commercial mowers, they will tell you the same thing.