What lawn mower tractor to buy for 5acre lawn?

   / What lawn mower tractor to buy for 5acre lawn? #1  

herndonva

New member
Joined
Sep 26, 2005
Messages
3
I have a 5acre lawn. I would like some recommendations for a sit-on mower to just mow the lawn and haul some things on utility cart. I have heard about zero-turn mowers. Is something like zero-turn RZT50 good enough? How many hours should it last in term of mowing? What model do you recommend?

What's the terrain? FLAT AND SOME ROLLING HILL.
What part of the country are you in? (determine mowing season). LOUDOUN COUNTY IN VIRGINIA (NORTHEAST SIDE OF VA)
What's the general condition of the lawn? (flat, bumpy) MOSTLY FLAT SOME BUMPS.
How many obstacles do you need to contend with? (trees and such) 18 TREES AND A 350 FT DRIVEWAY
Is the amount of time it takes to mow important? (do you want it done quickly) YES, PREFER MOWING QUICKLY
What's your budget? $3000? A NEIGHBOR TELLS ME THAT ZERO-TURN FOR $3000 COULD DO THE JOB, WITH A LIFE OF 1000 OR 1500 HOURS OF MOWING?
 
   / What lawn mower tractor to buy for 5acre lawn? #2  
Cub Cadet only recommends the RZT50 for 1-1.5acres of grass and it is in no way suitable for 5 acres. I would recommend nothing less than the Z-Force or something equivelant. If I had five acres I would by a full fledged commercial zero turn unit. But the RZT would not do the job.
 
   / What lawn mower tractor to buy for 5acre lawn? #3  
IF and only if the lawn is smooth would I consider a ZTR. For 5 acres, I would seriously consider a 72" mower deck, but nothing smaller than 60". Several brands are very high quality, in no particular order look at Kubota, Exmark, Dixie Chopper, Hustler, Scag, etc.

Assuming a quality brand, a diesel powered ZTR will last you for a decade or two. A gas powered one will last nearly as long but will require more maintenance.

Now we don't know where you are or what your lawn conditions are so nobody knows if a ZTR is appropriate. But if the lawn is smooth, they provide a good cut and they do a very quick job of it. Realize that the more you pay up front the better built it is likely to be. For 5 acres of regular mowing, I would only look at the commercial grade or heavy duty home owner models.
 
   / What lawn mower tractor to buy for 5acre lawn? #4  
herndonva,

Welcome to the forum.
Can you give us a little more information?
What's the terrain?
What part of the country are you in? (determine mowing season)
What's the general condition of the lawn? (flat, bumpy)
How many obstacles do you need to contend with? (trees and such)
Is the amount of time it takes to mow important? (do you want it done quickly)
What's your budget?

Brian
 
   / What lawn mower tractor to buy for 5acre lawn?
  • Thread Starter
#5  
THANK YOU FOR RESPONDING SO QUICKLY.
What's the terrain? FLAT AND SOME ROLLING HILL.
What part of the country are you in? (determine mowing season). LOUDOUN COUNTY IN VIRGINIA (NORTHEAST SIDE OF VA)
What's the general condition of the lawn? (flat, bumpy) MOSTLY FLAT SOME BUMPS.
How many obstacles do you need to contend with? (trees and such) 18 TREES AND A 350 FT DRIVEWAY
Is the amount of time it takes to mow important? (do you want it done quickly) YES, PREFER MOWING QUICKLY
What's your budget? $3000? A NEIGHBOR TELLS ME THAT ZERO-TURN FOR $3000 COULD DO THE JOB, WITH A LIFE OF 1000 OR 1500 HOURS OF MOWING?
 
   / What lawn mower tractor to buy for 5acre lawn?
  • Thread Starter
#6  
I CAN ALSO REDUCE MY LAWN SIZE TO 3 ACRES BY DOING WILD FLOWER FIELDS (NO LAWN MOWING HERE). IS THERE A SIT ON MOWER YOU'D RECOMMEND FOR 3 ACRES? THANK YOU
 
   / What lawn mower tractor to buy for 5acre lawn? #7  
If you want to buy something that is going to last you for many years that can cut 5 acres of lawn, I think you will have to spend more than $3000.

Something like the John Deere LX, GT or GX series tractors would be a good starting point -- however these are in the $5K-$7+ K range in price.

I would suggest a minimum of a 48" deck.
 
   / What lawn mower tractor to buy for 5acre lawn? #8  
The $3000 budget changes things a bit.

OK, to start things off, go down to the "Lawn & Garden" section of the forum. At the bottom of the index is a search. Put $3000 in as your search string and take a look at the posts, threads and options of ZTR's and mowers that are available. This should provide good information on what you'll be looking at in terms of size, capabilities... After reviewing, come on back with some thoughts/considerations that we can help kick around with you.

Brian
 
   / What lawn mower tractor to buy for 5acre lawn? #9  
<font color="red"> A NEIGHBOR TELLS ME THAT ZERO-TURN FOR $3000 COULD DO THE JOB, WITH A LIFE OF 1000 OR 1500 HOURS OF MOWING? </font>


There are things you "can do" and there are things that you don't want to do even if you can. It is very likely that you would abuse and beat up so badly a lightly built and low priced ZTR on 5, or even 3 acres, that you'd come to hate the chore of mowing. Boils down to the right tool for the right job. 3 or 5 acres is really the realm of commercial grade equipment. You mentioned that some of the terrain is bumpy, that adds substantially to your problem because lightly built residential ZTRs will rattle the fillings out of your teeth if the ground is not golf course smooth.

At $3000 you are not going to get a ZTR that would be worth a darn for that size property. You will be able to get a lower grade garden tractor or a decent, but lighter built lawn tractor. I'd favor the garden tractor due to the fact that they are heavier built. However, a GT will be a much, no it will be MUCH slower at mowing than a commercial grade ZTR.
 
   / What lawn mower tractor to buy for 5acre lawn? #10  
In 94 I purchased a YM 1700 with a 5' Landpride finish mower for $5400. Not a lot of trees and has worked real well for me. You may want to look at a grey market tractor and rear finish mower if you don't have a lot of trees and also a dealer that you trust. I've got 1200 hours on my rig now with zero problems other than maint. I beat the tar out of it 40 to 45 weeks a year covering approx 5 acres.
 
 
Top