2.5 acres - not perfectly flat - sometimes soggy - limited time - which mower/specs?

[TooMuchGrass]

Greetings All,

I just closed on a home on 2.5 acres of land. I've never had a lot this size to maintain before and was curious if folks could help me out figuring which mower/specs would be ideal for my situation:

2.5 acres - really about 2 acres if you take away the pond, house and driveway - Location South Florida
Terrain is not perfectly flat - the house, patio and surrounding area is on a elevated mound (roughly 18-24") above the rest of the yard
Yard has dips, small mounds and a few 4"-8" diameter stumps
There are trees on the property, but would say they are spaced no closer than 10' apart or so
In summer the yard somewhat "floods" during heavy rainstorms (especially in the front yard) and is pretty much unmowable for atleast a 3 days afterwards (evidence of a few mowers getting stuck in the middle of the front yard when buying the house)
Grass on this lot grows extremely fast in the summer (hopefully much slower in the winter) - in just a week it grew 2-3" - Was mowed by landscaper last week

About me:
Very limited/No experience with Lawn Tractors/Zero Turns
Can only allocate 3 hours a month to lawn work
Would like the price to be 4K or under (my better half would say 2K or under )

I was thinking for my limited time - If I could find a mower that can cut my lot in an hour - I can do that three times a month during the summer, and maybe 2 times month during winter
From this and researching a few posts - it led me to the following potential specifications:
54"+ cutting Deck (preferable 60"+)
at least 24 hp
Mowing speed 5.5+mph (lesser if larger cutting deck)

Initially I was thinking about the Craftsman 54 Inch Model 20417 Prosumer Zero Turn
Then read about delivery woes and other issues: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/craftsman-sears/301122-craftsman-z7400-zero-turn-3.html

Around this time the grass was really out of control and was thinking of getting tractor with a Bush Hog attachment - but not sure if this would be overkill for what I need it to do (since then have hired a landscaper to chop down the jungle)
1952 FORD 8N, BUSH HOG, FINISH MOWER

Then was thinking maybe this mower (24hp diesel w/ 72" deck) would be ideal...then read up on finish mowers and found I would have to mow every week pretty much - that and the "grass" in my area is very rough on blades - last owner said he had to sharpen the blades almost monthly - he has a similar lot size:
Riding Lawnmower Toro Groundsmaster 322D

So I am kinda back to square one - any suggestions on specs/mowers for my situation?

Thanks,

Bob



Images below of lot in question:

 

[jeff9366]

Sears is on its last gasp. I would not buy anything from Sears that could require parts.

Old Fords are great tractors for aficionados good with their hands and tools, but would be a poor selection for a first tractor. Would you buy a 62 year old car to perform a repetative weekly task? What would be your expectations for reliability? Contemporary tractors are much easier to work with.

I think a Zero Turn, other than Sears, would fill your needs. Do you have room in your garage? With a Zero Turn you will have very little trimming to do. I think your budget is unrealistically low.


Why not have a lawn service mow the yard? It does not seem you are a yard maintenance enthusiast. As you will have the same equipment expense as a lawn service, you would only be paying for labor.

 

[Parkanzky]

I am not an expert, but I think that the problem you're going to have is with trimming, especially around that pond. You could spend more time walking around with a string trimmer than the total you've budgeted to maintaining your lawn. Getting close to that pond will be tricky, especially if the ground is damp. You don't want to have to have your equipment hauled out of there! I would not try it with that zero-turn or pulling a rotary mower that wasn't significantly wider than the tractor. The Toro looks like it could get a bit closer since the deck is wider than the tires, but I bet it would still be a bit dicey.

As far as mowers are concerned, I think your choices are to go with a dedicated lawn mower or a compact tractor.

If you go with a dedicated mower, then I think that Toro you link is perfect. It's meant to mow a lot of grass fast. I wouldn't consider anything smaller than a 72" deck for that yard.

If you go with a tractor, get one with a mid-PTO and a belly mower. If you get a subcompact tractor with mid-PTO, then down the road (when your significant other gets over the sting of this purchase), you could consider a small PTO-driven mower with a big offset for the 3PH to allow you to mow around the pond without risking an impromptu bath.

I'm not sure what's available for your budget, but some of the folks on here could probably help.

 

[Parkanzky]

Why not have a lawn service mow the yard? It does not seem you are a yard maintenance enthusiast.

This is an option I didn't think about in my reply, but based on what you've written it might be the best choice for you. A lawn service will probably cost less than buying, feeding, and maintaining the tools you would need to do it within your parameters (very quickly) and it doesn't sound like you'd enjoy your time on the mower.

 

[mikehaugen]

Husqvarna has an articulated mower that would fit in your budget (maybe slightly over). Not as fast as a zero turn, but probably higher quality than a zero turn in that price range.