Confused with mower choice

[Sparky67]

That is exactly what I do in pastures/fields. It is amazing how much wildlife inhabits the fields when grasses are allowed to grow knee high. Turtles, Praying Mantises, birds, rabbits and who knows what else thrive in our unmown fields. I wait until a all wildflowers have finished blooming before making any cuts and often cut only once in the fall. Keeps the invasive briars and saplings well in control and allows many interesting grasses to flourish. Watching the grasses waving in the wind is another benefit. Large lawns are boring and virtual biological deserts that eat up large amounts of time, water, fuel, fertilizer and herbicides. They should be discouraged.

Unfortunately the property is currently a nice manicuredlawn (not a pasture) otherwise I would just leave it like buickanddeere suggested.

 

[IslandTractor]

Unfortunately the property is currently a nice manicuredlawn (not a pasture) otherwise I would just leave it like buickanddeere suggested.

Buy a few pounds of wildflower seed, spread it and let nature take its course.

 

[Sparky67]

Buy a few pounds of wildflower seed, spread it and let nature take its course.

OK IslandTractor, only if you would be willing to be the one to tell my Wife....hahaha

 

[IslandTractor]

OK IslandTractor, only if you would be willing to be the one to tell my Wife....hahaha

It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission. Show her some photos of wildflower filled fields, wild grasses waving in the breeze and remind her of all the fuel use, global warming and wasted mowing time that can be avoided. I know it isn't an easy decision but we love ours and so do our neighbors.

 

[KenB2920]

Just my opinion from my experience.

I mow roughly 4ish acres.

I first used a B2920 with a MMM and although the cut was fine the tractor was heavy. It got close to where I needed to be but still left a good amount of string trimming.

I then purchased a L3540 cab as I have allergies and being climate controlled is nice. I pulled a 7' rear discharge deck from bush hog. Did a great job in the fields. It was simply to difficult to get close with turns and left a lot of string trimming. Also with weighted tires and on clay, the tractor was just heavy and would cause "ruts" (over exaggeration) but cause waves or slight bumps. When the clay dried out the was actually a rougher ride.

So I then decided to use a 50" walk behind close to the house and the 7' everywhere else.

Being I like my grass manicured the tractor is the wrong choice (At least for my situation) (weight 5000 lbs vs 1500 lbs , speed, overall finish and cost ratio). I also aerate my lawn (huge improvement with the soil compaction from the tractor). So I picked up a scag cheetah 60". This ztr cuts excellent and leaves my grass in much better shape. I can also cut my property in less time the if I used the tractor with 7' deck. Being I can get super close, it leaves very little string trimming. I'm not promoting scag, (although I like it) but as mentioned above, a high end ZTR would probably be best.

I sharpen blades often on all equipment and like to try things for myself. I'm not trying to push you anyway, just saying I've kind of been there.

Also, your 6060 I think is 9" longer than my 3540.

I'm also in the market for a flail but definitely not for my lawn. ( the manicured areas). I've read a lot about them and look forward to using them to keep fields looking good monthly. (I also do a lot of cutting / brush work ) for others. Right tool for the job. So I am acquiring all the tools.

 

[Sparky67]

Ken,
Thank you very much for this reply. Very helpful as you are in the same scenario. I have gone ahead and asked my former landscaper to maintain the lawns as I believe the L6060 will be awkward and heavy for the manicured lawns around the home. My landscaper uses a Zero Turn with a bagger and it is much quicker and easier to deal with. I will look at this for my long term plans when I have more time in the Fall, but in the meantime will get some turf tires on my 6060 as I need to get on the lawn for other things Chipping wood, etc. Thanks again for your input, looks like the Zero turn is the best long term solution.

 

[KenB2920]

Absolutely!!! Happy Tractoring !!!

 

[Gary Fowler]

A professional grade or near commercial grade zero turn mower will last you a long time and do a quick and fast job. You may want to look at the F series of front mount Kubota mowers with diesel engines if you have the money to invest in a high end mower. I would love to have one for my rough lawn because I think they would be much smoother riding than a regular ZTR and for me much easier to see where the deck is so less overlap. I think TBN member John Thomas can advise you on those compared to other mowers.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

A professional grade or near commercial grade zero turn mower will last you a long time and do a quick and fast job. You may want to look at the F series of front mount Kubota mowers with diesel engines if you have the money to invest in a high end mower. I would love to have one for my rough lawn because I think they would be much smoother riding than a regular ZTR and for me much easier to see where the deck is so less overlap. I think TBN member John Thomas can advise you on those compared to other mowers.

And you can also get the Kubota front mount mowers with a rear discharge deck, which would solve the worry about rocks thrown at windows. A Grasshopper front mount would do the same thing, but you can get the Kubota in a 4wd model if traction is a concern.