Mowing 12' finish mower

[herrick]

What's the smallest tractor you can use to run a 12' batwing finish mower?

I currently run a lawn service and am looking at getting into larger properties (schools, parks, etc). I currently have one 40+ acre retirement community (about 20 acres of grass) that I maintain, and enjoy it enough that I'd like to concentrate more on this type of work. I'm also looking at adding fert. and weed control services next year (after I get my license). looking for the smallest tractor that will acceptably run something like a 10-12' pull behind batwing FINISH mower. (not a bush hog) I want to stay as small as possible to minimize weight for compaction on the grass, and for ease of transportation. Most say you need at least 30hp to run them, and it looks like a JD 3520 is right at the 30 PTO hp required... anyone with real-life experience think this will be a decent combo? or do I really need to go bigger?

 

[RollTideRam]

The first batwing finish mower I saw was used with a 3720. What are the pto requirements of the mower you are looking at? JC

 

[mfreund]

Here are some hp requirements for a couple of brands.

Iowa Farm Equipment -- Maschio Model 210 Finishing Mower

Iowa Farm Equipment -- Bush Hog Tri-Deck Finishing Mowers

The Bush Hog is the only brand this guy sells that would get you to the 10-15 ft range. Of course, the larger the mower the higher the hp required. Hope this helps.

 

[ddivinia]

Frontier makes some.

D.

 

[orlo]

Herrick:

I tried a 15' Batwing mower for a week on my 3720. The dealer had a used one come in and dropped it off for me to try. There is a post on here with pictures: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/john-deere-owning-operating/103614-my-3720-15-wing-mower.html

With 35pto HP I didn't suffer for HP much and (you'll have to read the post) but probably mowed at 5mph. I have a single short steep (maybe a 10' rise) hill but that's it so I can't give a review of running it on hills. I also was mowing I think 2 weeks growth.

It weighed 3200lbs which was over 1/2 the fighting weight of my 3720 cab (about 6K [loader frame, loaded tires, etc.]). I would imagine that it could wrestle the tractor around a bit on hills but in my short use I didn't have any issues.

It had a drawbar hitch rather than a 3pt which I thought made it handle better. Technically the drawbar weight for transport (wings up and off the ground) exceeded the max recommended for the 3720 but the operating tongue weight was fine.

 

[jenkinsph]

What's the smallest tractor you can use to run a 12' batwing finish mower?

I currently run a lawn service and am looking at getting into larger properties (schools, parks, etc). I currently have one 40+ acre retirement community (about 20 acres of grass) that I maintain, and enjoy it enough that I'd like to concentrate more on this type of work. I'm also looking at adding fert. and weed control services next year (after I get my license). looking for the smallest tractor that will acceptably run something like a 10-12' pull behind batwing FINISH mower. (not a bush hog) I want to stay as small as possible to minimize weight for compaction on the grass, and for ease of transportation. Most say you need at least 30hp to run them, and it looks like a JD 3520 is right at the 30 PTO hp required... anyone with real-life experience think this will be a decent combo? or do I really need to go bigger?

I also do a lot of custom landscape work design/build and find the 4x20 is better all around. While the 4x20 series is heavier it has larger tires so with equal tire pressures the compaction is the same on the lawns. If you notice there are lots of 5000 series tractors in use for golf courses as an example. I would hesitate buying too small a tractor only to find out you need one larger next year for some other type of work.



Steve

 

[ejb17]

I use to use a JD 1050 which had 33 pto hp with a 12' woods finish mower with no problems. I had fairly level lawn and the tractor was MFWD if I got in a soft spot. I moved up to a 17' Woods finish mower and pulled that behind my 990 which had 35.5 pto hp. That would make the 990 work if the grass got ahead of me, so this year I upgraded tractors to a 4520 and this tractor pulls the mower like its not there. I would now recomend a 4x20 series so you do not lack hp or give up longevity as it is your business. This is just my opinion though.

 

[herrick]

Well, not a ton of hills that I have to deal with around here as far as mowing. Worst would be a ditch here or there, which the ZTR would probably be better on anyways with it's low center of gravity.
The other reason I was concerned with weight was for transportation reasons. My truck is good for about 9k towing, and with a 3k tractor (3X20), maybe some weights or loaded tires, and a 2-2.5k mower (plus the trailer) I'm going to be right at my limit. Seems like a 3720 with 35 PTO hp may be a decent match with a 11-12' mower. This would all be weekly (if not sooner) cutting, so I shouldn't be asking too much out of it.

 

[jenkinsph]

Not to be overbearing but with a 4520 weighing in about 3700#'s OS and 4500#'s cab this isn't much more than a weighted 3x20 series. This is a lot more tractor to build the business around, I wouldn't base the tractor purchase around a trailer's capacity. Mowing 20 acres every week is a time consuming task but would be alot more pleasant to do with a 4520 or 4720 cab tractor with an economy pto. There are a lot of people here who can vouch for the fact that trading up constantly is much more expensive than buying the right tractor the first time. I pull my 110 tlb and 4520 on a 12,000 lb trailer with a Ford 550 service truck and yeah it took me a while to get it together but buying once made it that much easier.

So if I were in your shoes I would buy an unweighted 4520 and add weights later when needed, much cheaper than upgrading the tractor.

Good luck with the tough decisions.



Steve

 

[KB9UDE]

Well, not a ton of hills that I have to deal with around here as far as mowing. Worst would be a ditch here or there, which the ZTR would probably be better on anyways with it's low center of gravity.
quote]


I use a ztr on some hills but my 2320 and 4120 handle the slopes and ditches much better. Not sure what ztr you are running but it has been my experience that you may like the tractor better for this application.


John