Rear finish or MMM

[Dr. Bob]

With that many acres, I'l go with the low effort option mentioned above: get a farmer to hay it. You get some cash and there is no effort on your part. They will keep it looking good. They hay 3 times a year and it never gets very high. The hay fields around here look great.

 

[XSKIER]

deal fell through but moving quick another on 20 level mixed wooded acres. There are tow long football field style lenghts of grass probably about 8-10 acres. The previous owner is moving to England and I noticed a nice sized TYM tractor in the garage.

Why not make an offer on the equipment that is already there? A football field is only one acre.

 

[sixdogs]

As mentioned, to mow that much is a lot but if you are determined it can be done without the hassle expected. You will need somehing of a regular mower for around the hose and between trees.
In my case, I have an older 38" Deere F510 zero turn mower I bought for between trees and tight spaces. I also have a MMM Kubota B7800 @ 60" to mow the 2 acre basic yard but wish I had a ZT. The B7800 is a good compromise.

We no longer mow the extra acres but I have a Woods 7 ft 3 pt RD 8400 finish mower I used. For these "field" acres I simply set the mower at a high level of maybe 5 or more inches and just mowed every few weeks. Less often in the summer and that was mostly for clipping weeds. This method of high mowing caused the grass to look less scraggly as it grew and cut my mowing time. As long as it is cut level, the height of field doesn't seem to matter. In fact, taller grass looked better in summer and made it more difficult for weeds to start. We also sprayed weeds with 2,4-D every fall.

We did the cow thing for a while and out worked but you have to fence and feed, water, etc and this is a time, labor and potential liability issue open to debate. Unless you have the time, labor and leaning curve required with large animals and marketing, you will likely lose money and take greater risks.

Today, we rent our extra acres and they are grain farmed. But I still did like the look of an expansive "lawn".

 

[TripleR]

I just can't see paying the property taxes on essentially a ten acre lawn with the attendant maintenance costs.

We have a three acre "field" next to approximately two acres of yard that I bush hog every two weeks. Due to its shape, it can no longer be farmed due to the size of equipment used. If it wasn't for my wife's allergies, we would have it hayed.

 

[BeezFun]

The previous owner is moving to England and I noticed a nice sized TYM tractor in the garage. He had a smaller MMM and a Zero turn for the smaller areas. Recommendations?

If he's moving ask him to throw in the tractor and other lawn equipment. What's he going to do with it? I got my riding mower and other lawn stuff for free with our house, the people were retiring, I asked them to throw it in with the sale and they said sure.

 

[Dougw133]

I dont want a TYM tractor :ashamed:

OK. Much appreciate the advice here and I have to say I possibly am off on my acreage that is lawn. Lets say 6-8

Here is a picture. There is another lawn below the one you see. Do I want to mow for 6 hours a week? No...But I don't really want to let it go to hay either. The property is just too awesome!

 

[BeezFun]

I dont want a TYM tractor :ashamed:

How about a free TYM tractor?

Hard to tell from picture but ground looks pretty rough, finish mowers only mow up so high, so some if it might get scalped. A bush hog would allow you to mow it longer, also healthier for the grass.

 

[Dougw133]

How about a free TYM tractor?

Hard to tell from picture but ground looks pretty rough, finish mowers only mow up so high, so some if it might get scalped. A bush hog would allow you to mow it longer, also healthier for the grass.

Well....FREE changes things I agree. BUT I doubt he's gonna throw his tool collection in for nothing.

 

[jakell2010]

That doesn't look like its mowed with a finish mower,,,,,,it looks bush hogged,,,,,and you can run a 72" RFM On a 2920,,, or a 5' hog

 

[bp fick]

I just can't see paying the property taxes on essentially a ten acre lawn with the attendant maintenance costs.

We have a three acre "field" next to approximately two acres of yard that I bush hog every two weeks. Due to its shape, it can no longer be farmed due to the size of equipment used. If it wasn't for my wife's allergies, we would have it hayed.

Agreed. Land should either be allowed to go natural with prairie grasses/wood lot, etc, or used for some agricultural purpose and provide a return of some kind.

4-10 acres of lawn is a black hole of maintenance costs. That's just me. Some guys love looking at acres and acres of groomed lawn. I'm just not one of them. I'd rather see crops growing, hay being baled, or hamburger and steaks on the hoof.