5 ACRES AN HOUR? BULL ROAR!!!!

[LD1]

Really appreciate all the opinions and information provided by the members, I can be really stubborn about some issues. BTW, the 2002 John Deere 4000-Ten series brochure lists the following figures:

Mowing 2 acres: 18 horsepower 4010 with 60 inch deck, 48 minutes
32 horsepower 4310 with 72 inch deck, 40 minutes
48 horsepower 4710 with 72 inch deck, 36 minutes

Top speed of the 4310, which is the next model up from mine is listed at 15 to 17.5 mph, depending upon tire size and transmission type. A 4710 would be as fast or even faster than the maximum 17.5 mph of the 4310 and have a 1 foot wider deck than the Exmark I decry but Deere rates it more realistically at 72 minutes for 4 acres.

Trying to reverse figure those numbers, using the 4710, I am figuring that out to be 3.33 acres per hour.

With a 6' deck and 80% efficiency, you would have to be travelling 5.7 miles per hour.

And in all honesty, with a tractor in lieu of a ZTR, if you have things to mow around you will likely be less than 80%.

I think with a ZTR, you can get alot closer to 100%. You have better visibility IMO to make each pass closer to 72" of work withuout loosing due to overlap.

Again, I dont really see the fuss. ZTR's are listing max. And anytime things are listed maximum capacity, they are assuming optimum conditions. So if ZTR A claims 10mph and can do 5ac/hr, but you know you have a very rough yard or often let it get ahead of you, and know you can only travel in the 5mph range, you know you are only going to get about 1/2 of its rated acres/hr.

Here are my thoughts on things like this in general....and this is in no way a pun against you JD:

But issues like this make me think that consumers are just too stupid anymore. And lack the basic understanding to apply basic math to get to real world examples. Real world is different for everyone. Again, grass height, finished height, yard conditions, obsticals, etc all play into how fast a mower can mow. So listing a max is a good baseline. And really only tells you one thing when comparing mowers if the decks are the same width, it tells you which one can go faster. Weather or not your lawn can allow it, doesnt mean someone elses can or cant.

And you know, they never even used to rate mowers on an acre/hr basis. But again, cause consumers are too ignorant IMO, they need these things spelled out for them. Its quite simple actually. Wider decks mow more area faster. And higher blade tip speeds allow you to travel at a faster ground speed and still leave a clean cut. So as a consumer, if comparing two mowers with same size decks, if I know I have a rough yard and can rarely go over 5-6 mph, I certainly aint gonna look at what they rate them on an acre/hr basis. Cause I know I cannot attain that and all it will do is tell me which one has a higher top speed. Rather I would look at blade speed, and whichever is higher is likely gonna leave a cleaner cut and/or allow me to go a little faster.

 

[PoorPlowboy]

Key words "up to." I cut 5ac/hr frequently and comfortably on a Ferris 3100z.

 

[hawkeye08]

Agree with OP... sometimes we get weary of marketing "one ups manship" and forget to look at real world usage. Same thing happens all the time in most industries.. marketing majors that have never actually used the products they are advertising are writing the ads. If the competitor has xyz, then we have xyz+7 more. From an engineering perspective, we call those folks over in marketing, "idiots", while those of us in engineering have to make things work for customers... Expect this BS to get worse...

 

[DK35vince]

Really appreciate all the opinions and information provided by the members, I can be really stubborn about some issues. BTW, the 2002 John Deere 4000-Ten series brochure lists the following figures:

Mowing 2 acres: 18 horsepower 4010 with 60 inch deck, 48 minutes
32 horsepower 4310 with 72 inch deck, 40 minutes
48 horsepower 4710 with 72 inch deck, 36 minutes

Top speed of the 4310, which is the next model up from mine is listed at 15 to 17.5 mph, depending upon tire size and transmission type. A 4710 would be as fast or even faster than the maximum 17.5 mph of the 4310 and have a 1 foot wider deck than the Exmark I decry but Deere rates it more realistically at 72 minutes for 4 acres.

There is one major difference.
The zero turn is so much more maneuverable and much closer to the 80% efficiency rating.
I know my 35 HP zero turn with a 72" deck can and will mow circles around my 35 HP tractor with an 84" deck
Its not even close, the zero turn flat out mows.

 

[smstonypoint]

I think with a ZTR, you can get alot closer to 100%. You have better visibility IMO to make each pass closer to 72" of work withuout loosing due to overlap.

The owners' manual for my ZTR recommends an overlap of 1/8 of the cutting width. Following that recommendation would reduce efficiency to 87.5% without accounting for time lost while turning, etc.

Steve

 

[fcbrian84]

Anybody who thinks in real life they will even approach 2 acres of mowing an hour is really gullible....so why do manufacturers even advertise such crap? All these claims do is make me think they are full of s**t and I will go out of my way NOT to buy one of their products.

Well , I guess I'm gullible. And it will cut 5 acres in an hour, and of course it's wide open mowing, it's called advertising. I don't know where the 80% figure comes from , more like 90+.
You need to try one. I've had a 60 inch lazer z for going on 7 years. I mow about 2.3 acres net , with a house , detached garage, shed, well, pool, 4 trees, flagpole landscape, mailbox , ditches, telephone pole, 550 feet of driveway........thick green grass in 50 minutes and you can leave the pushmower in the shed. This mower will cut grass perfectly at full speed, they are designed that way, as are all brands commercial mowers i would hope.

It's not just the land speed, its the blade tip speed. My neighbor has a 318, he spends half a day mowing , pushmowing, weedwacking and hes cutting one acre with less obstructions than I have.

BTW, I used to cut with a 84" on the back of a 45hp NH followed by the pushmower. I will literally run circles around that with the exmark, even in open areas.

Don't bashem till you try em (any commercial brand ZT, not just Exmark)

 

[JDgreen227]

Well , I guess I'm gullible. And it will cut 5 acres in an hour, and of course it's wide open mowing, it's called advertising. I don't know where the 80% figure comes from , more like 90+.
You need to try one. I've had a 60 inch lazer z for going on 7 years. I mow about 2.3 acres net , with a house , detached garage, shed, well, pool, 4 trees, flagpole landscape, mailbox , ditches, telephone pole, 550 feet of driveway........thick green grass in 50 minutes and you can leave the pushmower in the shed. This mower will cut grass perfectly at full speed, they are designed that way, as are all brands commercial mowers i would hope.

It's not just the land speed, its the blade tip speed. My neighbor has a 318, he spends half a day mowing , pushmowing, weedwacking and hes cutting one acre with less obstructions than I have.

BTW, I used to cut with a 84" on the back of a 45hp NH followed by the pushmower. I will literally run circles around that with the exmark, even in open areas.

Don't bashem till you try em (any commercial brand ZT, not just Exmark)

Would be interesting to see any commercial ZT try to cut the 12" high wet clover in my northside acre, and BTW, I mowed 4 acres with a 318-50" for ten years and it never took me anywhere near half a day even if I factored in using a pusher and a weedeater.

 

[PoorPlowboy]

Wet clover is a dream to cut compared to Bahia. You're missing the point though. No you won't do 5ac/hr on overgrown and neglected property. Cut it more often and it won't take nearly as long overall.

 

[houstonscott]

Mow as often as you can. Nothing will improve your grasses or pasture faster. Constant "shave and hair cut" is what I call it is better than spraying for weeds or over seeding. Another benefit is it's easy on equipment and it can done faster and obstacles and debris that damage equipment are easily noticed. Mow, mow mow.... HS

 

[JDgreen227]

Mow as often as you can. Nothing will improve your grasses or pasture faster. Constant "shave and hair cut" is what I call it is better than spraying for weeds or over seeding. Another benefit is it's easy on equipment and it can done faster and obstacles and debris that damage equipment are easily noticed. Mow, mow mow.... HS

How much rainfall has Texas has recently versus how much sun? Here in mid-Michigan 5 or 6 days a week are cloudy during spring, and odds are at least four of those seven will have rainfall....I measured an actual SEVEN INCHES of rainfall here during a four day period last week and in that time my grass grew 5-7 inches before it was dry enough to mow. I would LOVE to be able to mow more often, but don't get that choice.