"You'll never regret going bigger" Does that apply to mowing?

[TheMadOne]

I mow roughly 3-1/2 acres of lawn split into chunks. Now that I've run one I'd never go back from my zero turn. I had it before the tractor. If you want to use lawn mowing as an excuse for the boss to get a small tractor, then by all means, go ahead. But there are few people here who would claim that it's the ideal solution. Tractors are incredibly versatile tools, especially with FELs, but sometimes a unitasker like a pro level lawn mower or - in the case of a backhoe, a mini excavator, can outperform them by such a degree as to make the tractor a poor proposition at best for the task.

 

[ShowroomShine]

I'm assuming when you say you are looking for a loader, backhoe, and mower you arent trying to mow with the loader and backhoe on correct? If so, dont do that. Always remove the loader and backhoe when mowing.

I had a SCUT (Kioti) that I used for mowing my yard that I kept very nice, and also used it as a tractor on my 5 acres. I liked it, it mowed well, and it tractored well, but it didnt do both well. It was a good compromise.

Now I have a zero turn and an older 45hp tractor that I use, seems to be a better arrangement.

 

[Steve1300]

I got into the habit when I had my BX of emptying my trailers by driving the BX up into the trailer while disconnected and putting my FEL on the front of the load. Then, as I backed out the load came out while the trailer tongue would go back down. It worked great! Now, my FEL is too big for the smaller trailer. There really is a use for a small tractor with a 4' FEL. At the same time, there is much I cannot do with the BX. Bigger is not always better, and there seems to be no "one machine" that does everything. I think I'd like a 2501 to go along with my setup just so the tractor can fit into smaller areas and handle the smaller jobs. It is always true that I can rent, but my needs do not come preplanned, and sometimes I find I suddenly have some time; so I need the equipment "now."

 

[jenkinsph]

I prefer a separate mower that is light weight, fast and nimble. I prefer a tlb to be heavy weight, with strong hydraulics easy to move and reposition. I don't see the two types mixing very well as they would compromise each other.

A good zero turn, front mower or wide area mower is best for dedicated mowing. Very fast for mowing travel speeds and very maneuverable with good looking results. One of these will definitely reduce mowing time to a minimum. Not very good for other uses unless you look at the expensive models.

A good garden tractor will mow almost as well and can perform lawn maintenance chores, raking, material collection, seeding, aerating, fertilizing and snow clearing without adding additional weight. I prefer this for my lawn and lawn maintenance duties and have a Deere x749 with diesel, hydraulic 4 wheel drive, four wheel steering, 3 pt hitch and rear 540 pto. Lots of small 3 pt. attachments available but no loader or backhoe available. The four wheel steering combined with the 3 pt. hitch are the main reasons I like this model.

There are small tlb models that can dig well with good fels and can carry and lift reasonable loads for their size. Handy to have around while landscaping a new lawn. After getting the lawn set up and completed it isn't needed. About 90% of what is left is mowing and clean up tasks, better done with dedicated mowers, collection systems, back pack blowers, rakes and brooms.

For the majority of residential use on fairly flat lawns I would suggest getting a good quality mower and skip the loader and backhoe. Rent these when you need them.

 

[drizler]

Are used Ferguson TO 20 and trailed 5' deck for about 15 years to mow my 2 acres of lawn. It was all set up by us so that there wasn't a lot of trees to go around everything was in pre-planned clumps or Gardens so it wasn't A lot of mowing around bushes. The tractor work fine and did scalp here and there but I'm not that choosy. On the other hand when I get the newer tractor those big new tire lugs dug in andit just wasn't the same as the old worn TO 20 tireds so I switched to a dedicated lawn mower , 48 inch simplicity. Needless to say I won't be going back. The small mower just works so much better getting into places and just does it generally better job and just as fast for the most part.
I've got a big piece of land. So I need something bigger to hit the brush and long driveway. The trouble is if you have something big enough to get out working in my opinion it's too big to drag around the lawn deck and do a decent job. I guess most of it depends on what kind of land your work and ours is rough and rocky .

 

[Tractor Time with Tim]

I get by pretty well using my tractor (Deere 1025r) for mowing as well as loader/backhoe work. It is a pretty good compromise in my opinion. I don't want two units to maintain and store.
The backhoe, loader and mower are all very easy to attach/ detach.

This playlist shows in pretty good detail how easy it is to switch:
John Deere 125R The Ultimate Transformer Toy - YouTube

Any larger tractor begins to cost you a lot in turning radius. I'm not sure that it will cost much in compaction or ruts, etc because the tires are larger, distributing the weight better.

The Deere or new Kubota BX (23s) both have very easy 'attachability'.

This is very important for me.

Hope this helps.

Tim

 

[jeff9366]

As I read this forum I see this statement over and over "You'll never regret going bigger".

Please tell me if there are any downsides to going bigger as it pertains to mowing. I have a little over 2 acre lawn to mow. I'm leaning towards sub compact (eMax 25s, cs2510, 1025r) thinking the heavier tractors would cause depressions in the lawn.

As tractors become larger, the tires become bigger. So, to a certain degrees, heavier tractors only exert more pressure on ground slowly as weight increases. When you write your order, you will have to decide if you want to have dealer add liquid/weight to the rear tires to increase stability.

I cross (not mow) DRY residential turf on my 5,400 pounds tractor/R4 tires, in 2-WD mode, without marking turf on a daily basis.

However I like the capability of something like CK2510 Kioti which has longer reach and 180 degree swing on backhoe vs 140 or 150 swing on any SCUT. I will mostly be using for mowing but want a loader and backhoe because why not have a loader and backhoe.

Probably 90% of sub-compact tractors are sold with an FEL, Landscaping is the main task for a sub-compact tractor FEL, with the FEL acting as an enhanced wheelbarrow.

Perhaps (??) 10% of compact and sub-compact tractors are sold with a Backhoe. For $5,000 what Backhoe tasks do you forecast on a residential lot? The Backhoe has to come off to access the Three Point Hitch. Sometimes a Backhoe precludes entry into a residential garage, due to height.

In doing mower calculations it is standard to allow 6" overlap in rows. A 48" mower will effectively cut 42". A 60" mower will effectively cut 54". How long do you want to spend cutting turf? How many trees, flower beds, etc. do you have to evade in your two acres? Have you considered what type is better for you? Mid-mount Mower (MMM)?, Three Point Hitch Finish Mower?, Three Point Hitch Rotary Cutter/Bush Hog?

 

[bcp]

This thread reminds me of this old JD commercial.

John Deere commercial

Bruce

 

[Gary Fowler]

My initial plans was for about an acre of yard to mow so I got a $2000 zero turn residential mower (Craftsman 52") which worked pretty good for the first year or so but it was a rough ride on my previously pasture lawn. I started with a Yanmar 45HP tractor with FEL and 6 foot bush hog to take care of all the non-lawn pasture and it worked great for the woods and brushy areas but it was hot in the summer heat to operate. So I then bought a cab tractor (LS P7010) with heat and AC, radio etc to bush hog with and a 7 foot bush hog, sold the Yanmar and bought a larger Ferris IS700 for the suspension system and it sure made mowing much smoother,faster and better than the old Craftsman.

I never considered trying to mow with any tractor mainly because the zero turns can mow much faster, better and closer to obstacles and I have over 100 trees in the now up-sized to 6 acre yard which takes me about 3-3.5 hours to mow.

I did also later buy the B26 TLB mainly because there were many areas that I couldn't get the P 7010 into due to it's size. At the time, I figured I would get a small 4 foot rotary mower for it but with the Ferris, I can mow anything that I cant bush hog. The B26 is used exclusively for FEL and backhoe work. In the 6 years I have had it, the hoe has never came off. With 11 acres of rocks (my Arkansas soil grows rocks very well)to maintain, the backhoe is used about as much as the mowers to remove the yearly crop of rocks that I usually find with the mower every spring.

In summary, I would suggest getting a commercial or near commercial grade of zero turn mower. That and a string trimmer is all you need to keep your lawn nice. One thing to note with a zero turn mower is that it WILL NOT handle area that are wet and slippery especially if they are sloped even slightly. I usually keep my phone with me when mowing our drainage ditches and pond banks so I can call the wife to bring the RTV and pull me out of the mud.

As for a TLB, they are sure handy to have especially if you cant or don't want to shovel dirt around, dig holes for planting landscape plants, dig trenches for sprinklers, additional water line for hydrants etc. Whether it is worth the $4000+ is a decision you will have to determine based on your needs and your health. I wouldn't be without mine but your mileage may vary considerably.

 

[MossRoad]

This thread reminds me of this old JD commercial.

John Deere commercial

Bruce

That about sums it up perfectly... :laughing: