Mowing 4x 1/4 acre lots

[RSKY]

Yeah, I never seriously considered the MMM when I bought the BX2370.

The 21" 4mph self-propelled Honda mower works well for my little yard. I've been walking it onto a HF 500lb Capacity Aluminum Mobility Wheelchair and Scooter Carrier behind my RTV500 and running it 1/4 mile down to the other 2 yards and now another 1/4 mile down to my mother-in-laws.

I was thinking something wider, that I could stand-on or sit-on would be more pleasant, but I probably don't want / need more than a 36" width.

I mowed our 1-acre for years with a Gravely that had a 40" deck. That was the widest to fit in the bed of my Dakota. I cut my mowing time from around 2:30 with a tractor type mower to 1:30 with that small zero turn. Our yard had around forty different obstacles to mow around at that time. Some weeks I would end up mowing mine and three more yards for a total of around eight acres in four yards twenty miles apart. Made for a long day.

Gravely did make a commercial grade ZTR with a 36" deck. But you don't need that. Get you a cheap narrow deck consumer zero turn. Get a flashing amber light for your trip down the road. And have fun.

RSKY

 

[Will_C]

Another vote for a small zero turn. Never looked them over closely, but my Toro dealer has some that look like they have a 32 or 36" deck. I couldn't imagine mowing 1/4 acre lots with a BX, with either a MMM or RFM.

Will

 

[prichard]

I've used a JD from a box store for at least 8 years on hilly 3/4 acre lots at my last 2 houses. Not a pro cut on hilly Bermuda at the last house but just fine on fescue. At less than $1500 that's what I'd do in your case.

 

[RSKY]

I hate to hog this thread but I am a firm believer in the K.I.S.S. principle. That is Keep It Simple Stupid. And the simplest solution to your problem is a small, cheap, zero turn mower. Nothing else makes much sense. A tractor type is just not maneuverable enough for all the turning on that small of a yard. The mid mount on a real tractor would be the absolute least useful thing you could throw your money away on. The consumer ZTRs will last you many years with sensible maintenance and save you much time.

RSKY

 

[Gary Fowler]

I am going against the grain here and saying that I agree with a zero turn as your best option, BUT, I would not go with a cheap $2500 homeowner model. If you plan to be mowing this for more than 5 years, step up to at least a low end commercial grade mower. These will be in the $5000-6000 range but will last you a life time and be smoother riding with generally much larger tires than the cheap homeowner mowers.
My first ZTR mower was a Craftsman 6000 which had plenty of power but was so rough with its little tiny 8" tires that it literally nearly crippled me and the speed is much slower than my Ferris mower.

 

[Michael Aos]

I agree completely. That's pretty much what I had in mind when I posted this thread.

Any specific recommendations? I started looking at some small Gravely stand-on / zero-turn models, but I gather they run around $6K.

I saw some little Toro models at Home Depot for around $2400.

the simplest solution to your problem is a small, cheap, zero turn mower.

 

[prichard]

I couldn't justify a $6k mower for this little bit of mowing. I'd stick with a box store unit

 

[Gary Fowler]

I couldn't justify a $6k mower for this little bit of mowing. I'd stick with a box store unit

Well you can use the old saying "pay me now or pay me later" to justify a higher grade mower. A box store mower is maybe going to last 5 years (a bit more if mowing all flat ground) before the HST goes out and those cant be repaired, only replaced for about $1500 per wheel. A $6Kmower will have heavy duty, serviceable drive motors that will last 20 or more years. They have individual oil filters (the box store mowers are not serviceable) and do require oil changes just like a car engine so they are in top condition all the time. They will also have a heavy duty motor that will last much longer than the box store mowers.
You can pay $3K multiple times for the box store mower while still mowing with a $6K mower that only requires the occasional belt and blade replacement(and required oil changes).

 

[MossRoad]

$6000 to mow four 1/4 acre lots once a week? That's nuts. Remember, a 1/4 acre lot is NOT 1/4 acre of grass. You have to subtract the house, garage, driveway, sidewalks, etc... and it usually ends up less than 3/16ths of an acre of grass at best. So in total, unless there are no structures on these 1/4 acre lots, were talking about 12/16ths of an acre of grass.... that's only 3/4 of an acre. $6000??? Zero Turns??? Good grief!

$900.00! It'll last 10-15 years easily. You can mow each lot in 15 minutes. Get the $39.00 mulching plug and a $39.00 mulching blade, and you're out the door for under $1000. Even if it only lasts 8 years, you can replace it SEVEN TIMES before you hit $6000 or 56 years, whichever comes first.

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[4570Man]

$6000 to mow four 1/4 acre lots once a week? That's nuts. Remember, a 1/4 acre lot is NOT 1/4 acre of grass. You have to subtract the house, garage, driveway, sidewalks, etc... and it usually ends up less than 3/16ths of an acre of grass at best. So in total, unless there are no structures on these 1/4 acre lots, were talking about 12/16ths of an acre of grass.... that's only 3/4 of an acre. $6000??? Zero Turns??? Good grief!

$900.00! It'll last 10-15 years easily. You can mow each lot in 15 minutes. Get the $39.00 mulching plug and a $39.00 mulching blade, and you're out the door for under $1000. Even if it only lasts 8 years, you can replace it SEVEN TIMES before you hit $6000 or 56 years, whichever comes first.

Welcome to Sears.com - Sears

View attachment 539706

Agreed. I’m not one to recommend junk equipment but this isn’t a job for a Ferris 3100 series( I know those are more than 7k ). A 3k mower will last a long time in the described conditions.