Knowing what you know now, which mower would you buy?

[BuggyMasters]

Ok I think I am going to investigate the finish mower. Most of what I am mowing is in fact pretty wide open.

 

[4570Man]

No lawnmower can cut that clean in one pass at a reasonable speed. But a bigger commercial grade ZTR would reduce the time considerably.

 

[WoodDuck]

I have a 72" 36HP Ferris ZTR that I cut around 4 acres a week with. I cut every 6-10 days, so it doesn't get tall enough I have to creep through it. I have a plethora of fruit trees, shrubs, posts, and other obstacles to go around, so a ZTR is the best option for me. However, in a relatively open area; a PTO finish mower would get my nod for sure. You could buy a top of the line PTO finish mower for less than half of what a top-of-the-line ZTR costs also. And they'll also cut a wider swath than any ZTR can if you buy a biggun.(I just saw a 10-foot one at Rural King online, but your need a minimum of 65HP to run it.) On that point, I would let your available PTO horsepower be your guiding light on what size of finish mower to buy. If you buy more mower than your tractor can run efficiently, you're not going to be happy with cut quality or your reduced ground speed while mowing. The downside of a PTO finish mower is that you're pulling it with a machine that weighs a lot more than a ZTR. A heavy tractor will rut/cut/scar a soft yard where a ZTR wouldn't leave a track. Something to consider.......

 

[check 6]

I use a 60” deck 26 hp diesel kubota zero turn and could not be happier. It replaced an 18 horse diesel kubota zero turn I had used for 13 years . Thought about a finish mower for the tractor but two things focused me back on upgrading the zero turn . First and foremost the zero turn can get in tighter places and second with arthritis in my hands connecting the power takeoff was difficult

 

[mikester]

Hi guys. I am looking at getting a new zero turn. I have a TimeCutter 5000 for the last 8 years. Still does ok, but the cut sucks in my opinion and I am getting ready to be mowing an additional 2 acres so we are talking up to about 5 acres of mowing. If you look at the picture below, take note of the lawn on the right and then take note of the grass looking forward. With lawn like you see on the right, the cut looks like what you see looking forward, I practically need to mow twice. This is with a brand new set of blades. In fact those are gator blades after several failed attempts using factory blades. My only other recourse is to mow so slow I cannot stand it. My time is valuable like everyone else and I dont always have time to mow at 2 MPH or mow twice. I want a mower that could breeze through anything you see in that picture (or worse) and do it at speed and practically never miss a blade. And I am willing to pay for it.

That said, and for you guys that cut grass for a living, knowing what you know now based on experience, what mower would you buy based on what I listed above?

Here is a pic I took last year

View attachment 642902

If you want to cut fast heres my recommendation:
1. Get a good quality commercial ZTR like a Kubota ZD series.
2. Dont cut wet grass
3. Keep your deck clean. If you are getting stripes its because your deck underside is clogged with clippings. Scrape it off regularly to keep the flow going.
4. keep your blades sharp.
5. Cut your grass more often, especially when its growing fast. You are going to cut at 18kmh and save time so more often is less an issue.
6. Always blow the swarf of grass clippings onto the cut area. Dont keep recutting clippings.
7. If its still a problem then cut a second time at right angles to your previous cut.
8. Every other cut alternate your cut path at right angles to the previous cut.

 

[Hay Dude]

I am a farmer but we do commercial mowing to make additional money. I cut about 50 acres of lawns with a zero turn and 300 acres of fields.
I hit it out of the park on my first zero turn purchase, I bought a used Kubota ZD331 with a 72 deck. It has a big 31HP diesel and a big 72 inch cut. It's simple, rugged and reliable. I threw some bar tires on it cause I have steep hills, too. It has never run out of power. Look for one, you値l love it.

 

[groundcover]

I have a Kubota diesel zero turn and love it but this is intriguing !
Trimax Procut Rotary Mower, FlailDekFX & Warlord Flail Mowers - YouTube

 

[Hay Dude]

I have a Kubota diesel zero turn and love it but this is intriguing !
Trimax Procut Rotary Mower, FlailDekFX & Warlord Flail Mowers - YouTube

Will that front mount flail work on a zero turn? I don’t think so.
You know when I bought my zero turn, there was a Kubota “F” (I think it was a 3860?) sitting right next to it. (Same guy traded both of them in at same time). I demoed both, but decided on the zero turn because I felt it would be less tippy on steep hills.
After seeing that, I wished I had gone with the Kubota F :ashamed:
But outside of the F being able to handle a boatload of additional implements, the ZD331 is an awesome mowing machine.

 

[cdaigle430]

Hmmm...so there痴 really nothing that would take say 6 grass and take it down to 3 or so in a single pass at speed? I admit, sometimes I stay too busy to be able to cut grass every week and that痴 how it gets to that 6+ inch height. I guess sometimes it is 8 inches of grass. I was under the assumption that there are mowers that could do it you just gotta get something high end. I mean if I could do it every week, my TimeCutter would have no problem. I can cut grass at speed with not much of an issue if it is not too tall to start with.

Its actually not good to cut that much of the grass off...I heard it can kill your lawn by introducing fungus and diseases.

 

[groundcover]

Will that front mount flail work on a zero turn? I don’t think so.
You know when I bought my zero turn, there was a Kubota “F” (I think it was a 3860?) sitting right next to it. (Same guy traded both of them in at same time). I demoed both, but decided on the zero turn because I felt it would be less tippy on steep hills.
After seeing that, I wished I had gone with the Kubota F :ashamed:
But outside of the F being able to handle a boatload of additional implements, the ZD331 is an awesome mowing machine.

I haven’t seen a flail on a zero turn. The F is available in four wheel drive and is markedly better on slopes.