B7100 with deck or 7+ year old zero turn?

[aussieahoy]

Hi all, so with our lawnmower deciding to give up the ghost and no longer run I'm in the market for a newish machine. The issue is, in summer (which is now) our property gets extremely wet, to the point our old lawnmower was sliding sideways and stuck constantly (even with difflock). Due to this I was considering a small 4wd subcompact like the Kubota. But after renting a zero-turn I fell in absolute love with the maneuverability of it, but I'm limited to a certain budget.

The pros of the Kubota are
Diesel, so way more powerful than the single cylinder Kawasaki
4wd so can actually use in wet season
60 inch massive deck
Very simple to repair
Usable for other tasks

Cons:
Very heavy
not that maneuverable
Has blowby
High hours

The zero turns
More maneuverable
Smaller and lighter
Potentially cuts better


Cons:
38-42 inch deck at most, which is somewhat small for my needs
Can't be used in wet and struggles in the ruts ect, both of which we have alot of
Engine bogs down alot, atleast on the one we rented. which was more powerful than the consumer grade ones
Only usable for mowing
Admittedly does tare up grass
Personal anecdote, but the Kawasaki engines aswell as Kohler are 50/50 in my experience
All have high ish hours, nearing 500 for most, especially when the projected lift is only 1000 hours for them


So overall, what do you guys think is better? I'm leaning more towards the Kubota, however I would definitely don't want to rebuild nor do I want to deal with the whole 20 point turn around a flowerpot again. But the zero turns lack of HP and issue of only being usable in the dry deters me.
(Both are nearly identical in price)

 

[MF243RedTop]

There's better ZT mowers out there .. and better engines. Kohler command pro or new 7000 series engines will last way longer than what you are looking at.
Plus 60" decks are quite common on ZT at least around here..
If you're tearing up grass when turning around you need more practice

More budget

 

[Sniggle]

If you want a lawn mower, get a zero turn.

 

[aussieahoy]

There's better ZT mowers out there .. and better engines. Kohler command pro or new 7000 series engines will last way longer than what you are looking at.
Plus 60" decks are quite common on ZT at least around here..
If you're tearing up grass when turning around you need more practice

More budget

I wish I had more budget lol, but after spending 7.5k (aud) on a new mower just this year (yeahhh cub cadet reliability lol), I really can't afford more, especially with this Christmas approaching.

As for us, well our only 60 inch decks here are around 8-9K (aud) with most of the nicer ones going for about 10ish, and well at that point I'll just buy a way cheaper conventional lol. But thankyou for the advice regardless

 

[Tinhack]

If I'm cutting wet grass, I use a flail mower. NO DECK MOWER will cut wet grass well unless you stop and clean it out every 5-10 minutes. As soon as a little wet grass gets stuck under the deck, the air current drops, you lose blade "suction" and the ability to throw the grass out from under the deck. Don't have a tractor to run a flail mower? Don't cut wet grass.

 

[MF243RedTop]

Well it's a fair point, cause you're comparing what sounds like a home owner based ZT against a scut with a Diesel engine... Isn't a fair comparison..
Besides the fact ZT with 60" decks need at least 30hp or larger engines to mow effectively..

 

[MF243RedTop]

If I'm cutting wet grass, I use a flail mower. NO DECK MOWER will cut wet grass well unless you stop and clean it out every 5-10 minutes. As soon as a little wet grass gets stuck under the deck, the air current drops, you lose blade "suction" and the ability to throw the grass out from under the deck. Don't have a tractor to run a flail mower? Don't cut wet grass.

Disagree with the wet grass... Cut plenty of wet grass with my ZT..
Now if you're trying to cut overgrown wet grass now that's a different story. I can still mow it.. just have to clean up behind.
Kick deck up a notch or two and spread the clumps out.. still probably faster than a tractor could mow the entire yard.. let's say 2-3 acre size.

 

[aussieahoy]

If I'm cutting wet grass, I use a flail mower. NO DECK MOWER will cut wet grass well unless you stop and clean it out every 5-10 minutes. As soon as a little wet grass gets stuck under the deck, the air current drops, you lose blade "suction" and the ability to throw the grass out from under the deck. Don't have a tractor to run a flail mower? Don't cut wet grass.

Haha I wish that was an option, general thing here is that you have to do it minimum twice a week in the wet season, before it becomes too hard to mow. I can do once a week but it's generally alot more annoying. If it's dry normally you can stretch to 2 weeks, bur with the rain it's atleast once. I hate mowing in wet but its either that or risk snakes and 5x as long doing it when it's dry

 

[aussieahoy]

Well it's a fair point, cause you're comparing what sounds like a home owner based ZT against a scut with a Diesel engine... Isn't a fair comparison..
Besides the fact ZT with 60" decks need at least 30hp or larger engines to mow effectively..

Yeah, personally I'd love to afford a larger commercial zero turn, but at that point it's a question of worth lol. As for the 60" definitely. Our hire was I think 57" and it struggled with 22hp, ie I had to be real slow when mowing over somewhat thicker patches.

Now imagine that in the wet with longer grass...

 

[oldnslo]

Will you use the tractor for other jobs besides mowing that a zero turn will not do?
That to me that is a factor in deciding what tool to use for the job.

 

[aussieahoy]

Will you use the tractor for other jobs besides mowing that a zero turn will not do?
That to me that is a factor in deciding what tool to use for the job.

Most likely yes, definitely for tilling ect and general yard maintenance

There's also a b6001 with a TLB setup for around 8K, which I'm considering saving up for and purchasing at a later date too. Since 12.5K will still be cheaper than a used commercial zero turn which is a massive benefit for me.

And the 4wd is mostly needed lol

 

[oldnslo]

I think you may have answered the question on which tool has the most benefits or uses today on your budget.

 

[RjCorazza]

I almost never recommend a tractor over a zero turn, but it sounds like the B7100 or similar would be best. You could also run a flail off the back if you need to cut wet and / or high grass.

I suspect a diesel zero turn has more torque than a gasoline engine, as my 72" diesel zero turn doesn't have a problem with high thick grass with a 24.8 hp engine. They are pricey though.

 

[aussieahoy]

I almost never recommend a tractor over a zero turn, but it sounds like the B7100 or similar would be best. You could also run a flail off the back if you need to cut wet and / or high grass.

I suspect a diesel zero turn has more torque than a gasoline engine, as my 72" diesel zero turn doesn't have a problem with high thick grass with a 24.8 hp engine. They are pricey though.

In my personal experience definitely, our old Massey was I think 24hp, and it thrased out 24hp kohlier lawnmower any day. But I'm also leaning towards the Kubota, especially when accounting for both having higher hours

 

[dodge man]

Well the Kubota has blowby, I’m not sure why you are considering it unless you want to fix it.

 

[rScotty]

Well the Kubota has blowby, I’m not sure why you are considering it unless you want to fix it.

That's what I think. More than that, we are comparing a decent 40 year old Kubota to a what? To a 7+ year old box store Zero Turn? Whoops....

Actually either one sounds like an OK buy for a mechanical guy looking to trade work for expense. Even if neither one is broken, both are worn to the point of needing normal rebuilding work right now before it does become major.

As a mechanical guy myself - and someone who enjoys the puzzle of diagnostics and wrenching - I can sure understand the appeal of either or both - but neither one is what I would recommend to my non-mechanical friends.

rScotty

 

[Vigo327]

So i've mowed with a 4wd 7100 with a 3pt finish mower, and a zero turn with same deck size, on my same land.

The 7100 is going to be a lot less fun to operate under (my) normal conditions, BUT it will be a lot MORE fun to operate when it's not struggling where the other one would be (slipping/sliding/stuck) or when it's doing things the other one can't do at all (pushing/pulling/pto/loader/backhoe/etc). I know the one you're looking at doesn't have a loader or backhoe but plenty of people have added or built them, or you could buy the other one, swap the fun parts and resell the 6001 etc. I have a B6100 with an FEL and am fixing up another 6100 for a buddy which has the FEL and backhoe. The tractor has a LOT of possible uses (even a backup generator!).

I would say the 7100 is the better choice for right now, and i suspect that even if you end up with a better mowing machine at some point, you either won't get rid of the 7100, or will only sell it for a bigger/better tractor. I doubt you'll go back to no tractor even if your zero turn budget becomes unlimited. My .02.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Id put 34 hp Kawasaki engines every time one got a little tired around here. I used to send out ten bobcat 60" mowers, six days a week. 34 hp fit right on there. Electric clutch and all swapped. It was a bolt in swap. Next, get the big wide tires for the rear. I did that too.

Well it's a fair point, cause you're comparing what sounds like a home owner based ZT against a scut with a Diesel engine... Isn't a fair comparison..
Besides the fact ZT with 60" decks need at least 30hp or larger engines to mow effectively..

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I've seen a lot of folks with lawn mowers and do not have tractors. I have never seen anyone with a tractor that didn't have a lawn mower.

 

[Vigo327]

Have you ever had a tractor the size of a riding mower? A B7100 is basically the size of a large riding mower or a 'garden tractor' except it has mechanical 4wd, a diff lock, goes faster (8-9mph), goes slower (a real low range), a normal 540 pto, a 'real' cat1 3pt, onboard hydraulics, steering brakes, and a front end that won't fold up under an FEL. And it can also mow, mid mount OR rear mount.

I feel like before Zero Turns became the go-to 'riding mowers' you could have taken a b7100 with the same size deck and swapped it with pretty much anybody's riding mower and while it may have been slightly larger it would have been able to do more or less the same job. You would just trade away the 'simplicity' and ergonomics of your typical riding mower, for a machine that may not be better at mowing but can still do it and can also do a huge range of other things. Kind of the swiss army knife of <1000lb yard machines.

So i think something the size of the B7100 is kind of the exception to the rule in that sense.