Mowing with 100hp and 3-pt Finish Mower

[josephny]

I'm hoping to get some feedback from more experienced people (which is probably all of you).

I have an old Kubota ZG327 (yes, gas) zero turn that has been serving me well for about 10 years (bought it used, and it was old then).

It works, and does okay, but I think it's underpowered for me needs and I'm sure I don't have it tweaked well. I often need to go over an area a few times.

I'm in Sullivan County, NY and have 5 different locations to mow, totaling about 16-18 acres. Not golf course or high end lawns but trying to make everything as nice as possible. Some of the land has hills, and some can be quite bumpy (and my back does not appreciate that). Takes 2 full days (maybe 2.5) to get everything mowed.

I also have a 100hp M-series Kubota with Ag tires.

I was thinking about getting a new zero turn, but availability is scarce and price is high.

Then I though maybe I should get a PTO driven finish mower. EA has an 84" that looks nice. I have a suspicion that anything wider (96" for example) would not work so well because the ground is so often not flat.

My thinking is I could do that the straight runs with the Kubota-finish combination and the areas that require more maneuverability with the zero turn.

Does this make sense? Would is save my back? Would it do a good job?

Thanks very much.

 

[John0829]

The tractor will ride much better than the ZT, any ZT, I don't care what type of suspension seat it has, simply because of the size of the tires. I stupidly sold my 3 point finish mower because I thought getting my 6 acres cut using the ZT would be faster and it can be if the ground was perfectly smooth. Since the ground is far from golf course smooth the back and neck pain that follows is not worth the difference cut in time.

Using the tractor with finish mower to do the larger areas and the ZT to close work is what I am planning to start doing again WHEN I find a finish mower to my liking.

 

[Mike1955]

I'm hoping to get some feedback from more experienced people (which is probably all of you).

I have an old Kubota ZG327 (yes, gas) zero turn that has been serving me well for about 10 years (bought it used, and it was old then).

It works, and does okay, but I think it's underpowered for me needs and I'm sure I don't have it tweaked well. I often need to go over an area a few times.

I'm in Sullivan County, NY and have 5 different locations to mow, totaling about 16-18 acres. Not golf course or high end lawns but trying to make everything as nice as possible. Some of the land has hills, and some can be quite bumpy (and my back does not appreciate that). Takes 2 full days (maybe 2.5) to get everything mowed.

I also have a 100hp M-series Kubota with Ag tires.

I was thinking about getting a new zero turn, but availability is scarce and price is high.

Then I though maybe I should get a PTO driven finish mower. EA has an 84" that looks nice. I have a suspicion that anything wider (96" for example) would not work so well because the ground is so often not flat.

My thinking is I could do that the straight runs with the Kubota-finish combination and the areas that require more maneuverability with the zero turn.

Does this make sense? Would is save my back? Would it do a good job?

Thanks very much.

I use a 7 foot bush hog finish mower with a 45 horse Kubota. I works but I don’t like the belt and pullies. Maybe a woods finish mower be better suited. I mow about 3 acres. Good luck with youRs. Those kubota zt are just to expensive

 

[big bubba]

sounds like a plan. sure is a lot of tractor hauling for the small acreage you described numerous times a season. good luck. bet a 72" zero turn would do the trick. costly though. good luck w/project

 

[LouNY]

The flex deck finish mowers will do the job for you, some times you can find a used one.
Here's new and pretty;

This is my old hydraulic powered wide area mower;

7 hydraulically driven decks, pto powered hydraulic pump;

 

[Halftrack]

I would think a trifold finish mower would be a better match for your tractor and hp.

 

[josephny]

Thank you all so much!

I'm trying to keep the cost down, so while the tri-folder/bat-wings are great, they're way out of budget.

That goes for top line zero turn also.

It sounds like pulling a 72" or 84" finish mower behind a tractor for lawn work is pretty reasonable.

The Woods looks great, but it, too, is substantially more expensive than the EA or Titan.

Now I'm worried that I'd be 'getting what I paid for' if I went with an EA.

 

[mo1]

I'm hoping to get some feedback from more experienced people (which is probably all of you).

I have an old Kubota ZG327 (yes, gas) zero turn that has been serving me well for about 10 years (bought it used, and it was old then).

It works, and does okay, but I think it's underpowered for me needs and I'm sure I don't have it tweaked well. I often need to go over an area a few times.

I'm in Sullivan County, NY and have 5 different locations to mow, totaling about 16-18 acres. Not golf course or high end lawns but trying to make everything as nice as possible. Some of the land has hills, and some can be quite bumpy (and my back does not appreciate that). Takes 2 full days (maybe 2.5) to get everything mowed.

I also have a 100hp M-series Kubota with Ag tires.

I was thinking about getting a new zero turn, but availability is scarce and price is high.

Then I though maybe I should get a PTO driven finish mower. EA has an 84" that looks nice. I have a suspicion that anything wider (96" for example) would not work so well because the ground is so often not flat.

My thinking is I could do that the straight runs with the Kubota-finish combination and the areas that require more maneuverability with the zero turn.

Does this make sense? Would is save my back? Would it do a good job?

Thanks very much.

I would strongly recommend against using a typical 3 point mount finish mower behind a 100 HP utility tractor on ag tires on yards that average roughly 3 acres or so, for many reasons. I used to mow a yard with a much smaller tractor with a 6' 3 point mounted mower so I speak from experience.

- A 3 point mower is not very maneuverable behind a 30ish HP compact, let alone a 100 HP utility tractor. 3 acres or so is not very large, particularly if there are any obstructions to avoid. You will spend a lot of time turning around and avoiding objects.
- You will rut up the yards terribly unless it's bone-dry so the soil is rock-hard. People here complain about a compact weighing only twice what a good zero turn weighs and riding on much less aggressive industrial tires rutting up their yards. You are about an order of magnitude worse than that with a full-sized utility tractor on ag tires that weighs 6-8 times as much as a zero turn does.
- You will actually mow at a noticeably slower speed with most 3 point finish mowers than you will a decent zero turn. In my experience 3 point mower decks don't discharge nearly as well as a good zero turn's deck does, so you will just plug up if you go very fast. Having a bunch of power will just result in burning up the belts when you plug up the mower, you will not be able to mow any faster.
- A 100 HP utility tractor will ride more smoothly over bumps and divots than a zero turn at first as it has larger tires that roll over them and the extra weight smashes the bumps and cuts ruts. Once you rut things up and later the ruts dry up and harden, different story.

If you wanted to use the tractor, I would get high flotation turf tires for it, take the loader off it you have one, and pull a big flex-deck mower. That way you won't rut things up so badly and and at least would be cutting a wide swath for the lack of maneuverability you'd have to deal with. However, it would be cheaper and quicker just to get a very good zero turn. It sounds like that is out of the budget, so I would personally fix up your current zero-turn or get a better higher-end used one.

 

[dstig1]

You said Ag tires.... You sure you want to mow a lawn on a big heavy tractor with Ag tires? That seems like it will make a hash of your lawn...

 

[RjCorazza]

I personally would not run that large a tractor with a 7' finish mower on multiple properties totalling 16 acres. I know money is an issue, but a large zero turn would be my choice... 72".

Again with the money consideration.... Were I to use the big tractor I would at least want turf tires and a 12-15' batwing mower to maximize its capabilities, but a VERY expensive proposition.

I mow 30 acres per week across 18 rural properties with a 72" zero turn. I can mow 4 acres per hour on open land, and average 2 acres per hour across all of the properties that I mow.

 

[oosik]

I mow three acres with my JD 570 belly mower. Putting my Kubota M6040 @ 10,000# on this lawn would tear it to ribbons. R-1 tires and lawns just don't mix well.

 

[Hay Dude]

Not enough juice for the squeeze.
I’d get some more mowing contracts, then go for a bigger mower.
The other thing is with a 100HP tractor on lawn-style fields, AG tires would be leaving marks unless it was ideal (dry) conditions.
One other thing of note: You’d be surprised at how nice of a cut a traditional 15’ batwing bush hog can do on lawn grass with sharp blades. Those finish mowers are fine, but a bush hog is much tougher and you could cut properties with rougher grass.

 

[duffer]

I have an 84" Phoenix, 3 pt Finish mower and have mowed 10 acres (with trees) with it for 6 years. Like you, the land is more like pasture than a golf course. I want it to look nice, but it's bumpy. I mowed it once with a ZT, and I'll NEVER do that again. Beat the crap out of me.

My concern for you is that with Ag tires on your tractor (and the addt'l weight) you'll end of making the land even bumpier than it already is. I have "industrial" tires on mine (in-between ag and turf treads) and if I mow when it's still wet I'll make an indentation in the yard. Not ruts, but it does leave a mark. With your weight and ag tires it will definitely denigrate the surface.

Bat wing mowers are too expensive, ZT's are too expensive. The 3 pt finish is easy to maintain and work on, and does a nice job. And the ride is MUCH smoother on a tractor. You probably have a suspension seat as well which makes it even better. Not sure what new tires would cost you for your tractor, but might want to look into it.

 

[josephny]

Wow, thank you all so much for sharing your experience and expertise.

Now that I know so much more, I am so much more confused.

It sounds like my Ag tires on 7000lbs machine would do too much damage.

But, the ZT is very hard on the body. I looked around and everyone raves about the comfort of the Ferris. Just not ready to pull the $20,000 trigger.

Looks like I'll stay with the Kubota ZG327 for now.

I also have a Deere LTR180 that someone left to me. Haven't used it yet.

BTW, I'm in the biz -- this is just my personal stuff.

 

[Carl_NH]

Getting a 72" vs your 60" might cut your mowing time by 15-20% or 2-3 hours given you cut it today in 15 hours. That's not a lot, so consider getting a good suspension seat for your ZG327 and if you aren't running Gator blades now try them - they cut well.

Then there are Z-Glide front suspension fork kits that could make it ride smoother too. These mods won't break the bank and will make your ride and job easier.

 

[sandman2234]

I mow the field area of my Church up the street. Another guy does the lawn area around the Church. He was offered the field, and after riding his mower across it, said "NO WAY!". I mow it with a finish mower behind a JD2555, or a Kubota M7040 with a 3008 twin spindle Bush hog. The Kubota has R1 tires and is 4wd, while the 2555 runs turf tires. While the finish mower does a slightly better job, most people can't tell the difference, as both do a nice job! The field is about 10 acres, and is very sandy soil, so the tires don't leave serious ruts.
I would suggest you drive your 100hp tractor over the property to see if the weight and tires damage it, and maybe sharpen the blades on your current brushhog to see how well it does. If it does a good job, with no tire damage, then a finish mower might improve the cut a little more.
Good luck,
David from jax

 

[EddieWalker]

I bought a used 7 foot landpride finish mower awhile ago for $600 that needed tires, blades and belts. After replacing all of those things, I pulled it with a 37 hp open station 4x4 tractor with R1 tires.

Compared to what my 6 foot rotary cutter did, it was a huge improvement. It was great for mowing my walking trails, and around my pond. It was horrible around trees, or anywhere that I had to make a lot of turns. It was slow and cumbersome. My tires tore up the ground, and I just made a mess of things. I only used it for a year before buying my 5 foot zero turn.

The zero turn was faster, left a much better cut and it's great going around trees. It's biggest drawback is how much it beats you up on rough terrain.

Last year I bought a bigger 70 hp cabbed tractor and a 12 foot batwing. In my opinion, I think that they 12 foot batwing gives me a better finish then the finish mower did when mowing my trails and around my pond. I'm really amazed at how well it looks!!!!!!

My neighbor has a 15 foot batwing and it does a nice job, but the finish isn't anywhere as nice as my 12 foot batwing. It could be that his blades are worn out, I don't know how old they are. My blades are just a year old and still cutting nicely. But it also could be that my mower has a 5 foot deck in the middle and 4 foot decks on the wings that contour to the ground a lot better then his much bigger decks do? Or I'm just biased and I like mine better then his.

Now I just use the zero turn around the house and my driveway. The batwing does everything else.

 

[Little Red Tractor]

My 2 cents worth, likely to add to your confusion:
Since this is all your own property and you're not going to wreck anyone else's lawn with the R-1 tires, it's pretty much a matter of your own preference.
I can symathize with the back getting beat up. Using a larger, heavier machine does help that.
Have you calculated fuel prices? The lessened fuel use in a z-turn might offset some of its cost.
The heavier z-turns are reputed to give a pretty good ride and I just had a local landscape contractor singing the praises of the new suspension seats.
Being able to accomplish your tasks without spending a LOT of money is a great motivator.

 

[Hay Dude]

I bought a used 7 foot landpride finish mower awhile ago for $600 that needed tires, blades and belts. After replacing all of those things, I pulled it with a 37 hp open station 4x4 tractor with R1 tires.

Compared to what my 6 foot rotary cutter did, it was a huge improvement. It was great for mowing my walking trails, and around my pond. It was horrible around trees, or anywhere that I had to make a lot of turns. It was slow and cumbersome. My tires tore up the ground, and I just made a mess of things. I only used it for a year before buying my 5 foot zero turn.

The zero turn was faster, left a much better cut and it's great going around trees. It's biggest drawback is how much it beats you up on rough terrain.

Last year I bought a bigger 70 hp cabbed tractor and a 12 foot batwing. In my opinion, I think that they 12 foot batwing gives me a better finish then the finish mower did when mowing my trails and around my pond. I'm really amazed at how well it looks!!!!!!

My neighbor has a 15 foot batwing and it does a nice job, but the finish isn't anywhere as nice as my 12 foot batwing. It could be that his blades are worn out, I don't know how old they are. My blades are just a year old and still cutting nicely. But it also could be that my mower has a 5 foot deck in the middle and 4 foot decks on the wings that contour to the ground a lot better then his much bigger decks do? Or I'm just biased and I like mine better then his.

Now I just use the zero turn around the house and my driveway. The batwing does everything else.

It’s the blades, not the width.
New batwing mowers with sharp blades can do an almost finish mower lawn-like appearance.
As far as your mower scalping less, yes. 4’ decks have less chance of scalping than 5’ decks.

 

[LightningCamaroGuy]

I personally would not run that large a tractor with a 7' finish mower on multiple properties totalling 16 acres. I know money is an issue, but a large zero turn would be my choice... 72".

Again with the money consideration.... Were I to use the big tractor I would at least want turf tires and a 12-15' batwing mower to maximize its capabilities, but a VERY expensive proposition.

I mow 30 acres per week across 18 rural properties with a 72" zero turn. I can mow 4 acres per hour on open land, and average 2 acres per hour across all of the properties that I mow.

This.

I would not mess with some finish mower on a 100 HP tractor, running AG tires. You own a lot of acres that you're trying to keep looking like a yard. That means you must be a baller, otherwise you'd just dedicate 2-3 acres towards the yard, and the rest as just something to bushhog. When talking inch per inch of deck space you will not out-mow a ZT with a tractor unless you can mow at noticeably higher speeds on the tractor. If I was you, I would ball out on a large deck, commercial ZT from a reputable company like Exmark. I doubt a tractor would be smoother, and more comfortable than a modern, highend ZT running coilovers on all 4 corners.

If you're just wanting to knock down a bunch of tall, thick and/or stalky grass in an open field type area then I would get a large bushhog whether it be 3PH or drawbar mounted.

If you're mowing in an open area, and you just want to keep the grass short to see the snakes then also consider a drum mower. They're relatively cheap, easy to maintain, and you can run pretty quickly with them as long as you can stand the tractor bouncing around from running fast on rough ground with your tractor. You can also use it to turn your acreage into hay to feed your baller equine, and then get discounts from AGCO or Kubota. Drum mowers cut similar to disc mowers, but cost$ 3x's less, are way cheaper to maintain, and resist damage better as they're way less complex. Still a drum mower's not going to give you a lawnmower type finish.

EDIT: Also consider trailering a ZT to the 5 different locations you need to mow will be much easier, and more cost effective than trailering a large utility tractor with a wide mower. Plus 16 ÷ 5 = 3.2 acres per location, and 18 ÷ 5 = 3.6 acre per location if you want to talk averages for areas that you need to mow at different locations.