What machine, or equipment, can mow an uneven grassy pasture the fastest? Zero Turn?

[plowhog]

I am wondering if a Zero Turn, such as a Ferris with suspension, would be a better faster smoother more comfortable mower for my pastures?

All I see in promotional videos are using these for lawns, not pastures. But if a speedy ZTR could perform well, I might be more comfortable (suspension) plus get more done by mowing faster.

My equipment right now is either an 8 foot rotary cutter or a Ventrac with tough cut. Using the rotary cutter means mowing at about 3mph due to terrain. Sometimes bumpy enough where I don't even try to go faster han about 3mph using a tractor. The Ventrac can average about 5mph, handles bumps a little better, but with a smaller deck and width of cut it is only a little faster than my tractor. And I still bounce around a lot.

I see advertisements for mowing at 12mph in a ZTR. Is it realistic to think a ZTR could mow a grassy pasture that varies between smooth and bumpy? If I could even do, say 8mph, that would be huge.

Here is a Ferris ZTR with suspension -- and a CAT 48hp diesel LOL. Only $40,000 and it is yours!!

Q- is anyone using Zero Turns to mow pastures?

IS® 6200 Zero Turn Mower

Comfort, durability, and power are what make the IS 6200 more than a luxury, it's a necessity. The 48 hp* CAT^® turbo diesel engine provides up to two times more longevity than a traditional gas engine. Designed for the rigors of maintaining municipal and industrial properties, the IS...

www.ferrismowers.com

 

[Rdrcr]

I mow roughly 3.5 acres. My property isn’t smooth or flat and I have several steep hills that I mow.

It used to take me 3 hours to mow my property with a Kubota B2601 with a 60” MMM. It now takes me 1 1/2 hours to mow my property with my Cub Cadet Pro Z 560s KW. Basically, the Zero-Turn with the same 60” deck, cut my mowing time in half. If my property was smooth, I could even go faster but, regardless, the Zero-Turn mower is way faster than the tractor.

I would imagine my mowing experience could apply to pastures but, hopefully some other folks can respond to help out.

Mike

 

[Hay Dude]

The ferris mower suspensions are really amazing. I have a customer with a big block gas Ferris. He flies over bumpy ground with little discomfort to a degree. At full speed, even with the advanced suspension, it’ll still throw you around.
You also have to remember that even though YOU may be comfortable with the operators station suspension, what kind of damage are you doing to the machine itself? Could be a “false sense of security”.

 

[JJT]

I've mowed my fields with my Kubota zero turn a few times, (total ~18 acres). I switched to a rear mounted finish mower last year and there's no comparison. The rear finish mower is more than twice as fast and much more comfortable. I can also get away with mowing once a month, couldn't do that with the zero turn.

 

[mike0000]

As others have said, I think the mower’s suspension would be the key, we have a Great Dane 72” zero turn, it beats the heck out of me on uneven ground. It’s a great machine other than the ride, I’ve considered an air ride seat.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I think what works best depends on how rough the pasture really is.

When I mowed 7.5 acres of former pasture, it took around 4 hours with an 72" 3pt finish mower behind my old L3430. The pasture is pretty rough and it threw me around quite a bit mowing at around 5 mph. I talked to the dealer about something better and he recommended a Bobcat ZT7061. I had tried a zero turn years earlier and the ground was just too rough. Dealer said the newer models are much improved and offered to bring one out to try. He unloaded it, made one pass across the field and loaded it back on the trailer.

I now mow with an 84" 3pt finish mower behind my L6060HSTC with air ride seat. Cut the mowing time down from 4 hours to just under 3, in air conditioned comfort.

I've got nothing against zero turns, they're great for some locations, just not mine.

 

[2manyrocks]

Could be cheaper in the long run to have a dozer or whatever smooth out the pasture?

My view is that a large tractor tire is more likely to roll over the bumps in a way that smooths them out than the tires on a ZTR.

 

[CH4Ohio]

If you're thinking about mowing with a zero turn, you'll have to mow every week -- or whatever frequency you're mowing your lawn. You can't let it grow a foot high and then think you'll zip through it.

I don't think a Z Turn is the machine for mowing rough pastures. (Haven't seen that mentioned on any of their brochures . . . ) As said above, you'll beat the machine to death even if you get the big Ferris.

A tractor with finish mower or good bush hog would be my choice. If it has a FEL, don't carry the bucket or any attachments on the front -- that really exagerates the impact of the bumps and rolling terrain on the driver's seat.

 

[plowhog]

If you're thinking about mowing with a zero turn, you'll have to mow every week -- or whatever frequency you're mowing your lawn. You can't let it grow a foot high and then think you'll zip through it.

I don't think a Z Turn is the machine for mowing rough pastures. (Haven't seen that mentioned on any of their brochures . . . ) As said above, you'll beat the machine to death even if you get the big Ferris.

A tractor with finish mower or good bush hog would be my choice. If it has a FEL, don't carry the bucket or any attachments on the front -- that really exagerates the impact of the bumps and rolling terrain on the driver's seat.

I just finished two episodes of mowing with the Ventrac. It handles 12-18 inch stuff with ease. I've mowed 4-5 foot tall stuff but more slowly.

I have considered a finish mower to get a much shorter cut and a nicer look. And a finish mower sure would be less money. Good tip on the front loader arms and my grapple-- maybe I should try taking those off and trying out a finish mower. I do have a cab tractor so that's pretty desirable to use if I can find the right mower combo to operate behind it. The 8ft rotary cutter is just slow, bouncy, and a little unwieldy. But that is with the loader arms and grapple on.

 

[chim]

Just did our 3-1/2 acres on a little over an hour. L4240HSTC with a 90" Caroni RFM. Diagonal stripes and change direction each mowing.

 

[newbury]

Sheep.

 

[Notforhire]

I have a 3ac pasture that I've been mowing with a Ferris mower for the last 3 or 4 years. I cut it once a week with no issues. The suspension takes the jarring, so it's more like riding a horse. I used to use a non suspension Ferris to mow the same field. It worked but it was a rougher ride.
I sold the ridged frame Ferris to a neighbor and he trims along his fences (as well as mowed his lawn) with it. That mower is 20+yo and still works fine. (It did get new spindles about 7 years ago.
So much depends on how rough the pasture is. My friend/neighbor grazes cattle on another pasture of ours. It's rough enough that I needed a seat belt to keep me on my L47 while bush hogging it.
Bottom line, it depends.

 

[zzvyb6]

Mine were bumpy caused by previous owner plowing the field but never leveling/discing it. An old 9' NH 479 sickle mower tends to chop down the dirt clumps, ant hills, and pits. As long as there are no large stones. Even works on my lawn roughed up by frost heaves, mole hills, and dog digs.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

I have plenty of bumps and holes, but with an M-series tractor (large diameter tires) and a 10' mower it's both reasonably comfortable and quick.

When using the L3800, obviously with only a 6-foot mower, I have to go a lot slower, mostly because of the dinky front tires.

 

[MountainBuck]

The new Ventrac45RC is radio controlled. That could be fun to just mow like a video game..

 

[plowhog]

I have multiple pasture areas, 15ac, 4ac, 4ac, 2ac. About 25 acres total.

A lot of it is reasonably flat and smooth. But then, as you are mowing along, *wham* you hit a hole or something. Rarely any rocks. I'm really interested in a flail/finish mower plus removing the front grapple and maybe also the loader arms for a better ride.

But, still, with 25 acres to mow, it's a time consuming thing to do. I'm hoping to cut that time down so I can mow it all in less than a full day.

I know a finish mower can cut to a much lower height than a ZTR or rotary cutter. What I do not know is-- does this mean I can extend the time between mowings just because it is cutting it shorter?

 

[lman]

I mow with a 12 ft. batwing finish mower pulled by my 40 hp tractor. I don't move very fast but I still cover quite a bit of ground with this unit.

 

[2manyrocks]

Mowing Calcuator | How many acres can I mow in an hour

www.landscapecalculator.com

Field roughness, terrain, and obstacles can limit mowing speed to roughly the speed of a person walking which I believe is about 4 mph. This leaves the only practical way to speed up mowing sometimes is to increase the mower width which depends on the tractor HP and ability to handle a larger cutter. If the vegetation is kept cut relatively speaking, it would take less HP to cut it than if it is allowed to grow 6' tall. But that could add to your overall mowing time if add up all your mowing during a year.

 

[mikester]

100HP tractor with big wheels and a 24' batwing mower

I don't mow pastures. Personally speaking I'd put the field under crop or hay or get sheep/cattle before trying to make more lawns.

 

[chim]

I know a finish mower can cut to a much lower height than a ZTR or rotary cutter. What I do not know is-- does this mean I can extend the time between mowings just because it is cutting it shorter?

My yard gets cut when it looks like it needs it. Right now that runs around 4 days and cutting 2-3 inches off. If something interferes with getting to it for a couple days, it's just longer the next time. If the grass gets crazy tall the mower doesn't distribute the clippings well.