Zero turn vs. 4X4 tractor for mowing

[LindaK]

We mow 30 acres and for several years used a Kubota tractor with a 7 ft finish mower. Now it did have a cab with ac, so was real comfortable. But it took way too long.
We switched to a Ferris 72 with a Kawasaki and never looked back. The adjustable air ride seat and suspension let's you fly over the ground. We have two friends that have them for farms also, and love them.
I have never had it "let go" and slide with me and trust it on inclines I wouldn't put the tractor on. Now it is a heavy machine and would bog down in low wet areas.
Of course, the larger deck you get the greater possibility of scalping uneven areas. We have a smaller 54" ZTR for trim work.
We kept the tractor and at first kept the bush hog and finish mower. But it was obvious, we were never going back. Still keep the tractor for bucket and other implements.

 

[Zork]

IMHO you’ll need to mow it more regularly if you go to a zero turn. My recommendation for you would be the Cub Pro Z 700 or 900 series

 

[WinterDeere]

We mow 30 acres...

Damn! Even at 2 acres/hour, that's a lot of hours.

I mow every 4th day in spring, trailing off to weekly for most of the season after that, except a little break we usually get in the July heat and drought. Mowing every 4th day at 15 hours/mowing would be 4 hours per day on average, for 30 acres.

 

[walnutman]

I have the same model Ferris as the one you're looking at except mine is fuel injected instead of carbaurated and a year and a half old.. I like the fuel injection a lot. Really easy starting. I told my dealer I wanted an 800. He asked if I wanted a Briggs or Kawasaki. I said Kawaski. He called when they came in, gave me a price, I liked it and it showed up with the fuel-injected model.

As far as mowing, I don't think you'll find a more comfortable mower. I went with Ferris specifically because of the suspension. My back is in terrible shape and the surgeons say they can't do anything to help me. I mow 5 acres less the house, driveway and pool. It was a horse pasture, still not real smooth, and I used to mow about 4 1/2 acres with a CUT and 6' finish mower then trimmed the other 1/2 acre with a 48" JD lawn tractor. Took 5 to 6 hours depending on how tall the grass was. Checked the time last weekend after doing the whole yard without taking a break. Under 3 hours... and I fly on some parts, slowing down where I know there are ruts or holes.

The best part is when I get off the mower, I can walk and stand up straight pretty easily.

Let us know what you end up doing and if you have any questions about Ferris, just yell.

Same here. We moved to East Texas from SE PA. Our new property is 4 acres but with the buildings and garden closer to 3 acres.

First I bought a brand new eXmark ZTR... was $14k. After a year I could no longer handle the thing's hard ride and bouncing. Then I bought a 72" PTO finish mower for my Yanmar YT359C. Figured I'd do the major part with that and use the ZTR for the busy areas.

I didn't like how the rear 3PH finish mower was rigid behind the tractor. A pain when going around trees.

So I sold the finish mower and sold the eXmark. Bought a new Ferris 62" ZTR with that awesome suspension. What a difference and it was $9k. Only lost $1k on the eXmark so I came out ahead in a sense.

 

[EricW]

For the past ~10 years I have been using my Ford 1620 HST 4x4 with 60" 914 deck to mow about 7 acres. I'm at the point now where I don't look forward to mowing due to many mower deck breakdowns (tractor is great) along with the the time required to mow all 7 acres. It basically kills one whole day of my weekend. I think the top speed of the 1620 in MED gear (fastest I can go due to blade speed and cutting) is something like 1.5 mph.

I have been hesitant to get a zero turn due to the fact I have a decent strech of mowing along ditches & pond banks (~1200ft of pond banks, ~ 1000ft of ditches), where sometimes it can be a bit wet. I have never gotten my 1620 stuck to the point I needed another piece of equipment to pull it out. The rest of the mowing is very flat.

I have been looking at thie Ferris mower: Ferris 5902073

I assume my cutting time will decrease, but it also seems like I am going to not be able to cut some areas, especially on the steep ditches?

I love my ISX800, it's a great mower.

 

[Merck]

For the past ~10 years I have been using my Ford 1620 HST 4x4 with 60" 914 deck to mow about 7 acres. I'm at the point now where I don't look forward to mowing due to many mower deck breakdowns (tractor is great) along with the the time required to mow all 7 acres. It basically kills one whole day of my weekend. I think the top speed of the 1620 in MED gear (fastest I can go due to blade speed and cutting) is something like 1.5 mph.

I have been hesitant to get a zero turn due to the fact I have a decent strech of mowing along ditches & pond banks (~1200ft of pond banks, ~ 1000ft of ditches), where sometimes it can be a bit wet. I have never gotten my 1620 stuck to the point I needed another piece of equipment to pull it out. The rest of the mowing is very flat.

I have been looking at thie Ferris mower: Ferris 5902073

I assume my cutting time will decrease, but it also seems like I am going to not be able to cut some areas, especially on the steep ditches?

I am in the same situation. Mow about the same amount. So reluctantly I bought a zero turn. I hate the darn thing. Even when creeping along every time I turn it tears up the yard. If I could trade it and get a reasonable amount for it I would in a minute. My 4x4 tractor that is only used for mowing is slow but it doesn't make a mess of the yard.

 

[WinterDeere]

So I sold the finish mower and sold the eXmark. Bought a new Ferris 62" ZTR with that awesome suspension. What a difference and it was $9k. Only lost $1k on the eXmark so I came out ahead in a sense.

I've never taken the time to look closely at these, since the ZTR I have now was bought back in 2007 and probably still has another 10 years of life left in it. I assume the suspension must be only between the operator and the running gear, and not affecting the deck height?

I tend to turn and accelerate pretty hard, when the grass is dry enough to allow for it, and I can only imagine how the deck would be dipping and scalping if it were riding on any sort of suspension. Even as it is now, I can see the effects of my deck dipping in hard turns whenever my tire pressure gets a little too low.

 

[EddieWalker]

Zero turn for the back yard. I got it done before the rains hit that night. Most of what I use it for is areas like this. But everything else is mowed with the batwing.

 

[walnutman]

I am in the same situation. Mow about the same amount. So reluctantly I bought a zero turn. I hate the darn thing. Even when creeping along every time I turn it tears up the yard. If I could trade it and get a reasonable amount for it I would in a minute. My 4x4 tractor that is only used for mowing is slow but it doesn't make a mess of the yard.

There is an art to turning without turfing but I turf some around trees but that's ok. I don't care if the grass around the tree gets turfed. The rear tires on a ZTR are wide on purpose... traction and stability. That inner tire making a tight radius will scrub the ground. I try and make sure that inner tire is turning as I go around to help reduce the turfing.

 

[walnutman]

Zero turn for the back yard. I got it done before the rains hit that night. Most of what I use it for is areas like this. But everything else is mowed with the batwing.

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