20 acres - Zero Turn - $3000-5000 - ?!?!

bthomas67wagon · May 6, 2013

So, we just signed papers to buy 20 acres and it needs mowed. We have about $3000-5000 to spend on a Zero Turn, what should I buy?
We might only mow 10 of it a week, but might hit the whole 20 some times.

What should we buy?
I know $3000-5000 for 20 acres is not great, but it's what we have right now.

Thanks!!!
-Brent

murphy1244 · May 6, 2013

Welcome to TBN:welcome:

murphy1244 · May 6, 2013

Try a Simplicity

Sonny580 · May 6, 2013

To mow that much, you need a 15' batwing mower and a 100-125 hp tractor to pull it with,-- otherwise that mower will not hold up and will cost you a LOT of money in repairs as well as fuel--plus you would spend countless hours trying to ride a z on that rough ground! thanks; sonny580

Alan L. · May 6, 2013

bthomas67wagon said:
So, we just signed papers to buy 20 acres and it needs mowed. We have about $3000-5000 to spend on a Zero Turn, what should I buy?
We might only mow 10 of it a week, but might hit the whole 20 some times.

What should we buy?
I know $3000-5000 for 20 acres is not great, but it's what we have right now.

Thanks!!!
-Brent

For that much property to mow I feel you'll wear out a residential model quick. I'd go for a used commercial ZTR for the top of that range. You're gonna need a 72-inch deck, 61 minimum.

phiferpharm · May 6, 2013

Hi Brent and welcome. 20 acres with a ZTR is gonna push you pretty hard ( I know - been there done that, and bought a Bush Hog for my tractor). I 2nd Alan L's suggestion of used. I bought a new ZTR to replace a used Ferris I had killed doing my acreage and spent 5K on it. I'm REALLY missing my old Ferris, as the new machine just doesn't have the same abilities the old Ferris did. Good luck and enjoy your new property!

PoorPlowboy · May 7, 2013

I mow 10ac per day occasionally with a $7k Bobcat ProCat 52", but it still beats me to death even with a nice suspension seat @ 6+ mph ground speed. If you don't require lawn or golf course quality, you'd be better served with a gently used 30hp tractor and a 6ft BushHog. The larger tires on the tractor smooth out the rough ground a fair bit over the smaller ZTR tires.

cheeto · May 7, 2013

I owned a 72 inch deines magnum mower for three years, honestly for the money look for a deines on craigslist. I paid 1700.00 for mine and beat the tar out of it. Sold it a couple weeks ago for a 1000.00. A nice "Farm" zero turn.

aczlan · May 7, 2013

I would get either a used 50+ HP tractor and a "Batwing" mower (which will be $5-7k minimum for both) or a used Wide Area Mower (aka "WAM") such as Howard Price 1260 Bat Wing mower

Aaron Z

bthomas67wagon · May 7, 2013

Thanks all for your quick reply.

I am actually talking with the guy with the Howard Price Mower, but is a tad out of my range...

The place comes with a 1953 IH Farmall, but IDK the condition or anything about it and I don't think I could brush hog with it?! (I am a complete newbie when it comes to tractors!!)
:/

aczlan · May 7, 2013

There are other machines similar to that (Toro and Deere make them for sure) and I have seen them anywhere from $1500 to $10,000 so if that one doesn't work, keep your eyes on Craigslist for one.
Do you know the model of the Farmall? You might be able to pull a batwind with that depending on the model and options.

Aaron Z

jeffinsgf · May 7, 2013

Why would anyone "mow" 20 acres? Look, establish a yard near the house...maybe an acre or so. Then do something logical with the rest of the property. If you want animals, turn it into pasture. If you don't want animals contact your local conservation department about doing a prairie restoration, planting the acreage in native forbs and wildflowers. I have a 4 acre prairie restoration project in my front. It takes about 10 hours a year to maintain, that being a burn in the fall. The color starts about now and explodes through the summer with a new look about every 4 or 5 weeks.

Acres of mowed grass are about as boring as landscape gets.

Ted Summey · May 7, 2013

You need something more than a ZTR to do 20 acres OR buy a mower to care for part of the 20 and hire the rest.

KYDan · May 7, 2013

A commercial zero turn will mow 20 acres and survive if it is not too rough and it is a larger mower, but you are not going to find one that will suit your needs for what you have budgeted. I have an old JD 757 that I mow about 10 acres with and it has been great, but the newer ones are made in China and have had some issues. If I were going to buy another one it would most likely be a Ferris as their top of the line model has the best suspension on a ZT. However, the best cutting from what I have seen is an Xmark. Like the other posters have mentioned you would probably be better off with a CUT tractor and a finish mower if the property is good grass. It will not mow as fast as the ZT or give you as nice of a look, but it is a whole lot more versatile and you will find lots of uses for it. There are a lot of other good brands of ZT's available as well, and they are fast and the best at what they do. Talk with some of the commercial lawn service people in your area. They mow hundreds of acres a month with ZT's.

bthomas67wagon · May 8, 2013

Jeffinsgf - enjoy your prairie...

A Batwing mower (mowing 10 ft across) should cut some time off!!

bthomas67wagon · May 8, 2013

Aaron - It's a 1953 IH Farmall. IDK if it even runs or runs well, but was told it does.
It has a belly mower with some sort of orange box that has a pulley system down to the deck? I haven't been able to do anything with it just yet...

I'll have to find a manual and a battery and see what she does sometime in the next week or two...

-Brent

aczlan · May 8, 2013

A model would be useful too... IH made the Super A, Super C, H, M and MD models in 1953 with HP ranging from 20 to 50ish.

Aaron Z

bthomas67wagon · May 8, 2013

It took some digging, but based on the Serial Number, I believe it's a 1953 Super C.
I think it said "Woods" on the pulley system to the belly mowing deck?
(see pics below)

aczlan · May 8, 2013

Odd, your dataplate shows that the prefix is FC which should be a C, but the serial number is for a 1953 Super C which should have the prefix of FSC (per http://www.oocities.org/mck357/serialnumbers.html )...
Anyways, that has ~23 HP available at the PTO which should be plenty for that deck, but not much more.

Aaron Z