bx or zero turn

[grizzjeeper]

I want your thoughts on what to do. I have roughly 3 acres to mow and am doing so with a cubcadet lawn tractor with 50 inch deck. its 26hp and only has a ground speed of 5.6MPH.. takes about 2 hours to mow lawn. Not a lot of trees but two Big willows and some big ditches near the road.

Borrowed freinds zero turn and mower complete lawn in under 1 hour. 48 inch deck but twice as fast.

I already have a kubota l3400 for loader work and backhoe work when i need it and its not normally stored at my home. Soo... I was thinking of a BX series with as large of deck as I can find? 72"? I know I will not have manuverability but figure with the larger deck it should offset the time? Plus I figure I can mow faster than 5.6 mph?

or should I just stick with the zero turn? Opinions please and feedback.

Be nice to have a smaller loader for the occasional chore istead of trailering the big boy over.

 

[TheFlatlander]

Sounds like you have already justified and talked yourself into a BX.

If interest is only in grass cutting a zero turn is definitely the ticket. But you are also already appreciating the added benefits of a tractor.

Need to note the largest MMM for a BX is 60". For the most part on a maintained lawn you can cut at full speed which is about 8.4 mph. You will be able to determine this by cut quality and slow up a little if required on taller grass.

 

[beersngars]

Sounds like you have already justified and talked yourself into a BX.

If interest is only in grass cutting a zero turn is definitely the ticket. But you are also already appreciating the added benefits of a tractor.

Need to note the largest MMM for a BX is 60". For the most part on a maintained lawn you can cut at full speed which is about 8.4 mph. You will be able to determine this by cut quality and slow up a little if required on taller grass.

That pretty much sums it up. I have a Ferris 61" zero turn and can tell you, if mowing is the primary task, a tractor will not come close in speed or quailty of the cut. If I recall, the top speed is 11.5 mph on mine. I don't mow that fast but you can get around the yard and pass over the areas where the grass is not long. Plus they are just plain fun!

 

[LBrown59]

Biggest liability of A ztr is it won't do as much as a tractor.

 

[Will_C]

How much would you use a BX and FEL on the property? That's what you have to decide. I mowed with a BX for 8 years, and just bought a 52" Toro commercial ZTR this spring (I kept the BX.) The Z mows much faster than the BX. If you are only mowing, the Z will do it faster and be cheaper to purchase.
Will

 

[MarkLeininger]

I pulled a 60" Swisher trail mower with my 20HP Sears garden tractor for years to mow my 5 acres. That gave me about an 8' cut and I could drop the trail mower if I had to for finish work around trees. Fuel prices have made that a less attractive option, the trail mower and garden tractor each drink a big gulp of gas, the diesel is much more economical. But then a price difference of about $10,000 can buy a lot of gas.

 

[jas67]

I pulled a 60" Swisher trail mower with my 20HP Sears garden tractor for years to mow my 5 acres. That gave me about an 8' cut and I could drop the trail mower if I had to for finish work around trees. Fuel prices have made that a less attractive option, the trail mower and garden tractor each drink a big gulp of gas, the diesel is much more economical. But then a price difference of about $10,000 can buy a lot of gas.

I have a 44" Simplicity Javelin zero turn, which is a higher end consumer unit. Its max speed is 6 MPH, so it is no where near as fast as the commercial units, but with all the stuff that I have to mow around, and not a lot of straight runs, 6 MPH is plenty. I also have a Kubota G1800S with all wheel steering and a 48" deck. It has a top speed of 8.5 MPH, so it can keep pace with a lot of commercial ZTR's. It takes me about the same time to mow my property with these two machines. A BX would take a little longer, due to less maneuverability. I haven't decided which machine will get sold, and which I'll keep, but I'm leaning toward the G1800S (to keep), as I prefer diesel, and it is a more versatile machine. I can put a front blade or a snowblower on it, where my ZTR is always only going to be a mower.

The main thing you need to ask yourself is if you want the additional functionality of a tractor or not. A commercial ZTR (or even a high-end consumer one) will probably mow as fast, or faster than the BX, depending on the property (amount of turning and edging), and will leave less push-mower/weed wacker edge. BUT, a ZTR will never do snowblowing, or FEL work.

You already have the L3400. If you don't need a tractor often for this property, just deal with having to go get the L3400 when you need it, and get a ZTR. But, if you are mostly mowing open areas, and are less in need of the maneuverability of the ZTR, and more in need of more speed, AND are looking for an excuse for a 2nd tractor (****, who here isn't) then get the BX and a 60" deck. The top speed of the BX (8.5ish if I remember) and a 60" deck should keep up with a faster ZTR and a 48" deck.

 

[shrekbelly]

i owned a commercial toro z master 100 w/19 kawasaki twin and a 52"sfs deck. outrageous manuverability, dangerously quick and gave me a superb quality of cut. alas, it was only a spring to fall machine.
i sold her and miss her, however i now own a bx1850. true- more money-
but a hughly more capable machine. i'm glad i switched over. you've got a tough decision--good luck with it. shrekbelly

 

[wushaw]

My grass cutters are ZTRs because of the speed and obsticles I have.
ZTRs were designed for speed and manuverability.

A tractor is good for everything but not best for any one thing, except for some 3pt attachments that a commercial designed machine was not ment for.

 

[spk64]

Grass cutting hands down zero turn wins. I also mowed with a cub cadet for 12 years. Purchased a ZTR 3 yrs ago and will never look back would never even consider a MMM on a tractor. But I later picked up a BX for what it does best. So the best answer is both.

 

[Botabill]

The BX can go fast but frankly, unless you have a real smooth lawn it will be a rough ride. I read one poster complain a while back about the BXs rough ride. Hey... it's a tractor, no suspension (for a reason). If you want a mower get a ZTR mower. If you want versatility... a BX.

 

[LBrown59]

1*The BX can go fast but frankly, unless you have a real smooth lawn it will be a rough ride.
2* If you want a mower get a ZTR mower. If you want versatility... a BX.

1*Same goes for a Z T R.
Wise Words.

 

[have_blue]

You're not going to beat a specialized grass cutting machine with a multi purpose machine. Keep in mind that a MMM detracts somewhat from the versatility of a tractor.

 

[dangerdoc]

The BX can go fast but frankly, unless you have a real smooth lawn it will be a rough ride. I read one poster complain a while back about the BXs rough ride. Hey... it's a tractor, no suspension (for a reason). If you want a mower get a ZTR mower. If you want versatility... a BX.

Agree with above except if the ground is rough, you want big tires. As big as you can find and bouncy is good.

I pull a finish mower with an old M5400 in those spots that just beat the tar out of me on a ZTR. The wheels on the tractor are at least 3 times taller. I'm not sure a BX would be any more or less comfortable on rough ground than the ZTR.

 

[Modn]

I'm one of those people that are "against the grain" on this one. If I was in business it would probably be different, but as a homeowner that mows 2+ acres I will take a riding mower/mid mount mower any day. My father has a 54" zero turn and I have tried it numerous times, mowing while he is gone. It seems to beat the crap out of my lawn. Circles around the trees and on a slope, it just skins up the grass as I try to turn. Driver error? Maybe a touch, but I'm pretty comfortable with it as far as normal operation goes. I have noticed many other people that have them and have the same "rings" around the trees and same problems with the side hill problem. Basically for double the expense I would be hoping for better. As far as saving me time.....why are we in such a hurry for anyway? Just my opinion of course, but I will be having anything but a zero turn although I would like to try the ones with the mower out front and see if they are any different without spending the coin to find out otherwise.

 

[LBrown59]

I want your thoughts on what to do. I have roughly 3 acres to mow and am doing so with a cubcadet lawn tractor with 50 inch deck. its 26hp and only has a ground speed of 5.6MPH.. takes about 2 hours to mow lawn. Not a lot of trees but two Big willows and some big ditches near the road.

Borrowed freinds zero turn and mower complete lawn in under 1 hour. 48 inch deck but twice as fast.

I already have a kubota l3400 for loader work and backhoe work when i need it and its not normally stored at my home. Soo... I was thinking of a BX series with as large of deck as I can find? 72"? I know I will not have manuverability but figure with the larger deck it should offset the time? Plus I figure I can mow faster than 5.6 mph?

or should I just stick with the zero turn? Opinions please and feedback.

Be nice to have a smaller loader for the occasional chore istead of trailering the big boy over.

I'd go for the more versatile BX;besides what's the mowing hurry any how?
Take time to stop and smell the roses.

 

[KeithInSpace]

The biggest BX deck you can get is 60".

I faced the ZTR vs. BX question and you can see what won out.

I mow about an acre of grass in about 45 minutes. WITH grass collection. That doesn't include trimming, but I can get so close with the BX, I only trim every other or third mow.

A ZTR would mow faster, sure. But you can't do ANY of the stuff I do with my BX on a regular basis.

My cousin mows 5 acres and has a ZD21 ZTR. I'd MUCH rather have his ZTR in his situation...faster and more comfortable. The tractor can bounce you around a bit (sitting square over the wheels with a tractor seat vs. his spring-loaded setup). But he also needs a B21 on his property to do the "other stuff". I've combined both into one. And on my heavily tree'd 1 acre, I'd pit his ZD21 against my BX any day. I bet he'd get done about 5 or 8 minutes faster than my BX. Not worth the trade-offs in my book.

My two cents.

 

[LBrown59]

i owned a commercial toro z master 100 w/19 kawasaki twin and a 52"sfs deck. outrageous manuverability, dangerously quick and gave me a superb quality of cut. alas, it was only a spring to fall machine.
i sold her and miss her, however i now own a bx1850. true- more money-
but a hughly more capable machine. i'm glad i switched over. you've got a tough decision--good luck with it. shrekbelly

A ztr can't be a tractor but a tractor can mow.

 

[LBrown59]

You're not going to
*beat a specialized grass cutting machine with a multi purpose machine. Keep in mind that a MMM detracts somewhat from the versatility of a tractor.

*Why is it so urgent to beat it or even come anywhere near matching it anyway?

 

[workinallthetime]

Dads got a jd455 w/ 60" cut, and about 4 solid acres to mow out of 10, lots of trees, ponds, hills, and piles of "stuff". best time on the 455 was just under 4 hours to do everything. I have a b3030 tlb , no mower, and a kubota zd326 60" diesel ztr. I just mowed the place today so he would not have to be out in the 100+ degree heat in just over 2 hours. A ztr is a mower and thats it, if thats all you want to do with it then its by far the best way way to go. I was a commercial operator and the diesel 26 hp 60" was by far the best way to go. i feel 60" cut is the biggest you should go to keep from scalping on uneven terrain. speaking of uneven only a ferris will give you a plush ride from what I hear mine will through you just about out of the seat at 12mph when you hit a big bump.

good luck and buy what YOU want !!!