Debating on 2620 cab or a zero turn

[MesaAZguy]

I haven't been on this forum in years. My last tractor was one of those grey import Vietnamese used Yanmar units. I loved that thing and used it well on my one acre dirt property in Mesa AZ. I had sold it 10 years ago for a bobcat MT85 skid steer since I mainly used it for trenching and forklift. We have since moved to Ozark MO and recently bought a house on 3 acres. We own another empty 3 acre lot in the same subdivision. I was approved for a Kioti 2620 and a Woods 72" finish mower at 0%. I wanted a cab tractor since I prefer climate control and suffer from allergies. (At least in AZ it was just terrible so not sure if MO would be the same on allergies) Soooo, that said, I have been paralyzed by analysis on YouTube with finish mower on a tractor Vs getting a Zero turn. All of my neighbors run zero turns. (At least two that I have seen) I really would prefer the tractor but I am open to opinions. Both lots have maybe 8 trees combined. Some trees have heavy exposed roots.
Thanks!
--Simon

 

[RjCorazza]

Other than the climate control, a tractor will never outperform a zero turn for mowing grass. I have a cabbed tractor and 7' rear finish mower and my 60" zero turn will run circles around the the tractor.

 

[paulsharvey]

The tractor has Way more general utility, the zero turn is a better dedicated grass machine. The Kioti will last Way longer, zero turns often have a life in the 500 hour range, unless you are looking at true commercial machines, which cost 75% of the tractor.

Resale/trade; zero turns dont have much retained value, where the tractor does. Meaning, if you drop $12k on a zero turn, and sell in 3 or 9 months, you have likely taken a $6k hit. If you do the same with the tractor, it might be more like a $3k hit.

Fiancing; likely better terms, length of loan on tractor

Mowing quality, it's way better on the zero turn, the rear finish mower will do a good job, but if you want a golf coarse type lawn, the ZT is what you want.

 

[MesaAZguy]

Thank you! Yeah, I am not after golf course grass. It's a mix of weed, sticks and green. No irrigation to it other than natural precipitation. I don't want to deal with windrows or excess clipping buildup. House already has an abundance of dried up clipping clumps. Not sure if the previous owner just didn't do a good job or had crappy equipment. I do use the forklift more than anything since I can't lift big stuff anymore or to take deliveries of materials for my company when it arrives at the house.

 

[Kioti Sal]

Agree with what was said above. If you have never used a quality zero turn, then you have no idea what you are missing.
I've got two properties that are each maintained with a Ferris pro cut S. Both have about 3 acres of lawn. With a rider, it took about 4 hours each to 'stripe it'. Now my cutting time is around 2 hours a piece, depending how hard the ground is.

Tractors are great, but if you mow often (I know nothing about the Ozarks) nothing mows better and faster then a zero turn.

My advice: Get a used commercial unit. For the cost of the Woods finish mower, I bet you can nab a nice used commercial ZT. They are higher quality, have a trade in value, and have a taller deck height (the deck itself) which eliminates wind rows.

See if you can find a dealer that sells to pros or the local town/villages. They will likely have several used units in stock ranging in price. Its been a few years, but my last ferris was about $6k and had 300 or so hours in it when i bought it. New ones were somewhere around 12k I think. So as said above, not cheap, but totally worth it. I've only bought a few tools that actually changed my life and made me think 'why did I waste $$ on hobbies or other stuff, when I could have bought one of these years ago? This is definitely one of them.

 

[DK35vince]

If I could only have 1 machine, it would have to be a tractor.
For loader work, snow plowing, mowing, property maintenance, they can do more than 1 thing.
A cabbed tractor with rear mount mower would be much better for allergies.
A good zero turn will mow much faster and more maneuverable.
But on a windy day with side discharge they will blow grass clippings all over you.

 

[MesaAZguy]

Thank you for all the replies. While I do agree that a Zero turn would be the superior choice, I am wanting a do it all machine and the tractor would be more useful. I don't mind taking time to mow the properties. I enjoy being outdoors but not in weather hence, the climate controlled cab. As I get older, dust and pollen wreak havoc on me despite enjoying yard work. Today I signed the papers on a Kioti 2620 cab tractor with loader, 72" woods finish mower and pallet forks. This will get me started. A grapple would be nice but once the trees are cleared, it would sit so I may see about renting that implement. A backhoe would be a dream but those are up there in price. Having said all that, I will still look into a used Zero turn mower however my preliminary search has found a few that although cheap at around 3k, they are well used with the lowest at 1200 hours and all beat up including the engine plastic covers. I tend to keep my things well cared for and shiny. It will be delivered in two weeks. I have work going on in the house and do not want the trades to think I am rich and thus have their bills go up. What's the saying? "Green eyed monster?"

Looking forward to "playing" with this thing. It will be put to work almost immediately. Any recommendations on implements that can dig out woody shrubs and small trees?

 

[RjCorazza]

Congrats on the new machine. Be sure to post some pictures when it arrives !

 

[MesaAZguy]

Thank you! I should have negotiated the backhoe in the deal... Now that is one implement I would just go out back and dig holes for fun! I'll post pics when it arrives. I miss having a tractor. My little bobcat skid steer was fun to use. Neither pieces of equipment ever felt like a chore or a job. Figured I would step it up with a climate controlled cab and with 6 acres to take care of (What am I thinking as I get older!) this will be a nice help.

 

[Kioti Sal]

Two weeks is a long time when you're waiting on a new machine!!
Congrats on the purchase, I know you'll love it!!!

-Sal