discussion cut with mower deck or separate riding mower

[brin]

I mow about 1 ac of my 3 ac lot (mostly woods) -varying terrain, steep slopes. When I went to buy the BX my Wally World Murray LT (20hp 42in deck) was going on 6 years. Bought the deck for the BX figuring I had a mower for life and the LT wouldn't last much longer.

Over the years I worked the LT hard - hauled out four cords of downed oak trees, retaining wall blocks, sand, fill dirt, etc - up and down 20+ degree hills - in addition to weekly mowing. Even pulled the 4x4 drag harrow. It will not die! (I am very meticulous with maint. though). I just replaced all four turf tires because they were worn to slicks. The only thing wrong with the LT is the dent in the hood when I accidentally hit it with the FEL on the BX....

The BX has barely done any mowing. With the LT I can zip around on the slopes - the BX requires slower going. Also saves adding/removing the MMM for all the dirt projects I have going. The LT also has the bagger and mulch kit - both MUCH cheaper than the same for the BX. The BX does have a nicer cut, but not enough to notice with my lawn.

Now I find I use both quite a bit - can finish mowing with the LT, then jump on the BX to do dirt work, spread fertilizer/seed, haul mulch, etc. Plus with the trailer for the LT - I can have both running on some projects - very convenient.

The test will come when the LT finally reaches end of life - somehow I have a feeling I will have another LT in the plan - or the BX will become the mower with a B or L to keep it company....

Same here ..I have a 21 HP Murray Lawn Tractor with a 46 in. deck and use it to cut my front and back yard where there are obstacles and a little hilly but the side yards are big and flat and I use the TC - 29 with a 60" bush hog brand finishing mower for those two areas...does a great job and save a lot of time and gas...I can see a need for both depending on the lay of your land and obstacles and how fast you want to get done. I don't like spending more than a couple of hours cutting lawn since I have too much bush hogging to do anyway.

 

[dieselfreak]

If the amount of one's land that is dedicated to lawn is small, I agree. While putting my tractor purchase together, I too realized that one could buy two of the el cheapo $1000 riding lawn mowers for the price of a deck.

There are places if one owns 3 or 4 acres, where the culture seems to dictate that every square inch of it must be mowed.

You get what you pay for. There is way more steel in an RFM/MMM than in those el-cheapo riding mowers.

df

 

[gjsnow]

GWJD,
Cutting lawn has been one of my passions and I am a fan of ORLO's philosophy above. I actually have one half, that's right, 1/2 acre and to get the nicest cut I use a relatively light machine, a 17hp Bunton Z handle dual hydro 54 inch deck walk behind. I personally think the 7 iron deck is the best but I went with the bunton at the time for the Z handle and its ease on my hands. I cannot use the pistol grips on the deere machine. I get great stripes and bobcat/bunton makes a quality deck.

When the leaves fall ( I am in the heavy oak belt with one dozen, one hundred year old oaks,) I pick up my leaves and a good portion of my neighbors leaves with my 36 hp Deere 1435 front mower with the MCS 600 collection system. The high dump goes right into a trailer. I do a total of 3 acres in the fall. It is a heavy machine but time is of the essence in the fall and cleanup is paramount over lawn compaction. I remove the MCS, and put on the 60 inch HD blower for the snow. (Cab and heater, of course.) The machine originally came with a 24 hp but I changed engines to bump hp. (a long story to itself.)

For fun and projects I have a Deere 2320 and 200 cx loader. A long time ago I had a Kubota 2410 LA352 with a 60 inch MMM and rear PTO tracvac and wagon. A nice cut and good for leaves, but nothing compares to the set up of a front mower.
To answer your question, GWJD, if quality, stripes, and curb appeal is paramount, go with a light machine with a quality deck for the lawn and stick with your tractor for other chores. If you need to do everything with one machine, to conserve funds and space, there will always be a compromise.
I hope this was of some help.
GJsnow.

 

[LBrown59]

I have both, my Deere Garden Tractor has a 54" deck, and my 3520 has a 72" deck, and when I am in a big hurry, I get my son to drive the GTX and I use the big unit and it does an acre and a QTR in less than 30 minutes including slopes.

My wife and I using a BX23 and a Bx1500 cut a 9 foot wide swath .

 

[Nuru]

sounds about right, the only issue i had last cuttin' season was keeping my son focused:confused2:

:laughing:

 

[magicheater]

I use a Hustler Superduty ZT 42" for the lawn and bag for mulch. It not only has halved my mowing time but is a blast. I leave the tractor for tractor work.

 

[millers1]

I replaced a 1965 Sears Suburban with a new Deere LT155 w/38" deck in 2000. A few years later, I got a Deere 2210 CUT with intentions of eventually getting a mmm. We've found that the little tractor is just too easy to operate around the obstacles (trees, etc) and cuts the acre or so just fine. I'd say under 3 acres, it just doesn't seem worth putting a mower on the 'big' tractor. Another bonus is my wife LOVES to cut grass with the LT155...