Mowing questions

[Mace Canute]

Yep, a JD 2520 definitely should be tractor enough for 5 acres!

 

[bp fick]

SaltySteve,
Since your 300R has low hours you could trim with it and use a 2520 with rfm to mow the open areas. The rfm is easier to remove/replace for other tasks.

:thumbsup::thumbsup: Yes, indeed. Far, far cheaper as well. Let your little Deere do near the house, and mow the wide open areas with a RFM. That 2520 you have your eye on would pull a nice 5 or 6 foot FRM and you'd cut your time down an amazing amount. Easier on your body too. Maybe even a faster ground speed too.

 

[doall]

I have a ztr jd 737 and love it. I can mow my 2 acres in about 1 hour or so. But the only advantage is speed. It can do nothing else. If you were just interested in speed I would say go for it. I can cut my acreage way faster with my zero that only has a 54" deck than I can with my 6' finish mower behind my tractor. But like I said that is all it can do. I like mowing for the peace. So I might sell my ztr one day just so it will take a little longer.

 

[missingstexas]

Hello all,
I just moved into a new to me house in south Louisiana sitting on 5 acres of which it is approx 80% clear (grass).... Once you go larger than the 2520 the weight shoots up another 1000lbs. Am I placing too much emphasis on this weight thing?

Steve...

Not sure where in South LA you are, but here in SWLA it rains...A Lot!.. We're way below normal for the year this year, but last year we hit about 3 inches above average at that was right at 73" for the entire year. So, that being said, you probably are right in putting emphasis on weight. I'm mowing about the same size area and my B26 Kubota is doing ok, but I can sure tell that if I had a much larger machine I'd be rutting it up. I like the other guys suggestions about keeping the rider you have now and getting a tractor for the driveway and a pull finish mower. I haven't seen the MMM you're talking about, but they can't be easier than hooking up a 3pt, and with the loss in ground clearance... I'd pass, unless you plan on getting close with that thing to lots of trees/landscaping. Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[Runner]

Steve,

Don't forget, you can also get a 72 inch MMM for the 2520. I personally use a 2520 with a 72 inch rear finish mower on a couple of acres and have been very happy with the combination. It sure is easy to take that rear mower off when I want to use the machine for other tasks....

Best of luck with your decision.

 

[JMER817]

Have you thought about renting some equipment to try and compare? I have 2 acres on my residence along with some rental property that I mow. I currently use a cheap Craftsman 54 inch tractor. I can do my 2 acres in about 1.5 hours with it. I was curious on how much quicker I could get it done with a zero-turn so I rented one and completed it in 45 minutes. If I get more rental property I will probably pick one up. This works for me since I need the mobility and I have varoius yards to cut. Now a tractor will give you much more versatility as one poster mentied. Do you need to clear your driveway of snow, grade the gravel a couple times a year, rototill a graden, move some mulch around with the loader, pick-up that new generator out of the back of your pickup, etc. Not to throw another thought, but what about a rear deck mower...would be cheaper??

 

[joecooler]

Steve, I am a new landowner this year with 38 Acres roughly. Of that, 7 require mowing and about 17 need the cutter run over em about twice a year. With that said, I faced the same dilemma. Could I do what I wanted to do with a tractor or should I get a ZTR and a Tractor? Well, after readng over 100 posts, reviews and fact sheets, I concluded that time is very precious to me and the fastest way to finish the mowing was a commercial ZTR. I bought a monster, a 2002 Ferris is4000Z D31/72 with 318 hours on it. I paid about a third of retail for it, which is great for me. I don't use it for the 17acres, but holy cow is it awesome on the 7 acres of grass. The Ferris has full independent suspension and since my 7 mowing acres are not golf course smooth, the shocks allow me to run full open at about 10MPH over most of the irregularities. Also, its just hella fun!!! Riding a responsive ZTR is like being in a Turf Top Gun competition. Handling, response and power are phenominal, and time flies by. I knock out 7 acres in under three hours, even if I decide to work a couple of new patches. So, start scanning for a low time ZTR with a 61" deck minimum and find a good used tractor for the other less frequent chores. You will mow every year, every week where you might or might not do some tractor work. Frequency of tasks favors tailoring your purchase to the most demanding need IMO. That was the conclusion I made. I just had the tires foam filled too so I won't lose down time for flats. Tracks much better now. My 2 cents worth....:thumbsup: