mowing tight spaces...with big mowers

[MattEffinCameron]

we bought a new home last year with about 11 acres of land. Most of it is hayed by a local farmer leaving us with about 3 acres of lawn to mow.

I made it through last year borrowing my father's old 36 or 38" john deere mower which struggled to cut the grass and go up the hill at the same time in our front yard, not to mention it took me maybe 4+ hours to mow.

This year I am looking to move up to something better, to last me forever, and hopefully help with some other chores. I plan on cultivating a decent size area in the future so I imagine use of a borrowed/rented PTO tiller and the FEL will prove useful around the property...and I also have a 500+' driveway that I need to clear snow from in the winter. So with all that in mind I think I am in the market for a kubota B2620 with FEL and 60"MMM...possible snowblower attachment to come in the future...but worst case scenario I can use the FEL and my ATV plow to manage through another winter.

Obviously the best mower to get would be a zero turn. It would be quicker and handle tight spaces as well as going around light posts and trees with ease. But a ZT wont do anything but cut grass...
-So the question is this...how bad/difficult is it going to be mowing the lawn with a bigger machine like a kubota B series, and a 60" MMM?

-How do you handle tight spaces where the 60" deck wont fit...or that corner of your house that you cant quite mow because you either back in or pull in but the mower deck never gets to the corner?

-How about trying to go around small trees where the bigger tractor's height means you cant fit under the lower branches anymore and the larger turn radius means you cant cut it sharp enough to go all the way around the tree/lamp post in one shot?

Here is a picture of the property...the yellow dots are the small trees and the red dots are light posts.... The only thing I thought of really was that maybe I am able to carry a string trimmer on the ROPS so when I get to a tree or something, it is quick/easy to hop off, trim around it close and then mow as opposed to trying to do it all with the mower. The only tight area I have really is between the garden (yellow outline) and the house and the porch. Other than that its the trees/lights that I need to get close to (they are all small trees) and going along the garden's fence.

 

[KennyG]

Doesn't look all that bad. I mow with a 62" deck and have trees and tight spots I can't mow. I have a push mower and go out and trim after I mow. More work than I'd like but I don't want to spend additional money on a zero turn.

 

[Parkanzky]

My father spent years working on the landscaping, all the while making sure that everything he did made mowing easier. By the end, he could mow the entire lawn without getting off the tractor, barely any backing up, and he gave away his push mower and string trimmer. Make sure that you have at least a mower's width everywhere you need to go (you may need to adjust the landscape to make that happen), then border all the landscaping with rock (or whatever you like) and spray the edges with roundup. It will look really clean and the little roundup'd border means no trimming.

 

[andy1981]

If you plan on buying a tractor in the future you might want to look into a rear mount Finish mower. I have 2 jd 4720's that have 84" bush hog finish mowers that are used to mow a campground. Now its a lot bigger than what you looking for but I can get into some tight spaces between building and rv's because you can back up to thing , and under things that you can't do with a mid mount mower. A rfm can be unhooked in a minute or two, you can get a rear discharge rfm which doesn't give you windrows, and also you are not stuck with a brand specific mower like you most likely will be with a mmm. So those are a few things you might want to consider. I also didn't want a zero turn because it can only be used for one purpose, and I have some steep hills and pond banks that would not work with a zero turn. Hope this helps you out.

 

[TimberXX]

I would run the numbers. We looked into a B2320, the uncut radius was nearly 3 feet, therefore 6 ft wide circle of uncut grass. That's a lot.

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[KennyG]

I would run the numbers. We looked into a B2320, the uncut radius was nearly 3 feet, therefore 6 ft wide circle of uncut grass. That's a lot.

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I guess you are talking about the turning radius. For most of us, that's not the problem. The problem is the trees we can't get under and the objects we can't get between.

 

[chim]

I agree with Andy on rear mowers. Tractors appeal to me because with all the different attachments they aren't one trick ponies. I started out with a mid mount, and have had three rear mounts since. Two years ago we bought an L3200 w/ 6' RFM. Mowing time was reduced to 22 minutes per acre going from a 5 footer to the 6 footer. That was an 11 minute per acre improvement.

Here's a shot of our property. There are trees, a couple sheds and other obstacles including a small creek (light colored spot on the driveway is a concrete bridge). About a year and a half ago we bought more land to the East of our original lot, bringing the total to 3-1/2 acres. The image was taken before I had the grass planted on land to the right. It was still in barley then.

 

[Ed of all trades]

I mow about 3 acres with lot's of trees, over 40, fence etc. With a GC2400. And a 60" mmm. As others have said its all in the landscaping, and being content with your decision. Sure I could mow faster with a z turn but I chose a tractor for all the extras I can do with it. You will be surprised what small changes in the landscape can do.

 

[farmer2009]

Take a look at all the attachments that Grasshopper has to offer. Their ZTR's can do more than mow.

Some of your concerns can be addressed with landscaping. But you still will have to use a trimmer (liquid or string). If you're set on a tractor then look at a push mower or a 30 inch rider to compliment it. It'll get in those tight places. I have a 60"ZTR and have been thinking about stepping up to a 84 or 90" RFM. For speed. But keeping the ZTR for trimming.

 

[jenkinsph]

I use an x749 (Deere garden tractor) with 4 wheel steer and 4x4 for most of my mowing, maneuvers very well. Handles attachments such as landscape rakes, rear blades, snow blowers and material collection system for lawn work. I use a small push mower for tight spots and a string trimmer too, these are cheap enough not to break the bank. For the larger mowing jobs and other tasks a good garden tractor through a small compact tractor of your choice should handle the rest.

I agree with others that some small changes in landscaping can make a big difference in the amount of work to maintain the lawn. Choose these changes wisely.