Mowing With Compact Tractors

[MinnesotaMasseyMan]

I am considering an upgrade from my current GC1705 to an 1835M. I love the midmount mower on the GC and I have roughly 4 acres of lawn to mow. Does anybody here mow with a midmount mower on a compact tractor? Specifically the 1835M? I can't find too much about how they do, how fast you can mow, how it stripes the grass, etc. (I am a lawn guy so all these things matter)

 

[tacticalturnip]

You want to be a two tractor household.

 

[dodge man]

It’s a pretty good sized tractor. I mow with a John Deere 2025r that with loaded tires and a 60” mid mount deck on it weighs about 2400 pounds the tractor your looking at bare weight is a little more than 1000 pounds more.

I like the way mine cuts but I have a country yard. when you start talking how it stripes it makes me think you won’t be happy with it. Myself if you have a fairly open yard that thing would probably pull a 7 foot finish mower and would make quicker work of your yard but I wouldn’t expect a cut like a dedicated lighter weight mower.

Another consideration is what else you use it for. It’s going to be a lot more tractor with much stronger hydraulics and loader. On the other side is if your more after a bigger mower a zero turn would be a better choice.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

It’s a pretty good sized tractor. I mow with a John Deere 2025r that with loaded tires and a 60” mid mount deck on it weighs about 2400 pounds the tractor your looking at bare weight is a little more than 1000 pounds more.

I like the way mine cuts but I have a country yard. when you start talking how it stripes it makes me think you won’t be happy with it. Myself if you have a fairly open yard that thing would probably pull a 7 foot finish mower and would make quicker work of your yard but I wouldn’t expect a cut like a dedicated lighter weight mower.

Another consideration is what else you use it for. It’s going to be a lot more tractor with much stronger hydraulics and loader. On the other side is if your more after a bigger mower a zero turn would be a better choice.

I gotta agree with Dodge,

As soon as you mentioned "striping", my first thought was you need a zero turn. I doubt you will be happy with a bigger tractor running a belly mower. *Maybe* a 3pt finish mower, if you get a quality one.

 

[Beaver Cove Deere]

Buy a zero turn if you are wanting to stripe your lawn.
If you’re that **** on a lawn you don’t want that constant heavy machine traveling weekly on it anyway.

 

[Duds13]

Zero turn all the way.

 

[Eagle1]

Seriously if you want manicured lawn, Zturn or another true lawn machine. I have a BX I used for years but the Zturns are way better. Still have the BX for mowing rougher sections and light duty tractor work. Added a LS for brush hog and the heavier loader/backhoe work.

 

[dj1701]

I got me one of those new-fangled Bx's with the auto steer. It has made my life so much better and does a great job on the lawn.
Every once in a while, it misses a spot. Don't excited though, it will self-correct without any input from you. Trust me on that one.

Dave

Automatic lawn mower

 

[Eagle1]

I got me one of those new-fangled Bx's with the auto steer. It has made my life so much better and does a great job on the lawn.
Every once in a while, it misses a spot. Don't excited though, it will self-correct without any input from you. Trust me on that one.

Dave

Automatic lawn mower

I had one of those but for years it would tree roots, rocks and assorted other things. Now I'm back to doing my own damage

 

[Supraman0614]

I thought I wanted to maintain one machine for mowing and tractor duties myself, but I was very disappointed with the results. I bought a set of turf tires (to swap my ag tires which I don't usually need in the summer), and a 6' 3-pt finish mower. My dealer said that unless I have a perfectly flat lawn, which I don't, a 7' mower would not work well. I took the loader assembly off so it was just the tractor weight and the mower deck.

Didn't do too bad, but didn't look as good as it did when I used my old Ford front mower (sad I couldn't find parts to keep fixing that). I have a country lawn as well, so as long as the grass is cut, I don't need it to be perfect, but I like it to look nice. The biggest issue I had with it was that it took me a lot longer to mow than it should have, and definitely longer than it took for my old front mower. The tractor simply does not have the turning radius that a purpose built mower has. Not to mention, it forced me to mow a few sections one way only, and started leaving imprints where the tires rode after repeat mowing.

I ended up getting a great deal on a Jacobsen Turfcat, and I haven't looked back. Much better mowing quality, more maneuverable, lighter on the lawn, and much faster than the tractor. It seems more economical to maintain only one machine, but it didn't end up that way for me.