Old question, new scenario, 72" vs 60" deck

[PaulL2]

I'd go bigger. A 60 inch on a BX will be a bit slower for a couple of reasons - reduced mowing width, but also because the BX isn't as fast a tractor - so your top speed will be slower. I did note however that your grass is lush and therefore you cannot mow at top speed with the wheel horse, it's possible your grass thickness will be the speed limit, not the tractor speed.

A 72 inch will be a bit slower where you mow around obstacles. Remember that a 72 inch hangs out more, in some ways that lets you get closer. But the tractor is less nimble, so a bit more back and forth to cut.

So you need to trade off these two things in mowing speed, I'd guess the tradeoff would be the 72 inch being faster overall, but annoying you when you have to fiddle around. Of course, you might modify your property over time to reduce that - perhaps borders around some areas and spraying, rather than mowing everything.

For other tasks, the B will win hands down. The mower deck is bigger and stronger, and therefore more tolerant of keeping down brush on the 4 acres (that'll be reasonably hard on a mower v's using a bush hog). The B is a bigger and stronger tractor, with a more powerful loader.

 

[lilranch2001]

If I had to get rid of all my toys (tractor with 5 implements, Ranger sxs, and an eXmark zero turn) and could only keep one, I would keep the eXmark, and it is more than twice as old as the tractor

 

[jives]

Perhaps a bit more information. Regardless of what we decide to do with the 4 ac overgrown area, we want to keep the 2.2 ac mowed "lawn" because we use it for my kids and wife's child day care business. It has seen a lot of ultimate Frisbee, church youth group games, and so forth. Probably have about 4 more years of keeping it nice. I do, though, want to reduce the mowing time considerably, and just about pulled the trigger on great deal on a used 72" SnapperPro (i.e., Ferris) zero turn, that is, until we got hit in one week with $4k of car repairs and a replacement dryer. I would also use the Snapper to mow the 4 acres to keep in manageable. Eventually, a tractor would be in the works, because there are other tractor needs on the total 7 ac property. Because the $4K bill was paid out of my zero turn mower fund, I'm left to rethink. I could take out a loan and just get the tractor now and forget the zero turn.

The 4 ac won't be a manicured lawn. It will be used to either make money, serve as a hobby, or otherwise make improvements that will enhance it's value down the road should we sell it off as a house plot.

 

[ovrszd]

If I had to get rid of all my toys (tractor with 5 implements, Ranger sxs, and an eXmark zero turn) and could only keep one, I would keep the eXmark, and it is more than twice as old as the tractor

How many hours a year do you put on your tractor?

 

[lilranch2001]

its an 09, and I think I have 250 or so hours

 

[lilranch2001]

Also I mow 9 acres and I am not a farmer

 

[ovrszd]

its an 09, and I think I have 250 or so hours

Yeah, with just 25hrs a year you probably wouldn't miss the tractor much.

 

[lilranch2001]

yea most of my tractor work is done, although I still use it for fun projects

I havent even really needed it for snow the last few years

I am not one to sell any of my toys tho, I live by the motto, "the person who dies with the most toys wins!"

 

[buckeyefarmer]

To B or not to B

I would go 60", 72 seems really wide for mmm. I use a 72" RFM for my field, however, i used to use it on my lawn with my small tractor.... I'm going to 60" ztr for the lawn.

 

[PaulL2]

Sounds like you're overall money and cashflow constrained.

You're looking at a second hand B v's a new BX really. Either of them will do the job, and a BX will do most small farm chores adequately if we're talking lift and carry with a bucket or forks, levelling and the like. It won't really disk or seed well, but it will pull a small land plane. A B would do farm type duties quite a bit better. A B would be much better at ground engaging tasks, but really an L is what you need for ground engagement.

A new BX will come with finance, a used B will not. A new BX is a known quantity, a used B is not. If your choice is a new BX on finance now v's a used B bought with cash at a later date, I'd get the new BX now. Most of your real farm duties (ground engaging) sound like the kind of things you'd do once, borrow, rent or hire out those jobs. You wouldn't have the discs or seed drill either anyway, and any tractor you can mow well with won't do ground engagement well.

The reality is that a B is probably better for your needs, but your finances don't sound like they allow it.....get the BX and be happy.