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

[ovrszd]

If I could only have 1. Tractor or zero turn it would have to be the tractor. (tills, brush mows, finish mows, loader work, plows the driveway, landscapes, Etc. Etc. ) (zero turn mows.)
But I can tell you my 72", 35 HP zero turn will mow circles around my 35 HP tractor with 84" rear mount finish mower.
Our 8 acre lawn takes just over 3 hours with the tractor/84" mower to mow. Zero turn will mow it in 2 hours.

I agree.

 

[ovrszd]

I am amused by how these discussions wander with a lot of smoke.

Post# 1, one tractor (machine) only.

 

[lilranch2001]

What brand rear blade are you using? What snow blower? Where did you find a tote box to fit or did you build it. How does the 3pt work on those, I've heard it's really slow. How is it in mud?

Get my point yet?

Nope, I must be as dense as you cuz I do not see what point you MAY be trying to make

 

[ovrszd]

Nope, I must be as dense as you cuz I do not see what point you MAY be trying to make

The point I am making is you imply that your zero turn is superior to a tractor. That is simply not true. A zero turn is a specialized tool that does one thing very well. A tractor does many things very well.

Back to post#1, one tractor (machine) only. Are you saying a zero turn should be his choice?

 

[sandman2234]

Because that痴 totally a fair comparison. In the fair comparison a high end zero turn will destroy a BX or B tractor. The fact that you put nearly double the deck on the ground and only beat the ZTR by 25 percent proved it. Imagine what would have happened if you were running against a comparable width zero turn.

I would probably have to speed up and use one of the 3 higher gears I had left, and run the pto at 540 rpms instead of 470 rpm. Top speed of my tractor is over 20, not that I want to mow that fast. The zero turn's owner couldn't stand the rough bouncing that it took to mow it as fast as he did, which is why he refused to mow it again. I have mowed it in high range 3rd gear when I was in a hurry to get finished, but typically I am not in as big of hurry. I guess if I really wanted to get done fast, I could hook up the 15 foot batwing, but it really doesn't cut any faster, because hp is still hp.

The point I am making is you imply that your zero turn is superior to a tractor. That is simply not true. A zero turn is a specialized tool that does one thing very well. A tractor does many things very well.

Back to post#1, one tractor (machine) only. Are you saying a zero turn should be his choice?

Only one machine, then no way is a zero turn going to clear property, so it will tear itself up if it even gets close to finishing the job. Without a tractor, the rough section is going to be too uneven to mow with a zero turn and without a tractor, it is never going to get any better.
Plus they just ride rough when the ground isn't glass smooth! That is why I have a job mowing the church, because although the zero turn may be able to mow grass a little faster in a circle, horsepower does win out, and you can't hang onto a zero turn on rough ground and make a smooth cut.
David from jax

 

[DK35vince]

My zero turn with 8 PSI in the tires, flex forks and suspension seat rides better/smoother than my tractor in the same spots at the same speeds.
I would be at the chiropractor if I tried to mow my yard at the same speed with the tractor that I mow with it the zero turn.
Simplicity and Ferris zero turns offer models with suspension.
Some Toro zero turn models offer the my ride suspension (entire operator station is suspended)

 

[Scottybdiving]

We all have our bias's, some fair, some not so fair.

Anyone with any reasonable knowledge of how a ZTR works will know that one will out work a similar tractor mowing a lawn.

Also in the world I have been living in this spring, there is not a CUT in the world that would not have left my lawn mangled with ruts, let alone probably not been able to make a single pass without getting stuck in the mud.

I love my tractor, but as I have stated over and over to people, the best purchase of my life was my eXmark 20 years ago.

I have the same experience as you. I have a 19 year old Exmark Lazer Z with 72" deck. I mow about 10/18 ac. I allow wildflowers to run their course, so it's about 2' tall when I mow at times. My Exmark is kept in the garage while my Super Duty stayed outside until I built a pole barn for my RV. I just replaced the Exmark with a new 72" Scag Turf Tiger II. No way would I trade my ZTR and mow with a tractor.

I have a Volvo L70D FEL (2-1/2 CY bucket) that is too big and heavy, so I am selling it. I'm in the market for large compact or utility size tractor with FEL. It will be for landscaping, gardening, and new projects.

 

[arto98607]

....................So, here is the question. A subcompact, like a Kubota BX with a 60" MMM will handle the 2.2 ac finish mowing sufficiently, but how well can it handle the chores of the 4 ac? Is it too small to work efficiently? ........................[/ATTACH]

Looks like this thread has veered little bit off track. The original poster was asking the above question!

 

[lilranch2001]

you'll have that!

 

[jives]

As the OP, there is probably no reason to continue this thread, though it is indeed fun. The tangents are okay, as they do give a perspective that perhaps an OP had not considered. As for me, our 7 ac plot (4 ac is overgrown meadow) is part of our future and that of our kids. We have already planted several hundred trees on the lot, from fast growing hybrid poplars to serve as snow, wind, and visual screens, to conifers for screening, to a small orchard, to shade trees, to ornamentals. The most immediate need is to mow regularly to prevent weed trees (buckthorn), brambles, and honeysuckle from taking over. After that, we are likely to plant a wildflower meadow until we decide the full future. In that regard, mowing is key, but there are a lot of tasks that have gone undone because of a lack of a tractor. Saving an hour of mowing with a zero turn would be nice, but not as nice as being able to use a loader or pull a disk.

Priorities.

Thanks all.