Opinions on tractor weight for finish mowing

[familyman]

If you were going to be doing regular finish mowing, what's the max weight you'd want your machine to be? Assume normal varied (wet and dry) conditions, running turfs, rear mower and no loader.

My concern is impact on the lawn, ie., tire marks.

 

[shortthrow50]

If you were going to be doing regular finish mowing, what's the max weight you'd want your machine to be? Assume normal varied (wet and dry) conditions, running turfs, rear mower and no loader.

4200 pounds

 

[RaydaKub]

I don't think there is going to be one answer. Compaction and lawn damage is going to vary with the weight, but also the tire size. A very narrow tire is going to sink in deeper. It also depends on things like trees and other obstructions or hills. The least weight, the better for mowing, but that has to be balanced off with enough weight for stability.

 

[rambler]

Enough tractor to get the job done, it will weigh what it will weigh. If you need to mow 10 acres, you'll need a bigger tractor with bigger tires, if you are mowing a small yard you'll need a garden tractor with smaller tires and less weight.

Sort of naturally takes care of itself?

--->Paul

 

[IndyIan]

If you were going to be doing regular finish mowing, what's the max weight you'd want your machine to be? Assume normal varied (wet and dry) conditions, running turfs, rear mower and no loader.

My concern is impact on the lawn, ie., tire marks.

My local little golf course uses a MX5100 sized tractor with turfs, even across the greens the odd time. What you are looking for is ground pressure from the tractor and how much ground pressure your soil can deal with. I have lots of clay so when its wet it ruts easily. When very dry it can take my R1 shod 6000lb tractor... Not that I mow with it ever, but I can drive all over with no rain for 2 weeks.

 

[chim]

I don't think there is going to be one answer. Compaction and lawn damage is going to vary with the weight, but also the tire size. A very narrow tire is going to sink in deeper. It also depends on things like trees and other obstructions or hills. The least weight, the better for mowing, but that has to be balanced off with enough weight for stability.

A lot of truth to that. I just went from a B7500 to an L3200 at around 1,000# more base weight + filled rears. Both have R4's and neither one was hard on the grass. We have a small creek in the front yard, and every now and then it comes out of its banks and into the grass. I can get away with mowing a day or so after the water goes down if I travel straight through the wet spots. Since getting the L3200 I had a chance to take it through there after a mini-flood and it left less marking than the B7500.

Note that I never mow with the FEL attached or in 4WD except for one sloped section where I had to use 4WD with the B7500. The L3200 handles the slope like level ground.

 

[familyman]

Chim, the L3200 or L3800 are what I'm looking at now. I want a machine that will both do the dirt work my L2800 can do as well as mow, so I'm also looking at machines weighing 500-1000lbs more, such as the Bobcat CT335 (yes, I found one).

 

[whistlepig]

I can only share my limited experience. My MF135 @ 3,800# with R1's was too heavy for our yard. My B7800 @ 1800# with R4's isn't. Our yard drains well but it is relatively soft soil here.

 

[chim]

Chim, the L3200 or L3800 are what I'm looking at now. I want a machine that will both do the dirt work my L2800 can do as well as mow, so I'm also looking at machines weighing 500-1000lbs more, such as the Bobcat CT335 (yes, I found one).

I tried to buy a CT335 back around Easter. Then the seller decided he didn't really mean to advertise it on Craigslist when he thought he didn't ask enough. Promised to call me if he decided he was really going to sell it, then sold it out from under me at a higher price I would have paid anyway. Such is life. A 3800 would compare better (HP-wise) to the 335 than a 3200.

One of the things I really liked about the Bobcat was the massive FEL brackets. Turns out the 3200 now has almost identical brackets PLUS I can remove and attach the FEL without leaving the seat. The Bobcat had the QD's under the platform. My loader is off and on quite a lot so this is a biggie for me.

Shopped around looking at 4 brands and came home with another Kubota. I really love the 3200. It's the beefiest and most comfortable tractor I've had so far. I was mowing last evening and at a little over 2000 RPM's it purred along uphill / downhill with the 6' deck.

I mow a little over 2 acres + another 1/2 acre for an elderly lady near me. Seems like I'm frequently doing something where a loader is a handy thing to have. It's surprising how nimble the 3200 is after seeing how big it looked beside the B7500 it replaced. It's probably overkill in the eyes of some, but I wanted a platform with more elbow room and a few more horses. Our house sits almost 100 yards off the road, so it doesn't look too out of place to me in our yard, but I understand some of the double-takes from people when I'm cutting around the trees in the 40' x 60' front lawn for the neighbor lady.

 

[familyman]

That's the other thing; the nimbleness.
When my tractor has the loader on it tends to imprint on the softer areas of the lawn. I'm concerned that a heavier machine, like a CT335, would do this even without the loader.

Everything is a compromise.

I'm glad to hear that your L3200HST has no problems with a 6' deck. I'm assuming that the HST of the L3200 will eat up the 4 more hp that its has over my L2800 gear; which means the two machines put roughly the same power to the ground. My L2800 has never lacked for power; it loses traction first. Then again, I don't run any big cutting implements so PTO hp may never be an issue.

I think you've confirmed my suspicions about tractor weight on the grass. All variables considered, 2,500lbs may be about as heavy as I should go for a machine that will finish mow frequently.