Replace with new tractor or add a zero turn mower

[dodge man]

You see a lot of people hate on mid mount mower. I have had one for 12 years and like it. I think the big factor is your yard. Mine is so rough and has some hills, I don’t want a ZTR. Do you have a place to store a ZTR? I see people say you can get a ZTR for the price of a MMM. In most cases not a nice one. It’s easy to drop 7k on a ZTR. In this OP’s case a relatively inexpensive rider is probably good enough.

 

[metalbender]

Personally I won't subject me or my tractor to the rough ground I have to mow. Looks smooth, but shakes the crap out of me if I take the tractor over it. The zt has a suspension platform that makes it pleasant. Yup, it was $7500 but worth it for my old body.

 

[GrumpyJoe]

I have a 72 in finish mower I have for my Mahindra 1533. I only use for two fields whick are pretty rough riding. The other parts I use my zero turn. Used to have a riding mower before the ZT. Took me over 4 hrs to cut all my grass. That was cutting out with rider then finishing with the tractor. With the ZT it cut about an hour off my cutting time. Now I don't put that many hrs on my tractor. I would spend the money on a zero turn and leave the tractor for tractor work.

 

[dragoneggs]

To me it is an absolute no-brainer. Own a tractor and a Z turn dedicated for mowing. A tractor with a belly mower or a rear mower means you will be mounting/unmounting often if you use your tractor as a tractor doing all the other non mowing jobs. The more hassle, the less gets done around my place.

 

[nrosario]

Thank you everyone for your input.
At this point, we have decided to follow the notion of keeping the Max and getting a ZTR for the mowing needs.

Here are some of the models we are looking at:
Toro Timecutter 50" - with MyRide suspension seat and Toro engine - not sure if I should get the one with the Kawasaki instead.
Gravely ZT x 52" / Ariens Ikon XD 52".

I went to both dealers.

The Toro dealer is a local old-timer, been in the same location since the 80s, they have vast knowledge and decent customer service.
They are 6 minutes from my house. -Fair and straight-up pricing. They are asking $3,600.00 for the Timecutter 50" with MyRide seat.

Went to the Kubota dealer, which also sells Gravely, they are newcomers, only been in business for about 4-5 years.
Decent knowledge. This place is located 35 minutes from my house.
In terms of pricing, well they are asking $4,500.00 for the ZTX-52" and $6,800.00 for the Kubota Z411.
They are really pushing for the Kubota ZTR, but I think is outside of my price range.

The Finance committee is not yet too convinced yet, but we are working on it.

Once again, thank you All for your input, it has been extremely helpful.

 

[herm0016]

i would be seriously looking at the gravely if I could buy new. prices seem pretty good for what you get compared to a lot of the other almost commercial machines.

 

[Buggs67]

My opinion:

If you are only mowing 1/2 acre you do not need a ZT. A lawn tractor will make quick work of that at much lower cost.

I was mowing with a 60" finish mower on my CUT (about 3 acres total). The big problem was maneuvering around trees etc. And I didn't like that much weight on the grass every week. SO I got a Hustler Raptor SDX. It was the lowest price ZT that had commercial drive units available locally. It cuts great and pretty fast. I don't like the tires it came wit; not good traction so it's easy to spin the tires or skid.

Cub Cadet came out with a mower that is sorta a tractor/ZT hybrid. It's less $$$ than a ZT. My neighbor has one and I like some features, like the fact that the front wheels actually do steer. Cub Cadet RZT SX42 - Google Search

 

[dragoneggs]

A 42in deck will easily handle a half acre with a lot more maneuverability.

 

[Texasmark]

Half acre: Big box store 48-52" ZT would serve you well. Suck it up and get used to your direct PTO....assume you are talking about a "tranny" PTO like is on my 2400 If you really have Live PTO, it may be via a double clutch like the old Ford tractors, or may be an electric live which interrupts the drive when you push in the clutch, otherwise it's also tranny driven. The thing about my 2400 is that as you let the clutch out, the PTO starts turning before the tractor starts moving. I suppose if I paid that much attention, I could diddle the clutch and make a Live out of it, similar to how the Ford operates.

On a MMM, I thought many times about that and the answer is no for 2 reasons: Mowers get clogged. Cleaning out a MMM vs a conventional or ZT is a PIA.....however, if you hoe isn't in the way, you might use your FEL bucket to lift the front tires off the ground giving you room to access the deck without removal. Then there is the extra weight, followed by the fact that every time you enter the tractor, you have to step over it. The $2500 you would pay for it (Branson brand) would pay for that BB ZT.

The ZT is super fast mowing vs the tractor. I have the tractors posted and 3 ZTs and 3 conventional mowers from 48 to 61" decks. By far the cut is better with the ZT vs the tractor, the ZT doesn't make ruts in the yard, the ZT is much faster in areas where a lot of turning is required and can do a 90* corner where a tractor can't. Efficiency on todays 4 stroke, carbed mowers, and speed as mentioned, makes it your cheapest operating machine and the fuel is cheaper than diesel. Under deck operations are easily accomplished with a HF $88 3 ton floor jack.....3 ton for the height of lift.

 

[metalbender]

I was also looking at the Cub with the steering wheel. Stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the steering linkage configuration. I will be counted as a fanboy of the Toro MyRide system. I did have to invest in the accessory "Big Boy" springs for the suspension platform because I was bottoming out over rougher areas of the property.