Small Tractor or Zero Turn Mower?

[ICGREEN]

I love my ZTR but based on my experience they are not acceptable for hills. I have one fairly small but steep hill and it can feel a little squirrelly at times.

 

[Raw Dodge]

I'd consider a Steiner or Ventrac as well as a tractor,esp with the hill being an issue,my steiners will outperform any 4wd tractor on hills ive ever tried hands down.You can get a tiller for either machine as well.The finish mowers on a steiner/Ventrac leave a higher quality cut than any tractor deck can,as they have full width rollers,and high capacity decks with huge high flow discharge chutes.I have 2 Dixie Chopper zero turns,and they are ok on hills so long as you can go straight up and down them,and have plenty of room at the bottom to slow down.My one chopper is the 50HP turbodiesel,it is actually really good on all hills,as the track width is 71" wide.

 

[redharley]

I would have to vote for the tractor for you also,I have hills to mow after trying both went with a Kubota BX several years ago and still am not sorry.The 4wheel drive is great and like mentioned before if you get a loader it will be the best wheel barrel you ever own. I would see if your local dealer will load both up and bring to your place for a demo,it's the only way you will know for sure with out owning both

 

[arksdad]

I'm a little confused about everyone saying a ZTR isn't any good on hills. I mow 4 to 5 acres with the terrain varying from almost flat to some very steep banks. I have a Country Clipper ZTR, 60" cut, with joy stick control. In the beginning I was apprehensive about how it would handle hills compared to the JD 316 garden tractor it replaced. The answer is it's so much better. It is better to go up slopes rather than down or OK to go sideways or across sidehills. I think it would be "almost" impossible to tip over unless the operator did something really stupid. One more thing, don't be misled by how many acres the manufacturer says you can cut per acre. I think they are grossly exaggerated unless you don't care what your lawn looks like when you are finished. Just my opinion!

 

[Ken45101]

The advantage of a ZT mower is maneuverability ("turnability"). On a flat out rectangular open area, they probably are not much faster than a tractor mounted mower.

We bought a ZT a few months ago. We love it! We even enlarged our yard Because of the obstructions in our yard (chicken pen, hills, driveway, patio, fish pond, flower beds, etc.), there was so much time wasted turning around with the tractor ( 27hp 4wd diesel w/ 5' midmount mower).

I don't worry about the ZT tipping on the hillsides, BUT it will lose control going across a slope and suddenly head downhill and there's not a thing you can do to correct it. They are good at going up hills, but may have problems going downhill or turning around on a hill. I'm sure it depends on how the individual model is engineered. There is apparently a great deal of difference in how various models handle hills.

Also, a ZT can be a very rough ride if the ground is not smooth.

 

[dodge man]

I bought a Kubota BX2350 about a year ago. I also have hills to deal with when I mow. If you had flat ground a ZTR would be a good choice. With your hills a sub compact tractor is a no brainer. Don't go with one of the four wheel drive mowers, just step up to a small tractor. They are fairly common used.

 

[Ken45101]

I bought a Kubota BX2350 about a year ago. I also have hills to deal with when I mow. If you had flat ground a ZTR would be a good choice. With your hills a sub compact tractor is a no brainer. Don't go with one of the four wheel drive mowers, just step up to a small tractor. They are fairly common used.

I'm not sure what you mean by "don't do with one of the four wheel drive mowers". With my hills, if I don't have the tractor (B2710) in 4wd it slides down the hill, the rear wheels don't have enough traction to stop it. One time it was in 2wd and I slid down until I hit the pasture fence. I broke one fence post and popped the staples out of another.

Ken

 

[Ken45101]

I bought a Kubota BX2350 about a year ago. I also have hills to deal with when I mow. If you had flat ground a ZTR would be a good choice. With your hills a sub compact tractor is a no brainer. Don't go with one of the four wheel drive mowers, just step up to a small tractor. They are fairly common used.

I'm not sure what you mean by "don't go with one of the four wheel drive mowers". With my hills, if I don't have the tractor (B2710) in 4wd it slides down the hill, the rear wheels don't have enough traction to stop it. One time it was in 2wd and I slid down until I hit the pasture fence. I broke one fence post and popped the staples out of another.

Ken

 

[heehaw]

"A sub compact with a 60" deck with a loader is about the same money as a Zero turn!"
that may be true if your getting a diesel ztr mower, but look what else you get with the tractor: a powered wheel barrow for sure: ztr's have been around for many years, but how many 20 year old ones do you see around?? especially ones still being used: but how many 20 year old tractors do you see...no comparison, even if you do it by percentage/number sold: i have "never" seen a 20 year old ztr still being used.
heehaw

 

[Ken45101]

Most ZT mowers are used in commercial service, maybe 40+ hours a week. How many 20 year old compact tractors do you see that are used in commercial service? I suspect that most CUTs are homeowner units that see less usage per year than most ZT mowers see in a week.

Besides, most CUTs are diesel, most ZT mowers 20 years ago were gas (and still probably are.)

Ken