I'm a huge fan of tillers but in this case a small disc is your answer. Half job is better than no job at all and I would beg/borrow a disc from someone and run over sections of the ground. I've found a disc smooths out bumps better than my tiller. Run a disc over it about 6 times and then sow and fertiize it and it will be MUCH better without that much expense or effort, after all, you don't want it so smooth the wife cancles the ZTR!!
Tiller vs my yard
- Thread starter Ram4x4
- Start date
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bspeedy
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2012
- Messages
- 954
- Location
- Upstate SC
- Tractor
- Kubota L4330, Ford 1700, JD 2210, Takeuchi TB135 Excavator
How about a BIG finish mower? My 30 hp New Holland handles a 90-inch finish mower on fescue. Perhaps your 50 hp Mahindra would run a 12-footer at a slow pace on your yard. Plus, the big tractor should help to flatten things out a bit. Aerate annually to decrease compaction. Keep your lawn tractor for close to the house.
I've not yet had a sip of the zero turn kool-aid, so I am a bit skeptical of their greatness.
I've not yet had a sip of the zero turn kool-aid, so I am a bit skeptical of their greatness.
Thanks for the input! It would seem I'm not so nuts after all 
To answer a few questions...food plots/prairie areas are out of the question. The area I mow more or less requires it as I have the house (which sits back off the road a ways..i.e. big front yard), a 3-car detached garage, so have to mow around it and the area between it and the house and then behind that a 12,000 sq ft barn which needs mowed around. Also have to mow areas along the property on the other side of the driveway and along the main road.
I use my tractor and 7' cutter for the 10ish acres of field behind the barn
The yard is rough because when the home was originally built (in 1900) no yard work was really done...they just more or less kept mowing the field grass/weeds until grass sort of took over. From a distance, it looks ok, but it's rough from rough ground, grass clumps (I'm convinced I have every known type of grass growing in my yard in one place or another), holes, and weeds. Honestly, I don't care about the various weeds. I'd go bankrupt trying to keep them at bay...and the dandelions every year just take over everything. Even if i could rid the yard of those, none of the neighbors bother so in a year or two I'd be covered in them again.
I'm perfectly happy with having a less than stellar lawn in terms of what is growing in it, I'm happy to just mow it, but I hate the roughness (which is primarily due to the ground itself). I don't care about keeping any of the current stuff alive if I tear it up. I'll go in sections and plant new seed as I go.
In addition to generally rough ground I have a lot of humps/hills/depressions that need smoothed. I have a Mahindra 5035 and a 7' box blade now. It sounds like the Harley Rake may be the way to go instead of a tiller. My soil is mostly clay and we have lots of rocks, mostly small (softball size or smaller, mostly smaller).
I like the Ferris ZT with suspension, but that bad boy is a bit over my budget and way more than I want to spend on a mower. My current pick is the BadBoy Outlaw XP, 72" deck and the 36 HP Vanguard engine. $9,400 (which is more than I ever imagined I'd spend on a mower) is a fair chunk less than what an equivalent Ferris costs (or Hustler, or any of the other big name mowers). I could get a smaller mower in one of the other brands, but then I'd kind of be defeating the purpose.
To answer a few questions...food plots/prairie areas are out of the question. The area I mow more or less requires it as I have the house (which sits back off the road a ways..i.e. big front yard), a 3-car detached garage, so have to mow around it and the area between it and the house and then behind that a 12,000 sq ft barn which needs mowed around. Also have to mow areas along the property on the other side of the driveway and along the main road.
I use my tractor and 7' cutter for the 10ish acres of field behind the barn
The yard is rough because when the home was originally built (in 1900) no yard work was really done...they just more or less kept mowing the field grass/weeds until grass sort of took over. From a distance, it looks ok, but it's rough from rough ground, grass clumps (I'm convinced I have every known type of grass growing in my yard in one place or another), holes, and weeds. Honestly, I don't care about the various weeds. I'd go bankrupt trying to keep them at bay...and the dandelions every year just take over everything. Even if i could rid the yard of those, none of the neighbors bother so in a year or two I'd be covered in them again.
I'm perfectly happy with having a less than stellar lawn in terms of what is growing in it, I'm happy to just mow it, but I hate the roughness (which is primarily due to the ground itself). I don't care about keeping any of the current stuff alive if I tear it up. I'll go in sections and plant new seed as I go.
In addition to generally rough ground I have a lot of humps/hills/depressions that need smoothed. I have a Mahindra 5035 and a 7' box blade now. It sounds like the Harley Rake may be the way to go instead of a tiller. My soil is mostly clay and we have lots of rocks, mostly small (softball size or smaller, mostly smaller).
I like the Ferris ZT with suspension, but that bad boy is a bit over my budget and way more than I want to spend on a mower. My current pick is the BadBoy Outlaw XP, 72" deck and the 36 HP Vanguard engine. $9,400 (which is more than I ever imagined I'd spend on a mower) is a fair chunk less than what an equivalent Ferris costs (or Hustler, or any of the other big name mowers). I could get a smaller mower in one of the other brands, but then I'd kind of be defeating the purpose.
Only problem with that is, the Mahindra is heeeeavvvyy....and the areas where I have driven it across the lawn, there's now big, fat trenches from the compaction. I keep her off the "lawn" areas now...it's a field only machine.
I've used a couple of ZT's....trust me, nothing to be skeptical about. Just make sure you have a decent one with the good deck, sufficient HP for the cut width and those things will flat mow. Based on my experience (although limited) I fully expect the one I want will cut my mowing time from 8 hours to 3-3.5 at most. ...provided I can use the speed in addition to the extra width...hence the need to smooth my yard.
AchingBack
Veteran Member
I think you have your answer. You've seen it big and kept it simple. This way you will have a tiller for other uses. As for rolling, you are going to find your low spots after you do. If you aren't interested in a perfect surface, you can roll after you seed. But, if you are a perfectionist, the low spots will bother you. If you can, drag a timber or something behind the harrow. But before you do, spread half of your seed. After the low spots are filled in, sow the rest of the seed crosswise to the direction you sowed the first half. Then you can roll it if you want to.
Thanks for the input! It would seem I'm not so nuts after all
To answer a few questions...food plots/prairie areas are out of the question. The area I mow more or less requires it as I have the house (which sits back off the road a ways..i.e. big front yard), a 3-car detached garage, so have to mow around it and the area between it and the house and then behind that a 12,000 sq ft barn which needs mowed around. Also have to mow areas along the property on the other side of the driveway and along the main road.
I use my tractor and 7' cutter for the 10ish acres of field behind the barn
The yard is rough because when the home was originally built (in 1900) no yard work was really done...they just more or less kept mowing the field grass/weeds until grass sort of took over. From a distance, it looks ok, but it's rough from rough ground, grass clumps (I'm convinced I have every known type of grass growing in my yard in one place or another), holes, and weeds. Honestly, I don't care about the various weeds. I'd go bankrupt trying to keep them at bay...and the dandelions every year just take over everything. Even if i could rid the yard of those, none of the neighbors bother so in a year or two I'd be covered in them again.
I'm perfectly happy with having a less than stellar lawn in terms of what is growing in it, I'm happy to just mow it, but I hate the roughness (which is primarily due to the ground itself). I don't care about keeping any of the current stuff alive if I tear it up. I'll go in sections and plant new seed as I go.
In addition to generally rough ground I have a lot of humps/hills/depressions that need smoothed. I have a Mahindra 5035 and a 7' box blade now. It sounds like the Harley Rake may be the way to go instead of a tiller. My soil is mostly clay and we have lots of rocks, mostly small (softball size or smaller, mostly smaller).
I like the Ferris ZT with suspension, but that bad boy is a bit over my budget and way more than I want to spend on a mower. My current pick is the BadBoy Outlaw XP, 72" deck and the 36 HP Vanguard engine. $9,400 (which is more than I ever imagined I'd spend on a mower) is a fair chunk less than what an equivalent Ferris costs (or Hustler, or any of the other big name mowers). I could get a smaller mower in one of the other brands, but then I'd kind of be defeating the purpose.
Once you get the humps, bumps, clumps and a strategy worked out, you may want to look at a thread on this site under "Attachments". The title of the original post speaks to "Flail Mowers". The thread was so popular, it is over 100 pages long. It addresses the attributes of Flail Mowers from a cost, quality of cut, maintenance, ease of operation, etc. A new 6' Flail, like a "Caroni Brand" goes for about $2K, plus shipping, at Agri-Supply(See Thread for Details). Of course there are other brands.
You might find it interesting reading. The Flail would be attached to your PTO and has 3 types of hammers used in cutting, one of which can produce almost golf course quality cut. Of course, this may not be as sexy as your $10K ZTR Outlaw, but it would be easier on your budget. The experts on the threads stated that the Flail requires 4-5 hp per foot of mower at the PTO. So, a 5' Flair would need about 25hp and a 6' needing 30 hp, etc. You get the picture. It is also capable of dealing with small saplings, briars, etc., if you have that issue. Take a look before you commit your wife' hard earned money and maybe with the cost difference buy yoursellf another toy or take your wife on vacation. Just a thought. Might be worth a little reading time.
Thanks bigcut, I indeed read a lot on flail mowers at the time I purchased my tractor and considered one, but an 84" flail was out of the budget. I opted for the Mahindra "Power package" sale and got a 7' HD rotary cutter and 7' HD box blade at time of purchase.
Even with the flail, I can't drive the tractor on the "yard", it's too heavy and compacts the ground too much. The tractor is for hogging the field, I need a mower for the yard.
