Tractor or zero turn

[kdm0811]

I have a BX24 and a 27 hp Toro 60" Z master. I mow 7 acres, 3 of which have significant slopes that my tractor could never negotiate. I would not consider mowing my (flat) horse pasture with the BX because it would take about twice as long and would bounce me to death.

When considering a ZTM, do not go undersize. A reduction in deck size, wheel size, or horsepower is something that you will always regret.

 

[edenfarms]

I agree with everyone's great advice.

A tractor will provide you with more versatility, but will add significant time to your mowing in comparison to a zero turn. In rough terrain the tractor is more comfortable, a zero turn will rattle you around unless the terrain is quite smooth.

A zero turn will cut your mowing time incredibly, however. I have about 40 acres of grass on my property. I mow about 12-15 acres of "lawn" with my Kubota Z331, 72" deck in about 4-5 hours. I mow the rest with my Kubota 7040 and a 10ft brush hog and it takes about 10 hours with the larger deck. The zero turn is awesome, I agree with buying the largest zero turn you can afford. My mower can easily mow 6-8" grass without bogging down even up hills (depending on the desired cut height), but I bought the heaviest duty mower I could afford. I bought a 2008 with 200hrs for 7500. The diesel is great on fuel comsumption - will save you a boat load over the years.

 

[yandeereguy]

get both of them.. Heck it's only money, I might just be an expert at spending others money:laughing:

 

[Maureen Hess]

I have the same question! I hope slopes and trees and just don't know what to get! I hope to get some good advice from someone!

 

[moored4]

:welcome: to TBN! :thumbsup:

Happy :tractor: ing!

 

[wcampbell47]

Tractor. For just grass and not brush I like a mid mount mower, although can be a hassle to remove. The tractor is much more versatile, especially if you have a front end loader. All you can do with a zero turn is mow. Go diesel with what you decide.

My 5' shredder with sharp blades does a decent job on grass even moving along at a fast clip.

 

[kycontrols]

For mowing purposes, a zero turn is the only way to go. I have both and mowing on the zero turn, for me, is more enjoyable and quicker than the tractor. I got a 48 inch deck on a Scag tiger cub, with it I can mow my 5 acres with about 115 trees in 2 hour and 30 minutes. I do go fast and the cut is very good. If I let the grass get greater than 8 inches I have to slow down and cut quality does suffer.

The tractor does a good job but it is much harder to get the lines and I have trouble getting close to the fence and trees. The only reason I got a mower for the tractor is for the weekends when my wife and I double team the yard to get it done.

Some people have a fear of slopes and zero turns. My front ditch, I would never mow with my tractor but I feel fine on the scag.

I know I get my best deals at the scag and new holland dealer in Shelbyville.

 

[Little Red Tractor]

If you're ONLY going to mow, and the ZT will do the job, then that's the way to go. Get the biggest, heaviest and most reliable you can afford.
If, however, you are only going to buy one machine and want to multi-task, then go for a tractor. You can ultimately use it for more things.

 

[Briana03]

Welcome to TBN

I moved your thread to the Buying/Pricing/Comparisons Forum.

 

[daugen]

I first mowed a friend's 18 acres of fallow field with my Gravely 8199G with a 50' deck and a Swisher 44" trail mower off to the side. Turns out the Gravely far outmowed the Swisher, which I finally left off. Round one to the fields, and a very sore back.

Round two. Ferris IS3000 61 commercial ZRT with full independent suspension, basically what I thought was the best "ZT" ride I could find. And it did handle the bumps pretty well, but there are other reasons I didn't do this more than one year also. The Ferris with a 25 Kawi is a beast, nothing slowed it down, or clogged it up, and I was often cutting 2-3 foot field grass, albeit slowly at times. But fancy suspension or not, by the end of the second day I had a soft collar on to take the pain out of my aching neck from all the bouncing around. Zero turns don't like to go slowly; very quickly I wished I had a steering wheel to hold on to.
The fields looked gorgeous, like a golf course, But WAY too hard on the operator.

And here's the real rub. With a garden tractor or a Zeroturn, you are at bugland ground zero. You've got field bugs jumping all over you and when the part you are mowing gets small, and the bugs get really concentrated in that section, it's like an explosion of bugs as you mow through, and some want to get really friendly.

So...Plan C. I bought a used Case IH compact tractor and will mow the field this year with a Land Pride 60 behind it. And while the cut may not be as perfect, the ride should be much better and I'll be far above the bugs while the major disturbance is behind me.

So, Got Bugs? think about a little elevation my friend. Good luck.