what do i need.

[LD1]

Based on my experience I don't think ztr's are as bad as everyone is making them out to be. I have 3 years experience on a Bobcat commercial ZTR with a 61" deck mowing about 7 acres a week before I move out of my parents house and got a place of my own. The 7 acres has two ditches that like to always be wet, and a pond with a very steep hillside to mow.

The previous mower for the hillside was a 8n ford with a 60" 3ph mower. We had the tires set as wide as possible and when mowing, we were always off the seat, on the uphill side, with a foot on the downhill side break, just in case of a roll over. Fortunatally it never happened. The ZTR mows this slope with no problems at all. I felt way more comfortable on that machine, even with no rops. If it was a little wet, it would want to slide, as the tires arent very agressive, but I never had the feeling that it wanted to follover. The center of gravity is very low on them machines.

And they do get stuck if you try to mow ditches when it is very mucky, but you get to know what the machine can and cant do. I have been mowing my place fot the last 3-years with my parents old JD 240 garden tractor and it has bar tread tires. In my opinion, it will not go places a ZTR will in terms of slopes and mud. It doesn't take much slope to take enough weight off the uphill rear tire and make it spin, whereas a ZTR wouldn't be a problem. The pond slope mentioned earlier, I wouldn't even think of using a garden tractor on. And it doesn't take much mud to get a garden tractor stuck either.

To sum it all up, if you need a actual tractor with 4wd and a loader etc, then look at the BX or equivellent. But when it comes to mowing, I'd take a ZTR over a Garden tractor any day, regardless of condition. You may get stuck a few times learning it's limitations, but on slopes, I'd take a ZTR any day over a garden tractor.

 

[Soundguy]

IMHO.. that slope needed an up/down mow.. not a verticle one hanging off the side!

soundguy

 

[LD1]

My experience with a ZTR has lead me to believe it is safer it mow a steep slope with a ZTR sideways instead up and down. This may not be the case with all ZTR's but the Bobcat " that I have used it was almost impossible to roll. The deck stuck out about a foot on each side and kinda acted like training wheels and it would slide well before it felt like it wanted to tip. Same slop Mowing up and down, going up I would be worried about flipping backwards, as it is easy to "pop a wheelie" with a ZTR.

This is just my experience and probabally does not apply to all mowers in all circumstances. All the mowing equipment that I have operated(8n w/3ph mower, l3400 with same 3ph mower, John deere garden tractor, Bobcat ZTR, johndeere 318, and a few others) The ZTR felt the most stable on the slopes...sideways.

 

[Soundguy]

??I believe you said it was the tractor that you leaned out onto the side.. thus my comments about mowing up and down and not hanging onto the side were obviously aimed at the tractor...

soundguy

My experience with a ZTR has lead me to believe it is safer it mow a steep slope with a ZTR sideways instead up and down. This may not be the case with all ZTR's but the Bobcat " that I have used it was almost impossible to roll. The deck stuck out about a foot on each side and kinda acted like training wheels and it would slide well before it felt like it wanted to tip. Same slop Mowing up and down, going up I would be worried about flipping backwards, as it is easy to "pop a wheelie" with a ZTR.

This is just my experience and probabally does not apply to all mowers in all circumstances. All the mowing equipment that I have operated(8n w/3ph mower, l3400 with same 3ph mower, John deere garden tractor, Bobcat ZTR, johndeere 318, and a few others) The ZTR felt the most stable on the slopes...sideways.

 

[LD1]

Ahh...your comment makes sense now.

It that particular case, mowing up and down was not an option as the bank of the pond was not very wide and the tractor would be swimming before the mower was up the hill...so our only option would be to mow it sideways or not at all.

 

[Soundguy]

sounds like time for a ditchbank mower.. flail mower.. sickle bar mower that had the travel distance.. or a goat!

soundguy

 

[Gittyup]

How about a slopemaster. Claim to cut on slopes up to 45 degrees. The self leveling seat is really cool.

 

[Soundguy]

hey.. maybee one of them china-dozers with the pto and 3pt on the back.. now there's a good slope machine..

soundguy

 

[vtfx4]

A commercial walk behind may be the way to go. I have a 48" walker because I have alot of slops and I love it. I just got a Bobcat compact tractor, but I am going to mow with the walker still. It gives a great cut and leaves beutiful swipes, and is almost as fast as a zero turn for alot less money. You can mow banks with a reasonable to pretty serious slope and they won't tip over, they will slide down the bank first.

 

[Mustangous]

How about get a landscape company to mow it once with a ztr and see how they make out... I have a bx and love it, but i need it right now for alotof ground engagemet. If you have no use for a loader and all you want to do is mow, i would try the ztr first. 7 acres is a lot to cut and a ztr would cut 3 acres much faster than bx.