Buying Advice Zero Turn or Sub Compact Tractor?!

[PapaPerk]

Hello,

First off I'm very familiar with tractors and equipment in general. I own 4 tractors, one of them being a Kubota L3830 with loader. However I do have some questions regarding using a tractor for finish mowing vs. a zero turn machine.

Here's my situation. I'm considering buying a machine to mow my yard and also mow a potential customers yard. I mow around 2 acres... and would mow around 4 at the customers place. Ground at both places is fairly level but could be rough in some areas. Also the customers area maybe soggy sometimes.

So I'm trying to decide if I should purchase a zero turn or a small tractor like a Kubota BX or B with a belly mower. The main use for the machine will be mowing. However having the utility of a mini tractor would be great too (pulling rollers, spreaders, aerator, etc.)

My main concern is how well a small modern tractor can mow with a belly mower. Many garden tractor mash the grass down during mowing, leaving unsatisfactory results. However I have a Toro 270H garden tractor with a high speed mowing deck that mows just beautifully! So I know that some garden tractors can mow well.

Kubota has 0% finance which is a must for me. Not sure if other companies have this or not.

So there ya go... what would ya'll do? :laughing: Thank you for any help you can provide!

 

[Dozernut]

I have both, a zero turn ZD 21 and a B2630 Kubota tractor. The ZD will mow circles around the tractor. The B2630 I have has a rear finish mower rather than the belly mount. We mow 4-5 acres and the wife uses the zero turn and I mow with the tractor. Both are good systems but the zero turn is better. If all you are going to do is mow then go with a zero turn mower. If you want versatility then go with a tractor.

BTW the ZD mower qualifies under the 0% financing, just pick out the one you like. A word of personal advise, stay with the 60" pro deck. It will outlast the stamped deck and the 5' size will go between trees better and not scalp as bad as a wider deck would on uneven ground.

Zero turns don't do so well in soggy ground, they get stuck easily. I carry a tow strap on the tractor when the wife gets stuck around the edge of the pond. A tractor will make ruts so you have a conundrum.

 

[MoKelly]

I think you should get the equipment that is best suited to what you will primarily be doing. If you need a new machine primarily to mow ... then get the Zero Turn. A Zero Turn will get the job done much much faster than a tractor.

Use your existing tractors to do tractor work.

Just my thoughts.

MoKelly

 

[missingstexas]

I have both, a zero turn ZD 21 and a B2630 Kubota tractor. The ZD will mow circles around the tractor. The B2630 I have has a rear finish mower rather than the belly mount. We mow 4-5 acres and the wife uses the zero turn and I mow with the tractor. Both are good systems but the zero turn is better. If all you are going to do is mow then go with a zero turn mower. If you want versatility then go with a tractor.

BTW the ZD mower qualifies under the 0% financing, just pick out the one you like. A word of personal advise, stay with the 60" pro deck. It will outlast the stamped deck and the 5' size will go between trees better and not scalp as bad as a wider deck would on uneven ground.

Zero turns don't do so well in soggy ground, they get stuck easily. I carry a tow strap on the tractor when the wife gets stuck around the edge of the pond. A tractor will make ruts so you have a conundrum.

X2- I have a B26 and a ZD326 with the 60" pro deck. The Z will mow circles around any sized finish mower because you don't have to stop mowing to turn around. It's much more comfortable than the tractor is and wont rut up the yard if it's soft nearly as badly (it's nearly 1800lbs so it will rut if it's too soft). IMHO your L can pull a roller or aerator.

 

[WilliamBos]

If you do go tractor, get turf tires. I would love a Zero turn, sure they would be fun.

How well can you trim around trees with a ZT??

 

[PapaPerk]

Thank you for the fast responses guys! I'm still interested in other's opinions.

Use your existing tractors to do tractor work.

Just my thoughts.

MoKelly

My L3830 is way too heavy (5800+lbs) for yard type work on grass. It will rut the grass and tear it out during turns. It's used for field, excavation, and logging work. A garden tractor or bx size machine is best for pulling implements on the turf.

 

[PapaPerk]

If you do go tractor, get turf tires. I would love a Zero turn, sure they would be fun.

How well can you trim around trees with a ZT??

If you are asking about skill running at ZT... that won't be an issue. I've run them quite a bit... I just don't own one. And never have mowed with a BX size machine.

 

[TripleR]

I have never used a zero turn and never will, so my opinion is probably not worth too much. We have owned two BX's and have been happy enough with the quality of cut and versatility that we didn't seriously consider anything else when buying for the second time.

I recently discussed buying an F or 3030 cab with my Grounds Maintenance Supervisor (wife) and she said, OK, but we're still keeping "my" BX right. The plans were tabled and meeting adjourned (she got on her tractor and I got on mine); no future meetings are planned.

 

[PapaPerk]

I have never used a zero turn and never will, so my opinion is probably not worth too much. We have owned two BX's and have been happy enough with the quality of cut and versatility that we didn't seriously consider anything else when buying for the second time.

I recently discussed buying an F or 3030 cab with my Grounds Maintenance Supervisor (wife) and she said, OK, but we're still keeping "my" BX right. The plans were tabled and meeting adjourned (she got on her tractor and I got on mine); no future meetings are planned.

Why are you shunning zero turns? Hilly ground?

 

[magicheater]

I think you should get the equipment that is best suited to what you will primarily be doing. If you need a new machine primarily to mow ... then get the Zero Turn. A Zero Turn will get the job done much much faster than a tractor.

Use your existing tractors to do tractor work.

Just my thoughts.

MoKelly

Ditto!

Why are you shunning zero turns? Hilly ground?

Hilly ground can be really challenging with a Zero Turn. Not impossible but tedious and with limitations. I have broke traction while being careful no less and had no control as I slid down the hill.

 

[WilliamBos]

I have never used a zero turn and never will, so my opinion is probably not worth too much. We have owned two BX's and have been happy enough with the quality of cut and versatility that we didn't seriously consider anything else when buying for the second time.

I recently discussed buying an F or 3030 cab with my Grounds Maintenance Supervisor (wife) and she said, OK, but we're still keeping "my" BX right. The plans were tabled and meeting adjourned (she got on her tractor and I got on mine); no future meetings are planned.

I am in the same situation. I would put the cut quality of our MF RF500 (Alamo built.) up against a ZT any day. And a cab is nice too.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have a ZT mower and a garden tractor type mower and each of them get used for mowing my yard which has some fairly steep slopes. After mowing down a few of the wifes trees and shrubs with the ZT due to it not responding to a turn uphill command, I now mow the slopes with my 332 JD mower and use the ZT for the fairly flat areas. The ZT works really well for mowing around trees but you do need to be careful with them also as they will pivot around the trunk but will take some of the bark also if the mower gets close. My favorite method on the pines is to just lock the mower deck into the tree trunk at the rear of the deck and just spin around the tree. It gets just about every single blade of grass that way but does chip off some of the bark. For long straight away mowing, ZT doesnt have much advantage over the JD as they both go about the same speed, but the tractor type seems to be much smoother on rough ground and since it is diesel powered, it uses a lot less fuel also. Therefore, I usually start with the ZT, mow around all the trees and get all the level stuff then get the JD out and finish up the slopes and other areas. The ZT took some getting used to for driving, but after getting the hang of it, it is a lot of fun to drive. Dont get too close to sloping banks like ponds though unless you are ready to tie on to it and pull it out. Just a little bit of slippery will send you sliding down hill and the more you try to pull out the faster you slide down and I mean not a lot of slope either. I can mow to the edge of my pond water line practically with the JD but if I get within 10 feet with the ZT, I have to go looking for the Kubota and a strap to drag it back to dry ground.

 

[TripleR]

Why are you shunning zero turns? Hilly ground?

That is one of the primary reasons, but we also like the versatility of having a very small machine with a FEL as my wife and I are a bit too old and creaky to be lifting very much and it will fit in places my L5030 HSTC and M8540 can't get close to. We have a 4' LP rotary cutter, box blade, tiller and back blade for it.

If we had a ZT or even F, we would still need a SCUT and maintaining equipment isn't as much fun as it use to be.:laughing:

 

[Will_C]

My normal response to this question would be to get a Z- but you mention wanting to tow carts and rollers. I have a Z, but have a B 2620 with turf tires to do the utility work.

Assuming a Z would work on your property, have you considered a having a Z and a used garden tractor for your other light jobs? I would think that for 2-3,000 dollars you could find a good used garden tractor for lawn work-the mower decks seem to be the weakest part of used garden tractors, and you would not need that.

Will

 

[Redneck in training]

Not all ZT are created equal. We have front mounted Grasshopper that would run circles around a tractor on flat and especially on slopes. It can be run full speed on slopes where tractor can't operate at all. If you have to move around obstacles such as trees the advantage of ZT is even more pronounced. I put hitch ball on the back of the mower and can pull quite heavy trailer. So I am guessing it will pull a roller or an aerator too. We have high traction tires on ours.

 

[LBrown59]

Hello,
1*However I do have some questions regarding using a tractor for finish mowing vs. a zero turn machine.
2* Ground at both places is fairly level but could be rough in some areas. Also the customers area maybe soggy sometimes.
3*So I'm trying to decide if I should purchase a zero turn or a small tractor like a Kubota BX mower. The main use for the machine will be mowing.
4*However having the utility of a mini tractor would be great too (pulling rollers, spreaders, aerator, etc.)
5*My main concern is how well a small modern tractor can mow with a belly mower.
6*Many garden tractor mash the grass down during mowing, leaving unsatisfactory results.

1*The main difference between them is cutting speed.
2*Neither of these conditions are the best for mowing but a 4wd tracor will tump a 0 turn there.
3*My BX1500 with mower.

4*You mean like this.

5*Just fine :
Why would so many hundreds of thousands of people have them ?
6*Two things cause this grass 2 high or grass 2 wet or both .
0 turn and tractor same result in this situation .

 

[PapaPerk]

Thanks for the info guys! I'm starting to lean towards the sub compact tractor.

Luckily my friend has a John Deere Zero Turn AND a Kubota BX tractor with mowing deck. He is more than happy to let me mow his 5 acres with each and decide which one I like the best! :laughing:

So we'll see which one wins. Can't beat a try before you buy test session!

Thank you for all the advice. It's not an easy decision especially when spending money.

 

[jenkinsph]

Thanks for the info guys! I'm starting to lean towards the sub compact tractor.

Luckily my friend has a John Deere Zero Turn AND a Kubota BX tractor with mowing deck. He is more than happy to let me mow his 5 acres with each and decide which one I like the best! :laughing:

So we'll see which one wins. Can't beat a try before you buy test session!

Thank you for all the advice. It's not an easy decision especially when spending money.

Actually that is a good way to test them out, and he isn't even charging you to do this.:laughing:

 

[stub]

"If you can walk naked out of your house and p@e from your front steps then you can claim that you don't live just on an acreage but you live in the country."

Redneck - your training is complete

 

[Don87]

Thanks for the info guys! I'm starting to lean towards the sub compact tractor.

Luckily my friend has a John Deere Zero Turn AND a Kubota BX tractor with mowing deck. He is more than happy to let me mow his 5 acres with each and decide which one I like the best! :laughing:

So we'll see which one wins. Can't beat a try before you buy test session!

Thank you for all the advice. It's not an easy decision especially when spending money.

Zero turns are fantastic for cutting grass, and very fast, but if you need the FEL just once(or attachments that can't be used by the ZT).........you screwed yourself.