zero turn or tractor

[kzehr75]

ive been going back and forth about a tractor or big zero turn. ive pretty much come to the conclusion that a zero turn would probably be the most practical decision. ive got 20 acres that is mostly flat and open. not really big enough to worry about having cut and baled and the actual amount would not be hard to just mow once a week.if the need for a tractor should arise, i could rent one or have my son in law help when convenient. ive never really looked at the big zero turns and need some opinions if anyone would care to share. i was going to with a commercial grade 72", with a suspension seat and some lights and possibly a mulch kit. father in law has a grasshopper, little brother has a toro and his father in law has a scag. ive done some research before going to see dealers and also have been looking at hustler as well. thanks for your time.

 

[Goose69]

Bush Hog makes some nice commercial mowers, at a price that is very competitive.

... But 20 acres is more than I would ever want to just mow
.. 20 acres is probably big enough for someone to bale. If you advertised it, someone would probably take care of it for you.

 

[dragoneggs]

... But 20 acres is more than I would ever want to just mow
.. 20 acres is probably big enough for someone to bale. If you advertised it, someone would probably take care of it for you.

What I was thinking. Don't know your situation but it seems mowing a smaller portion around your home with a zero turn and harvest/hire out the rest of the 20 acres makes more sen$e.

 

[coobie]

ive been going back and forth about a tractor or big zero turn. ive pretty much come to the conclusion that a zero turn would probably be the most practical decision. ive got 20 acres that is mostly flat and open. not really big enough to worry about having cut and baled and the actual amount would not be hard to just mow once a week.if the need for a tractor should arise, i could rent one or have my son in law help when convenient. ive never really looked at the big zero turns and need some opinions if anyone would care to share. i was going to with a commercial grade 72", with a suspension seat and some lights and possibly a mulch kit. father in law has a grasshopper, little brother has a toro and his father in law has a scag. ive done some research before going to see dealers and also have been looking at hustler as well. thanks for your time.

FERRIS ZTR.Went with a friend last week to pick his up.Nice machine.

 

[riptides]

With 20 acres, I think you need to decide what your end goal is going to be. Is it lawn, field or pasture?
Lawn, look at tractors and commercial ZTR's, a tractor with that amount of land can be used for more than just cutting duties.
Field, again he a tractor with a brush cutter is IMHO, better.
And pasture, opens up more possible uses for the tractor.

I'd relegate the ZTR to lawn duties only.

To me, with that acreage I'd be looking at a tractor with perhaps both a finishing mower and brush hog so as to not be burdened with up keep with the fields. Once a week, your still looking at a fair amount of time for cutting duties.

 

[kzehr75]

the land has a wide creek across one end and 4-5 acres that arent accessible yet because of the creek, two acre pond and by the time we get the buildings and houses built,whats left is around 12 acres that would be mowed. sorry for kinda misleading. it would pretty much be lawn.

 

[TractorGuy]

Cab tractor with AC and Heat.

 

[Texasmark]

I just bought a 5' Ferris IS (Industrial Service) 700Z to mow pasture vs my current tractor/shredder combo. I added a 48x52 thermoplastic canopy, some golf cart traction tires, and springs under the seat (to go with the spring suspension already built into the tractor).....seeking a soft ride.

On the tractor and shredder: Smoother ride due to larger tires, but seat is not ideal which offsets that significantly. Shredder necessary for brush, heavy weeds and grass. Takes longer to mow for a given width when mowing grass only due to the ZTs ability to make zero turns. The more irregular the pasture and obstructions, the more this matters. Tractor weight packs soil more than ZT due to 2x, 3x, 4x, increase in weight. Since all my tractors are diesels, fuel consumption is not a consideration. I bought the new Ferris for less than what my smallest tractor (Ford 2000, 30 hp) and shredder cost me used.

ZT works best for me on smooth, improved pasture. Very comfortable and very fast cutter. A diesel engine would be lower in fuel consumption but you have a huge cost obstacle to overcome with fuel savings alone, with the increased price of the diesel option. My 26 hp BS Vanguard cuts a lot of pasture on 5 gallons of gas at 2 bucks a gallon. Additionally, my gasser mowers run a very long time with zero maintenance if one keeps an eye on fuel hygiene. I did buy a couple of replacement engines (18 and 20 hp) for 2 of my conventional mowers, new off ebay with free shipping for $600 area, on 2 of my older units a year or two ago.

I have 3 zts, 2 shredders, a drum hay cutter, and a couple of conventional riders. Since my pastures are maintained, the new Ferris is what I use for my mowing and enjoy it.

HTH.

 

[TractorGuy]

Not an apples to apples comparison but I recently sold my 50" Craftsman zero turn and replaced it with a 72" Agmate finish mower. Zero turn beat me to death and had me sitting in mega dust and dirt. Finish mower is much quieter and smoother and all that dust and dirt is being thrown out behind it. My little JD 855 rides much smoother even though it doesn't have a suspension seat. The increase in cutting width resulted in less mowing time.

All that said a 72" zero turn would most likely cover more ground in less time than a 72" finish mower. I have read mixed results on the comfort levels of different mowers and tractors. I worked at a JD dealer that also sold Dixie Choppers and they claimed the 72" model would cut 7 acres per hour. It had a top speed of 22 MPH and they claimed a clean cut on Bahia at those speeds. The only one I tested was a very short ride and I don't see myself wanting to travel that fast on a mower.

Some time in my future I hope to upgrade to a mid sized cab tractor to replace my current little tractor and backhoe. Working in my air conditioned backhoe has spoiled me and when the land is cleared I will have little to no use for it.

 

[Utopia Texas]

I have acreage in a Pecan Orchard. Kubota Diesel Zero Turn and these for between the rows.
I no longer tolerate heat, cold, humidity, mosquitos and fire ant mounds!

 

[dodge man]

Just me thinking out loud, but with that much acreage, I'd think a tractor with an end loader would be handy. I know mowing that much would get old in a hurry. If I truly had to mow that much on a regular basis I'd get the largerst tractor I could afford, they make some pretty large finish mowers for them.

 

[Tractorable]

It had a top speed of 22 MPH and they claimed a clean cut on Bahia at those speeds.

LOL @ mowing at 22mph!

 

[4get gto]

Yea. I'd like to see the CEO of dixie chopper bounce his butt across my yard at that speed!

 

[MESSMAKER]

Tractor and bushog for large part and mower for the rest.

 

[Maxify55]

I have both a Z and a cabbed tractor.
There's no way I'd spend all the time it would take to cut even 5 acres with anyone's Z.
Trim around the house and fence posts that aren't glypho'd and climb into the cab with a cold beverage.

 

[DK35vince]

LOL @ mowing at 22mph!

The fastest Dixie Chopper I could find listed on their web site had a 13 MPH top speed and 7 acres per hour.

 

[TractorGuy]

The fastest Dixie Chopper I could find listed on their web site had a 13 MPH top speed and 7 acres per hour.

It's possible they had to slow them down or maybe my memory is failing. I know the one I drove 20 years ago was uncomfortably fast.

 

[DK35vince]

Check out this race
Zero Turn Mower Race 211 - YouTube

 

[TractorGuy]

Check out this race
Zero Turn Mower Race 211 - YouTube

Those weren't apples to apples in HP.

 

[dalola]

LOL @ mowing at 22mph!

Ditto on that! That is completely ridiculous, not to mention extremely dangerous, if true. Short of a putting green, there would never be any surface smooth enough to even get remotely close to that speed, even if it could go that fast, which I doubt it can.

Has anyone driven the new Country Clipper with the single joystick control? Looks really slick, and I like the concept. That would be high on my list if I were ZTR shopping today.