Zero turn vs. 3-wheel mower

[dgeesaman]

I'm getting close to closing on "the farm" and biding my time with mower and tractor digital shopping. The new place will have 4-5 acres of fenced pastures that will need mowed at 5" high and 5 acres of mowing all around the buildings and fences. The land is fairly flat but in the wet season it can be soft.

My FIL just bought a Ferris IS 500Z 61". He loves it, and no doubt I'll have to try it out on the new place at least once. Maybe two or three times.

The barnowner where we are now has a Gravely 60" 3-wheel style. He thinks it's great and it's given him plenty of years of service. From my research, I only that they don't make true zero-radius turns, are easy to maintain with the flip-up deck, easier learning curve, and are highly maneuverable around obstacles - perhaps better than a ZTR.

Also ZTR's are the popular thing right now, so from a value point of view it's hard to get a great deal on one. I suspect the 3-wheels will have much softer prices.

Do you think a 3-wheel mower makes sense for me?

 

[djdicetn]

WOW, 10 acres is asking a lot and IMHO is crying for a "Commercial" mower to handle it. I don't know much about the "Outfront" mowers you refer to like the Gravely Pro-Master 320HD but do know they require deep pockets(MSRP of $11,388). Grasshopper also makes an Outfront style ZTR, but again they are pricey. Personally(I'm a little biased:0) I love my new Gravely and below is a link if you want to research them and their pricing(Find A Dealer once you select a mower on the Gravely site that you are interested in). Good luck finding what will meet your needs!!!

Pro-Master 320 HD

 

[Birdhunter1]

I have a Grasshopper 723 with a 52" deck and absolutely love it. I have about 3-4 acres total mowing and I have no complaints on how it cuts, handles hills, contours with rolling terrain etc. It does a bit better than the mid mount zero turns I have used even with bar tread tires but the zero turns Toro I had sat very low so it didn't take much for it to be stuck. With the Grasshopper you can test the mud so to speak with the front deck casters then back out if needed. Once or twice this didn't work out too well for me but that is when I had turf tires on my Grasshopper and not the bar tread tires.