Buying Advice Zero Turn vs. Tractor

[georgiatwo]

Hi, we work on a lot of foreclosures (maintenance and lawn care) and are in the market for a new piece of equipment. We are looking for strong HP and good deck size.
Mainly interested in a strong, dependable mower that can handle running for several hours and on tall grass up to 5-6 days per week. We stay busy but some weeks are busier than others.
There are 5 months that we don稚 cut at all (November- March).

Currently we run a 52 Grasshopper 220 Zero turn (20 HP Kohler) and a 48 Snapper Pro Belt Drive walk behind (15 HP Kohler) and we have too much down time with maintenance.

We are in a semi rural area so the lawns we service range from subdivision lots to 1-2 acres lots. We have smaller mowers that can accommodate for any tight spaces.

We are thinking that we are buying the wrong equipment....have ran tractors years ago on farm but not on this type of work. Alot of the yards we are getting have been let go for quite some time and can be as high as 6 feet. Even with the zero turn going slow, it gets bogged down. Have had some properties that are full of undergrowth that have to be reclaimed and have rented a brush cutter fairly cheap then finish it with mowers. I am wondering if I should look into a tractor...and buy attachments...belly mower, bush hog, etc. The yards that are killing us are the first time cuts because they are so overgrown, thick and tall averaging 36"-42" in height. Once we get those out of the way, we cut them biweekly and its no problem. We have about 10 lawns to do daily. Anyone have any suggestions or thoughts as to which mower or tractor they would recommend? maybe even a combination of two? Thank you very much, Phil & Sherry in Georgia

 

[nybirdman]

For the tall over-grown stuff;you need a small tractor with a pto driven brush-hog.I am familiar with Kubota,but others make similar machines.These small units can be fitted for mid-mount mowing decks for finish work.So you will have dual purpose machine.
Look at the BX line on the Kubota web-site.Small four-wheel drives and diesel.Should be more efficient than the large gas machines.

 

[bigbull338]

id say get you a 30 to 35hp tractor in the color of your choice an 5ft bushogg an belly mower.but i wouldnt use the belly mower to mow after the shredding.

 

[wolc123]

They are practically giving away 2wd gas tractors now days compared to a few years ago. I would look for a couple 1955 or newer Fords (or similar) in the 30-50 hp range and 5-foot, light-duty rotary-mowers. You may be able to find such rigs for around 2k each and they are easy to maintain and get parts for. Use these to take out the high stuff the first time, then maintain every couple weeks with your current equipment. This route will save you tons of cash upfront over buying a new diesel, and if you decide you dont like the tractors, you can often sell for the same or better than you paid. I would look for a matched set, like Ford 600's, etc., so you can canabilize parts if need be to keep going. Gas is also considerably cheaper and more readily available than diesel these days which negates much of the diesel's efficency advantage, so your operating costs wont be that much higher. Brand new diesels should especially be avoided since they must comply with increasing emmisions regulations which comes at the expense of fuel efficiency. If you go with a light-duty rotary-mower, the grass cut quality can be adequate for usage such as yours. The heavy-duty models by any make dont develop enough vacuum for a neat cut on grass. I downsized my own manicured lawn to what I can get done in an hour with a 42" deck, 12hp conventional rider, which is about an acre, but I cut 3-4 more acres around the house and barns every 2-3 weeks or so with a 43 hp tractor and 6-foot light-duty rotary-mower. The 6ft Rhino SE-6 I have now doesnt cut quite as neatly as my previous 5 ft, Bush-Hog Squealer, but it dont do too bad if I keep the blades somewhat sharp (grind at a 45 degree angle to a 1/16" flat or so).

 

[TripleR]

For the tall over-grown stuff;you need a small tractor with a pto driven brush-hog.I am familiar with Kubota,but others make similar machines.These small units can be fitted for mid-mount mowing decks for finish work.So you will have dual purpose machine.
Look at the BX line on the Kubota web-site.Small four-wheel drives and diesel.Should be more efficient than the large gas machines.

+1, great power and very easy to transport.

 

[georgiatwo]

For the tall over-grown stuff;you need a small tractor with a pto driven brush-hog.I am familiar with Kubota,but others make similar machines.These small units can be fitted for mid-mount mowing decks for finish work.So you will have dual purpose machine.
Look at the BX line on the Kubota web-site.Small four-wheel drives and diesel.Should be more efficient than the large gas machines.

That is a good idea.

 

[georgiatwo]

id say get you a 30 to 35hp tractor in the color of your choice an 5ft bushogg an belly mower.but i wouldnt use the belly mower to mow after the shredding.

What would you recommend to finish with?

 

[georgiatwo]

They are practically giving away 2wd gas tractors now days compared to a few years ago. I would look for a couple 1955 or newer Fords (or similar) in the 30-50 hp range and 5-foot, light-duty rotary-mowers. You may be able to find such rigs for around 2k each and they are easy to maintain and get parts for. Use these to take out the high stuff the first time, then maintain every couple weeks with your current equipment. This route will save you tons of cash upfront over buying a new diesel, and if you decide you dont like the tractors, you can often sell for the same or better than you paid. I would look for a matched set, like Ford 600's, etc., so you can canabilize parts if need be to keep going. Gas is also considerably cheaper and more readily available than diesel these days which negates much of the diesel's efficency advantage, so your operating costs wont be that much higher. Brand new diesels should especially be avoided since they must comply with increasing emmisions regulations which comes at the expense of fuel efficiency. If you go with a light-duty rotary-mower, the grass cut quality can be adequate for usage such as yours. The heavy-duty models by any make dont develop enough vacuum for a neat cut on grass. I downsized my own manicured lawn to what I can get done in an hour with a 42" deck, 12hp conventional rider, which is about an acre, but I cut 3-4 more acres around the house and barns every 2-3 weeks or so with a 43 hp tractor and 6-foot light-duty rotary-mower. The 6ft Rhino SE-6 I have now doesnt cut quite as neatly as my previous 5 ft, Bush-Hog Squealer, but it dont do too bad if I keep the blades somewhat sharp (grind at a 45 degree angle to a 1/16" flat or so).

I have heard that the older ones are easy to work on?

 

[georgiatwo]

Hi, we work on a lot of foreclosures (maintenance and lawn care) and are in the market for a new piece of equipment. We are looking for strong HP and good deck size.
Mainly interested in a strong, dependable mower that can handle running for several hours and on tall grass up to 5-6 days per week. We stay busy but some weeks are busier than others.
There are 5 months that we don稚 cut at all (November- March).

Currently we run a 52 Grasshopper 220 Zero turn (20 HP Kohler) and a 48 Snapper Pro Belt Drive walk behind (15 HP Kohler) and we have too much down time with maintenance.

We are in a semi rural area so the lawns we service range from subdivision lots to 1-2 acres lots. We have smaller mowers that can accommodate for any tight spaces.

We are thinking that we are buying the wrong equipment....have ran tractors years ago on farm but not on this type of work. Alot of the yards we are getting have been let go for quite some time and can be as high as 6 feet. Even with the zero turn going slow, it gets bogged down. Have had some properties that are full of undergrowth that have to be reclaimed and have rented a brush cutter fairly cheap then finish it with mowers. I am wondering if I should look into a tractor...and buy attachments...belly mower, bush hog, etc. The yards that are killing us are the first time cuts because they are so overgrown, thick and tall averaging 36"-42" in height. Once we get those out of the way, we cut them biweekly and its no problem. We have about 10 lawns to do daily. Anyone have any suggestions or thoughts as to which mower or tractor they would recommend? maybe even a combination of two? Thank you very much, Phil & Sherry in Georgia

Do these subcompact tractors have oil pumps to lubricate the engine while mowing on side of hills? I personally have never owned a tractor but ran my father's Massey Ferguson Yan Mar Diesel 30 years ago. We used it to cut grass, drill post holes, push dirt, etc on small tract of land in Arkansas.

 

[georgiatwo]

With the diesel engine, how do they hold up being started/stopped several times per day? I go from property to property up to 10 per day as opposed to a farm to where you may not have as much start/stop (cranking).

Does this have any negative effects on the engine?

 

[Alan L.]

No way I would run my ZTR in 6 foot tall grass. Knock it down with a brush hog, then use the ztr for finish mowing. If you only need new yards knocked down once consider hiring the brush hogging done, then take over with the ZTR.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

No way I would run my ZTR in 6 foot tall grass. Knock it down with a brush hog, then use the ztr for finish mowing. If you only need new yards knocked down once consider hiring the brush hogging done, then take over with the ZTR.

2X on that.

This is our first season to own a Zero Turn (Swisher 60"). The owner of the field behind our church said we could use it of a ball field if we kept it mowed. Last year I got it worked down as low as I could with the 7' bush hog and this year we started out with the Swisher and drop the blade a notch each time.

I have no movement from C1 to the tail bone so I love the ZT because I can spin in place before I cross a road, etc. I am not going to use it as a bush hog for sure since I have one that I can use.

 

[wolc123]

You are correct that the older gas tractors are easier to work on, and they are also better for frequent starts, and short time operation. A novice can repair many problems which may arise without specialized tools or knowhow. Again, the biggest advantage is minimal cash outlay to get started, and the ability to recover that if you decide its not the right equipment for you. A 3/4 ton pickup and car-hauler type trailer would be needed for hauling such a rig from job to job. That may force you to upgrade your hauling ability and that is the only drawback I can think of.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

+1, great power and very easy to transport.

+2 I would go for the BX. :thumbsup:

 

[georgiatwo]

You are correct that the older gas tractors are easier to work on, and they are also better for frequent starts, and short time operation. A novice can repair many problems which may arise without specialized tools or knowhow. Again, the biggest advantage is minimal cash outlay to get started, and the ability to recover that if you decide its not the right equipment for you. A 3/4 ton pickup and car-hauler type trailer would be needed for hauling such a rig from job to job. That may force you to upgrade your hauling ability and that is the only drawback I can think of.

I have a 16' x 7" (inside cargo room) open trailer dual axle

 

[kday64]

With the diesel engine, how do they hold up being started/stopped several times per day? I go from property to property up to 10 per day as opposed to a farm to where you may not have as much start/stop (cranking).

Does this have any negative effects on the engine?

Once you get a tractor through its original break in period it is broke in and ready for real abuse. The only thing I would recommend is to take any machine to normal operating temperature once a day when doing frequent up Downs.

Keep in mind diesel tractors are commercial quality machines. The are used by many landscaping companies all over the country.

+2 Kubota BX

 

[mostly_gas]

If the need to work with the vary tall lawns is temporary I would go gas, such 600 or 800 ford )or 8N if cheaper). They will do what you need will likely sell them for what you paid for them. People complain about the lack of used Kubotas for reasonable hours/price. The only way you can make a business case to go for the Kubota is to use it for 10+ years.

 

[georgiatwo]

I have broken it down into the "types" of lawns I am cutting during each grass season (April 1st - October 31st)

70% Lawns mowed biweekly recuts- height from 2" up to 15"
15% Lawns mowed- 16" - 36"
15% Initial Lawn cut over 36" up to 72" w/thick weeds & up to 2-3" saplings.

With that said, we are cutting about 10 properties per day. Would a tractor be feasible turning on/off, loading/unloading that many times per day?

 

[Bird]

In years past, I mowed thick Johnson Grass that was over 6' tall with my B2710 and 5' Howse 500 brush hog and that worked just fine. Two days ago, I mowed a yard that had been let go and would have been quite a job for a normal homeowner walk behind mower, but it was just nothing for my little Toro ZTR (smallest one they make), but no way I'd expect to mow even waist high stuff with the ZTR. Even when I had a 5' Bush Hog finish mower with the tractor, it had to go slow to do a good job in grass and weeds over 2' tall. But a 30 hp tractor and 5' brush hog along with a 4' to 5' ZTR should handle almost any mowing jobs. Personally, I wouldn't worry about starting and stopping, loading and unloading if I had a decent trailer.

 

[magicheater]

I have broken it down into the "types" of lawns I am cutting during each grass season (April 1st - October 31st)

70% Lawns mowed biweekly recuts- height from 2" up to 15"
15% Lawns mowed- 16" - 36"
15% Initial Lawn cut over 36" up to 72" w/thick weeds & up to 2-3" saplings.

With that said, we are cutting about 10 properties per day. Would a tractor be feasible turning on/off, loading/unloading that many times per day?

I would not be concerned about starting/stopping the diesel many times a day. I do it on a regular basis and have for many years with no detrimental effects. Changing filters and oil is much more important, along with greasing all pivot points. With the height of the material being cut, I would say a zero turn would be severely taxed to handle the taller stuff. Seems you need two machines, one for short and fast and the other for tall and tough!