Small Tractor or Zero Turn Mower?

[tedpenn]

Hi all,

I'm laboring over the decision between these two categories of machines and would welcome any input you may have.

My Situation: Approx. 2.3 acres to mow, much of it open field with 10-12 fruit trees and a few other isolated trees. A small part of it is on a pretty steep hill. To access the area around the house, I must currently climb a VERY steep rocky hill and then be able to get in and out of a gated area and a couple narrow spots.

Currently I've been using a Scotts branded Deere lawn tractor with a 42inch deck which is miserably slow (pretty much takes a full day to mow it all, trim and blow; sometimes I'll split between two days). To get this machine up the hill to the house area I have to either use an electric winch or a come-along (takes about 20 min. to set either up).

I've been considering something like a Deere X729 (4 wheel drive and steering) or even a 2000 series, or a fast zero-turn like a Dixie Chopper, etc.

As I see it,

PROS to the tractor:
-Wide mid-mount mower deck combined with fairly fast ground speed (~8mph) yields around a 4+ acre/hr mowing speed; not too bad.
-Plenty of power and traction to get up the hills and mow on them.
-Able to use implements such as a tiller or loader (I'm about to plant a garden).
-Can tow cart or spayer
CONS to the tractor:
-Not nearly as fast as the zero turn
-Expensive (depending on model)
-May not be able to cut as tightly around trees, requiring extra trimming time

PROS to the ZTR:
-Fast as **** at its primary task of mowing, saving me time
-Available in Diesel just like some of the tractors
-Kinda fun to drive

CONS to the ZTR:
-Mowing is all she does
-Not sure if I can get it up the hill or mow on steep hills
-No implements available, requiring purchase of tiller etc.

With EITHER machine type, there are problems that I may have to solve in other ways.

1. The hill may simply be too steep for either machine, requiring me to build a switchback style road for better access.
2. Some areas will be too narrow to enter (gated backyard, and narrow strips of grass) meaning I will have to purchase some type of push mower (all 3 of mine are broken at the moment).

With all of this being said, can anyone offer any thoughts or experience with this type of decision?

Thanks!

Ted

 

[whistlepig]

Can't beat a ZTR for mowing grass. Both my neighbors have them. They can spank my tractor and RFM. A tractor was a compromise for me. I needed something to mow with and a tractor but couldn't afford both. I think that's why most of us that do mow with a tractor do so.

 

[ChuckinNH]

From what I have heard ( no personal experience myself) the zero turn mowers aren't so good on hills like that. On the other hand, the X729 / X749 have very good reputations in the same environment.

 

[NSBound]

Hi all,

With all of this being said, can anyone offer any thoughts or experience with this type of decision?

Thanks!

Ted

Hi Ted, I'm debating the very same issue right now. Zero Turn or used Honda RT5000 with mower deck, front blade, and snowthrower. Money would be about the same for either one. No decision yet! I'll likely go with what I perceive to be the "best deal" after I visit both dealers. Good luck deciding!

 

[sld]

ZTR's are great, I have one. But if I had to chose between it and the tractor, I would take the tractor without blinking for the 5 acres I maintain.

Mowing would be slower, but many other back breaking jobs could be handled easier. Making a large mulch area around the trees would help as does liberal use of Roundup.

Get the tractor, and later on when money allows, get the ZTR.

 

[Scooby074]

Hi Ted, I'm debating the very same issue right now. Zero Turn or used Honda RT5000 with mower deck, front blade, and snowthrower. Money would be about the same for either one. No decision yet! I'll likely go with what I perceive to be the "best deal" after I visit both dealers. Good luck deciding!

Those 5000's are really nice. 4ws and 4wd. Both Neighbours had one each. There great snowblowers.

IIRC they were EXPENSIVE in their day. Too bad Honda no longer sells ride ons in north america.

Wasnt there an optional loader available for them,?

Front mount or mid mount mower? Im pretty sure one neighbour had a front and the other a mid. Id rather front for mowing around trees etc.

 

[dex3361]

From what I have heard ( no personal experience myself) the zero turn mowers aren't so good on hills like that. On the other hand, the X729 / X749 have very good reputations in the same environment.

I tried a Bad Boy 60" 28 hp ZTR and I had a 30 day trial with a no questions ask return deal. I have hills and this type of mower is not for the hills. I took it back and got a good deal on a BX1500 54" HST and this is the machine for me and the type of property I have. I would recommend a trial first and let that speak for itself.

 

[art]

It would be nice to know how wide of strips, and how small the openings could be? Could the gates be made wider?

Would be nice if a 60" deck could be used to mow it all and maybe the loader would give you the option of making it that way

A sub compact with a 60" deck with a loader is about the same money as a Zero turn!

This would also be an advantage with the tree's for clean-up. The loader would make an easy job of installing mulch about three or four foot out from the base which would be enough to make them easy to cut around.

 

[kthompson]

We really live in basically a flat area. But there is a slop in my mother in laws side lawn that will get run off. ZTR mower can not climb it but compact tractor and rfm has no problem.

If you can cut by all four sides of a tree it leaves very little to trim. If you go with tractor and rfm look at rear discharge so you can cut near the trees with either side.

OH yes on flat ground the ZTR is the machine.

 

[whistlepig]

Our land is flat and I can go around all four sides of my trees. That's why a RFM works for me also. ZTR's don't do well on hills. Even a 2WD tractor will do better on small hills than a ZTR. If you want something that mows fast on hills go with a front mounted mower with four wheel assist. If you get a 4WD tractor it's going to get mowed. Mountains, hills, or soft ground ain't going to stop it.

 

[ICGREEN]

I love my ZTR but based on my experience they are not acceptable for hills. I have one fairly small but steep hill and it can feel a little squirrelly at times.

 

[Raw Dodge]

I'd consider a Steiner or Ventrac as well as a tractor,esp with the hill being an issue,my steiners will outperform any 4wd tractor on hills ive ever tried hands down.You can get a tiller for either machine as well.The finish mowers on a steiner/Ventrac leave a higher quality cut than any tractor deck can,as they have full width rollers,and high capacity decks with huge high flow discharge chutes.I have 2 Dixie Chopper zero turns,and they are ok on hills so long as you can go straight up and down them,and have plenty of room at the bottom to slow down.My one chopper is the 50HP turbodiesel,it is actually really good on all hills,as the track width is 71" wide.

 

[redharley]

I would have to vote for the tractor for you also,I have hills to mow after trying both went with a Kubota BX several years ago and still am not sorry.The 4wheel drive is great and like mentioned before if you get a loader it will be the best wheel barrel you ever own. I would see if your local dealer will load both up and bring to your place for a demo,it's the only way you will know for sure with out owning both

 

[arksdad]

I'm a little confused about everyone saying a ZTR isn't any good on hills. I mow 4 to 5 acres with the terrain varying from almost flat to some very steep banks. I have a Country Clipper ZTR, 60" cut, with joy stick control. In the beginning I was apprehensive about how it would handle hills compared to the JD 316 garden tractor it replaced. The answer is it's so much better. It is better to go up slopes rather than down or OK to go sideways or across sidehills. I think it would be "almost" impossible to tip over unless the operator did something really stupid. One more thing, don't be misled by how many acres the manufacturer says you can cut per acre. I think they are grossly exaggerated unless you don't care what your lawn looks like when you are finished. Just my opinion!

 

[Ken45101]

The advantage of a ZT mower is maneuverability ("turnability"). On a flat out rectangular open area, they probably are not much faster than a tractor mounted mower.

We bought a ZT a few months ago. We love it! We even enlarged our yard Because of the obstructions in our yard (chicken pen, hills, driveway, patio, fish pond, flower beds, etc.), there was so much time wasted turning around with the tractor ( 27hp 4wd diesel w/ 5' midmount mower).

I don't worry about the ZT tipping on the hillsides, BUT it will lose control going across a slope and suddenly head downhill and there's not a thing you can do to correct it. They are good at going up hills, but may have problems going downhill or turning around on a hill. I'm sure it depends on how the individual model is engineered. There is apparently a great deal of difference in how various models handle hills.

Also, a ZT can be a very rough ride if the ground is not smooth.

 

[dodge man]

I bought a Kubota BX2350 about a year ago. I also have hills to deal with when I mow. If you had flat ground a ZTR would be a good choice. With your hills a sub compact tractor is a no brainer. Don't go with one of the four wheel drive mowers, just step up to a small tractor. They are fairly common used.

 

[Ken45101]

I bought a Kubota BX2350 about a year ago. I also have hills to deal with when I mow. If you had flat ground a ZTR would be a good choice. With your hills a sub compact tractor is a no brainer. Don't go with one of the four wheel drive mowers, just step up to a small tractor. They are fairly common used.

I'm not sure what you mean by "don't do with one of the four wheel drive mowers". With my hills, if I don't have the tractor (B2710) in 4wd it slides down the hill, the rear wheels don't have enough traction to stop it. One time it was in 2wd and I slid down until I hit the pasture fence. I broke one fence post and popped the staples out of another.

Ken

 

[Ken45101]

I bought a Kubota BX2350 about a year ago. I also have hills to deal with when I mow. If you had flat ground a ZTR would be a good choice. With your hills a sub compact tractor is a no brainer. Don't go with one of the four wheel drive mowers, just step up to a small tractor. They are fairly common used.

I'm not sure what you mean by "don't go with one of the four wheel drive mowers". With my hills, if I don't have the tractor (B2710) in 4wd it slides down the hill, the rear wheels don't have enough traction to stop it. One time it was in 2wd and I slid down until I hit the pasture fence. I broke one fence post and popped the staples out of another.

Ken

 

[heehaw]

"A sub compact with a 60" deck with a loader is about the same money as a Zero turn!"
that may be true if your getting a diesel ztr mower, but look what else you get with the tractor: a powered wheel barrow for sure: ztr's have been around for many years, but how many 20 year old ones do you see around?? especially ones still being used: but how many 20 year old tractors do you see...no comparison, even if you do it by percentage/number sold: i have "never" seen a 20 year old ztr still being used.
heehaw

 

[Ken45101]

Most ZT mowers are used in commercial service, maybe 40+ hours a week. How many 20 year old compact tractors do you see that are used in commercial service? I suspect that most CUTs are homeowner units that see less usage per year than most ZT mowers see in a week.

Besides, most CUTs are diesel, most ZT mowers 20 years ago were gas (and still probably are.)

Ken