What would be faster?

[trook]

Lets suppose you have a 5-7 acre property (large yard) to cut. It is a large yard, and it is relatively smooth and fairly flat. It has a few trees, but not many and they are evenly spaced. Would you be faster with a 72"-84" rear finish mower behind a JD 4320 or with a 54" zero turn dedicated commercial mower?

I feel that someone could probably drive the ztr at a faster ground speed than a tractor with a rfm. However, would the speed and maneuverability of the ztr, under normal conditions, make up for the smaller 54" cut?

Your thoughts?

 

[RoyJackson]

The ZTR would be faster, I think, due to the higher speed in mowing, turning and maneuvering around those trees. This comment assumes both the tractor and ZTR operators have the same degree of experience with their machines.
Of course, the ZTR is a one task machine whereas the tractors are capable of many different tasks.

 

[beenthere]

I think RoyJackson answered it well.

 

[DK35vince]

I mow around 7 acres of lawn.
I mow using a ZTR with a 54" deck for around the house, the smaller back yard and around all the trees where it is tight for the tractor, they work great for this.
I still prefer to use the tractors running an 84" rear finish mower or a 72" MMM for the larger more open areas. They just seem smoother,faster, more comfortable for the larger more open areas.

 

[CharlieR]

Why not use a large MMM and a tag a long mower off to the side.
My friend does this and cuts about a 10 or 11 ft swath real fast!
Do the trimming with something small.:thumbsup:

 

[whistlepig]

The wider the mower the quicker the mowing will be done. If there are few objects to mow around the 72" RFM will be quicker than the 54" ZTR. Things with larger diameter tires ride better. A 3" hole to a twelve inch diameter tire is a bigger bump than a 3" hole to a 36" diameter tire. A good RFM will go as fast as you want to go. If one buys a cheap one that weighs about 200 pounds you will have to slow down because it will bounce so much it won't stay on the ground. My Woods weighs 720 pounds and it stays on the ground no matter how fast I go.

 

[jenkinsph]

I think I would vote for the ztr but would ask if you can get it wider than the 54" you mentioned? Seems a wide ztr or front mower would be the trick.

I know I have NO plans to mow my lawn with my 4520...yet.


edit, I wish I had this problem in town, good excuse to buy an X749 which should mow this in about 2 hours.

 

[gwjd]

i think one has to account for price here a little bit a nice ztr vs deck cost

 

[jenkinsph]

i think one has to account for price here a little bit a nice ztr vs deck cost

What does price have to do with this? Were spending someone elses money.:laughing:

 

[whistlepig]

I looked at a nice Scag 72" ZTR with a 28HP Caterpillar diesel motor. Around $15,000. That's just too much money for me for something that just cuts grass. I'm sure it's worth every penny but I sure can't afford it.

 

[LBrown59]

Why not use a large MMM and a tag a long mower off to the side.
My friend does this and cuts about a 10 or 11 ft swath real fast!
Do the trimming with something small.:thumbsup:

My BX23 and the BX1500 together cut a 9 foot swath .

 

[orlo]

I think Roy said it well. It does depend on your obstacles. If you don't have many I'd go with a RFM since a good ZT will run you some $$$. Also with the tractor you can lift up the RFM to maintain the blades, etc. Unless you get a fancy Front mower that lifts the deck you won't have that option with a ZT.

I mowed with my 3320 then 3720 and now 4720 with an 84" RFM and I generally can mow 6-7mph without bouncing too much (Faster occasionally). Power is never an issue, just handling. My 2305 can actually go faster with it's MMM (max out just under 9mph) but I use that on a 2+ acre property.

The 5-6 acres I now mow with a 4720 I also used to mow with a craftsman 25hp (Kohler Pro engine) GT5000 (50" cut) and a 12.5hp 60" Swisher pull behind for about a 100" cut (need some overlap). Although cost wise that was the most economical choice, and I could mow almost 6 acres in under two hours (With no bagging, etc.) I mow much faster now (Ground speed) since the Craftsman/Swisher (Mostly the Swisher) would run out of horsepower above 3-3.5mph in the heavier stuff. I could do about 5mph absolute max with that for very light cuts.

Overall It probably takes me only a little bit less time than it used to take me with the Craftsman and the Swisher for a lot more $$$. But let's face it I didn't just want a mower. I wanted a tractor.


Besides, you know you really want a tractor, right?

 

[trook]

I also think that the ride on the JD4320 will be much better than any ztr out there. Please tell me if I'm wrong.

That combined with a roof over my head, and much less expense have me leaning toward the RFM over the ztr.

What does a nice new 84" rfm run these days anyway? $2,500-$3,000???

 

[Gizmo2]

I would lean towards the ZTR and it cost me to form this opinion as I purchase a 5 ft rear finish mower and after 2 years it just was not working out as I hoped it would. We mow about 2 acres of lawn and about 4 acres of pasture. Every other week half of the pasture gets mowed and the lawn about every week, more often in the spring. My wife did not like and would not use the tractor and rear mower. It also seem I was forever swapping out implements especially if I had backhoe work to do it became a PITA. The commercial Z we have had for the past four years has been a wonderful piece of equipment. As a matter of fact I hardly do any mowing at all, the wife does most of it now. The Z has a 52 inch deck and will run circles around a 5 ft deck on a tractor of my size, hands down. Keep in mind we are not mowing foot high grass and the land is fairly smooth. I would say the cost is the big hurdle, a commercial ZTR is not cheap but then again I would bet neither was your tractor!

 

[LBrown59]

It's just SEAT TIME so what's the hurry?

 

[JeffinNE]

The ride on your 4320 should be a little better than a ZTR and you should be close to the same time with a 84" RFM as with a 54" ZTR if you don't have too many trees, etc. to mow around.

The cost of a RFM should be about half or even less than half of a quality ZTR.

The real issue is do you really want all that weight on your lawn around the house if you're hoping to have one of those "show" type lawns? Maybe a cheaper JD riding mower for around the house and trees and get the 84" RFM for the rest?

Plus, us "traditionalists" sure like our seat time on tractors!

 

[westbrooklawn]

If the you want a truly good looking cut, the zero turn will do a better job, and faster too if the turf area is level and free of bumps and ruts, etc. If the area is rough and bumpy, and you just want the grass knocked down, then go with the finish mower.

Just remember that a finish mower is not designed for a finely groomed turf look.

 

[blackbird876]

I mow about 9 acres with 70 percent open and the rest with trees etc to mow around. I have a 3720 Cab with an 84 RFM and I also use a Ferris 5100 ZTR with a 72inch deck. There is no comparison the ZTR is much much faster. The ZTR has full suspension and the Cab has the deluxe air seat but anything over 5 mph in the cab and it will beat you to death. Also in my case the 30 percent that I can't use the Cab on hurts it. The ZTR is very expensive and it only mows but if your only concern is speed then go get the biggest baddest ZTR you can find.

I have tried the Cab with MMM and my wife uses a 748SE Deere but nothing is even close to the high speed ZTR.

We also tried an open station 2520 and and open station 3720 without the air ride seat. Needless to say we tried everything but the big ZTR still wins.

What I do now is if I have the time or the temperature is not good I use the Cab and take my time and then go back and trim with one of the other mowers when the weather improves. This method takes about 1:45 hours longer total. If I just want to get it done then its the Ferris everytime.

Good luck and happy mowing.

 

[RoyJackson]

It's just SEAT TIME so what's the hurry?

And that, men...is a great point!
For those of us that make their living on these machines, I can understand the requirements for speedy work.
But most of us don't make a living operating our equipment. So, why be in a hurry to finish an enjoyable pastime?

 

[RoyJackson]

Just remember that a finish mower is not designed for a finely groomed turf look.

I think you're quite mistaken there...or were you thinking of a rotary cutter?
My cutter does a very nice job mowing my lawn. I think most TBNers will agree with that statement.