Does the math work?

[bdog]

Thanks. Lots of good points to think about. My income is such that it definitely makes more sense for me to be working rather than mowing but that is kind of a false argument as I can’t just randomly go work whenever I want to. If I decide to spend the evening mowing it’s not causing me to miss out on any income because I couldn’t be working during that time anyway.

Do I enjoy mowing? Not really but I don’t hate it. I kind of enjoy knowing it is done right and done when I want it. Hiring people to do things comes with its own set of problems getting them to show up on time, do a good a job, etc. I think the “enjoyment “ part of it for me would largely be in being able to mow whenever I want, have it done right, and not have the hassle of dealing with someone else to do it. That being said the reason I am looking at the 72” high dollar diesel mowers is I don’t want to spend all day mowing I want to get the task done quickly. If I truly just enjoyed mowing I would be looking at a 36” mower which would take twice as long or an 18” which would take four times as long so I could spend more time mowing.

 

[Industrial Toys]

A 72" deck often doesn't do a nice job. Too much uneven ground to span. That's why bigger machines start to use seperate decks to follow the contours of the ground.

Bigger mowers actually take less time than the math might indicate, because you always have overlap. If I have four inches of overlap on my ten foot mower, that is a smaller percentage than four inches on a five foot mower.

 

[ch1ch2]

I question whether you need a $15k mower to mow 40 acres per year.

Needs?
Anyone whom can afford it needs it.

 

[Industrial Toys]

You could ask why someone needs a hundred thousand dollar pickup to get groceries? lol

Or a fifty thousand dollar kitchen to heat something in the microwave.

 

[Gary Fowler]

He who dies with the most toys wins

HE is never the less DEAD.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have lots of expensive toys. I can afford a 15k mower but does it make sense?

We don稚 get a lot of rain. I mow every three weeks on average from May-October. Roughly 8 mowings a year. There are about five acres to mow so to hire it done is about $350.

With what a fancy mower would cost I could pay to have it mowed for over five years.

If you dont mind mowing your own lawn, and you need a diesel engine, and can afford it, then buy the mower. If in 5 years, paying someone else to mow will be the same as buying, then to me it is a no-brainer to buy the mower. In 5 years you will own the mower. 5 acres with a 60" mower will take about and 1-2 hours depending on the amount of obstacles to mow around, 16 hours per year x 5 =80 hours on the clock on the mower. You could sell it for what you paid for it after 5 years (maybe more than what you paid for it due to inflationary cost of equipment).

 

[Industrial Toys]

So, really, taking inflation into account, you are not getting more than you paid. All my old stuff appears to be worth a fortune considering the worthless dollar.

Still in my mind, not a bad thing to spend money on. Beats recreational stuff all to heck for payback.

 

[4570Man]

A 72" deck often doesn't do a nice job. Too much uneven ground to span. That's why bigger machines start to use seperate decks to follow the contours of the ground.

Bigger mowers actually take less time than the math might indicate, because you always have overlap. If I have four inches of overlap on my ten foot mower, that is a smaller percentage than four inches on a five foot mower.

My 72” does a good job with hardly any scalping of you get the mowing pattern right. The biggest problem is an obstacle that doesn’t let you drive where you need to such as a fence that’s not 72” from the bottom of a ditch. I think the 72” does a better job on flat ground especially with tall grass. My 72” machine will mow twice as fast as the 50” it replaced.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have a 72" for my Steiner, that I just got for the heck of it in a trade and it is for sale.

Generally speaking, the best quality cut is from a narrow push mower and the quality get's worse as you move up in size. If you are mowing something that is billiard table flat, then I guess the 72" would work well. Not around here with the unduating terrain.I am not even talking of scalping, but more bridging small dips and valleys.

Currently I have 4', 5', 6', 6' fine cut flail, 10' (Three Deck) mowers, and got rid of my 16' flex wing finish mower. And had many others, so I have a little experience.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Ooops, forgot the hydraulic sickle mower and Van Wamel (Hammer Type) Ditch flail mower.

 

[tradosaurus]

With 5 acres I might just use my tractor and a rotary cutter.

 

[bdog]

With 5 acres I might just use my tractor and a rotary cutter.

I mow the big pastures with the rotary cutter. I have a 10’ that goes behind the tractor and a 7’ for the skid steer which is a really heavy duty unit and more for cutting brush than grass.

The areas I mow with the zero turn are places like my front and back yard, dog run, along my driveway, etc. All areas I can’t fit my tractor on nor would I want that rough of a cut. Lots of trees, etc to go around. It needs to be a zero turn. That’s what I use now. It works good. I just either need to upgrade the one I have or punt and just hire it out going forward.

I don’t know why but I spend a lot of time thinking about things like this. I don’t either way would significantly impact my life I just often wonder at what point if any should I quit trying to do things myself and hire them done.

 

[CobyRupert]

... It needs to be a zero turn. That’s what I use now. It works good. I just either need to upgrade the one I have or punt and just hire it out going forward.

I don’t know why but I spend a lot of time thinking about things like this. I don’t either way would significantly impact my life I just often wonder at what point if any should I quit trying to do things myself and hire them done.

Sounds like how you want to spend your time (i.e. how you value your time) is a big part of the "math".
Only you know the answer.
However...what about...if you bought the mower, is there somebody you could hire to mow with it if you didn't feel like doing it yourself?
Hiring somebody for a couple hours should be a lot cheaper than $350 a go.

 

[Diggin It]

No matter how one values their personal time or whether or not they feel like mowing, I don't see the need for an expensive commercial mower. ZTs are available for much less that will last a number of years. At the point it might need replacing, the situation could be re-evaluated.

 

[bdog]

No matter how one values their personal time or whether or not they feel like mowing, I don't see the need for an expensive commercial mower. ZTs are available for much less that will last a number of years. At the point it might need replacing, the situation could be re-evaluated.

I can certainly understand that logic. My main thing is wanting something diesel and getting away from having anything gas powered. We have bulk diesel on site which sure beats a thirty minute round trip to town to fill up a five gallon gas can.

I assumed since this was the Kubota lawn mower section there would be a lot of people in here that own these high end mowers and could comment on their experiences and if the purchase was worth it. Several people have mentioned they tend to hold their value very well which is good.

 

[4570Man]

I have a diesel Grasshopper that I love but I think the Kubota is a better unit. If I was dropping that much money on a mower it would be orange.

 

[RjCorazza]

...
I assumed since this was the Kubota lawn mower section there would be a lot of people in here that own these high end mowers and could comment on their experiences and if the purchase was worth it. Several people have mentioned they tend to hold their value very well which is good.

I got my first ZD 13 Years ago (ZD326) for the easier fuel handling and mowing speed. I also hate dealing with gasoline. As I started cutting more lawns I added a ZD331 with a 72" deck, and that thing flies. Over the last 3 years the 72" has saved me about 150 hours of seat time compared to the 60" mower.
The 72" deck can dig in to the turf, particularly when getting into or out of ditches. I mow about a dozen multi acre residential lawns and with due care the 72" does fine.

 

[tradosaurus]

I mow the big pastures with the rotary cutter. I have a 10’ that goes behind the tractor and a 7’ for the skid steer which is a really heavy duty unit and more for cutting brush than grass.

The areas I mow with the zero turn are places like my front and back yard, dog run, along my driveway, etc. All areas I can’t fit my tractor on nor would I want that rough of a cut. Lots of trees, etc to go around. It needs to be a zero turn. That’s what I use now. It works good. I just either need to upgrade the one I have or punt and just hire it out going forward.

I don’t know why but I spend a lot of time thinking about things like this. I don’t either way would significantly impact my life I just often wonder at what point if any should I quit trying to do things myself and hire them done.

I mow 2 1/2 acres with a 60" zero turn (Toro HD 2000, 25 hp) and it takes me about 2-1/2 to 3 hrs. Most of my land is trees so lot of maneuvering. Also I change blades about every 3 mows as I'm constantly running over small branches so I carry 3 sets of blades.

5 acres would be a lot for me to mow as I get tired of being exposed to dust and grime.

I'm surprised you couldn't navigate much of your mowing with a tractor and finish mower?

 

[Bigkrank]

Buy a ZD1211. I have a 72". Dealer says they sell a ton of them. Easy to see why. I had a ZD28 72" that 2 dealers got in a bidding war for to trade. Had a front mount Kubota before that. You will not have an issue getting what you want for the ZD1211 in a few years if you change your mind.

Been 36 years since I mowed grass with a gas engine. No way going back.

 

[Buxus]

My strong belief is "He who mows it, knows it."

If you enjoy taking care of your property, mow it yourself. While mowing I learn every dip and bump in the property, every tree, every nook and cranny. I see what needs care, what is doing well, and what I want to change. Plus, it gets done right when I do it. I can adjust timing of mowing, height, etc, to weather conditions. I know where new plantings have gone in and where special care is necessary.

Get a front mount mower, either a diesel Grasshopper like I have, or a Kubota Front Mount (for about $8k more). The collection system on the Grasshopper is hard to beat. The 72 inch deck leaves the lawn looking like a golf course.