Old question, new scenario, 72" vs 60" deck

[jives]

Hi folks:
Long time member, minimal contributor. This question has been asked a million times before, but each scenario is different, and I'm looking for folks who have been there and can say they made the right decision, or the wrong one.

Essentially, given the scenario outlined below, would you choose a nimble tractor with a 60" mower, or a less nimble tractor with a 72" deck? I've chosen the Kubota forum because it is really only Kubota and Deere that offer reasonable used choices here.

Here is the situation. About 2.2 acres mowed and cared for with a couple of Wheel Horse garden tractors. Driveway plowing, garden tilling (not recently), cart pulling, etc. This is the left side of the property below. Mostly open, but you can see the trees and obstacles. Takes about 3 hrs mowing, mostly because the grass is so lush that I cannot mow in 3rd gear. 3.3 mph in 2nd gear with my tired Wheel Horse 416-8. Mostly flat, some wet spots, slight grade from lower left of picture to upper right. Raised septic leach field and separate drain field to mow over. These fields are not deep, in fact, grass won't grow over the distribution boxes because they are so shallow. I don't drive the tires over the d-boxes.

We want to open up the undeveloped side of the property, about 4 ac. This will be after cutting and killing the invading buckthorn trees (greener looking brush on lower right side of photo). Most of this is by hand (cordless Makita recip saw with pruning blade - best tool ever!), and after that is done it will need to be mowed regularly to keep the buckthorn and other invasive plants at bay. The first couple of mows will likely be a guy (or gal) with a brush hog, but after that, we'll finish mow it. Pretty rutted, many gopher holes, hasn't been farmed in 15-20 years. Eventually, we will be mowing the 4 ac with a finish mower 2 times a month for 7 months of the year. We also hope to eventually prep the soil -- disking, seeding, planting at least a cover crop. Will need to do some land leveling. We are experimenting with other options, from growing a forest to a wildflower meadow.

Other needs will be a loader, 3 pt hitch capacity for a box blade and other implements, and so forth.

So, here is the question. A subcompact, like a Kubota BX with a 60" MMM will handle the 2.2 ac finish mowing sufficiently, but how well can it handle the chores of the 4 ac? Is it too small to work efficiently? On the other hand, a small compact, like a Kubota B (got my eyes on a B7800) with a 72" MMM should be just the ticket for the 4 ac, but it it too cumbersome for the 2.2 ac?

No fair saying that a zero turn plus a tractor is the best option. One tractor only.

Thanks.

 

[arto98607]

.............................No fair saying that a zero turn plus a tractor is the best option. One tractor only.

Thanks.

View attachment 605606

That's not fair, because that is exactly what I would get.

Used B7800 size or similar tractor with front loader and flail mower and also used front mount Diesel mower, Kubota F or similar JD / Grasshopper.

 

[art]

Don't be shy! The larger deck on the larger B model will not be as nimble as a BX but the larger deck will help!

 

[ovrszd]

Sidetrack,,, what program do you use for your aerial pic? I like the distance markings on the boundaries a lot!!!!

 

[jives]

Sidetrack,,, what program do you use for your aerial pic? I like the distance markings on the boundaries a lot!!!!

Google maps, satellite image. . .then shift and left mouse click to get a menu with the "Measure Distance" tool. Coolest tool ever! If you are on a Mac it may be different commands. Anyway, then shift with right mouse click to get to a screenshot command. Save the screenshot as an image, and viola!

 

[ovrszd]

Google maps, satellite image. . .then shift and left mouse click to get a menu with the "Measure Distance" tool. Coolest tool ever! If you are on a Mac it may be different commands. Anyway, then shift with right mouse click to get to a screenshot command. Save the screenshot as an image, and viola!

Thanks!!!! I really like that feature. Didn't know it existed. As is the case with a lot of today's technology!!!!

 

[jives]

That's not fair, because that is exactly what I would get.

Used B7800 size or similar tractor with front loader and flail mower and also used front mount Diesel mower, Kubota F or similar JD / Grasshopper.

It is indeed not fair that life is not fair! On the other hand, I do have in the back of my mind a used front mower. A couple of used JD F mowers and Toro Groundsmasters on CL now, and they could be an interim fix.

 

[4570Man]

Old question, new scenario, 72" vs 60" deck

Pick whatever deck you want because you’re already limiting yourself to the inferior options. My 72” zero turn mows grass TWICE as fast as a 60” MMM. Compared against a Kubota B7200 and a 455 John Deere.

 

[ovrszd]

Re: Old question, new scenario, 72" vs 60" deck

Pick whatever deck you want because you’re already limiting yourself to the inferior options. My 72” zero turn mows grass TWICE as fast as a 60” MMM. Compared against a Kubota B7200 and a 455 John Deere.

Oohh, that was a bit mean. Especially since his last sentence was one tractor only.

So you guys are suggesting that it be a zero turn front mounted mower machine??

 

[saxnbees]

I don't have a ton of experience with tractors so I don't feel competent to make a judgement on what machines to recommend to you. However, in reading your original question, it appears that you may be open to the possibility of using part of the acreage for a more natural area for pollinators and wildlife. You don't indicate your location but I am assuming you get some cold months due to the fact you only expect to mow 7 months of the year. I have some fields at my place in Maine that used to be used for haying. Now, I leave those fields to wild flowers like goldenrod and milkweed. I bush hog the fields once a year after the wild flowers have died for the year. Cutting once a year keeps the trees and bushes from getting a start but provides forage for pollinators like bumble and honey bees, monarch butterflies, etc. that we need so badly. Cutting once a year would greatly reduce the number of hours needed on an annual basis for field maintenance and might allow you to get a smaller, less expensive machine. Personally, I think we should rethink the idea of having such huge expanses of perfectly manicured lawns. It may look nice but it is time and resource consuming and provides no usable habitat for the insects and animals that share this Earth with us.

 

[PaulL2]

I'd go bigger. A 60 inch on a BX will be a bit slower for a couple of reasons - reduced mowing width, but also because the BX isn't as fast a tractor - so your top speed will be slower. I did note however that your grass is lush and therefore you cannot mow at top speed with the wheel horse, it's possible your grass thickness will be the speed limit, not the tractor speed.

A 72 inch will be a bit slower where you mow around obstacles. Remember that a 72 inch hangs out more, in some ways that lets you get closer. But the tractor is less nimble, so a bit more back and forth to cut.

So you need to trade off these two things in mowing speed, I'd guess the tradeoff would be the 72 inch being faster overall, but annoying you when you have to fiddle around. Of course, you might modify your property over time to reduce that - perhaps borders around some areas and spraying, rather than mowing everything.

For other tasks, the B will win hands down. The mower deck is bigger and stronger, and therefore more tolerant of keeping down brush on the 4 acres (that'll be reasonably hard on a mower v's using a bush hog). The B is a bigger and stronger tractor, with a more powerful loader.

 

[lilranch2001]

If I had to get rid of all my toys (tractor with 5 implements, Ranger sxs, and an eXmark zero turn) and could only keep one, I would keep the eXmark, and it is more than twice as old as the tractor

 

[jives]

Perhaps a bit more information. Regardless of what we decide to do with the 4 ac overgrown area, we want to keep the 2.2 ac mowed "lawn" because we use it for my kids and wife's child day care business. It has seen a lot of ultimate Frisbee, church youth group games, and so forth. Probably have about 4 more years of keeping it nice. I do, though, want to reduce the mowing time considerably, and just about pulled the trigger on great deal on a used 72" SnapperPro (i.e., Ferris) zero turn, that is, until we got hit in one week with $4k of car repairs and a replacement dryer. I would also use the Snapper to mow the 4 acres to keep in manageable. Eventually, a tractor would be in the works, because there are other tractor needs on the total 7 ac property. Because the $4K bill was paid out of my zero turn mower fund, I'm left to rethink. I could take out a loan and just get the tractor now and forget the zero turn.

The 4 ac won't be a manicured lawn. It will be used to either make money, serve as a hobby, or otherwise make improvements that will enhance it's value down the road should we sell it off as a house plot.

 

[ovrszd]

If I had to get rid of all my toys (tractor with 5 implements, Ranger sxs, and an eXmark zero turn) and could only keep one, I would keep the eXmark, and it is more than twice as old as the tractor

How many hours a year do you put on your tractor?

 

[lilranch2001]

its an 09, and I think I have 250 or so hours

 

[lilranch2001]

Also I mow 9 acres and I am not a farmer

 

[ovrszd]

its an 09, and I think I have 250 or so hours

Yeah, with just 25hrs a year you probably wouldn't miss the tractor much.

 

[lilranch2001]

yea most of my tractor work is done, although I still use it for fun projects

I havent even really needed it for snow the last few years

I am not one to sell any of my toys tho, I live by the motto, "the person who dies with the most toys wins!"

 

[buckeyefarmer]

To B or not to B

I would go 60", 72 seems really wide for mmm. I use a 72" RFM for my field, however, i used to use it on my lawn with my small tractor.... I'm going to 60" ztr for the lawn.

 

[PaulL2]

Sounds like you're overall money and cashflow constrained.

You're looking at a second hand B v's a new BX really. Either of them will do the job, and a BX will do most small farm chores adequately if we're talking lift and carry with a bucket or forks, levelling and the like. It won't really disk or seed well, but it will pull a small land plane. A B would do farm type duties quite a bit better. A B would be much better at ground engaging tasks, but really an L is what you need for ground engagement.

A new BX will come with finance, a used B will not. A new BX is a known quantity, a used B is not. If your choice is a new BX on finance now v's a used B bought with cash at a later date, I'd get the new BX now. Most of your real farm duties (ground engaging) sound like the kind of things you'd do once, borrow, rent or hire out those jobs. You wouldn't have the discs or seed drill either anyway, and any tractor you can mow well with won't do ground engagement well.

The reality is that a B is probably better for your needs, but your finances don't sound like they allow it.....get the BX and be happy.