~85 acre, ~27 clear, general property maintainance

[WLighting]

I'm gonna switch gears for a bit.

You need to mow 27 acres. This is why we're bumping you to such high HP. Have you considered getting a Toro groundsmaster or similar large mower? Then you could get a tractor with R4s and a loader for your other tasks.

It would be expensive, but if you need a finish cut then a dedicated machine for the task is probably your best bet for getting the job done quickly without either tearing up the ground or compromising on other features.

Yup, that's what's mowing it now. The Groundsmasters are not cheap to come by. They seem to be purchased (or leased) by large institutions that turn them on in the morning, and then turn them off at night. (and it seems they spend more on the purchase than they do on the operator). Def not cheap in a cab and full size. To go buy new would be about 118..... thousand. The unit used now is a 580D, and older model of the 16 foot cutter. Its great at that one job, but not super duper on hills. As mentioned I'm wed to the fellow that owns it and I'm trying to escape. They are big hydraulic machines. If maintenance has not been done, it gets very expensive, very fast.

A batwing (or gang) rotary cutter is an option. BUT for its use and cost, I'm still leaning to a finish (as it shouldn't hit anything large) and the costs are not significantly different.

So yeah, like many things in the tractor world, there are many ways to skin a cat (weird saying). So there are options. The dedicated WAM (wide area mower like a Toro or a Jacobsen) is an option but jeez they are pricey and hard to find in good shape. Then there are products for sod producers, or at the other extreme things used to 'knock down'.

I guess I'm floating between the sod production, turf maintenance, and traditional tractor worlds.

WL (think I'm no longer a lurker)

 

[atomchaser]

I'd be looking for another used dedicated mower first. The mowing is your big task and I would put money into something that will do it efficiently and professionally. You could also use the mowing machine with a rotary broom and front snow blower. You may be able to compromise on a somewhat smaller tractor depending on what tasks you plan for that.

 

[TheMadOne]

What kind of grasses are we dealing with? Do you think you could go with a sickle bar mower? If so, then a 9' sickle mower is a fraction of the cost of the big gang/batwing setups, and requires much less HP to operate as well. Also can cut off level, so slopes are less of an issue.

A high end zero turn may be able to get your cut time down to 9 hours, if your ground isn't terrible rough. (72" deck, 5MPH mowing speed)

 

[WLighting]

TheMadOne- I've actually never run a sickle much. But with this odd request, I'm still looking for >12 foot. I have run discs but that really doesn't work. I have run a 72" diesel zero turn. Yeah, it takes a very long time and has trouble with hills and wet areas. Also, i've run the smaller Groundsmaster units on this land. They do work, yup, and what's great about these big hydraulic units (even the 10 footer), you can fold up wings and crawl up against things. Generally its not fast, but you don't have to get out of the seat. If I could find one at a reasonable cost, and could believe I could do/afford the maintenance to run one, I think you'all are right, a dedicated machine is always hard to beat. But I'm failing, and this might be a legit alternate plan?
Type of grass? Geez, I know there are whole degrees in Turf, but to me, its just standard lawn grass. I'd bet its a mix of rye(s), and Kentucky blue... not alot of clovers but sure some, pretty sure there are clumps of fescue in spots. But to be honest, we're getting outta my league -although as I type that, maybe I should know more!

WL
(re-read, to be clear, a sickle was never run on this ground, a 72" zero, a few groundsmasters including the 580d primarily, and some brush/rotary cutters were.... kinda wonder if a flail gang is worth investing/investigating)