Buying Advice HELP: Tractor+Finish Mower or Commercial Zero Turn?

[jameythompson]

I recently moved to a rural property and need to purchase mowing equipment. I have ~6 acres of lawn to mow (half landscaped yard/half shoulders of a mile long drive into the property). I have received two conflicting recommendations and am looking for additional guidance. The two options are:

1) Tractor + finishing mower attachment
--Advantage is it could also use it for tilling the garden, plowing snow on the road, bush hogging our pastures, but we have a local farmer we currently hire to do most of this so it is not high priority but would be nice
--Disadvantage is it will be slower than the Zero Turn and potentially harder to maneuver

2) Commercial Zero Turn Mower
--Fast and good looking cut
--Limited alternative uses and less durability

I would be willing to spend a little more on a multi-use tractor+implements but am concerned I will do so and then decide I still need a mower. Any advice or alternative suggestions as well as brand/model recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

 

[jpm1]

I mow about 33 acres at my place a week when the grass is growing and have 3 different mowers i use. I have a 72" rear discharge finish mower made by King Kutter which has mown about 4500 acres with with a total cost or replacement parts of about 41 dollars. Not bad i dont think. 2nd i have a Scag 66" cut zero turn which works nicely but is a gas hog some what, but it does a nice job and its quite fast. 3rd i aquired a 15' Jabacson 5 gang rough finish mower from a golf coarse, this is a mowing machine but very heavy to pull so i took off 2 gangs and pull it with the Kubota RTV 900, this way my wife can ride with me, see she has alzheimers and likes to be close to me as much as possible, i like it too! Mowing with the Kubota, Kioti or Mahindra my fuel consumpsion is very low probably 4 gallon or so. With the scag about 12 gallon, just some input from threee different mower types. . . John

 

[Ted Summey]

How do you want the mowed areas to look? There will be a difference between a finish mower on a tractor and a commercial grade zero turning radius mower. The ZTR will look better. You might be better off with a real good ZTR mower and a used tractor for your other uses.

 

[Will_C]

I probably won't help you-I have both. If you want the fastest way to mow-especially if the lawn is fairly smooth-there is no comparision to a quality commercial Z. How much would you use the tractor?

I mow a total of 9.5 acres regularly with a Z, and mow an additional 4 acres bi-weekly with a tractor and finish mowing. That land is wet and rough-I let it grow until Memorial Day and bush hog for the first cut. I also use the tractor for bush hogging hunting land, sriveway maintenance, and snow plowing-I put 100 hours yearly on it, and around 120 hours on the Z-so both make sense for me. Will you put that much on a tractor/

Will

 

[Soundguy]

since the tractor is a multi-task tool.. it serves to reason it will be more usefull.

you will have 6zc. that's a decent pice of land.

you ever plan on doing anything with it than mowing it?

 

[jcdogfish]

I mow 7 acres. I had a Kubota zd326p and it was a grass cutting animal. The issues I had with the zero turn is it was very rough riding and when you got off you had to go straight to the shower. The tractor is much easier on the older body and I can come in and sit on the couch after mowing as all the clippings and dust go out the back. I cut along the edge of a highway incline and the tractor is better at that and also on ditch banks. Once a zero turn starts to slip in a ditch there is little you can do to prevent it. I also have a garden and don't know how I ever made it without a front end loader for hurricane cleanups etc. I can also cut when it is wet on the ditch banks. Just put the tractor in 4wd and no slipping. It does take about an hour longer to cut but I am not as tired and beat up as the zero turn. If you are young and have a smooth yard with a lot of things to go around and only want to cut grass the zero turn may be for you. You will be surprised to see how close you can trim with a rfm with a little practice, especially backing up. You can also get under trees and over ditches . I would never consider going back to a zero turn. Also, the tractor is surprisingly easier on the lawn. Of course, if grass cutting is a major use get a HST transmission.

 

[94BULLITT]

I think a tractor would be the way to go. What else can you really do with a zero turn other than mow grass? A tractor could be used year round were a zero turn would be used 6 months a year. A tractor will hold its value better.

 

[shucksters]

Easy (but not practical) answer- you need BOTH!!!

 

[chim]

I've been mowing anywhere from 2 to 7 acres over the past 23 years. Having a tractor with a loader and other attachments is very handy. I don't feel at all undergunned with a RFM on a tractor. The current tractor (L3200/HST/Filled R4's) with a 6 foot rear discharge Landpride finish mower is perfect for me. It comfortably does 2 acres an hour. I love the size. It's big and beefy without being too cumbersome.

 

[riptides]

I recently moved to a rural property and need to purchase mowing equipment. I have ~6 acres of lawn to mow (half landscaped yard/half shoulders of a mile long drive into the property). I have received two conflicting recommendations and am looking for additional guidance. The two options are:

1) Tractor + finishing mower attachment
--Advantage is it could also use it for tilling the garden, plowing snow on the road, bush hogging our pastures, but we have a local farmer we currently hire to do most of this so it is not high priority but would be nice
--Disadvantage is it will be slower than the Zero Turn and potentially harder to maneuver

2) Commercial Zero Turn Mower
--Fast and good looking cut
--Limited alternative uses and less durability

I would be willing to spend a little more on a multi-use tractor+implements but am concerned I will do so and then decide I still need a mower. Any advice or alternative suggestions as well as brand/model recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Tractor, you will have more use for it.

Worry about your lawn, in a few years after all your "landscaping" is done. By then, the tractor may be paid for, and most of your "landscaping" done. Then all you have to worry about is cutting the grass.

 

[NICKB304]

if you get a small cab tractor you can have ac and a radio while you mow.

 

[roush9799]

I'd get a tractor with a MMM. Better maneuverability than a rear finish mower, and for light landscape work you can leave the deck on.

 

[radioman]

Since you just moved there, I'd get a tractor with all implements as it will be easier to maintain one engine. As time goes on, you will either hate to have another machine to maintain or get a zero turn that is easier on you in terms of swapping and just have a mower only as you might find you need extra help. As you said - you already can forsee other needs and uses for a tractor with FEL/plow/blower/tiller/mower.

 

[PSUTundra]

It depends on the nature of your lawn area. We have about 3 acres of "lawn" but there are 80+ trees in that area, a pool, two sheds, swing set, house, deck, driveway, gardens, gazebo, etc. I also maintain grass along the roads for about 4000'. We went with the commercial ZTR first and cannot imagine cutting with anything else: the speed on the straight flat, the ability to get around all the obstacles, and quality of cut are great. We are also lucky that the 3 acres were finished well and just need maintenance. It still takes 3-4 hours per week to maintain but with a tractor and finish mower it would be more.

Now we need something to assist with remainder of our property and that is where we are looking for a compact tractor to add to the ZTR. The only thing the ZTR does other than cut grass is pick up leaves with the Cyclone Rake in the fall.

 

[Buppies]

Have both and now rely on z- turn for all grass mowing as a matter of fact sold finishing mower and bush hog since they were never used. Looking now to invest in sickle bar for trimming around pond. If z-turn breaks have 44 in walk behind to fall back on. Our land in places is steep so tractor is only useful in certain areas. But for snow removal dirt and mulch can't be beat so maybe one of each. Good at spending your money as some of us can be. Also working on cleaning up area for garden for when I retire

 

[JasG]

2) Commercial Zero Turn Mower
--Fast and good looking cut
--Limited alternative uses and less durability

Thanks in advance

I don't know why you would think a commercial zero turn would be less durable. Ferris mower have 4 wheel suspension, if you want a Perkins (Cat) diesel and a drive train like a hydro compact tractor.

As others have pointed out if you have a lot of objects to mow around or hills I like a zero turn. My dad has a Kubota BX tractor and he does a lot of "weedeating" with a string trimmer. I do some, but I don't need to get as large an area around a tree as he does. I tried a zero turn and ended up with a commercial walk behind and stand up sulky. I had a Deere 700 series mower, but it could not mow as fast as zero turns. I also have a lot of slopes and the walker handles them much better than the Deere did. Now if you have low slopes, and not much stuff to mow around, a tractor would be the way to go. My BIL has a Massey that's around 50Hp with a cab and a rear finish mower and it works good for him.

I went with a walker vs the ride on just because of cost. A good zero turn can cost over 10K new.

 

[vrman]

Definitely depends on if you have uses for the tractor and multiple attachments for it. If you are planning on taking over what you have the farmer doing, then going the tractor route might be best at first. If you plan on using him for the foreseeable future, then just get a zero turn for mowing the grass.

I started off with a tractor and a mid-mount mower. Worked fine plus I had the added functionality of the tractor. I bought a zero turn (diesel) because my mother wanted to cut grass, but she had lost part of her leg. So the zero turn was way easier for her to get on and off and was really comfortable for her to use. After she passed, I kept it because it is faster than the tractor in cutting the grass, and is really comfortable to use.

 

[MoKelly]

Its a very hard decision. I was in a very similar situation as you a few years back. For all the good reasons mentioned here ... plus no experience ... I went with the tractor and 60 inch 3 point mower. It worked just fine for mowing plus I had the tiller and FEL to help with other stuff. Then, one day, my neighbor said I should try his zero turn to mow the yard area (about 3 acres). Well, that zero turn had the yard done in about 1/4th the time it took with the tractor. No wide swinging turns, much much much faster speeds, cut trimming time way down as you get closer to trees and other stuff in the yard, etc. etc. Plus, it was actually enjoyable to do the mowing. I have to admit moving along at 3 MPH cutting grass on the tractor got a tad boring to me. You really can't get bored on a zero turn.

So, I then had to get a zero turn to do the mowing.

I realze this probably doesn't make your decision any easier but it is my experience. Good luck.

MoKelly

 

[gopackgo]

I moved to 1 acre from the city 10 years ago and bought a deere 445 w/ a 54" deck and rear box blade and a dump bucket for the front. I have 50 trees now and have gotten into grading my yard for better drainage, touching up my drive, etc. It's amazing how much you can find to do. My garden tractor does alot, but I wish I had gone with a ztm and a used tractor with loader and box blade. Buy a used commercial zero turn and then follow it up with a used tractor down the road.