What to buy for 2 acre mowing

[coasterez]

Beenthere is right. If you get an AWS, you won't need 4WD. And you may not need your weedeater either. I have many many gardens and trees to mow around, and the AWS with hydro drive lets me get so close that I only have to pull out my weedeater about twice a season. l love the AWS! Can't beat it for snow plowing either. I think my little JD AWS will run circles around my CK25 for that task. If you can find a good 400 series, buy it as quick as you can before someone else does. But, it sounds like the experienced ZTR folks have given you enough info to rule those out, for the most part.

 

[mwolfey]

Thanks for all the responses, I am now looking at a Kubota gr2100. Any thoughts on this mower and what a fair price would be?

Thanks,

 

[coasterez]

Here is a review, comparison, and some price data: gr21 review

For that kind of bread, I'd get a Deere. Weight is paramount for traction and stability. But, then I've never been very impressed with Kubotas. Obvious thousands of others would disagree.

 

[BCNU]

Try this link for msrp http://www.aldermans.com/Kubota/kubota_Bpricing.html

 

[mwolfey]

I have priced a gr2100 for $7200. Is this a good price??

 

[jcmseven]

Sure, but you can get a good X series JD for close to that and it is much more machine. You would not regret spending the little extra for one. I agree with our previous poster about the older tractor style Gravelys. My dad still has an 8179KT with about 20 million hours that still runs well. It is a hoss; too bad they do not make them anymore.

John M

 

[frankv]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Sure, but you can get a good X series JD for close to that and it is much more machine. You would not regret spending the little extra for one. I agree with our previous poster about the older tractor style Gravelys. My dad still has an 8179KT with about 20 million hours that still runs well. It is a hoss; too bad they do not make them anymore.

John M )</font>

Much more of a machine? I'm looking for a new mower also and so far the Kubota GR2000/2100 blow everything else away I"VE looked at.

What are you comparing to? The X520 lists for $7k and it's only 2 wheel drive and manual steer. For that price, the Kubota is all wheel drive and power steering, and it's a diesel. Shaft driven deck and transmission also! Gotta go the the X540($8k) for power steering and it's still 2wheel drive.

I dunno seems like the Kubota has more to offer to me...

 

[mwolfey]

I finally got to try out a gr2100 (my brother has one and loves it). Seems like a great mower. Cut through some heavy grass without any problems. His place is considerably more flat than my property but I did drive it up a bank just for fun. I'll borrow his in the next couple of weeks to give it a test drive on my property. I think it is going to serve my purpose just fine. I just want to be sure before I shell out that kind of money. Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[day52]

If you don't need a tractor (and who doesn't), I wouldn't give up on a Zero turn. We have a Toro (60") and a Dixon (50") and mow about 5 acres. While I agree with what was said earlier about traction of the Toro (when wet), the Dixon does quite well. The trick, if it can be called that, is to mow up and down the slope as much as possible. The Dixon will handle slopes that my NH TC33DA (new) and old Ford 8N can't begin to tackle safely. And the Zero turns are quick. If you can stand the beating, you can easily mow at 7-8 MPH. I have replaced one idler pulley on the Toro in 3 years, and nothing on the Dixon in 5 years. And the machines mentioned would be well within your price range That said, I'm in love with the new tractor (and 72" Woods finish mower) and believe it will be handling more and more of the mowing duties. If it doesn't quit raining here in NW Ohio, I may have to get a field chopper for the tractor and raise it up to about 6".

 

[proudestmonkey]

I think the "slope" in your question puts Zero-Turns out of the running, IMHO. I had the same issue as you: using a lawn tractor on a slope, any time there was even a bit of dampness, I'd rip up my lawn using my JD L130. I got a Kubota BX2230 (along with the 1830, the 2230 is last year's model, replaced by the 1850/2350-- I got a great deal on last year's model, because the dealer had two leftovers he wanted to get rid of before the new models came in). There are places to find MSRP on Kubota online, but don't pay attention to those anyway. Unlike JD, whose dealers will generally stick close to MSRP (they have to, I am guessing), Kubota tractors are sold like cars, depends on the dealer, what you want, how willing he is to bargain with you. I paid less than 80% of MSRP on my Kubota (MSRP was $15,500, plus extras, and I paid $12,000).

For your price range, you might want to consider a Kubota BX1500 or BX 1830 with a mid-mount mower. You'll get plenty of HP, 4WD and Differential Lock. I bought mine with "R4" tires (Ag design, but with Turf in mind). Others may say go with Turf tires. I disagree. On my hills, it is MUCH easier to navigate up the hills going slow with R4 tires, 4WD and, if necessary, Diff. lock, without ripping any lawn. The only time there is a track problem is in areas where the grass is weak to begin with, and it is wet.

The other nice thing about getting a subCUT, like a Kubota BX is that you'll have a tool that will last a very long time, better gas mileage (diesel), and it can do things your lawn tractor or ZTR could never do (with two acres, there WILL be times you want to transport stuff from one area to another, and on a hill, 4WD is essential). Also, you can use inexpensive 3rd party attachments with your subCUT (e.g. Aerator, seeder/fertilizer, roller, utility cart, toolbox, blades, etc).

One last thing, if you do get a tractor like a BX, be sure it has a suspended mower deck, not a ridgid one. My hills have rolls. If the mower deck was not suspended, but ridgid, I'd scalp my lawn all over the place. Also, the 60" mower deck, availalbe only for the BX1850/2350 (newer model numbers) has a self-balancer in addition to the suspension system. Check it out.

There are lots of tractors in the BX 1850/2350 class, made by JD (the 2305), New Holland, Case, Agco, etc. I think those are the "big three" and a few others. I went with Kubota for a number of reasons explained in my review on the review pages. Basically, it was (to me) the best-built, best-handling, best sounding engine, at the best price, for what I wanted. No regrets here. Try them all out though, your mileage may differ, and its a big investment.