Roy and Whistlepig,
I didn't mean to imply that a RFM won't do a very nice job, or that it is a "poor second choice"... on the contrary it is a most versatile option, especially when you also have the need for all the additional capabilities of a tractor. However I will still stand by my opinion that a ZTR will provide a better cut... cut lines can be maintained much straighter, and clippings will disperse better leaving less clumping. In wide open acreage mowing these issues might not be that important to many, and in that case the RFM is fine... to each his own. There is no way an RFM can provide the quality of cut shown in the pictures below... I have a 7 acre property that gets mowed the same way... just don't have a picture of it.