What's the biggest size tractor you would use to mow with?

[Soundguy]

Hmm.. good open area with lush grass and plenty of turning radius and no obstacles.. what would I want to mow with.. hmm.. say.. a 95hp tractor and 15' batwing mower.

oh wait.. I already DO mow with that

soundguy

 

[Milo]

I mow with my B7500 which has a 54" mmm, and turf tires. I'm pleased with the results, but then it's no show lawn. I do try only to mow when it's dry. Originally the tractor had industrial tires and they were a little hard on the lawn. Much better now with turfs. When purchasing the decision was between a BX 2200 and this B7500. As I recall there wasn't that much difference in weight.

 

[RoyJackson]

I mow a one acre yard with a Deere 4400 (35 Engine, 30 PTO HP) and a 72" RFM since that's what I have. Frankly, it's bigger then I'd want to mow with, but mowing is just one of the chores I use it for and I really don't want another engine to deal with.

 

[MiserableOldFart]

I use a my NH TC26DA with R4's with a 60" Bush Hog RFM. When the ground is even slightly wet it will make a mess, and here, it's been more than slightly wet all this year. This same tractor, with a 60 or 72" rfm and turf tires might not be too bad. Certainly they use bigger equipment on golf courses, but I think a lot has to do with your soil structure and drainage. Any soft spots come out looking pretty beat up, and though the turf tires would probably help a lot, I still think a SCUT would be better and lighter, and probably a high quality lawn or garden tractor better still.

It's a big tradeoff when you want to mow with your all-purpose tractor. I would love to have a bigger, more powerful machine with a more powerful FEL for everything else, but I wouldn't dare go any bigger than this tractor on the lawn here, and it's far from a manicured thing..

 

[soulasphil]

I mow about 5 acres with a JD 3520 and a 60" mmm. I have ag tyres, but they do leave marks on the grass and if mowing is your main activity with the machine, you'd be better off with turf tyres. That size tractor is overkill if you just want to cut the grass even if they are still very easily driven among obstacles. On the other hand, they are fine for rototilling, FEL work, moving tree trunks and boulders ... So you have to think hard about your priorities.

 

[Piston]

So I guess it sounds like a SCUT would be the best option, since I'd still be planning on keeping the larger tractor (or upgrading that as well)

The idea of getting another tractor is a fun one to think about, and I think very realistic in the long run, or should I say, very long run :laughing:

Right now there is not a blade of grass on the land, it's still wooded and will be a long time before I'm mowing any lawn on the site, but it doesn't hurt to think ahead right? :thumbsup:

I'm liking the idea of a SCUT sized tractor better and better, I think it would be very handy for moving things like mulch and compost to the flower and veggie gardens and not making ruts in the yard. I also like how I'd be able to mow with it fairly well. Of course it wouldn't mow as good as a dedicated mower but then again I can't use a dedicated mower to move buckets of material around either.

Maybe I'll have to plan my walkways to be wide enough to fit the tractor on to make snow removal easier as well

 

[dodge man]

You see golf courses, schools, park districts mowing with really large tractors and huge finish mowers, 10 to 15' wide. I think they end up doing a good job, but its pretty specialized equipment and expensive.

I mow with a BX2350 with loaded tires. If I didn't do end loader work, it worked better without loaded tires. Zero turns have pretty large decks and work well also.

 

[JerryK]

I used to use a JD420 HST [ Onan 20hp ] with a 5' deck for about two acres. I am up in the woods now, and use a little $800 Lowes bought Bolens 38" OHV 13.5 hp 6spd on about an acre. The narrow deck works better with all the dips and valleys I have in my yard. It is light enough that I can sit on the uphill side of the seat and not tip over on the sidehills I have now. So, big is great is you are pretty flat with lots of room...but sometimes little works too. For flat arse mowing, it is hard to beat a good zero turn....

 

[Gittyup]

In order of preference (but little difference for mowing with the stated condtions): JD X700's, bota BXs, TYM T273 or T293, JD 1026, JD 2320, , biggest simplicities, smallest MFs and NHs. Even craftsman. All with the widest turfs available.

Kioti, BC, Mahindra, Branson: too heavy.

Smaller width decks give the best looking cut, unless ground is perfectly flat. Whether the deck is full floating or suspended also makes a difference.

From purely a cut quality, the old gravely 424 (40" deck) gave me a better cut than my JD 425 (54" deck) that replaced it. And the Gravely was only 10 unstoppable HP.

 

[art]

You asked for advice so I'll throw in my two cents! Let's start with the immediate request, small is often good with mowing but if you had a B3030 Kubota with a 72" deck and the manuverability would not be much dofference then a bx with a 60 and still far tighter then many makes garden tractor!
The 3030 also uses a easy dismount loader for ease and it also will take other front mount attachments like a snow blower!!!! As well as a broom!!!!
Well there is only one other thing to have year round versatility would be a cab, heat, air for comfort while taking care of the highest use or hours to be spent on a tractor. I'd be fine with this on your size property to also bush hog with a light 5' unit but hang on!!!

Your 410 is a good size machine and maye pefect right now with the work to do but maybe a difference in time for longeviety and a switch to a M-59 for that type work and you'd still have a larger tractor then the 4610 and be able to pull a 10' mower for quicker mowing!

So you should be buying two, and getting rid of two instead of going to three! You didn't give me quite enough information but I would believe that with the equipment you would have would give you a sizeable lawn and a 332-72 Z might be a good investment..