Mower recommendation?
- Thread starter Innovate1
- Start date
Firebrick43
Well-known member
Sorry, but craftsman and other box store mowers really don't hold up to mowing 3 acres. Many of my neighbors have tried saying they cant spend the kind of money they want for a good commercial ZT.
After a few years of constant repairs they are purchasing a commercial ZT. The decks and axle/drive trains just don't hold up.
Country clipper has a joystick to operate it. Best for flat yards with the joystick. Twin stick is also available. Nice mowers.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
I don't drink beer while doing anything except watching a little tv before bed. Won't even get on here and drink beer. Anything more than one and I am trashed because of its infrequency.
swampman
Active member
Whatever brand you decide on, make sure you get a commercial model. "Homeowner" models will not last long cutting as much grass as you have. I just replaced a 12yr old Husqvarna 61" 25HP with a Scag Tiger Cat 61" 31HP and it is a beast. Much more comfortable, more powerful, and faster. I would suggest getting the most HP that you can afford along with a good deck. Nothing worse than having to slow to a crawl to cut tall grass.
mattmountz94
Member
Scag Freedom Z 52". Use on my 3acres. Great high end residential/low end commercial mower. If your yard is hilly it holds awesome. If you bag I would step up to the Patriot so you can get a powered bagger. Or even better a Exmark Radius E. There bagger system is the best.
Pen & Wrench
Well-known member
I like front deck mowers better than ztrs, they have different weight distribution and you can turn without waiting for the momentum of the machine to start turning like you do with a ztr, to keep from spinning the tires. If you could find a new or a used Grasshopper, you can use it day after day and it just keeps going, like most commercial machines. I mow about 6.5 acres a week with my DT 725, 25 hp diesel front deck, bought it new in 2014, have about 800 hours on it, no break downs, replaced one set of belts, and it runs just as good as the day it was brand new. Picking up leaves, I fill the hopper, then back on the trailer and pull the lever, and it dumps, without me even getting up off the seat. I know there's lots of good mowers, but you would love a Grasshopper.
WhoWhatNow
Well-known member
Do you actually want to mow the lawn? Depending on what your landscaping looks like they may work pretty well. Given the size of you property you may need more than one, however.
jeremybarnes
Member
I have similar property -- 7 acres of grass, some of it on very steep hillsides. Didn't want a conventional front-caster-wheel ZT, so I bought the steering wheel Cub Cadet too. Mine's a 60" deck with the 25hp Kawasaki motor.
I can do all 7 acres -- nearly none of which is smooth -- in about 5 1/2 hours. It's a brilliant machine, I couldn't be happier. Little more than 100 hours on it in two seasons of mowing, and all I've done is change the oil and sharpen the blades.
RAS61
Well-known member
What is your budget? New is best if you want no hassles with repairs in a commercial machine, but they are pricey. A large walk behind is an option, and many can attach a sulky too if you don't want to walk. Exmark is top notch and used to even have a non-hydro model that saves some money
jives
Well-known member
There have been previous posts on this topic. Like 58Yeoman, I regret buying a z-turn (entry level commercial SnapperPro 125sxt). It is fast all right, cuts great, but the time savings do not outweigh the downsides. On soft ground they are terrible -- the caster wheels sink in and get stuck, the need to be perfect around the corners to avoid marring the grass, the two hands needed on the sticks. . .and more. On the other hand, my buddy has a z-turn and he does not have the same problems because his ground is not soft or wet like mine.
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Firebrick43
Well-known member
The problem with the 700 series is the crappy drives. Everything else is pretty good on the grasshoppers. Not a fan of the kabota diesel due to the noise but its a good engine still.
The 900 series is commercial grade but some serious coin.
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
Kawasaki is the "industry standard" !
rburke65
Well-known member
In 2016, I spent $13,773 on a commercial eXmark with the bagging system thinking this would be the last mower I buy for my property….2.5 - 3 acres of grass. That thing has been nothing but trouble.
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Firebrick43
Well-known member
Which model and what problems? As my exmark has been far more reliable that any other mower owned including the old cub cadets. Other than blades and spindles after many years (and rocks/cinder blocks) it has been flawless. Cant say that about my ferris but it hasn't had two many issues other than the crappy cut and hard to work on.
Badgerstate
Well-known member
I guess. Although I mowed that much grass every week for years with my cheap little Poulan (same thing as an old Sears Craftsman) lawn tractor and it never broke down.
I guess that I always felt that a commercial ZT is more of a luxury purchase. *shrug*
Firebrick43
Well-known member
There were some roper craftsman's "garden" tractors that were ok at one time. Those don't, and have not existed, for many years now.
Also, I don't know how smooth your lawn is? Most of the "yards" here are mainly rough farm lots. Deck shells and spindles on lighter mowers are just trashed. As are frames and the KT46 rear ends. Then the motors on those box store mowers are lucky to last 10-15 years on small suburban lots, but one makes it occasionally I guess?
Yankee2bbq
Well-known member
I suggest a Cub Cadet lawn tractor. This is my unit:
Bolson32
Well-known member
Meh, I mow around 90ish trees with my JD 1026R and I can do my 1.5 acres in about 75-80 minutes if I'm moving. All about finding the right paths.
I also love having a SCUT. It's not the best pure mower, but that thing is my right arm. Especially if you have a field without a ton of obstacles, that thing will mow circles around a residential zero-turn.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
I probably should have put in that its almost 7 acres.
If mowing only, zero turn is the ticket. I was using a 41hp tractor and a 72” finishing mower. Went to a 54” zero turn and it’s way faster. Cutting about 2 acres.
I looked at Gravely, Hustler, Husqvarna, Deere, Cub Cadet, Bad Boy, Toro, and Ariens brands zero turn mowers. I didn’t want the low level homeowner grade as I don’t think they typically last as long. A friend had a low end Husqvarn, and the stamped deck is shot at 164 hours. A new deck itself is $1800 since it’s a discontinued model.
One neighbor has a Gravely with high hours like 5,000 or 10,000 hours, something like that. I forget exactly, but has had it about 15 years. I will get the exact hours the next time I see him and post for future benefit of those researching. Another neighbor has a Hustler, has had it about 5 years. Neighbor on the other side has a higher end Husqvarna and has had it for about 10 years. I went with the Cub Cadet with a fabricated deck as it was more in what I was looking to spend. I think the Gravelys have always been well built professional grade machines, but I didn’t want to spend that much. I wanted to see how well the zero turn worked out first. My next one will be a 60” deck and maybe I will pony up for the Gravely. 15 years and 10,000 hours is hard to beat.
I looked at Gravely, Hustler, Husqvarna, Deere, Cub Cadet, Bad Boy, Toro, and Ariens brands zero turn mowers. I didn’t want the low level homeowner grade as I don’t think they typically last as long. A friend had a low end Husqvarn, and the stamped deck is shot at 164 hours. A new deck itself is $1800 since it’s a discontinued model.
One neighbor has a Gravely with high hours like 5,000 or 10,000 hours, something like that. I forget exactly, but has had it about 15 years. I will get the exact hours the next time I see him and post for future benefit of those researching. Another neighbor has a Hustler, has had it about 5 years. Neighbor on the other side has a higher end Husqvarna and has had it for about 10 years. I went with the Cub Cadet with a fabricated deck as it was more in what I was looking to spend. I think the Gravelys have always been well built professional grade machines, but I didn’t want to spend that much. I wanted to see how well the zero turn worked out first. My next one will be a 60” deck and maybe I will pony up for the Gravely. 15 years and 10,000 hours is hard to beat.
I bought a Bad Boy a few years ago - love it. Haven't had to do a thing to it other than oil changes.
Saved me about 35% on time mowing over the tractor style.
Does take a touch to not tear up things in the corners and it is a PITA to drink a beer but I have gotten so I can do it while I do the back. Between house and shop and the front yards have too much going on for drinking beer but that was true on the tractor as well.
Saved me about 35% on time mowing over the tractor style.
Does take a touch to not tear up things in the corners and it is a PITA to drink a beer but I have gotten so I can do it while I do the back. Between house and shop and the front yards have too much going on for drinking beer but that was true on the tractor as well.
Mikeske
Well-known member
Well I started off my trip finding the best machine for mowing my 5 acres and first bought the John Deere 2305 with the front end loader, backhoe and 62" mower deck. I wanted it to the entire yard of half my property and my other half of pasture. I quickly discovered with the weight that this machine is it got stuck easily when the ground was wet in the spring and fall. I had been smart enough to keep my older John Deere L120 and it did primary mowing in the spring and fall but the hours on a residential mower it finally gave out after 650 hours and about 13 years old.
I then replaced the L120 with a John Deere X590 as the primary mower in the spring and fall. I never been able to wrap my head or hands around a zero turn so I just stuck to using the garden tractor and the little larger compact utility tractor.
For sure it will blow the budget completely out of the water for the original person who started this thread. But with the two of us mowing the property plus the small area of the neighboring property it can be done in a little over 2 and half hours at full speed but I don't have a lot objects to mow around. Alone it takes a little over three hours on either machine for the entire 5 acres
I then replaced the L120 with a John Deere X590 as the primary mower in the spring and fall. I never been able to wrap my head or hands around a zero turn so I just stuck to using the garden tractor and the little larger compact utility tractor.
For sure it will blow the budget completely out of the water for the original person who started this thread. But with the two of us mowing the property plus the small area of the neighboring property it can be done in a little over 2 and half hours at full speed but I don't have a lot objects to mow around. Alone it takes a little over three hours on either machine for the entire 5 acres
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rburke65
Well-known member
Right out of the box, with 5 hrs. on it I threw a belt. The triangle shaped tensioner on top of the mower deck broke. They, supposedly, replaced the entire deck. With 5 hours on it, it looked brand new. Blew an oil pan gasket…300 odd hours on it. Around 450 hours its now the starter and, along with that, often when you turn the key….NOTHING. I’m ready to set a match to it.
dfiler2
Well-known member
3 acres does not require a commercial mower. Commercial mowers like Altoz, Ferris or Exmark are made to mow 75 -100 acres a week. They mow all day every day. There are lots of decent homeowner mowers out there, none are sold by big box stores. Bad Boy, Hustler, Husqvarna and a few dozen others will do a great job for you. I would not even consider anything except a zero turn unless like mentioned above you are in really wet conditions, then you need an Altoz on tracks
IMO what you need to find is a really good local dealer, what ever he sells will be a good choice. Even if you find the best dealer in the area and buy a used unit that they service.
I worked for a commercial mower manufacturer for 27 years and the Exmark story above does not make sense to me, not just anyone can become a dealer for them, you have to prove that you have impeccable service and can make all of your customers happy. I'm surprised to hear your story. Exmark is not who I worked for but I am very familiar with them.
IMO what you need to find is a really good local dealer, what ever he sells will be a good choice. Even if you find the best dealer in the area and buy a used unit that they service.I worked for a commercial mower manufacturer for 27 years and the Exmark story above does not make sense to me, not just anyone can become a dealer for them, you have to prove that you have impeccable service and can make all of your customers happy. I'm surprised to hear your story. Exmark is not who I worked for but I am very familiar with them.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
You must have gotten a mower built by the new guy, that was and idiot and on friday afternoon.
ScottsGT
Well-known member
Hopefully this spring I’ll have a new Hustler Raptor XD 48”. No inventory at my dealer and waiting on an estate settlement that should have closed by now.
lazyriverrat
Well-known member
Used a John Deere Z445 54" for the past ten years on my 3 acres. Considering a Scag when I trade. JD has been good to me but it seems like I pay a premium for parts. On the other hand the dealer is only 10 miles, where as the Scag dealer is an hour. Next mower will have a bagger so that may be the deciding factor.