Mower recommendations

[469 runner]

I have just purchased a new property. I have approximately 3 acres to mow now. I am in need of either a riding mower or a zero turn mower. The previous owners of the property were using a Bush Hog brand zero turn mower. I find prices on those quite high, I am also looking at Gravely. Others are telling me a yard tractor/riding mower to be more useful. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Stevenn1]

A John Deere rider.

 

[Skin]

You need a budget and what capabilities (if any) you expect beyond cutting grass.

 

[Trey T]

For a 60"+ width cut, which I recommend, you gotta get a zero turn mower. I've seen my subs use a tractor w/ a 60" brush hog attachment and they can knock out an actual 3acre land in about 30min.

I have a 1/8acre grass area to mow at home and I only spend 15-min total and additional 45min to blow and clean stuff up. If I have to cut that much of grass, I don't even want to spend anymore than 30min mowing- that's too long, IMO, unless you enjoy mowing grass.

 

[jd_1138]

For a 60"+ width cut, which I recommend, you gotta get a zero turn mower. I've seen my subs use a tractor w/ a 60" brush hog attachment and they can knock out an actual 3acre land in about 30min.

I have a 1/8acre grass area to mow at home and I only spend 15-min total and additional 45min to blow and clean stuff up. If I have to cut that much of grass, I don't even want to spend anymore than 30min mowing- that's too long, IMO, unless you enjoy mowing grass.

I enjoy it myself. Not that I have much of a lawn here (I use a Toro Recycler non-riding mower).

But MIL has about 3 acres. They did have a zero turn but it beat her back up, so she bought a Cub Cadet riding mower with a Kawasaki engine. It's got a cupholder for a beer. It's a nice funtime to mow with it. Nice to sort of be out in mother nature. And I get to maintain the Cub Cadet. I baby it with synthetic oil. I built her a neat little trailer so she can haul materials and stuff around her property.

Zero turns cost a lot more and are not as fun/leisurely to use. But they are faster. It depends on your priorities.

 

[MattN03]

It'll take a while to mow 3 acres with a garden tractor because they are relatively slow and not as maneuverable as a zero-turn. I had Toro MX5060 (50" welded deck) and it was a good little mower for our 2 acre yard. I then started mowing some on the side, and bought a Toro Z-Master 3000 commercial mower. It was twice the price, but it'll mow twice as much and will take the abuse. Decide what all you want to do and your budget.

 

[kwschumm]

I've had a Kubota 42" zero turn and am really pleased with it. They are available up to 60", which for three acres you would want. Really can't go wrong with Kubota. However, if your three acres is not smoothly graded you would want something with a suspension. I have five acres and use a JD tractor with 60" brush hog for the rough field and the Kubota zero turn just for one acre of finished lawn.

 

[Trey T]

Isn't Kubota like the cream of the crop outdoor equipment and expensive as hell? lol

 

[Todd.Brock]

Kubota ain't cheap. None of them are cheap. I have a 48 Kubota Kommander series. It's considered a HD residential. It has a Hydrogear transaxle vs individual wheel motors, does not have a full commercial grade engine, etc. Mine fit the need. Well, want . 4 yr / 300 hour warranty. It may not be the best in all categories, of deck gauge, frame gauge, but none of them are. Each one is a little different. I went with one that had a Hydrogear 3100 transaxle and a beefy frame. The cutting deck is 10ga instead of 7 ga. The frame might be 1.5x3" box tubing vs. 2x3 for a raptor. I liked the dealer , it was close by, zero percent financing if you need it, etc. My wife liked it b/c it has a seatbelt and a ROPS. It also had a suspension seat and some headlights if you need to cut in the dark

 

[kd3pc]

budget and your time will be the deciding factors.

There is a current thread about ZTr and the "ride" they don't provide. There are pros and cons to all models. Since you like Gravely, and I do - love the "old" stuff where you could walk behind a 4' mower deck, and then swap noses to tiller and so on. They are quite pricey, and are not the same build quality they once were.

I have an X300 (JD) and it cuts very well, but is only a 38" deck and is very slow compared to the ExMark diesel I have. Two different machines, each does something well and do the rest - OK.

Budget...the X300 current model is in the $2500-3000 range, and another $400 for a bagger. ExMark is likely over $15k diesel and almost half that for gas. Toro makes one similar to the gas ExMark, but is not the quality of the older Exmark - especially the frame and mower deck.

 

[kwschumm]

Isn't Kubota like the cream of the crop outdoor equipment and expensive as hell? lol

I dunno, the 42" Kubota Kommander Z122 was $3899 on sale. It's probably considered a medium-high end residential mower. It's plenty rugged for that purpose. Commercial machines are a lot more expensive.

 

[Parrothead]

There are a lot of variables here...what is the condition of the 3 acres? Manicured lawn or 50/50 grass and weeds? I have a little Simplicity ZT1438 I bought used and love it, but in my case it's overkill for my lawn which is about 1/4 acre, though wooded. But... it fits through a fence gatevthough. My FIL has a Grasshopper for his large lawn on the farm, and that thing is fast, and comfortable. His lawn is in good condition though. More details please.

 

[469 runner]

Thanks for all the feedback. I don't need get over the area too quickly. Also, I could probably spend up to 4K on this. The yard is in pretty good shape meaning it is evenly contoured, but does have some gentle slopes.

 

[Larryjones]

Farmall A with a belly mower. Enjoy life.

 

[LB-1911]

Thanks for all the feedback. I don't need get over the area too quickly. Also, I could probably spend up to 4K on this. The yard is in pretty good shape meaning it is evenly contoured, but does have some gentle slopes.

Larry is on it.

Farmall A with a belly mower. Enjoy life.

Is there a driveway to maintain?

W/ three acres you may what the ability to drag a small trailer around for various tasks too.

 

[drink]

I have just purchased a new property. I have approximately 3 acres to mow now. I am in need of either a riding mower or a zero turn mower. The previous owners of the property were using a Bush Hog brand zero turn mower. I find prices on those quite high, I am also looking at Gravely. Others are telling me a yard tractor/riding mower to be more useful. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

A few years ago I spoke with a guy that owned a mower shop. He said, "don't waste your money on a cheap riding mower, and spend more on a model that will perform better." After I spoke with him I went and looked at some of the cheaper riding mowers anyway. A lot of the cheaper mowers had plastic parts and a lot of negative customer reviews. The cheaper mowers had plastic Bendix gears in the starters, plastic transaxles, plastic engine parts, plastic pulleys, etc. Some models in the past were designed for flat lots and some were designed for hilly lots. Others would pull a trailer and other attachments. I would write down model numbers on tractors and their engines. Then ask the mfg's which of them are built to last.

A 3 acre yard is a lot of mowing and I would recommend finding something built to last and capable of mowing it quickly. Be sure to get something capable of pulling attachments. Look up the cost of replacement parts and servicing things like the transaxles. Some transaxles require fluid and filter changes more often than others. Then you will have more time to do what you want.

 

[drink]

Something else I thought of was having a tractor that can help to dig out of snow storms with a plow or snow thrower.

That way you can mow the yard, pull stuff to maintain the place and dig out with one machine.

 

[Jackfre]

With 3 acres, what are your other needs? I have only 1.5 acres and mow probably 1+. I have a Kubota BX2660 with the 60" Mid-mount mower. With that I have the front end loader, box scrapper, root-tiller, etc. I could not take care of this place without the tractor and the MMM does an excellent job with a nice finish and it is surprisingly maneuverable. Certainly not a ZT, but gets around really well and handles grades very well. I love the damned thing. 9 yrs and zero problems, well except for an occasional operator induced issue�� JohnnDeere make their own bigger tractors but their sub-compacts are Yanmars.
So, what besides mowing do you need to do?

 

[356Guy]

I have just purchased a new property. I have approximately 3 acres to mow now. I am in need of either a riding mower or a zero turn mower. The previous owners of the property were using a Bush Hog brand zero turn mower. I find prices on those quite high, I am also looking at Gravely. Others are telling me a yard tractor/riding mower to be more useful. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I have 5 acres, mostly field that I drag a 60" rotary cutter around with my John Deere 2520, but for the bluegrass areas I have a John Deere X324. It's a good compromise between a lawn tractor and a zero turn as it has 4wheel steering for maneuvering, but can also handle my 48" snow blower attachment, de-thatcher, aerator, and small trailer. I had a ZTR, but just find the lawn tractor is more versatile.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[firebox40dash5]

My advice is for 3 acres, go pro with whatever you buy... buying cheap will cost you.

I'd say if you want some kind of tractor, it's almost impossible to justify a separate mower. You'd keep hours off the tractor, but it wouldn't make enough difference to justify it. I'd definitely chew that over before committing to a mower. I don't like mowing anything but open field with a tractor, but a mower makes an even worse tiller, snowblower, or loader when you need one.

If you don't want a real tractor, IMO anything but a ZTR, stander, or walk-behind is just silliness in almost every case. If it ain't got a 3-point and PTO there's next to nothing a tractor-shaped mower does that another mower can't, and it's nowhere near as good at... mowing. I was mowing with a 54" 4WS Kubota diesel hydro, and my Exmark walk-behind does a much better job in damn near half the time. Faster enough that I can mow my acre after getting home from work at 6:something except at the very end of the season, and free up my weekend.

If you don't have any steep slopes, check CL for an Exmark Vantage, Toro Grandstand, or Scag V-ride. All built like a masonry outhouse, but not very popular outside of the pros... I've seen some low-hour ones dumped relatively cheap by guys whose employees didn't end up liking them. Personally I like standing (admittedly I do it for <2 hours, not all day) better than sitting on a ZTR, and you can get in tighter/farther under trees. I got a 2-caster sulky for my mower to turn it into a kinda-sorta stander tjat can still do steep spots.

 

[hangfirew8]

Pay attention to the top speed of whatever you buy.

A faster large lawn tractor gives nothing up to zero turns, and are more versatile for towing a trailer, pushing a snowblower, etc. If all you need is mowing the zero turn is fine, especially if you have lots of trees, shrubs and gardens to maneuver around.

 

[matt_m]

deleted

 

[bobcatdan]

Simplicty. Little muddy after mowing the ditch.

 

[JoJoSnap]

I have two acres here surrounding by 3500 sq ft house, use good out of my craftsman i bought from year 2001. It has 25 hp, twin blade size 42 inches. Still holding up great. I usually spend 1 hour mowing.


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[Tummler]

I came charging in here to recommend a Honda HRX push mower, but I see one of those would fall a little short of your needs unless you want a good weekly workout.

I am a big believer in identifying the universe of acceptable brands (not necessarily the best) and then choosing a dealer rather than a particular brand. This is especially important for us lowly non-commerical consumers. Some dealers are perfectly happy to get all the business they can regardless of the status of the customer, while others are borderline indignant with non-commercial customers who would dare to darken their doorstep. If you happen to end up buying from a dealer that falls in the latter category, you could easily face a 1+ month wait for service if you happen to experience a breakdown during the height of grass cutting season. Obviously, this would be a huge pain the rear.

 

[matt_m]

deleted

 

[Mr. Tool]

Yea, that does look like a real "tuff" zero-turn mower and your correct "none of these types of zero-turn mowers are cheap".

Kubota ain't cheap. None of them are cheap. I have a 48 Kubota Kommander series. It also had a suspension seat and some headlights if you need to cut in the dark

 

[Mr. Tool]

Definitely not an expert on mowers, live on a little over 1 acre of land and the time came for me to replace my old 1995 Montgomery Wards Yardman 42" deck riding mower. After reading, searching and looking at many different brand of Zero Turn mowers, my choices came down to just two brands of Z-turn mowers.

It was either a Hustler or Gravely and well the decision I went with was with the Hustler Raptor Flip-Up Zero-Turn. Paid a little over $5K for it last August and very happy with it ever since. Has LED front lights as well for late evening cutting, 54" cutting deck and other detailed options.

Three main reasons for going with the Hustler Raptor was...1.) it offered the deck flip up feature which makes life so much easier for cleaning under the deck and replacing blades....and 2.) It was "free delivery" to my house along with a military discount!...and last...3.) It was made here in the U.S.A.!



https://www.hustlerturf.com/products/raptor-flip-up

 

[Moose364]

You don't say if your in town or out in the country is your land just 3 AC of grass or there tree's, do you plan on a garden, I have 5 ac and have a Tractor with a front end loader and a little snapper rear engine rider that I mow around the house and flower beds and the tree's in the front yard. then it's the tractor and frail mower, I also have a rock rake and tiller attachment for the garden, but I use the tractor for everything. from hauling off tree limbs to moving heavy things to hauling out the trash cans to the road on trash day. but if all you do is mow grass then a zero turn maybe what you need, I just think for the price of a 60" your getting close to tractor price, my tractor is a Mahindra and its 6 years old with not one problem to date..knock on wood.

 

[Todd.Brock]

Mr. Tool- That's a nice machine. I like the flip up deck! I couldn't find a hustler dealer near me that had many in stock, or wanted to actually sell a mower. Lowe's had one on clearance that I guess was a special order return, but it was a 60". My yard is tight so I wanted the 48". Kubota is made in GA and the dealer delivered it as well. I made it clear up front they were bringing it to me. He was cool with that. Again, nice mower!!

 

[Empty Pockets]

I have 25 acres, and use a 29 horse New Holland tractor with a 60 inch brush hog.

 

[bpjr]

I don't think you are going to find a new commercial mower of any size for $4k. I've had good luck with my home depot Scotts by John Deere 42" riding mower. Mowed 1.5 acres for 17 yrs before dropping a valve into the piston (likely a hot spot from grass plugged cooling shrouds - I couldn't see it until taking the engine apart but lesson learned to remove and clean under lower shrouds every year or two) at a calculated 500+ hrs. A like new plug and play engine off craigs list cost me $125 and took me a day to swap. Other than that I've only replaced belts, tires and front wheel bushings, changed the oil and kept everything greased. Here in Florida we mow a minimium of 35 cuts a year, plus hauling wood and other stuff in a cart. Figure you would get half that life with like mower for 3 acres. A 54" with equally large engine would be around $3k in today's prices. Maybe Poulan Pro, Sears or Husky.

 

[firebox40dash5]

I don't think you are going to find a new commercial mower of any size for $4k.

Hell no you won't find a NEW one for that... who needs a new pro mower when you're mowing 3 acres a week? It'll go 2-3000 hours if you take care of it, that's 25+ years if you spend 2 hours and mow 40x a year (which wouldn't happen in NoVA).

If one were really stuck on a ZTR even a good used one would be pushing it for that little. There's a 52" Toro Grandstand claiming to only have 180 hours on it on CL for $4200. If you wanna spend $3-400 for an awesome sulky, big walk-behinds go for <$3k all day long.

edit: There's a 52" Lazer Z with ~1k hours on it on Lawnsite for $3500, in the York, PA area. Seems a shame to only get a 52" rider if it's a wide-open 3 acres, but the price is pretty good.

 

[jd_1138]

Maybe an older Ford, Deere, etc. tractor with a tow behind mower? I saw one go for like $3k at an equipment auction. It was a Ford -- not sure of the model, but it was definitely larger and built better than the ones at HD/Lowe's. And it came with a loader and the mower. Use that for 90% of the property and then use a mower for the yard.

 

[slip knot]

I mow two acres now with a 46in rider. My next cutter will be a zero turn. Probably a Hustler because the dealers a pretty easy going guy. The zero turn will out mow a rider any day. We use Scags at work and they will mow as fast as you can stand to run them and make a really nice cut if the blades are sharp.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Lots of great ideas. I check out Cranky Ape from time to time. They always have a wack of mowers/tractors for sale. Would this be a good place pick out a used unit. I have bid on some PWCs and quads from time to time. But I like many of you have the costs in pickup or delivery adding up. Much less the exchange rates of late.if dealing with them make sure you are aware of the additional fees incurred after the auction hammer drops.

 

[Trey T]

Kubota ain't cheap. None of them are cheap. I have a 48 Kubota Kommander series. It's considered a HD residential. It has a Hydrogear transaxle vs individual wheel motors, does not have a full commercial grade engine, etc. Mine fit the need. Well, want . 4 yr / 300 hour warranty. It may not be the best in all categories, of deck gauge, frame gauge, but none of them are. Each one is a little different. I went with one that had a Hydrogear 3100 transaxle and a beefy frame. The cutting deck is 10ga instead of 7 ga. The frame might be 1.5x3" box tubing vs. 2x3 for a raptor. I liked the dealer , it was close by, zero percent financing if you need it, etc. My wife liked it b/c it has a seatbelt and a ROPS. It also had a suspension seat and some headlights if you need to cut in the dark

Very cool machine. Does Kubota make their own stuff from the ground up like JD?

 

[bpjr]

Hell no you won't find a NEW one for that... who needs a new pro mower when you're mowing 3 acres a week? It'll go 2-3000 hours if you take care of it, that's 25+ years if you spend 2 hours and mow 40x a year (which wouldn't happen in NoVA).

If one were really stuck on a ZTR even a good used one would be pushing it for that little. There's a 52" Toro Grandstand claiming to only have 180 hours on it on CL for $4200. If you wanna spend $3-400 for an awesome sulky, big walk-behinds go for <$3k all day long.

edit: There's a 52" Lazer Z with ~1k hours on it on Lawnsite for $3500, in the York, PA area. Seems a shame to only get a 52" rider if it's a wide-open 3 acres, but the price is pretty good.

Yep, for 3 acres of flatland I'd probably go with a new ztr and get a Toro Timecutter or JD. Both mfgs have 54" that cost between $3-$4k. JD has a 60 something for a tad over $4k. The only problem I have with JD where I live is only shops that sell JD will deal with them...non JD shops won't even talk about JD. Anyting JD for me means driving 40 miles to a dealer or ordering online. On the flip side everyone works on and sells parts for Toro here.

 

[PelicanPines]

Thanks for all the feedback. I don't need get over the area too quickly. Also, I could probably spend up to 4K on this. The yard is in pretty good shape meaning it is evenly contoured, but does have some gentle slopes.

I'm having issues finding a Tractor as well... My budget is $3000 FIRM... can't go over $1.

I had a Cub Cadet 46" XT2 Fab deck all picked out but Cub Cadet refused to order it for me thru Tractor Supply... said I have to travel 30 miles out of my way to a car dealer to buy it. They said they will call me back to work things out... but nothing... nobody has called. Cub Cadet doesn't care about their customers or should I say... WANNA BE Customers.

So now I'm looking at the 300 series John Deere... but I need to come up with a few extra dollars.

Not sure which direction i'm going in now...

 

[mmelton005]

Very cool machine. Does Kubota make their own stuff from the ground up like JD?

I've got the same mower and love it. I've put almost 130 hours on it in 2 seasons. Made a DIY stripe kit and does amazing. I took the ROP off because my land is very flat with no hills. I have a little over an acre. Plus this Kubota had a longer warranty (5 years) compared to toro, scag, exmark. I financed through Sheffield and my payment is right at $80.

Just took this yesterday. (excuse the landscaping i'm in the process of a redo)