Need new mower for 3 acres

[Dave in Mass]

So, I had myself convinced I was going to go ZT when my current lawn tractor gives up the ghost.

Only about an acre but I have many obstacles (10 trees, 2 sheds, my deck etc...) to go around and a smallish would be ideal for me.

But am I right in the understanding that you cannot two with them? Do they even give you a place to hook up? I have a spreader and small de-thatcher (No concern there), an aerator with three cinder blocks Mild concern) and a Cyclone Rake which gets pretty heavy when full .

So can you drag these type of things behind you with a smallish ZT?

 

[scooterbum46]

I bought a Scag Tiger Cub in '05 to replace my '74 (IHC not MTD built) Cub Cadet 129. Main reason was the amount of obstacles to mow around and my elbows getting tired of all the tight turns.

I looked at what the commercial guys were using, mostly Scag or Exmark in our area. I spent more buying commercial, but wanted something built like the 129 with the reasoning it'd last longer. 15 years later, I've put one belt and a relay on it, had to take the starter off to clean the dried grease out of it and done normal maintenance, greasing the zerks and changing the oil and filters.

Dave in Mass - I had to fab my own hitch, but I pull a 4 x 7 foot yard trailer around all the time, with heavy loads (firewood until I quit heating with wood). You can't beat it for backing into tight spaces.

 

[58Yeoman]

Our Toro 42" timecutter came with a hitch. My wife pulls the lawn sweeper all the time.

 

[Turfbassert]

There was a nice toro GM on Craigslist in the Indianapolis area not more than a few days ago. I think it was 72”. It caught my eye bc I used one many years ago on a golf course.

 

[ford33]

Replace the grass with perennial plants and stone features. For what you pay for a mower you can hire a landscaper to create a low maintenance yard. It will add value to your property. I see grass as high maintenance, high cost and low value.

 

[346ci]

Exmark laser Z with the 60" deck and big kawasaki. This will be $12k+ and worth every penny.

 

[oilfieldtrash4]

Replace the grass with perennial plants and stone features. For what you pay for a mower you can hire a landscaper to create a low maintenance yard. It will add value to your property. I see grass as high maintenance, high cost and low value.

Guy has 3 acres of land. At best he could do an eighth of an acre with what you described. Still leaves him 97% of his grass left. Works fine when you live in the city but who wants that?

 

[rburke65]

I’ve had a Ford rider, a 4wd Kubota with a Woods rear mower, a JDeere belly mower....from HD...and I finally bought an eXmark commercial mower. Not inexpensive but cut my mow time from 3 hrs. to 90 minutes. Love it...

 

[Bert_]

Guy has 3 acres of land. At best he could do an eighth of an acre with what you described. Still leaves him 97% of his grass left. Works fine when you live in the city but who wants that?

Big fancy mower, gas to run it, maintenance, not to mention your time all costs money.

Mow what you want and just cut and bale the rest a couple times a year. Nobody has a use for 3 acres of lawn.

2 of my lots get cut and baled. It actually makes a little money I can pay the taxes with it.

 

[blackdart66]

I have mowed with a deere zero turn for years.......it will do hills and ditches with some care. But, if you continually use the same pattern to mow. And you are on a hill. Say blowing the clippings back in to your yard instead of the street. Or mowing a pond bank and not blowing the clippings in the pond. Or getting close to the side walk and making a turn. The zero turn will tear up the grass and leave you a strip of no grass where ever that downhill drive tire is. It will also tear up grass if you aren't careful making a right or left 90 degree turn. Where ever that drive wheels stops for the machine to pivot it will tear out the grass over multiple mowings.

 

[Pen & Wrench]

I am a fan of front deck mowers. I run a Grasshopper 725, with a 52 inch deck. It will swing a 61 or a 72, but 52 works for what I use it for. It mows twice as fast as my John Deere F525 front deck used to mow, and the John Deere was a fantastic mower. I can put other attachments on the Grasshopper, even though I haven't so far. If you get a decent ztr or front deck, it will save you a lot of time.

 

[Monza Harry]

Buy commercial if you can afford to. A residential one one may leave you wanting. I would caution you that if you have any steep hills reconsider the zero turn. They lack traction on steep hills.

I used to operate a Toro Groundsmaster .72 in. liked the rear steer.
Power was there too. 3acres would be a breeze.
Just if it was my money I would buy comparable yellow machine .
For starters the transpedal has a toe kick for reverse which is nice my ankles dont bend backwards. Test drive them . PTO power to the deck is nice too.

I bought a small lawn-care business one summer (2000/2001) when the trade went slow, Came with two 72" Toro Groundsmaster 1 good(ish) but well used and a parts unit 1 year apart [(1980 and a 1981) and virtually nothing ended up swapping over] That thing flat out cut grass!! It would out cut both the Deere 316 [48"] (mid 90's machine) I added and the Kawi powered JD 48" walk behind(1998? IIRC) with the Velke Wheel with out a problem (two against one), about 25 Km/Hr. top speed 36 HP (Continental 839 cc) it could make it snow green. The (3) 24" blades would cut the tallest weeds in 1 pass, the deck had an offset with the left most blade set out and back that allowed you to cut around small trees without maneuvering just steer [the set back made it very close to the axle centerline] The Toro used a rocker pedal for the Hydrostatic drive, very intuitive and easy to use. The Deere walk behind used a single hydro unit and the brakes to steer, killed my hands to use for more than about an hour, but the Kawi was GREAT (18 HP? IIRC) I doubt you would be disappointed with a Kawasaki from my experience. That 316 was the single most overrated piece of $#!+ that I have ever owned, the Onan didn't have an oil filter (Kawi did) would **** the grass clippings into/through the engine and "Pack" the starter full until it would stay engaged, I would then have to remove 1/2 the body work to pull the engine to deal with the starter twice a season. Nothing runs like a Three Legged Deere. I tried a Zero Steer to replace the agged fleet and the newer less than ideally suited equipment, but the finances just wasn't there then. I considered the 316 a Semi commercial unit but the other two were full on Commercial units. Commercial mowers have a higher allowed blade speed than consumer units here in Canada then, and this will matter when cutting. That will make a significantly faster cut with better looking results. I was cutting about 25 to 35 Hrs per week weather dependant of course. Somewhat dated info here but it may help you with some back ground on these machines if the right used one came by you. Also out front mowers don't require looking beside or backwards to watch the deck on your edge cuts, much more natural than a belly or outback mowers, [tow behinds for ATV/UTV's or 3 Pt. tractors. Just sharing my experiences, Harry

 

[Baydog]

You may want to consider a mower with the decks out front instead of underneath. They are great for getting under low hanging branches and it's a lot easier to see what you doing when trimming. Once I went to one of these with just a single wheel in the rear I retired the push mower. A little light weed eater is all that is ever needed for trimming, and the wife has the yard filled with every tree, bush and flower bed possible. Since then it's only been three wheel units with front decks, which are the most maneuverable. You do have to watch the tail swing though, it doesn't take the same path as the front so it takes getting used to.

I've had two of these in 36 years. Both were used commercial mowers. The first was an old Yazoo, all mechanical. The landscaper was moving to hydo's and I got a running unit, a parts unit and a few crates of used parts for like $100. Lasted me about 15 years.

Next was a Ransomes Bobcat all hydro with 1800 hours on it that a landscaper traded in. It's a collection unit like a Walker. I take the door off the hopper for the summer and just put it back on for fall leaves. Its' what I'm using now.

I like playing with the old stuff and keeping it running. Gives me more excuse to be out in the shop! But I would not recommend real old used commercial stuff if you don't want to service it yourself. Eventually I'll give up the current one when parts I can't make myself get too hard to find. So far so good. This old stuff is built like tanks.

 

[oldmxracer]

I have posted before on zero turn mowers. Our motocross club bought a Gravely zt hd 60 it a Kohler motor, damn thing was a great price it gets used HARD and put away wet, cuts at times what NO zero turn was ever designed to do ! We have not broke the damn thing yet !

 

[rhythim]

I'm clearly in the minority here, but I bought a Spartan SRT-HD 61" to cut my 5.5 acres a year or so ago and it's been flawless. The big block Vanguard and fully-serviceable Parker hydros are no joke. Was hard to argue with bang for the buck, and it takes under 2 hours to cut the yard.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[Parrothead]

I am a fan of front deck mowers. I run a Grasshopper 725, with a 52 inch deck. It will swing a 61 or a 72, but 52 works for what I use it for. It mows twice as fast as my John Deere F525 front deck used to mow, and the John Deere was a fantastic mower. I can put other attachments on the Grasshopper, even though I haven't so far. If you get a decent ztr or front deck, it will save you a lot of time.

My father in law has a Grasshopper too, maybe even the 725. It’s fast and mows fantastically. Highly recommended.

 

[andyvh1959]

I'm of the "prairie grass" team. Prairie grass, and prairie flowers offer nectar for bees and more of a visual break when viewed from the road. I see lots of huge country properties with acres of grass to mow weekly. Probably twice a week for some. I'd go for a much smaller grass area around the house that can be easily mowed with a ZTR in less than two hours per week.

To me a yard that requires more than two hours maintenance per week is a job, not even a hobby yard. I prefer to do much more interesting things than mowing a yard hours upon hours per week. All that said, my next mower for my not quite 1/2 acre city lot (with lots of trees) will definitely be a smaller (42") ZTR. My manual four wheel steer lawn tractor doesn't do it for me anymore. Plus the front tires scrub too much during tight turns that they tear up the grass.

 

[BB Sig]

Nobody has a use for 3 acres of lawn.

I've got two large dogs and 5 boys. I have 3 acres and wouldn't change a thing! We basically live outside with ziplines, forts, gocart and bikes.

I need the mowed grass...

 

[kj_mustang]

Goats, sheep, anything other than me sitting on a mower to cut that much grass.

 

[Bent Handle]

5 boys, who cares how long it takes them to mow the lawn

 

[Bent Handle]

As far as mowers go, there’s a reason lawn care companies all use the same style ztr mower. They are the fastest way to get grass mowed in a professional way. 60” would be the sweet spot for 3 acres as long as narrow gates and the turf isn’t broken into small patches. Most larger shops around me have demo units, you could always call around. I mow 5 acres of turf on my personal property with a 54” stander ztr and takes me a 2-3 hrs depending on conditions.

 

[Slednut]

If I had that much to mow and didn't have too many obstacles I'd get a gang mower and pull it with a 4-wheeler. 136 inch cut, will cut up to 3 inches high.

 

[shorin]

I have a Bad Boy MZ Magnum 54" with the Kawasaki engine. I'm mowing ~3 acres in 2.5 hours. Can't handle very tall grass at much speed and I've had to spend a lot of time fixing the deck and spindles over the last 2 years (worst time it ripped a spindle completely out when I hit a rock - left a 4" hole in the deck).

I'm shopping for a new mower too, and will probably end up with a 61" Spartan. A friend bought one last year and it is a beast. Saw him cut a field with 40" grass without slowing down...

 

[haha]

I have just south of 2 acres with 30 mature trees. 60" ex mark takes an 1hr 20 min to mow. wish I had 72"

 

[agoins]

I just bought a house with about 3.5-4 acres to mow. I ended up buying a Scag Cheetah with the the 31HP Kawasaki and a 61" cut. It set me back 10K. I figure its worth the investment, it will probably be the last mower I buy for a LONG time. It took me a little over an hour and a half to do the riding mowing part of my yard. That was including a bit on my neighbors yard and being my first time mowing my yard. I cant imagine how long it would have taken me if I was using my tractor and finish mower!

 

[tulenutn2o]

I have 2 grasshopper 725Dt6 mowers, both with 61” decks, one with power vac. Also have a kubota 21 hp diesel with 54” deck. We mow 6 acres and a couple residential lots in town. Diesel uses half the fuel and the mowers cut mowing time easily in half. 500 hrs on 1 gh, 350 on the other, and 350 on the kubota. I will never go back to gas mowing again.

 

[mrobins297aaa]

I'm mowing 6 acres with my Kubota BX with a 60" belly mower, takes me about 4 1/2 hours. I don't have to many trees to go around maybe 10 or 12, nothing that I have to go back and forth around. I spray all the vegetation around the tree's with grass killer so I don't have to get in close. (no trimming)

 

[MattT]

I'd go for a much smaller grass area around the house that can be easily mowed with a ZTR in less than two hours per week. /QUOTE]

3 acres can be easily mowed with pretty much any ZTR in 2 hours or less. I think these guys posting < 1 acre per hour times are making George Jones beer runs

 

[83VillageRepair]

I have 2 gravely zt hd 60 inch deck. My wife rides one and I ride the other. We have 8 acres and get it done in around 2 hours ish total. It's a low end commercial unit. I think new they are around $5k. They sell the same mower at Lowe's under the ariens brand. Ariens Apex mower. I think the warranty is a little less for the ariens. Looks exactly the same as my gravely. Just a different color. Good solid mower. One of these would handle 3 acres like a champ. 3 acres is low end commercial territory imo. Definitely don't need a $10k full commercial for that small of a yard.

I second the gravely ZT HD they have 48, 52, and 60inch. I opted for the air ride seat because zero turns ride really rough especially if you mow fast. I chose mine based on the local servicing dealer rather than having to deal with a big box store.
View media item 100664

 

[ixlr8]

I bought a used JD 727 54" Z-turn for half of what it cost new to mow my almost 2 acre property. I have had it for 7 years and all I have done is changed oil/filter, lubed chassis and changed/sharpened blades. I also pull a Cyclone Rake for picking up clippings and leaves. I have the second biggest one they make and I can tell when it is getting full as the steering controls get a bit mushy and not as responsive. Wife uses it to pull her garden cart. I'm 65 and I suspect it will be the last mower I will ever buy.

 

[Notgrownup]

So Fics, have you decided on anything yet?

 

[BD1]

Are you in snow country ??? Do you do lots of yard work ? Would you have use for a front loader ? I would suggest a 4 wheel drive subcompact with front loader. This is so handy for much more than just cutting grass. The 4 wheel drive is amazing in snow.
If you only need something for cutting grass , a zero turn is hard to beat.

 

[KEH]

I used a tractor with a 6 foot finish mower which worked fine. One of the reasons for buying a ZTR was that hooking up 3ph equipment is time consuming and tiresome. The ZTR is always ready to use, just crank up and go. It is also faster than the tractor and finish mower. I do miss nor being able to back under the edge of bushes.

KEH

 

[PhantomEB]

I wish I had your problem right now. 3 acres sure would keep me busy with yard work and tunes blasting on the back of a ZTR.

 

[yeldogt]

Guy has 3 acres of land. At best he could do an eighth of an acre with what you described. Still leaves him 97% of his grass left. Works fine when you live in the city but who wants that?

I modified my last large property (5 acres) to reduce the lawn and lower maintenance. It looked better .. it also made it easier on the bank account to pay someone to cut it.

Even when I had 1 acre it took too long to cut and maintain.

Fine to get out in the morning and work around the house. In the burbs I can do the lawn in 45min -- who wants to spend all day?

When gas hit $4 back in 11 .... people got creative. Most properties looked better.

 

[Apeatwo]

I just moved onto 5 acres and plan to put beds of wildflowers in to cover an acre of it. I'll still have plenty of room for additional landscape, garden, fruit trees and a go cart track too. I don't want 5 acres of groomed lawn but I'll still have it looking amazing.

 

[cashishift]

Having a dealer that services the unit close to you is pretty important.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

With 3 acres I'd definitely be looking at commercial mowers. And definitely get the largest deck you can. My father has almost 3.5 acres and is on his second mower in 8 years. Still didn't get a commercial unit.

We've had a 46" DR walk behind finish mower for nearly 20 years. same engine, same deck, a few spindle bearings/blade/belt replacements but it's been quite solid.

 

[Farmall450]

54" or 60" Cub Cadet Ultimata

That'll do the trick just fine with ample dealer support and reasonable MSRP.