Looking for a new mower for large properties

[puppypaws]

Originally Posted by mootpoint

Howdy,

I'm in the market for a new mower. The property is a residential approximately 10 acres in size. The terrain is hilly/sloping. My initial short list of mowers were the scag turf tiger (w/ big block or cat diesel), grasshopper 930d, kubota zd331, and john deere 997.

I'm not completely 100% on buying a diesel, but I want to consider all of my options. I'm basically looking for opinions and/or suggestions as to what might best suite my needs.

With all of that addressed - what size deck - 72 or 61?

I am also mowing 10 ac. on my personal property, but because of the excessive rain this year it is being mowed on a 5 day schedule if not too wet.

I run two Hustler Super Z mowers, one with a 66" deck, and one with a 72" deck. These mowers are very fast, and I am fortunate enough to have flat ground that is relatively smooth, this allows me to mow at 12 to 14 mph a large percentage of the time. This speed, and the faster maneuverability time allows me to cut much more grass than I could with a tractor and finishing mower. I at one time cut a large portion of the area with a 38 hp JD tractor and 8' Befco pull behind finish mower. Either of my Super Z mowers with the smaller deck will cut circles around the tractor and rear mounted finish mower.

I have also cut some of the large open areas with a 150 hp JD tractor while pulling a 15' rotary cutter, and I still like the Super Z mower better because of the maneuverability.

From your property description (hilly terrain), you cannot utilize the faster cutting speeds, therefore, I would recommend a 72" Scag TT with the most hp available. The Velocity Plus deck is a free flow design, meaning no matter what you attempt to cut; it will be done at a faster pace, and with very good results. Grasshopper also makes a very good mower, and I'm not saying a front mount may not be of your choosing, but the only way to know is demo on the property you intend for the mower to be used.

What suits one, will not always suit another, this is the reason for trying the different mowers yourself, and on your property. Then you will see the cut, and have a feel for each mower yourself. There are many good mowers on the market, you must demo and decide what you like best, not what a salesman tells you to like, or what anyone on this forum says. These are only suggestions, you are the one writing the check.

[ztman]

Originally Posted by mootpoint

Howdy,

I'm in the market for a new mower. The property is a residential approximately 10 acres in size. The terrain is hilly/sloping. My initial short list of mowers were the scag turf tiger (w/ big block or cat diesel), grasshopper 930d, kubota zd331, and john deere 997.

I'm not completely 100% on buying a diesel, but I want to consider all of my options. I'm basically looking for opinions and/or suggestions as to what might best suite my needs.

With all of that addressed - what size deck - 72 or 61?

All of the mowers you listed are good mowers. Your selection will be based on personal preference and comfort. I would add the scag cheetah to your list. In my opinion you cant beat the suspension platform. I mow 8 acres every four days. Had a jd and back was very stiff after mowing. Replaced the jd with the cheetah and no back issues. There are a number of engine options, I went with the 31 kawi becasue the 27 seemed to bog down going up hills while mowing.

[mootpoint]

It seems like the 35hp big block is a very popular engine choice for the turf tiger - is there a reason other than cost that the turf tiger w/ cat diesel engine doesn't generate more discussion, etc?

BTW I'm a big guy - 6'5", 280 lbs - so larger mowers fit better

[Ridin' Green]

I'm going to go against the common opion in this thread, and say get a smaller to mid sized CUT with a MMM. You can take it anywhere that any of the Z's mentioned will go, and they aren't that much slower. They will be worlds ahead on the hills you mow, and far better going downhill (when in 4WD you have 4 wheel braking), especially when wet. You can add implements of your choosing as you go along. Speed in cutting only matters when you can use it efficiently, and when you are doing this for your main living.

I own both a 60" Z, and a smaller CUT with a 60" MMM (and a lot of other attachments) so I have something to base my opinions off of.

[puppypaws]

Originally Posted by mootpoint

It seems like the 35hp big block is a very popular engine choice for the turf tiger - is there a reason other than cost that the turf tiger w/ cat diesel engine doesn't generate more discussion, etc?

BTW I'm a big guy - 6'5", 280 lbs - so larger mowers fit better

The 3 cylinder 28 hp Cat is a weak engine, I had two new mowers put side by side in big grass to see how they cut. One mower had the 28 Cat and the other had a big block 33 hp Generac. You could kill the 28 Cat stone cold dead in its tracks, and the mower powered by the Generac never slowed up. The grass was so large the mower with the Generac did not cut all that was standing, but it never slowed, whereas the 28 Cat struggle for every foot it cut, and still left standing grass. You had to keep the mower with the Cat slowed way down to hold the rpms on the 28 up high enough to get the grass blown away from the deck.

The 4 cylinder 35 hp Cat is an entirely different engine, much smoother, the 3 cylinder vibrates very badly, where the 4 cylinder is smooth with a power difference like night and day.

The torque specs on the 28 Cat is like that of a 25 hp engine, check the link below.

http://www.cat.com/cda/files/374307/7/LEHH6350.pdf

[KYMan]

First off, it's nice to see another KY guy on here. We have a lot alike. I own a 14 acre farm that I use 60" Tanks to mow with. however, I only keep about 3 acres mowed. The rest is grown up for a purpose...I use it to train my beagles for rabbit hunting. I bought a 2011 Kubota L3800 this spring for a decent price and added a LA524 loader immediately after buying. I don't know what your 10 acres is like,,,,,,,all turf, farm, mix, etc...but don't get a tractor without a loader!!! I have saved around $700 in the past 2 weeks alone doing grading work for the kids basketball pad and scraping up many buckets of dirt from the back of the farm to level everything out. Not to mention grading down my 1000 ft private road. They are great tool to have!!!

Since I have the tractor, I have also expanded into residential finish grading...have 2 jobs coming up in the next 2 weeks. As for buying one with a finish mower....meh...I could go that route but the ZTR is actually faster. I'm still gonna buy a bush hog for it to keep my farm in shape and also to do it commercially.....so a tractor does have dual purpose possibilites....if you have the means to haul it around. I need a 20ft 10k trailer. I'm still trying to decide on buying a flex mower for the local soccer parks and factories....made a thread abnout it and didn't get one single reply. Oh well.

Keep in mid though...having a tractor is just cool as hell. I needed fuel yesterday and instead of hopping in my car/truck with a gas can, I just drove my tractor down the road 3 miles to the station and refueled. It was a nice day out and a cool trip. Everyone waves at guys on tractors.

[KYMan]

Originally Posted by mootpoint

It seems like the 35hp big block is a very popular engine choice for the turf tiger - is there a reason other than cost that the turf tiger w/ cat diesel engine doesn't generate more discussion, etc?

BTW I'm a big guy - 6'5", 280 lbs - so larger mowers fit better

I'm no slouch at 6'2" 285 lbs. Sometimes I wonder if it's the weight of the machine or my ass that causes the tracks in yards lol

BTW: Walk-behinds with sulky's are out of our league...........trust me

[Ridin' Green]

Originally Posted by KYMan

Sometimes I wonder if it's the weight of the machine or my ass that causes the tracks in yards lol

Only when it's dragging at the end of a hard day