Need mower advice

Congratulations on the new property. My wife and I build a house a few years ago. I started out with a 3025e and 72” rear finish mower. For the first year I was happy with it, all wide open areas, zero trees and straight lines. Fast forward after multiple trees and flower beds, I’m waiting on a 2038r with a belly mower. But this is my primary mowing machine, and we all have different terrain and needs with our equipment. I would say if you have a lawn tractor to go around your house, and the rest of the property is wide open a rear finish mower or flail would be fine. If you have a lot of trees and landscaping the rear finish mower, can be a challenge, because it is difficult to get up close to the beds. So perhaps a commercial zero turn would be best. Good luck

Adding a mower deck to your tractor should be around $4k+. Some others will chime in with the actual cost I am sure.

With that said that money goes a long way toward a commercial zero turn. At one time I had my tractor similar to yours and a commercial zero turn and I considered it the best of both worlds.

However I sold the zero turn and bought a belly mower for my tractor. It does just fine for my 3+ acres of mowing. Sure, I miss having both but life has a way of getting in the way sometimes….

Tlyons83 said:

Forgot to mention, the 72”belly mower was 5,300$ option for the 2038r

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Well that’s even more money toward a commercial Z.

Take a look at Deere’s z9xx series. Or any other brand you may like.

NWPA Tim said:

get a seriously expensive commercial-grade zero-turn (don't think a residential model will do)

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Z915E - < $9,329.00 USD

I have a 3033R that came with a belly mower and about 3.5 acres of lawn to mow. I just sold the belly mower and now use my Gravely zero turn. The 72" belly mower did a fine job of mowing and was fairly fast but as I added trees, shrubs etc and upgraded the quality of my lawn the tractor was not the right machine.

The zero turn is way faster because it is so much more maneuverable and it doesn't tear up the lawn when I turn sharp corners. If I still had empty fields and a non irrigated rough lawn the tractor would be fine. Since I don't, I sold the mower deck and just use the zero turn. Way better, although I preferred to ride the tractor over the zero turn.

notwrkng said:

If I still had empty fields and a non irrigated rough lawn the tractor would be fine.

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This is something to consider as well.

If a good bit of the property is more of a field as in rough, the tractor with a rear mount finish mower would be the way to go. BTW, a RMFM isn't cheap, they just are not as expensive as a MMM. With a quick hitch they attach/detach real easy. Zero turns, even the ones with suspensions and fancy seats, are not an easy ride on rough ground.

If most of the property is or will quickly be smooth ground, go with a Z. I have the same one Gizmo posted and it is a work horse.

If it is rough and gonna be a while to clean up, I'd recommend a good RMFM. Take care of it and when you get the place cleaned up and pretty you will be able to sell or trade the RMFM for a decent return.

Congratulations on the new property.

I don't have a commercial grade Z, but my Z5R with a 60" deck has done great on 6 acres, about 5.5 mowable for the 3 years I've been between tractors. It's horribly windy where I live and the blowback from the discharge was the only issue we've ever had with it. It'll power through anything my now marshmallow toasted Mahindra EMax25 would. The ride is a a bit rough, but not really any worse than either the Mahindra or the new 3046R are and it does cut way faster and is much more maneuverable than either of them. Now the ZTR is relegated to front and back yard and the roadside ditch while the 3R with a 72" does the rest. And the ZTR was almost exactly the same price as a new MMM for a CUT.

NWPA Tim said:

When I bought my 2038R last year, I had no need of a mower for it and no thoughts of a need for one in the future. As it happens, my wife and I are buying property now with 5-6 acres of grass to mow. There are at least 4 areas of flat lawns, numerous mowed trails, and a hill next to a pond that is too steep for the tractor.

I'm thinking I have several options:

1. get a seriously expensive commercial-grade zero-turn (don't think a residential model will do)
2. add a belly mower to my 2038R
3. get a finish mower and use it along with the garden tractor
4. get used to spending a full day or more with the 52", 22 HP garden tractor I already have

Advice will be greatly appreciated!

Also, what will I spend to add the mower to my 2038R?

Thanks

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First, I would never ever mow that much. Just make more trails to enjoy it. Bush hog it once/yr or every other year. Cut down to just 1/2 acre right around the house to mow regularly.

GTT loves to help others spend their money.

I am in the "add a zero turn mower club." But the negative side to that option is that with a ZTR mower you will have another engine driven piece of farm equipment to care for and keep running. Maintaining a mower that is propelled by the tractor will in all likelihood be less of a time commitment and involve less maintenance work than maintaining both the tractor and a ZTR mower.

NWPA Tim said:

When I bought my 2038R last year, I had no need of a mower for it and no thoughts of a need for one in the future. As it happens, my wife and I are buying property now with 5-6 acres of grass to mow. There are at least 4 areas of flat lawns, numerous mowed trails, and a hill next to a pond that is too steep for the tractor.

I'm thinking I have several options:

1. get a seriously expensive commercial-grade zero-turn (don't think a residential model will do)
2. add a belly mower to my 2038R
3. get a finish mower and use it along with the garden tractor
4. get used to spending a full day or more with the 52", 22 HP garden tractor I already have

Advice will be greatly appreciated!

Also, what will I spend to add the mower to my 2038R?

Thanks

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A perspective I got from my sales guy:
Which would you rather put hours on your tractor or a dedicated (insert implement here; finish mower, wood splitter,..etc.). The answer may change based on acreage, expected use, and personal preferences. In my case, it was a wood splitter so I purchased a dedicated wood splitter rather than run hours on my tractor.

ClydeLogan said:

GTT loves to help others spend their money.

I am in the "add a zero turn mower club." But the negative side to that option is that with a ZTR mower you will have another engine driven piece of farm equipment to care for and keep running. Maintaining a mower that is propelled by the tractor will in all likelihood be less of a time commitment and involve less maintenance work than maintaining both the tractor and a ZTR mower.

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True you will be adding another piece of equipment to maintain but at the same time you are saving wear and tear on your tractor which will extend the service intervals on your tractor.
We mow a little over 4 1/2 acres of lawn with our Ferris 3000 I Z T mower we bought in 2004. My wife does the majority of the lawn mowing. She claims it as her 'quiet time'. The mower rides well and has been nearly trouble free. I did have to replace the muffler at 6 years old and recently replaced all the bearings in the mower deck. One was bad so I changed them all.
My tractors are too large to double as lawn mowers but my son has a JD 580 54" deck which works well but if he's in a hurry to get his lawn mowed he walks over and uses the Ferris.

That steep hill next to the pond would suggest something with a low center of gravity. To me the tractors don't have that.

For mowing I am down to a 41" ZT, originally to navigate my spouse's gardens up front and all the other plantings. No real big open space even though it is roughly 3 acres of mowing. I have a small hill too of variable slope. Takes a couple hours with a deck that small to do this much, I let my neighbor hay another 3 acres so I don't have to mow it even though I used to. To me my 2032R is too big and leaves too much footprint to be a lawn mower. If I have to mow the hay fields again I'll get a RMFM.

I have a 2038R with the 60D MMM. I mow around 4.5 acres and maintain some trails around the property.

I love to mow with my tractor but it is too heavy and big to maneuver in certain areas.

When I got a quote for my 2038R, I thought about buying a zero-turn instead of the MMM. I don't have major problems with my MMM, but had to walkway a few times when trying to connect it. (the tractor is going back to the dealer for MMM adjustments and backhoe install this week). Some days, I regret not getting a ZT instead of the 60D.

My neighbor has 3 acres and mows with a Z5xx zero-turn. His zero-turn is faster and lighter, but his yard is mostly flat. The quality cut of his Zero-turn is way better than the 60D MMM.

I am thinking about getting a zero-turn next year. Possibly a Z7xx or a Z915E.

Another vote for the zero-turn.

Good luck.