Go BottomHow big is too big to mow with
 | Don M
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 120 myLocation 
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2001-04-06 26398
In another thread (BX) Dane wrote:<
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 | harvey
Join Date: Sep 2000 Posts: 1550 Moravia, NY 
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2001-04-07 26414
Don I'm gonna bite. There is no such thing as one size fits all. Look at a farm. Different things do different things "MORE EFFICIENTLY and BETTER". I do believe there is a happy middle ground for a home owner with a couple of acres or more or less and plenty of free time. Personally I'd like a 72" Ferris to mow with. My little Ford had ag tires and they did not hurt the lawn. No matter what the "EXPERTS SAY" my lawn did not get tore up and it looks good. Turfs will rut it if I'm dumb enough to get on it wet. I have reverted back to the old 112 to mow when I felt lawn to wet from a over active spring season. But I use my 4400 JD with a 72" 3PH finish mower, then trim out the smaller areas with an old JD112 and 48" deck, then push mow most of trimming, then use a string trimmer. Trimming under the Pines is done a couple 3 times a year with an old sickle bar converted to 3PH. It takes my wife and me about 2-3 hours a week to mow and trim it all. I do not have time to fool with gardening. Cheaper to buy the stuff in season anyway. I came off a farm. I have used lots of equipment. I used to landscape until every body and their brother with a snowmobile trailer and a murry lawn mower started the get rich this summer stuff. I personally like the 4400 JD syn reverser. I am smart enough to use it efficiently. I can fix it. I do not have any chores that I have to really work the engine hard on. Gonna get a 10kw generator for back up power that should work it. I use it at PTO speed and it does not use a lot of fuel because it has power enough not to have to work at it. I take out a lot of my own fire wood, Not all, but some. I have lots of snow removal. Tractor is heavy enough for all of that with chains on all 4 and not loading tires. Bottom line for me is: the bigger the less hard it has to work to do things, just remember no matter how hard you try a 8' wide tractor won't go through a 7' barn door W/O modifications. Also you are still gonna trim with a push mower and a string trimmer (unless you are lucky like me and have a wife that enjoys that part). ....
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| david swann
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2001-04-07 26421
Don
I will weigh in. I think your question should be not how big can I go but what am I going to do?. I have a 670 JD I use it on 3 acres the 60" mower cuts a smooth and neat. It has a loader for the usual projects but at 55 I need something to pick-up the 30 bags of top soil etc. My Beefco 48" cult. does all the flower and garden beds and works about a 1/2 acre of garden. I have turf tires. If I had a bigger tractor I also would have a bigger turning radius and I would be making more stop and reverse changes---- so the bigger tractor with the bigger deck would take more time. I get a real charge with the guys comparing their tractors. ("mine's bigger than yours") I think I did that a about 12.
Look at your needs NOW or in the near future. Tractors hold their value pretty well and if your needs change trade it. Once all my landscaping and trees are in in about 5 years. I will probably downsize because my needs will change.
Just my $.02 worth.
David ....
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 | Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York 
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2001-04-07 26422
What I often tell people is to buy the largest deck they can, so look for the smallest hole that you need to fit trough and start there. The larger deck will make the uncut circle smaller, look at your tee limbs you don't want to cut and look for a height that is fair for those or you will need to have a smaller mower. Most all new units and many old offer quick attach loaders and attachments so what you might want to do will be able to be done by any tractor. Find one taht you feel comfortable on and if you might have some help in the operation of the tractor than bring them with you when you are looking to makesure they can run it efficiently. ....
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| tom harris
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2001-04-07 26424
I agree with Art that you should find the largest deck that will fit through the openings (between trees, buildings, etc.) that you have, provided that you have the HP to run the deck without bogging down. Also make sure of the rollbar height to make sure you can fit under the bottom tree limbs.
I almost made a big mistake recently. I have a JD 855 hydrostat that I was going to trade in for a bigger tractor--taller, wider, longer, more HP--so that I could mow both my yard (about 3 acres) with a belly mower and then switch over to a 7' brush cutter to do another 30 acres of CRP, all with the same tractor. It wasn't until I walked around my yard and surrounding area with a tape measure that I found just how many places this new tractor wouldn't fit. I realized then that I will have to scrap the idea of using the same tractor to do these very different jobs.
To echo a comment made earlier, ag tires are ok in my opinion for mowing--I don't mow when it's wet and provided you don't retrace your tire tracks every time you mow, you shouldn't notice a problem. ....
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| Mail Man
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2001-04-07 26429
For my 2 cents, I like a mower no wider than my Boomer. That way I KNOW I can mow safety where ever I can drive my tractor. If my rear tires fit, then I don't have to worry about the mower taking out a tree or birdbath, or the side of a building. Works for me. I think it's quicker too. ....
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| Jim Youtz
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2001-04-08 26443
I don't know how big is too big. But I do know that the 855, 4100 JD compacts work very well for mowing. I have a 4100 with a 54" mid-mount mower and R-4 tires. It fits lots of places and works very well. What ever you get, remember to try to keep the weight to a minimum. I don't fill my tires, even though it would provide better ballast for my loader work. I use 3 point ballast. That way, I can remove all of the extra weight while mowing. The R-4 tires do work well when the ground is dry or moist, but turf tires would definately be preferrable for use during wetter soil conditions. I think that tire selection and weight are really the most important things to consider. I have heard of many folks using larger heavier tractors to mow with, but I think that in the long-term, the lawn will suffer from too much weight (unless the soils are gravelly or sandy). Just ask an agronomist or soil scientist what effects continual soil compaction will have on clay or loamy clay soils. ....
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