Go Bottom

What tractor to buy

View my Photos
mred3671
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 3 Pittsburgh, PA
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2008-01-25          150721


I just bought 6 acres of field and am curious as to what type of tractor to purchase. Do the Zero-turn machines really cut faster that a similar size regular tractor. I am currently trying to decide between a Kubota 21 hp (BX2100) and a 20+ hp zero turn. I would appreciate anyone's thoughts.



Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



What tractor to buy

View my Photos
candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1932 North Dakota
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2008-01-25          150723


Mred3671,

The zero turn machines are designed for people who have to mow around a lot of trees, or other landscaping obstacles.

Mowing 6 acres is a lot to ask of any zero-turn mower. I'd suggest a tractor in the 25 horsepower range, with a mowing deck suitable to the conditions.

If you have a lot of hills, bumps, ditches, or other obstacles such as this.....you'll probably want a 5 foot mowing deck. If your land is relatively flat, with no obstacles, you'll want a bigger mowing deck.

And before picking out any machine, you'll have to take into consideration any future plans you have for this piece of property. If you plan to put into garden, for example, you'll have to make plans to purchase a tractor capable of handling the implements you'll be using.

Please provide us with more information. There are many people here who are willing to offer advice, but we'll need a whole lot more information before we can help you much.

Joel ....


Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



What tractor to buy

View my Photos
Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2008-01-25          150724


Quote:
Originally Posted by mred3671 | view 150721
I just bought 6 acres of field and am curious as to what type of tractor to purchase.


The word "field" leads me to believe that the intention is not to be cutting 6 acres of manicured lawn.

If you are talking about rough cutting, a tractor is the way to go.

As was mentioned, a ZTR (Zero Turn Radius) mower is intended to cut around things quickly.

For all out speed on fairly open ground, you won't beat a dedicated grass cutter like the tried and proven Ferris 3 wheelers. They will also be about the cheapest way to do it from a cost / benefit point of view. A mower like the Ferris ProCut will do up to 4 acres an hour.

Unless you have a whole bunch more than just 6 acres to cut it wouldn't pay to go to a bigger unit, you need some real horsepower to turn the bigger decks, especially in long heavy grass.

Best of luck. ....


Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



What tractor to buy

View my Photos
auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2008-01-25          150725


Zero-turns (which are mostly modified ride-ons) are indeed faster -- when trimming around obstacles. And if your mowing pattern requires frequent 180-degree turns, they do a better and faster job at the turns. You hear a lot about them from retailers because they're fairly recent, but there are ag tractors like the New Idea that have modified front ends that make them reasonably close to zero-turn.

Ride-ons like the Grasshopper or Ferris or Walker with regular steering do the same work for less (still costly but built to commercial specs) except when making a turn more acute than about 100 degrees.

Small ag tractors like the Kubota, Deere, or Yanmar are for both mowing and attaching the huge array of implements that do other things than mowing.

So your first step is to decide what work you will want to do. ....


Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



What tractor to buy

View my Photos
Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2008-01-25          150726


There seems to be a lot of mis-information about ZTR mowers.

First off, any decent commercial mower will cut around a tree about the same unless you are talking about skinning the bark off with the deck. In a typical landscape environment a tree has a small cultivated area around that is far larger around than the inside of the circle that the mower will cut around.

Secondly, turning anything too sharply, or too fast, or especially both at the same time, will tear up a lot of the turf you're trying to cut.

Finally, if you compare apples to apples and not oranges, same horsepower and deck size, you will see that a true hydro-stat drive ZTR is actually SLOWER than a 3 wheeler in acres cut per hour.

Purely as an example, the Ferris ProCut's (the people that invented the commercial 3 wheel rider) that we have will make a 180° turn that leaves only a few inches of uncut grass behind, and if you cut the grass as if you were plowing a field, up & down, then come back and do the 'headlands' side to side, you would need a stopwatch to calculate the time difference between them and a similar ZTR in an average landscape setting.

Best of luck. ....


Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



What tractor to buy

View my Photos
mred3671
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 3 Pittsburgh, PA
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2008-01-25          150738


I appreciate the advice. I did not know if a ZTR would go faster than a traditional tractor with the same horsepower in an open field. From the responses I am gathering that they would go about the same speed if there were no trees or other obsticles. That is what I needed to know. I will stay tuned to this site as I can see there are some really helpful people. ....


Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo


   Go Top


Share This







Member Login