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 | fisherprice
Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 3 Delaware 
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2009-12-02 167156
I am looking for a new or used 12' grooming mower. Choices are Frontier (made by Bush Hog)or Land Pride. I heard the Land Pride is of lesser quality. Any help with suggestions on what I should get? I am cutting 15 acres at my house
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 | kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 5275 South Carolina 
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2009-12-02 167157
No idea on the 12 foot size but have a 7 foot Bushog and it has been good. Keep the wheels greased and spindles. I do suggest the use of their blades as they are heavier than replacement brands.
Just wondering how often are you cutting that 15 acres? ....
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 | auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
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2009-12-02 167163
If grooming means fine finish, and if your turf is fairly level and open, I'd talk with the grounds people at nearby golf courses. ....
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| hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3583 iowa
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2009-12-03 167166
I have an 84 in. three point Land Pride that has been a good machine and have looked at but never owned one of those pull type hydraulic wing fold grooming mowers. With all the hydraulic folding abilitys, gearboxes galore, drive belts, spindle bearings and four drive shafts with universal joints not to mention nine blades on the one I saw, it looked like a maintinence nightmare.
So for all those reasons I'd be a bit leary of used, but new I'd be afraid to ask the price. ....
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 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2009-12-03 167173
First off, unless you have absolutely no trees, and a burning desire to cut the lawn with a tractor, I wouldn't recommend a 12' wide mower for a site as small as 15 acres.
With a standard commercial mower (6' ride on) that is maybe 3 hours cutting time, I'd be surprised if you could do it in much less with a WAM (wide area mower) on a tractor, especially if you have to go around things like trees, driveways, houses, ponds ditches and other obstacles.
The other issue is price, a mower like that is going to be $10k - $12k for the mower alone.
As for quality, I'd say the Land Pride was the better machine, I think Frontier is the 'economy' line from Bush Hog.
Best of luck. ....
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| auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
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2009-12-03 167176
If a reel-type would work (nice cut, as long as you don't take too much off at a time), I once bought a gang of five used Toro ground-drive ones. They worked great, and Toro supported them despite their age. Well-built, heavy. The yearly sharpening was some work. I pulled them (in AC comfort) with a fat-tired old Jeep, eventually sold them at a profit. ....
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| fisherprice
Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 3 Delaware
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2009-12-03 167178
Once a week ....
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 | Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2009-12-05 167210
I sell the regular Bush hog brand as well as the land pride. The bush hog brand has been a good line but after working with both I consider them very comparable to a degree but I'll give my nod at this time to the land pride line overall for inovation as well as quality!
Frontier, thats a whole other thing! I would wonder that that is built at all like the bush hog brand. It is known as an economy line at best in the industry!
It would be interesting to see the 12 acres that you are mowing. The small decks used on the 12' finish would be good and might scalp less the the 72" decks but if you have any obsticales or trimming the front or zero turns might wind up less money as well as faster.
Murf is right about the three hours with the zero turn or front mowers time. The good part of it is that your trim time would be far less possibly offseting the 12' mower advantage. ....
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| hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3583 iowa
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2009-12-06 167245
I was just out to the shed and measured my Land Pride rear mount finish mower. I had always thought it was seven ft. but it is eight ft. wide cut width. It has been a good machine, but not a front yard mower unless your lawn is pool table flat. I don't remember what it cost but lots less than a wide wing type. I use it for road ditches and field waterways that are too rough and have tougher grass that a regular lawn mower isn't really meant to do. ....
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| batman
Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 20 Illinois
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2009-12-15 167507
The cheap Frontier flex finish mowers are from Befco. They're cheaply built for the cost. Check out the Woods TBW150C. The purchase price is several thousand less than any of the other 12' units on the market. I disagree with using a ZTR for 15 acres. In 10 years you will have a worthless piece of junk. If you have the tractor buy the pull behind mower. It and the tractor will far outlast the ZTR, plus ZTR's ride like a hayrack. You will be much more comfortable on the tractor. 10 years from now the tractor and pull behind unit will still have a good portion of their value. At 5 mph you get about 7.5 acres/hr with a 12' mower. ....
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| Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2009-12-15 167520
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It and the tractor will far outlast the ZTR, plus ZTR's ride like a hayrack. [/QUOTE]
I'm not sure where that all comes from, but here's the facts this time.
As for 'junk' simple math say it will take 3 hours to cut, and at even then 4 cuts per month for a full 8 months of the year, that means 3x4x8=96 hours a year, in 10 years 960 hours. We run ours to the 5,000 hour mark no problem, so that would the equivalent of 52 years like this.
Ride quality? A hayrack? Hmmmm, my ZTR's have full independent suspension. What does a a CUT have for suspension? Tire sidewalls, and not even soft little tires like a mower.
A Woods TBW150C mower, list price $12,517.
A Ferris ZTR IS1500ZKAV25-52 with 22hp V-twin Kawasaki and 4 way suspension, list price $7,399.
Purchase price savings alone, $5,118.
Doesn't seem like a tough choice to me.
Best of luck. ....
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| kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2009-12-15 167525
To me there are a few other things to consider between a tractor and 12 foot cutter or a ZTR than just the purchase price.
Will the weight of the tractor be any issue as to ruts? Does storage of the cutter or ZTR work best for you? Do you have any other areas to cut and if so which would work best for that or you buying only for this field? How about transportation if needed or for service or repairs? Will all the extra wheels on the tractor and cutter be any issue on the grass? One I have no idea on is turning the tractor with the size mower does it have any issue with skidding and tearing turf?
I have a Bushog Brand RFM and Bushog ZTR mower. The RFM is 20 wider than the ZTR and in my 2 1/2 acre lawn which has about 30 trees and shrubs along with house and shop I cut it in 30 minutes less with the ZTR than the RFM and by far the ZTR is the better ride than my CUT. I like both and really purchased the ZTR for trim work but after cutting the full lawn with it the RFM has largly been parked unless both my wife and I are cutting together. Now if I had total open space and my tractor had air not sure which I would use.;-)
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