Deck Size for Lawn and Mowing Tips

15Truckman said:

We're renting a property that is just about 2 acres. Our landlords left us their riding mower, a Yard Machines 18hp B&S w/ 42" deck. This is my first time with a riding mower, and I'm still trying to get the hang of the most efficient way to mow the property. It's not one nice big square area, there are a lot of trees to go around, landscaping, natural barriers, hills, etc... For being just under 2 acres, it seems to take me the better part of a day mowing (4-6 hours) and there's a lot of backing and going over the same areas a bunch of times trying to turn around.

I guess I'm just looking for some mowing tips to make it take less time.

I'm also wondering if it's possible to find a larger deck, maybe something over 50", to swap out with the current 42" deck?

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RatRacer said:

Welcome Truckman.

The problem you'll run into is that the 42" deck has 2 blades, and the single cyl. 18hp won't have enough butt to spin 3 properly, which a larger deck will have. So, a bigger deck won't be the best thing, without a bigger motor. You'll just turn it into an early terminal, grass beater. Plus, owner will probably not be happy.

Options:
1- Cut yard in sections daily
2- Hire a lawn service
3- Personal investment of equipment that you can take with you, or can sell at minimal loss after your lease is up. Mower racing is an up and coming sport, so you can practice against the wife/son/neighbor kid

As a first time rider user, and the yard description, a Cub Cadet zero turn S series would be a perfect candidate to learn on, and cut your ride time way down. Decent dealers usually will drop you off a trial model to see if it will fit your needs and terrain.

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lawn mower fanatic said:

Going around the yard as a whole in a clockwise direction might save some time since you don't have to do a 3-point-turn to turn around at the end of each pass. In this case I think a zero-turn mower would help you go around the landscaping easier and turn around quicker.

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15Truckman said:

What about a pull behind reel mower deck?

I've been stuck in the push mower mind set - I'll give the yard-as-a-whole method a try and leave around the trees and spots I miss for the push mower or weed whacker.

Thanks for the replies!

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