New mower recommendation for 4 acres residential property

jladner

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  • / New mower recommendation for 4 acres residential property
Hello. New Member Here! I am in the market for a new mower (preferably zero turn) and need some advice or opinions.

I have 4 acres to mow weekly or biweekly depending on growth and some of the terrain is somewhat very rough. It is a mixture of mostly centipede grass around the house and other southern grass/weed types further out among the property. At this time, I am mowing with a (family owned LOANER) Kubota BX2200 60" and it takes almost 3 hours not including edging and blowing. I am hoping to reduce this time some. The BX has been very nice for other chores around the house but honestly 95% of the time it's used for mowing only. I will still have the BX through the rest of this season but will need to find another mower for next year.

I have a decent variety of dealers around me but the closest in order of distance are: Kubota, Exmark/Toro, Ferris/Snapper, John Deere, Scag, Big Dog, Husqvarna, and Bad Boy . My criteria is a 54"-60" deck, suspension seat and/or frame, and a budget of preferably $5000 but no more than $7000. I am not opposed to a slightly used but the 0% financing is very attractive although not absolutely necessary and the warranty especially on Kubota and Exmark at 4yrs is nice.

Is there anything else I should be looking for or other things to consider while narrowing my decisions? Minimum size hydro? Will an estate/semi-commercial model suffice or do I need to really go commercial? I keep my equipment regularly serviced and stored in a garage.

Thanks in advance!
 

Mr. Ed

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  • / New mower recommendation for 4 acres residential property
Welcome to the world of tough decisions. I'll try to help.

I started with a BX1860 (which I still have and love) with the MMM. It's a terrific machine, as you know from using the BX you have now, but it's not really the most efficient machine for mowing. I just added a Gravely ZTHD with a 48" deck, and it's a terrific mower. Currently cut about 5 acres of combination field, hills, some rough stuff. LOVE the machine! But, I had to add suspension to the seat as it was beating the stuffing out of me on bumpy terrain. I see you put suspension on your wish list, and am just reinforcing how important it is.

Next thing to consider is routine maintenance required. Some mowers, like the Gravely, use sealed bearings and don't have grease fittings. That's good and bad, but it sure makes it simpler to maintain. I also use a big commercial Kubota diesel ZT that has a bunch of grease fittings (more than a dozen), and some (three of them on the driveshaft for the deck) are a real challenge to access. Grease is good, and is cheaper than new parts as long as it's used properly. Give some thought to how much effort you want to have to put into routine maintenance. The Kubota is a wonderful machine, and mows anything and everything in its path.

Buying from a servicing dealer is (or should be) high on the list. Some dealerships are your best friend until after the sale, then treat you like a red headed step child when you need parts and service. That might not be the case in your area, and I hope it isn't. Two of my local dealerships sell OEM parts above list price.

If you haven't spent much time on a zero turn, see if you can arrange a demo on all the brands and models you're considering. Most of them work the same way, but there are differences in the aggressiveness of the hydros (moving from forward to backward), the sensitivity of the controls, overall ergonomics, and the basic 'feel' of the machines. Since you're buying a good machine, it should last a very long time and it would be a shame to buy something that misses the mark because of rushing into the purchase.

The good news is that all the brands you listed will serve you well. The bad news is that you've got to choose one. :laughing:
 

jekjr

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  • / New mower recommendation for 4 acres residential property
Hello. New Member Here! I am in the market for a new mower (preferably zero turn) and need some advice or opinions.

I have 4 acres to mow weekly or biweekly depending on growth and some of the terrain is somewhat very rough. It is a mixture of mostly centipede grass around the house and other southern grass/weed types further out among the property. At this time, I am mowing with a (family owned LOANER) Kubota BX2200 60" and it takes almost 3 hours not including edging and blowing. I am hoping to reduce this time some. The BX has been very nice for other chores around the house but honestly 95% of the time it's used for mowing only. I will still have the BX through the rest of this season but will need to find another mower for next year.

I have a decent variety of dealers around me but the closest in order of distance are: Kubota, Exmark/Toro, Ferris/Snapper, John Deere, Scag, Big Dog, Husqvarna, and Bad Boy . My criteria is a 54"-60" deck, suspension seat and/or frame, and a budget of preferably $5000 but no more than $7000. I am not opposed to a slightly used but the 0% financing is very attractive although not absolutely necessary and the warranty especially on Kubota and Exmark at 4yrs is nice.

Is there anything else I should be looking for or other things to consider while narrowing my decisions? Minimum size hydro? Will an estate/semi-commercial model suffice or do I need to really go commercial? I keep my equipment regularly serviced and stored in a garage.

Thanks in advance!

Go ahead and up your budget a little more and buy the Tiger Cat II Scag with a Kawasaki motor and you will not have to buy another mower in a very long time. It has a great residential warranty and you can get great financing on it as well. Nothing out there will out cut it in stemmed grass especially.

I have a friend that has a Tiger Cub that is over 20 years old and runs great. I have a Tiger Cat that has over 1500 hours on it and we run it all day every day.
 

jladner

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Aug 7, 2017
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  • / New mower recommendation for 4 acres residential property
So I had a good friend who is in the lawn care business approach me about selling his 2012 Lazer Z x series. He is buying a newer model for a new contract he just picked up. Just put a new Kawasaki FX on it in May and has 150 hrs on motor. He has serviced the Hydros and changed engine oil as recommended. $5500. Should I go this route or go with a new Radius? Decisions???
 
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