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Thread: Belly mower to zero turn time savings?

  1. #1
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    Belly mower to zero turn time savings?

    Has anyone here gone from a compact tractor with a belly mower to a zero turn? My dealer is telling me I can cut my mowing time on my John Deere 4110 with a 60" deck down by about 50% if I go to a Husqvarna commercial unit with a gas engine and 60" deck. In addition, he's saying I can mow even wet grass meaning I could mow just about any time instead of being forced to wait until mid day or evening.

    In theory that gives me back somewhere around 30 hours a season. That's huge in my mind!

  2. #2
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    My oldest son has a house on a 5 acre lot in Winchester, VA. He mowes it with a zero turn. As a pure mower it's going to be hard to beat a zero turn. No other tasks though. Mowing only.

    I dont know this for a fact but I would think that as for the grass being wet it would be about the same as a lawn tractor. I think it discharges grass the same way ??

    Maybe a brief talk with a landscape contractor would be helpful. I'm sure they would have an informed point of view.

    PHM
    Last edited by Paul McGaha; 04-24-2012 at 12:52 PM.

  3. #3
    With a good mower and past discretion on a tractor, half is probably right. It's a bumpy ride if you don't have an even lawn, though.

    I guess you can figure what speed you mow (4-5 miles per hour?) on your Deere and see if you can tolerate double the speed since you're talking about same-size decks.

    You have other cheaper options like a pull-gang mower, too. Gang mowers don't usually do a fabulous job on weeds, but you could mow with one 3 out of 4 times and use your tractor the fourth to knock down anything tall. I don't know what's out there, I mowed for a long time commercially (for another guy) with a rough mower and a 30 horsepower tractor, as well as two old jacobsen F10s. I think you could probably find a lighter weight version (but still commercial quality) of a rough mower for about 3 grand, and it should have an indefinite life span and also be low fuel consumption with the tractor - it has to be heavy enough to do the work, though, no cheap $700 retail catalog versions.

    The diesel F10 (had a ford diesel) could go 5 miles per hour on a 14 foot swath at less than a gallon an hour, equating to less than a 20 hp drain to mow 14 feet across. It's a marvelously efficent method if it's ground drive.

  4. #4
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    Last time we got a mower we looked at zero turn and all steer(both John Deere). We ended up getting the all steer. It just seemed safer and would get into tight places better for us. With the 60" deck we have a 6" turning radius, if we had used a 72" deck would have give us zero turning radius. It has a high vac deck so wet and tall grass are no problem.

    I really find it hard to believe you could mowing times in half, but what do I know about mower sales? I'm a lowly woodworker!

    Tony
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  5. #5
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    I dont think the savings is as much ground speed as it is time mowing around obstacles. I estimat I've got around 30 trees etc. Many are mulched. It mowing around the is still slower.

    I think the wet comment is about efficiency of the material movement under the deck.

  6. #6
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    Yes that is about right. You make turns a lot faster with a zero steer. We cut ours down about half and I went from a 72 inch to a 54 inch zero steer.

  7. #7
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    We have two lots between my neighbor and our house that are sold but were bought for investment so they don't have anything on them. My neighbor and I keep them cut. He runs a landscape buisiness and he has his guys do it 90% of the time. He does have a new "better" mower he uses for his industrial contract (haven't seen it, don't know what it is) but he uses a Dixie Chopper for his light commercial and residential cutting mowers. Now obvioulsy these guys are GOOD but there is no question they cut it in less than 50% of the time it takes me but my deck is only ~50". I say they can cut open areas almost twice as fast and around trees it is a huge difference, the more trees the better the advantage at least between me and these "pros".
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  8. #8
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    Matt, I went from a belly mower to a Scag Turf Tiger about 10 years ago. The Scag is at least 50% faster mowing around obstacles. In flat, open area, HP for HP maybe about 20% faster.

    The ability to mow when wet seems more related to the amount of HP available at the deck and the amount of vacuum developed by the mower blades. All things being equal, I think that equal HP at the deck would be equal mowing quality when wet.

    The drawback to the zero turns is that they tend to get stuck easier in muddy ground, as opposed to riders. Also, if you turn too sharp (ie pivot on one of the rear wheels) if the ground is wet they tend to chew up the grass a bit.

    They sure are fun to run compared with traditional mowers though.

  9. #9
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    About 5 years ago I purchased a Toro ZTR 19hp Kawasaki 52" deck. I kept putting the purchase off because it was hard to spend the money. Was not sure if I would like a zero turn etc... First time I mowed with it I forgot the cost and was sorry I did not get one years ago. I had a Wheelhorse 32" cut and it took me two evenings after work to get 2 1/2 acres mowed. Now if I run my 52" zero turn wide open I can do it in an hour. But like the other post said it is bumpy.
    I just finished the lawn today. I mowed the 2 1/2 acre, Did a good detailed weed eating and used the blower on a 100 foot drive, sidewalks and deck. Took me 2hrs and 15min. That includes getting the mower out and checked fluids to back into the house when done.
    Last edited by Dave Lehnert; 04-24-2012 at 4:04 PM.
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  10. #10
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    My father-in-law spends about 5-7 hours a week to mow his grass on a 48" riding mower...
    When he is sick my son-in-law takes his 60" zero turn to his house and mows it in less than 1 1/2 hours...

    And it looks better also !!

  11. #11
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    I have a Simplicity zero turn radius that has shocks and springs on the corners and is a smooth ride. I think that you can mow when the grass is wet because some of them have much higher blade speed. This helps getting a better cut with damp grass.

    In my two acre yard, it cuts the mowing time about 40%.

    There is some learning to do with these units or at least mine. If you stop too fast, you can skid and also you have to learn to turn so that inside wheel turns a little to avoid any tearing. Mine goes a lot faster than the John Deere garden tractor.

    Mine also has a roll bar and seat belt. Going faster and turning faster can lead to a little less stability and if you have a lot of sharp inclines or side hills, you want to factor that into if you want to buy one.

    Some also have limitations on how much you can pull. My garden tractor can pull a heavy little trailer but not supposed to do that with the zero turn machine.

  12. #12
    I now have a walk behind hydro and I've never looked back. If you don't have humongous hills like me, you could get a big, belt-drive Scag walk behind, save money and cut the grass very quickly (had one of those too). If you just like spending money, a walk behind hydro does extremely well.

    I started with a zero turn, but they are absolutely terrible on hilly terrain IMHO. Honestly, though, I think I go faster with the walk behind than I ever could any other way.

  13. #13
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    I thought my 40" walk behind Lesco was a serious machine... you lot must have acres to cut.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Meiser View Post
    I dont think the savings is as much ground speed as it is time mowing around obstacles. I estimat I've got around 30 trees etc. Many are mulched. It mowing around the is still slower.

    I think the wet comment is about efficiency of the material movement under the deck.
    I guess it's a combination. The big commercial ones I've seen say they mow at 12 miles per hour ground allowing. A friend of mine had a 420 deere (that's a while ago now) and a rolled runway (rolled grass, of course, and not dirt or pavement). The 420 would go 12 miles an hour wide open, but we only ever ran it that fast on the runway because the runway was smooth enough to do it. If you had a mower that could go that fast off of a runway without throwing you off the machine, you could really cover some ground.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Meiser View Post
    It mowing around the is still slower.
    Don't know where that came from but what I meant to say is mowing around the obstacles is what really slows me down.

    I have ten acres and about three of that is lawn, driveway, or building. The other 7 is basically wild--I brush hog enough to encourage any trees and grasses and discourage any brush.


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