3 pt hitch mower or zero turn

Stefcro77

New member

Equipment
Rototiller, Scraper box, Buhs hog, weight box, root grapples, Work light LED
Jun 20, 2015
14
0
0
Kubota L3301
Hi!
Any of you have any experience with both: 3 pt hicht mower and zero turn??
I own a 26 hp garden tractor and also a kubota L3301.
I have currently 3 acres of grass to mow which i do with the garden tractor. But I just seeded 4 acres of grass and I want something quicker!

So the new 4 acres has no obstacle and it is flat. My 3 acres around the house have about 10 trees on it and it is also flat.
Which one would help me better: a zero turn or a 3 point hitch mower(7 1/2 foot)

Thanks!!
 
Last edited:

L.C. Gray

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Equipment
L3400, RTV500
May 14, 2016
105
0
0
Stephenville, Texas
You didn't specify what kind of 3 point mower you are looking at. A 48" decked ZTR will cut about what a 60" finish mower on a tractor will in the same time. The ZTR is faster and more maneuverable around obstacles and cuts closer to them.

If you're talking about a shredder, you wont get as fine a cut or as neat appearance from it as the ZTR, but it can handle taller and thicker grass than the ZTR. As far as size goes, Bigger tends to gain you time savings at the loss of cut quality, provided you have the hp to drive the bigger cutter.

Not only would I have both, I do have both a 52"ZTR and a 60" 3 point finish mower. They both have their advantages for where they're used.

I personally think your 26-27 PTO hp 3301 would be a little shy in power to handle any type of 7 1/2 foot mower whether it be a shredder, finish or flail. I use a 7' drag shredder behind my 67 hp tractor and I wouldn't even think of trying to handle it with my L3400.
 

alansz400

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Equipment
B7500. FEL, Piranha tooth bar, box scraper, post hole digger, 3 pt. bucket
Oct 26, 2013
265
0
0
Loudonville OHIO
Zero turn. I mowed next door this summer with a 72 inch 3 pt. mower and trim with my old front mount mower. I would mow it all with my front mount mower but his yard is so rough I don't want to kill my mower. Looking back at the mower is a pain and the heavy tractor is hard on the yard. Only advantage I see is the cost of the 3pt. mower is a lot less. If I could get him to stop mowing for ever and pay me I would buy a Hustler in a heart beat.
 

Stefcro77

New member

Equipment
Rototiller, Scraper box, Buhs hog, weight box, root grapples, Work light LED
Jun 20, 2015
14
0
0
Kubota L3301
Thanks guys!
That helps a lot!
And yes I was talking of a 3 point hitch finishing mower... But was also worried about the weight of my tractor...

Thanks!!
Stef
 

chim

Well-known member

Equipment
L4240HSTC with FEL, Ford 1210
Jan 19, 2013
1,738
823
113
Near Lancaster, PA, USA
I've been using RFM's for the last 26 years and they have been doing a fine job. The first two were 60" and they mowed at about 30 minutes per acre. When I bought the L3200 in 2012, I went with a 72" Landpride RFM and the mowing time went down to 22 minutes per acre. We have about 3-1/4 acres and I mow the neighbor's 1/2 acre. At one time I did another 4 or 5 acres nearby as well.

I tried an in-law's ZT and didn't care for it, but lots of people swear by them. Some ZT fans will say "A ZT will cut your mowing time in half". I might be impressed if someone showed up with a ZT and mowed my place in 38 minutes:rolleyes:

The picture shows the area at our place that I mow. This is an older Google Earth photo that was taken just after I moved a lot of dirt to bury a 1,000 gallon LP tank. I bought and seeded the part to the right of the yellow line a few years ago.
 

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Boo

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Equipment
MX5800; BH92, BB2572, Forks 3048
Jul 1, 2016
123
4
18
HOLT, Florida
It really depends on what Zero Turn you get.

I have the Kubota 6' ZD331 and it really did cut my mowing time in half back when I was mowing 8 acres. At that time, I was using a mid-mount 5' mower on my tractor.

Now the ZT just mows 3 acres and it happens quickly.
 

Tooljunkie

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Lifetime Member

Equipment
L1501,home built carry all, mini plow blade.
May 13, 2014
4,150
27
48
59
Lac Du Bonnet, Manitoba,Canada
My Kubota L1501 60" 3 point mows way faster and burns way less fuel than my 23 hp gas mower.
A 6' zero turn will cut very quickly. Maneuveribility is the big thing, turn around in a second rather than a minute. Thats the biggest gain. In front means smaller overlaps means fewer passes.
 

D2Cat

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L305DT, B7100HST, TG1860, TG1860D, L4240
Mar 27, 2014
12,901
4,269
113
40 miles south of Kansas City
We've had a 0-turn for about 10 years, and usually mow about 3 acres, but sometimes more.

My wife does all the mowing, seeding, fertilizing, leaf mulching. It's relaxing to her. I've probably operated the mower less then 5 minutes in all that time. I do the maintenance, and stay away from the yard!

I have mowed segments of the same yard with various tractors just seeing how a mower or tractor runs. I've mowed with a B6100 and belly mower, and also 3-pt., TG 1860 with 54" belly mower, L2050 with 5' Landpride FD2560, B7100 with 60" deck, and probably a few others.

The mowers all mowed nicely. The Landpride FD2560 really is a nice mower for a large open area, as is the B7100. Turning is the time consumer! The TG 1860 is very close to a 0-turn because it has power steering and can go around a 12" tree in one pass.

The 0-turn is in a class of it's own. No mower I've used comes close to it's cutting speed, and it's quality of cut is as good or better then any of them.

I have a dealer 30 minutes away. They have all the serial numbers necessary, so if I need a part I can call and they know quickly if they have it, and can even tell me the last time I may have replaced it. (like a belt).

One of the biggest benefits is ease of maintenance. I can remove and sharpen (or replace) blades, or clean the underside in a few minutes.

29 HP with a 62" cut is entertaining to watch work!

Buy a good one if you go that route because your mowing time will be reduced greatly, so engine hours don't accumulate very fast. It will last a lifetime, if you want.

The Grasshopper with the Powerfold deck, in my opinion has very little competition.
 

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08quadram

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Equipment
bx2350d; Taylor Way 48" tiller; Farm King 50" snow blower
Apr 28, 2014
289
1
18
strawberry point, ia
Ive looked at Hustler zero turns and some of their upper models mow about 14 mph. I know in my yard, I would bounce right out of the seat. Almost bought one, but I couldn't move snow or dirt or whatever.

Mike
 

tcrote5516

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Equipment
BX1860, FEL, 50" Front Blower, Heated Cab, 6' blade, 3pt carry all, 3pt hitch
Sep 2, 2014
482
2
0
Southern New Hampshire
Chalk up another vote for a ZTR. I didn't have a 3pt mower but did have a MMM on my BX. The ZTR i purchased is 8" less wide and it still cut my mow time by about 30%. I can mow faster and maneuverability is no contest. Even if you don't have many obsticals the tractor needs to turn around or at a minimum make tight turns and the ZTR is just so quick those seconds really add up.
 

Randy Snoke

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2006 B3030 home made 80 gallon sprayer ( three point hitch, Lawn roller
Oct 2, 2016
3
0
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Stapleton, Alabama
One item not listed is the fact: A tractor with a three point can be used for many jobs, but a Zero turn mower is most only used for mowing.
 

D2Cat

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L305DT, B7100HST, TG1860, TG1860D, L4240
Mar 27, 2014
12,901
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40 miles south of Kansas City

Fro65

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L3301HST, LA525, BH77, LP tiller, LP grader box, LP blade, BX2380
Dec 30, 2014
220
4
18
NorthEast Indiana
I agree with D2CAT. For mowing, grasshoppers are tough to beat. I have had kohler gas powered ones since 1992. I splurged this spring and bought a Kubota diesel powered one also...awesome. I use mine for snow blowing as well. They handle these two tasks incredibly well.

My L3301 does everything else:D
 

alansz400

New member

Equipment
B7500. FEL, Piranha tooth bar, box scraper, post hole digger, 3 pt. bucket
Oct 26, 2013
265
0
0
Loudonville OHIO
Those wide and heavy rear tires packing the grass down before you mow it is also a disadvantage. Just noticed that the last time I mowed. Ground was a little soft so maybe that made it worse then normal.