OK, I have to ask... why are you mowing the field ? I have farmers that pay for 6-10 acre fields near me so instead of YOU cutting grass, you could be paid and watch crops being grown and harvested.
What size tractor?
- Thread starter fransser
- Start date
I have a 2001 Husqvarna ZTH-6125 zero turn mower that I bought new. It is now 25 years old. My only wish is that I had bought it 10 years earlier.
The deck is adjustable from 3 to 6 inches (IIRC) and with sharp blades and the deck height set to 3 inches it will cut 12 inch high DRY grass with ease, even with its 61 inch cut. It will cut wet grass well, but not as smoothly as dry grass.
The beginning of the second season I had to replace all the hydraulic lines, as they leaked at the ferrules. Poor design on the part of Husqvarna. One coil went bad just last year, I replaced both with new Kawasaki units. Other than that, just maintenance items. The engine burns no oil.
For all but the last 3 years I cut 10 acres of grass weekly. The mower cut my time in the seat in half compared to a tractor and bush hog. Push mowing/weed eating is near zero because you can cut that close.
The deck is adjustable from 3 to 6 inches (IIRC) and with sharp blades and the deck height set to 3 inches it will cut 12 inch high DRY grass with ease, even with its 61 inch cut. It will cut wet grass well, but not as smoothly as dry grass.
The beginning of the second season I had to replace all the hydraulic lines, as they leaked at the ferrules. Poor design on the part of Husqvarna. One coil went bad just last year, I replaced both with new Kawasaki units. Other than that, just maintenance items. The engine burns no oil.
For all but the last 3 years I cut 10 acres of grass weekly. The mower cut my time in the seat in half compared to a tractor and bush hog. Push mowing/weed eating is near zero because you can cut that close.
I have 5 acers to mow once a week and do it with my BX2380, MMM 60" and a offset 60" pull behind (mounted to the side) finishing mower. I opted for cutting wider rather than cutting faster as my ground is not flat and has mole hills. With the offset mower, I can get under the trees and mow close to the creek. Around the house, about 2 acers, I just use the BX with MMM.
When we bought our house on 5 acres of old cow pasture, I originally ran the B2650 with a 72" finish mower and an old, sketchy ridder. The next season i was on the hunt for a zero turn. Bought a used Scag Turf Tiger 61" cut and man....that thing does such a nice job and is sooooo much faster and nimble, I don't know why everyone doesn't use one. I can cut our 5 acres in 2 hours or less most days, unless it's early spring when the grass is thick and wet.
One bad point with zero turn mowers is when they are used on hills of any significant angle. They are fine until you have to change direction, even a little bit, and then they go like a dart, straight downhill and out of control. When I bought my zero turn I lived in NJ, where everything is flat or nearly so. Now I live in WV, where you have two choices of direction, up or down.
As much as I love that mower, I'll have to trade her in on a small Kubota B series 4wd tractor with a belly mower. I've come way too close to 20-30 foot drops, and I don't bounce at 70 years old the way I did when I was 25
Agree, and will add that a zero-turn has limited additional usefulness… when compared to other, more universally-capable equipment. The money spent on zero-turn may be better spent on equipment that can accomplish additional-work zero-turns can never.
(Wanna dig a hole? Dig a trench? Pull a tree? Run an auger? Drive a generator or pump? Split logs? Carry large/heavy items? Move dirt? Re-position a trailer or an airplane?
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I mowed the same 10 acre property with a 6 foot Woods brush hog and a Ford 1920 tractor and my 6125 Husqvarna zero turn.
As far as quality of cut, there is no comparison. The zero turn is years ahead. Using the zero turn, my seat time was cut in half, my push mowing time eliminated and my string trimmer use about a quarter of what it was.
I could cut my grass at 10-12 mph with the Husqvarna, something that the Ford tractor couldn't come near.
Count me as a zero turn fanboy.
Have to ask… why are all of you spending so much time and money mowing.
I have 15 acres, and HAD a 100 hp tractor and a 16’ bat wing. Which really struggled because the grass was so thick by the way.
One day when I was mowing I said why am I doing this.
Sold the tractor, put up a fence and got some cows, now I don’t mow. Don’t want cows, get goats, sheep etc. Free meat and $$ from selling calves, plus ag exemption on land saves $ on taxes.
You don’t want to fool with cows, there are people who will rent ground and put their cows there.
Just an option.
I have 15 acres, and HAD a 100 hp tractor and a 16’ bat wing. Which really struggled because the grass was so thick by the way.
One day when I was mowing I said why am I doing this.
Sold the tractor, put up a fence and got some cows, now I don’t mow. Don’t want cows, get goats, sheep etc. Free meat and $$ from selling calves, plus ag exemption on land saves $ on taxes.
You don’t want to fool with cows, there are people who will rent ground and put their cows there.
Just an option.