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Ron Stenseng 02-20-2005 19:00:56 64.250.216.96 53998 Report to Moderator	We just bought 5 acres to build a home on. How big of a garden tractor do i need to mow in 3-4 hours. no trees, just grass. [Reply]   [No Email]
Rich D. 03-11-2005 21:35:40 4.156.231.200 54541 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-20-2005 19:00:56   I have a toro 223D fairway mower. It has an 8 ft wide cut. If you are only cutting, this is the one to have. I can cut 8 acres per hour. You can get a good used machine for about $2500. Mine has a 23hp kaboda diesel. Stop by your local golf coarse and ask the mechanic about purchasing a good used one. No matter what machine you are considering that is available, get a DIESEL!!! Yes, it will pull a car if you want to. RICH   [Reply]   [No Email]
S. Storkson 02-24-2005 12:44:05 205.213.111.52 54091 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-20-2005 19:00:56   I use a 21 horse Sabre (JD) on my land. I have hills and ditches. I mow about 4 acres with lots of obstacles. I have also pulled father in laws 60" tow behind by Swisher. That makes over 110 inches of mowing ability! Follows contours well. I can go slower and mow faster. Easier on the machine. Follows contours well. I still have the garden tractor to pull carts and sleeve hitch attachments. I like Swisher pull behind mowers. They work well, seem well built, and they cost less. In fact, I bought a Swisher tow behind rough cut mower. It will chew up 1.5" saplings. If I can run it over with the 4-wheeler, I can mow it down. Often, I see decent 25 horse plus garden tractors for 2-3 thousand. The Swisher 60" tow behind is usually less than $1500. My 2 cents worth, but it's worked very well for me. I can mow all my acres in an afternoon, and my mowing is scattered about, not one flat chunk. Good luck. Swisher 60   [Reply]   [No Email]
bruce christian 02-22-2005 18:06:10 24.196.204.225 54060 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-20-2005 19:00:56   Hmm dad had a crapsman with a 48" deck and cut 6+ acres at 8 hours with it until i persuaded him to get a cub 3225 hydro with a 60" deck and now it takes him about 4 hours. all depends on lay of land as well. if it is flat and smooth, i would personally go to a zero turn 60" mower like dixon or dixie chopper. my $.02 bruce   [Reply]   [No Email]
PATRICK 02-21-2005 23:09:13 205.188.117.13 54044 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-20-2005 19:00:56   HEY RON IF YA WANT TO PLAY ALL SATURDAY CUTTING GRASS BUY A TRACTOR IF YOU WANT TO GET DONE AND LOOK REALLY NICE A WALK BEHIND IS THE WAY TO GO . HAVE 6 AC TO CUT AND SATURDAY. AND HAVE A CUB WITH 60IN DECK. JAC W/50 DECK.AND THE BEST ONE IS MY GRAVLEY PRO 50 W/16 BRIGGS I/C. THAT I GOT FROM DEALER TRADE FOR 500.00 BUCKS .E.Z TO FIX.E.Z TO USE.VERT MOTORS EVERY WERE CHEEP,FAST,AND BEST OF ALL GET A GOOD WALK ON SATURDAY. RIDE ATTCH ARE ADV FOR MOST MAKE IF YOU DINT LIKE TO WALK. TRACTORS ARE GREAT TO HAVE AND WITH 5 AC YOU BEST GET A PULLER FOR YARD WORK. BUT TO CUT GRASS AND LOOK NICE WALKER'S ARE MY PICK. AND WITH SPRING COMING. DEALERS WILL HAVE TRADES AND WANT TO MOVE THEM . LOOK FOR A CLEAN FRAME.DECK, DRIVE SYSTEM, AND IF REPLACING A MOTOR IS A JOB YOU CAN DO BUY A SMOKER OR BLOWN UNIT. MOST ARE VERT SHAFT 1IN 1/4 KEY. AND TONS OF VERT SHAFT MOTORS TO BE HAD CHEEP. I GOT MY UNIT THIS WAY. WAS TOLD RAN BUT DONT BELEAVE IT . PRO LANDSCAPE USE THEM HARD. I GOT LUCKY AND NEEDED TO BE REWIRED.BUT DO PLAN TO UP H.P TO 18 OR 20 THIS YEAR JUST BECOUSE ITS CHEAP 150.00 FOR 18 BRIGGS ELC START.AND ABOUT 2 HR JOB W/BEER BRAKE. BEST 500 I SPENT AND NEVER USE TRACTOR TO CUT AGAIN. TO SLOW,TURN RAD SUCKS,FLATEN GRASS BEFORE DECK, AND A GOOD TRACTOR W/HYDRO W/50IN DECK WILL COST ABOUT WHAT 4 500.OO BUCK WALKERS WILL. HAVE A NICE CUB W/60 WOODS IF YA WANT 2000.00 GOOD LUCK FRIEND.   [Reply]   [No Email]
kjm 02-21-2005 19:59:49 69.27.192.175 54043 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-20-2005 19:00:56   Ron, I mow 6ac with a JD 430 60in deck (1200hr) and I just sold my Agco Allis 2025 with a 60in deck (300hr.)the diesel will run rings around the gas. I mow for an old guy with his Super C and a belly mower. The C is wide and slow, JD wide and fast.The biggest thing between my Agco & the JD is fuel 1 gal of #2 to 4Gal of gas   [Reply]   [No Email]
Grapefarmer 02-21-2005 19:52:29 63.158.216.31 54042 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-20-2005 19:00:56   I use a old Farmall B and 5 foot finish mower. I like it, but my wife and son do not. The governor is not right and the gas line clogs now and then. I purchased an old Sears Suburban (Roper) St16 with a 48inch mower. Rebuilt the engine and now the wife and son are mowin fools. I can work on other things while they are a mowing. And if we want to get done quick, I mow on the B, son on the old sears, and my wife does the push mower around the house. We wipe out 3 acres in no time. Basically use what you got and improve over time. -Dave   [Reply]   [No Email]
kendo 02-21-2005 18:44:24 205.174.100.211 54037 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-20-2005 19:00:56   I have a farmall A and a 5 ft woods finish mower that works well. I mow about 5 acres   [Reply]   [No Email]
ric 02-21-2005 17:44:00 65.24.65.118 54034 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-20-2005 19:00:56   how about a good old 8n ford with a 5 or 6 ft finish mower probably get the set for around $3000.oo and then you have a small tractor for many many other uses   [Reply]   [No Email]
Pa. Don 02-21-2005 17:08:24 216.42.67.117 54032 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-20-2005 19:00:56   I mow around 2 acres with obstacles and I use an old Bolens garden tractor (as in 40 years old) with a 38 inch deck and then I took a Speedex 44 inch deck that had its own motor on it and built a trailer hitch for it. Between the two, I'm cutting a 6 foot swath and it takes me around an hour and fifteen minutes. If I jumped it up a gear I could shave off some time but my back wouldn't stand it so I take my time. Been on three different makes of ZTR's and to be honest with you I wasn't the least bit impressed. Too old fashion I guess.   [Reply]   [No Email]
just 02-21-2005 16:38:09 209.240.205.63 54031 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-20-2005 19:00:56   get a cheep yard sale walk behind, start at the house, mow for 20 minutes then go fishing, play golf,etc. and hire someone to bushog the rest once a year or better still, just let the rest go native. After 20 years buy yourself a new sports car. As you can tell mowing grass ain't my favorite punishment.   [Reply]   [No Email]
Dick Kline 02-21-2005 09:39:37 158.83.109.239 54025 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-20-2005 19:00:56   I would really consider one of the smaller "real" tractors like a Farmall A. I'm just not very impressed with what you get for your money if you go out and buy a new JD or Cadet. One other thing to think about is an ATV and the mower attachments from someone like Swisher. For about $2500 you can get two mowers that will cut about 110 inches at a pass, one front mounted and one tow behind.   [Reply]   [No Email]
Andy 02-21-2005 09:00:35 206.180.38.20 54024 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-20-2005 19:00:56   I cut 5 acres with hills, trees, buildings, etc in about 3 1/2 hours with a John Deere 335 with 54" deck. It used to take over 4 hours until I mowed it a few times and figured out the most efficient way of moving around the yard. It gets the mowing done and I still have the ability to pull a cart or use implements. Zero turns are faster, but I wouldn't use one for anything other than cutting grass. Too much money to break a hydro drive...   [Reply]   [No Email]
RB/CT 02-21-2005 08:25:35 67.163.171.82 54023 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-20-2005 19:00:56   Check www.lawnsite.com under Commercial for advice concerning big lawns. This topic has been hashed there many times. Consensus is that a small tractor will do it but it is too slow, and will take time. A ZTR (although expensive) is the way to go. Good Luck.   [Reply]   [No Email]
scott$2 02-21-2005 06:35:19 141.156.199.15 54019 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-20-2005 19:00:56   Id probably get a cub or something with a wide cutting swath. I cut 7 ac. and use a 6' bush hog and it still takes 3 hrs plus and its not a fine cut. Something to think about. scott#2   [Reply]   [No Email]
JT 02-21-2005 06:06:06 69.220.199.9 54011 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-20-2005 19:00:56   What are you planning on doing with this unit? If you want to run a tiller, plow, or disc, then you need a garden tractor. If you are going to mow, maybe pull a cart or aerator, then you can get a zero turn, Dixie Chopper has one that can has the capability to pull 2000 pounds without hydro damage. They also make a snow blade for the Dixie Chopper. If you want to repost and let me know whay you are going to be using this for, I will give you some other things to look for. Jim   [Reply]   [No Email]
leland 02-22-2005 14:49:41 65.143.144.219 54055 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to JT, 02-21-2005 06:06:06   JT how fast do those blades turn on those dixies they sound like a chopper taking off.And does dixie have a mower that can mow a football field in 9 minutes or less I thought I read that somewere.   [Reply]   [No Email]
JT 02-23-2005 13:03:43 69.220.199.9 54075 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to leland, 02-22-2005 14:49:41   Leland, The blade tip speed on the Dixies turn somewhere in the neighborhood of 19,000 feet per minute. It could have been said somewhere, but realistically, I do not think they could mow a foot ball field in 9 minutes, that is a lot of grass. Jim   [Reply]   [No Email]
leland 02-23-2005 14:44:05 65.143.145.114 54076 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to JT, 02-23-2005 13:03:43   Well thats fast but I swear that a dealer has done this on a regular basis to sell his product I could be wrong also .   [Reply]   [No Email]
lucasss 02-20-2005 20:08:33 209.240.205.63 54002 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-20-2005 19:00:56   i agree, if your just going to mow get a zero turn scag or dixie chopper with at least a 5 foot deck , bigger deck if it will get around the tight spots,2 cylinder water cooled kawasaki or deisel engine..lucas   [Reply]   [No Email]
Ron Stenseng 02-21-2005 06:23:03 66.72.215.225 54013 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to lucasss, 02-20-2005 20:08:33   Thanks for the input. Mostly, use will be just mowing and some light duty; pulling a cart, etc. No trees or snow to worry with (I'm in Oklahoma) terrain is fairly level. I'd rather have a garden tractor over a ZT mower, in case I ever did want to use a disc or blade. Is a garden tractor with approx. 25 hp and a 54" deck big enough or should I go with an "estate" tractor with a little more hp and 60" deck?   [Reply]   [No Email]
tim in wi 02-24-2005 16:17:32 69.211.210.119 54093 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-21-2005 06:23:03   last yr i bought a jd f935 f-mount mower 72in deck diesel cut 4hrs offmy time good cut cheep to run but i dumped close to 1000.oo in deck 400 gear box 75 belt 70 set of blades and rebuilt spindels but i think it should last me 20yrs + unit has 3400 hrs i put on 55hrs all summer so all in all 2500 was cheep we will see   [Reply]   [No Email]
Robert in W. Mi. 02-22-2005 09:46:41 69.87.133.99 54048 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-21-2005 06:23:03   There's NO cheap way out!!! Buying cheap now, will only delay the cost to later when your going to have to buy again!! I quit buying "wanna-be-mowers" and bought a diesel powered Grasshopper zero turn mower!!! It really is built well, and mows very fast!! Another thing, it rides really well, unlike lawn tractors that beat you to death when you go faster... You should check out how well grasshopper decks and spindles are built!!! Robert   [Reply]   [No Email]
Stickler 03-05-2005 15:44:05 142.16.22.18 54299 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Robert in W. Mi., 02-22-2005 09:46:41   Me too, I have an older 718 Grasshopper and love it. I mow about 9 acres with tons of trees in 4 hours and it used to take 2 days with my little 8hp rider and another day with the push mower.   [Reply]   [No Email]
Boyd in Mn 02-22-2005 00:42:42 12.73.121.242 54045 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-21-2005 06:23:03   Get a Good garden tractor, probably not less than $5,000 for it alone and get a 60" deck. Pull type mowers like mentioned earlier would really work since you have a flat area with no or little trees. Here is the list of pull type mowers that I know of are available in the USA: 1. the best one in my opinion Acre Ease at Kunzeng.com 2. Swisher I think they are at swisher-inc.com 3. Cubexmegamatic.com they are I think the newest company 4. Honda has made one but I have yet to find "any" brochures or information on them. 5. Bush Hog makes some but I think they are only rough cut type (rough cut is for tall grass,, finish cut is for regular lawns). 6. Agrifab 7. Estate brand estateyardcare.com Several of the above companies make both finish cut and rough cut mowers. The Agri-fab 63" model is a finish cut but it is only a 2 wheel mower that can mow funny over dips and bumps. I would stay away from the basic Briggs model engines they put on a lot of the entry level mowers. Acre ease has a hitch system that allows you to pull 2 or 3 mowers. On a flat level ground any good garden tractor can easily pull 2 60 inch pull type mowers. I pulled 2 60 inch pull type Swisher mowers up a 8 foot tall hill that had about a 15 or 20 degree angle,, with my Wheel Horse 12.5hp hydrostatic 252-H. Thats my 2 cents, good luck.   [Reply]   [No Email]
oldtanker 02-21-2005 15:11:47 66.228.251.119 54029 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-21-2005 06:23:03   My son in law got a 25 hp "tractor" last year. It isn't worth a darn. It will pull a self powered tiller or run a blower but thats about it. HP dosen't make it a tractor. I have an older 12hp that will push dirt, plow, disk and when new could have been purchased with a loader. If you really want something like that you have to look at garden tractors or compact utility tractors. A good garden tractor is expensive, right now I'd guess $4,000 or better with no attachments. As someone stated a real tractor may be the way to go if you don't mind having something that you may have to tinker with a bit. A friend had one for 2 years and because he has no mechanical skills got rid of it due to the amount of maintnance it required.   [Reply]   [No Email]
lucasss 02-21-2005 06:54:11 209.240.205.63 54022 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-21-2005 06:23:03   id get the biggest deck you can get , at least 5 foot or bigger..lucas   [Reply]   [No Email]
oldtanker 02-20-2005 19:29:16 66.228.251.119 53999 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to Ron Stenseng, 02-20-2005 19:00:56   depends on what other chores you will use it for. If all you will be doing is mowing I'd go with a zero trun and forget the tractor. If you will also be doing light work like pulling a 2 wheel cart then any of the cheap lawn tractos should work well just don't over load the cart. If you plan on using ground engaging attachments like a tiller or plow then you will need a better tractor. Bang for the buck there are the "grey market" import compact utilitys like the Jinma. As far as honest garden tractors are concerned they are few and far between. Toro still sells the Wheel Horse Classic, JD and Cub still have em but you will get very close or go over the "grey markets" in cost.   [Reply]   [No Email]
lumpy 02-21-2005 18:47:08 69.66.88.78 54038 Report to Moderator	Re: Mowing 5 acres in reply to oldtanker, 02-20-2005 19:29:16   If all you are going to do is mow, go with a ztr and don't look back. I have a country clipper ztr- 25hp, 60" deck, 3 acres, hour and a half! It uses a joy stick control-- awesome. 11 mph ground speed, looks like a golf coarse when done. I used one with a 60" dozer blade and chains, plowing 7" of snow. Wow! no problems, but there wasn't any drifts either.   [Reply]   [No Email]