Export thread

Residential. About one acre with a dozen trees and some flower beds. What would most of you choose? A 42" deck or a 48". For this application does it really make that big a difference?

A 42" is plenty for a acre yard

42" is good but 48" is faster. Doesn't sound like you have that many obstacles and unless you have a lot of odd bumps and hills I see no reason to use a deck that will take longer to get the job done. I have an acre and a half with obstacles and hills and I have used a 48" for 13 years, just now got a new tractor with a 50" deck and still have no problems getting around anything. I'd go with the 48".

I'm with Carl on this. While 42 will get the job done, 48 will do it quicker. This will equate to less fuel usage and longer tractor life.

I think it depends on what you're going to run the deck on. Are you talking a ZTR or a Tractor because it can make a big difference. I'm assuming the one acre were talking about belongs to you and you're not using the mower for a business application if so then Deck size is really irrelevant.

Your time gain with the 48" over the 42" will be minimal at best. I can tell you I run both a 44" and a 48" ZTR, although the 48" is somewhat faster the 44" is cheaper to run, fuel cost is something you may want to consider in your choice.

Thanks for the reply's. It will be a ZTR ride on and my property is flat. No hills, inclines or rough terrain....

I just ordered a 50" for 1.5 acres

I want to free up as much time as possible and have a lot of open space to traverse

fastback said:

I'm with Carl on this. While 42 will get the job done, 48 will do it quicker. This will equate to less fuel usage and longer tractor life.

Click to expand...

Actually its a trade off...

While it takes longer to mow with a smaller deck, it is also less stressful on the tractor to use it. On the same note, its more stressful to run the larger deck, but you spend less time mowing.

Fuel consumption will be almost the same...takes the same power to mow the same grass. I proved this with my own yard...it took two gallons of fuel to mow my roughly 2.5 acres with a 70s 14HP/48 inch Jacobsen and it now takes me two gallons of fuel to mow that same yard using my 25HP/61 inch Grasshopper. Almost double the engine HP, and uses the same fuel...but I get done in about 1.5 hours versus three to four hours.

Make sense...

I went with the largest "2" blade deck...46". The reason is 2 blade decks give a smoother cut than a 3 blade deck. Because the blade tip speed is fastest on these decks 38", 42" 44" 46"......over that is 3 blades.

I'm looking at an Exmark Quest. I can buy the 42" for $600 less then the 48". Does this effect anyone's opinion?

I suppose it's not going to make a huge difference on an acre lawn with a ZTR, your mowing time will be good either way. If you gain 6" per pass then you gain a foot going up and back once so after 4 passes you've gained 4 feet which gains you one whole pass. On an acre that probably doesn't equate to that many passes saved and how much time and fuel will each pass save, probably not that much.

I see Cajun Cut's point about the blade tip speed with the longer blades on the 2 blade decks but that extra blade length could also amplify a blade that is a little out of balance which would wear on the spindles more. I honestly don't know if the extra blade speed or potential amplification of imballanced blades would really make much difference between a 42" and 48" deck, probably not IMHO.

I still would prefer the 48" deck but $600 isn't chump change. I don't know if a 48" deck would increase resale value down the road, or if that even matters to you. I think you will be happy either way so maybe the extra deck size isn't worth $600. Is that the only difference or is the enigine different/bigger on the 48" deck?

The difference is now $700 bucks. Specs say blade speed is the same with both decks, 1850. Plan to die with this machine so resale is not a concern. As this is not my business and just a home owner cutting his lawn, I'm leaning toward the 42. Both have Briggs and Straton Motors. The 42 is 20hp and the 48 is 22hp.

Maybe I missed something but what make mowers are we talking about and how much money are we talking about for these mowers. If I can ask?

2010 Exmark Quest. The 2011's were made cheaper. Stamped deck and single pump so I'm opting for the 2010 models that are still available in my area.....
42" is $3500
48" is $4200

Crusher said:

I'm looking at an Exmark Quest. I can buy the 42" for $600 less then the 48". Does this effect anyone's opinion?

Click to expand...

I think it only effects your opinion lol Do you care that it is $600 more? If your a little more budget conscious then sure it makes a difference. If you don't care, I would get the 48" deck because you can mow faster, you have a flat yard so a larger deck won't increase your probability of scalping. I think you will eventually wish you had the 48" deck, but that is just me. I have a 52" deck and do my 1-1.5 acres in about 40-50 minutes, but I had only gotten it because the 60" deck wouldn't fit through my shed doors :thumbdown:. Now I am redoing my shed, so 60" here we come :biggrin: The 60" deck can be run at the same RPMs and I can cut down my time by 30%, so I will be saving fuel and time, but that is not the case for all tractors because some tax the engines a lot harder.

Crusher said:

2010 Exmark Quest. The 2011's were made cheaper. Stamped deck and single pump so I'm opting for the 2010 models that are still available in my area.....
42" is $3500
48" is $4200

Click to expand...

Nothing against Exmark but I personally wouldn't own a Briggs and Straton Motor. You might want to look at one of these, The Kohler 22 hp is a lot more motor. Lap Bar Control Zero Turn Riding Mower

Ric said:

Nothing against Exmark but I personally wouldn't own a Briggs and Straton Motor. You might want to look at one of these, The Kohler 22 hp is a lot more motor. Lap Bar Control Zero Turn Riding Mower

Click to expand...

BAH! Modern Kohlers are no more or less than a B&S.....now if we're talking 30 YEARS ago, I woud concur........Kohler has gone to resting on their laurels, and soon, they'll go the way of Tecumseh......a proud name on junk.

B&S has at least been consistent. They make the same quality of engine they always have - it's the fact everyone else has cheapened up so terribly that makes B&S seem like they've gotten so much better.

twall said:

BAH! Modern Kohlers are no more or less than a B&S.....now if we're talking 30 YEARS ago, I woud concur........Kohler has gone to resting on their laurels, and soon, they'll go the way of Tecumseh......a proud name on junk.

B&S has at least been consistent. They make the same quality of engine they always have - it's the fact everyone else has cheapened up so terribly that makes B&S seem like they've gotten so much better.

Click to expand...

As I said it's a personal opinion, after replacing three B & S motors in three years on a JD I said I'd never own either, they're both junk as far as I'm concerned. I'll stick to the Kohlers Thank You.
Wow after reading your post I can see where your attitude has derived from.

Ric said:

Wow after reading your post I can see where your attitude has derived from.

Click to expand...

HUH? I didn't a-catch your drift......

If you have the room for the larger deck... you will like a larger deck, the pulley size is different from a short blade to a longer blade... that generally will keep the tip speed up...
I've always ran 3 blade systems... never any problems,
Replacement blade type can improve the cut over the stock variety...

For regular use a B&S is going to give you great service... they are on everything and like twall said have been reliable through the years... :smile:KennyV

Your deck choice comes down to preference vs. budget. I like a 48" deck but $700 is a lot to pay for the extra 6" and 2 hp (which you would want for the bigger deck anyway so that's kind of a wash). That said, there's nothing worse than buyers remorse, especially on a long term purchase. Trust me, when I bought my Toro/Wheelhorse 14 years ago it seemed great but the Kohler motor let me down after only 2-3 years and some minor repairs on the rest of the tractor made me wish I had paid a little more and bought either the John Deere or Simplicity I had also looked at. Just now I finally got a new Simplicity and I hope and pray it will be better than the Toro/Wheelhorse, I'm pretty confident it will be.

I have to agree with twall on the Kohler motors. Not to offend anyone but I've had two Kohler Commands, the top of the line Kohler commercial motor - both had serious problems almost immediately. Never ran right, especially in the cold, ran so hot the plastic coating on the choke and throttle cables melted into the cables which made them stick after the mower was shut off and cooled, bent push rods which I was told Kohler knew was a problem yet they refused to fix or even supply the new push rods for me to fix, etc. The dealers know it too so they shrug their shoulders and say, "That's Kohler for you". The old cast iron Kohlers were the best but the new ones are no better than anything else, just more expensive to buy and fix. Like twall said, they are heading the same way as Tecumseh if they don't start building quality motors again very soon. I suppose Kohler is no worse than the other low to mid level brands but they still charge like they are a premium motor, which they are not anymore. I hate to say it but the best motors are the Japanese commercial grade motors - Kawasaki, Honda and the Briggs v-twin Vanguards which are made in Japan by Diahatsu.

twall said:

HUH? I didn't a-catch your drift......

Click to expand...

don't be went right over your head. Just think about it, it may come to you. :smile:

When it comes to mower deck width and flat screen TV size, always start with the largest size you can afford, then work backward with practical considerations in mind.

I'd want 48" for an acre, but if the practical consideration involves numerous areas you can't access due to that width, go smaller.

Common Regret: Going too small.

Uncommon Regret: Going too large.

Crusher said:

Plan to die with this machine so resale is not a concern.

Click to expand...

You might want to check out the thread about who can mow the steepest slope.

Jetblast said:

You might want to check out the thread about who can mow the steepest slope.

Click to expand...

How about mowing a slope of 60 degrees +/- 10 with a 44" deck.

Ric said:

How about mowing a slope of 60 degrees +/- 10 with a 44" deck.

Click to expand...

Pics or it didn't happen!

Jetblast said:

Pics or it didn't happen!

Click to expand...

How about mowing a slope of 60 degrees +/- 10 with a 44" deck.

Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong, I didn't say I've done it just that there are mowers available that can.:wink: