Just bought a house on six acres. Now what mower to get?

[rprice54]

The title says it all. Something tells me my Lowes Husky tractor is gonna take all day.

A buddy of mine who runs a lawn service is convinced I need a commercial mower. He's probably right. I'm in a smaller town. I have a Scag dealer and John Deere in town. Within an hour I can get to a Toro dealer and Xmark, but I'd rather stay local.

JD guy said he wouldn't go smaller than Z915B, he recommended the Z920M. After I picked my jaw up off the floor when he told me the price I went on over to the Scag dealer. They showed me a freedom Z and a Tiger Cat. The freedom z was a bit over $5k with 52 deck. The other mowers were in the $7-8k range.

So is the Freedom Z enough or should I go ahead and bump up to a real commercial mower? It's a flat yard. 6 acres, 1-2 acres of burmuda roughly and the rest is wild grass, weeds, less dense stuff. I don't want to spend all day cutting grass. And I don't want to be making repairs all the time. I'm leaning towards the commercial stuff, but don't want to overspend.

 

[Nwatson99]

Well we need more info on the 920M 48, 54, or 60" deck?
What did he price to you for?

Why does everyone always leave out that info, but when they talk about a lesser quality unit all info is there but the serial number?

 

[pcclipper]

What is your buddy using in his business? Only 2 dealers is not much to bargain with. Are there places you can't get through with a 60"? Gates, between trees?

 

[rprice54]

I guess I was more interested in knowing if the freedom z would work out or not. I didn't get all the specs. I do know the 915 and 920 had the 54" decks. I'm not sure which engines. I'm going back today now that I've done my homework and accepted the prices. He said 'high sevens' for the 915 depending on options and 'high eights' for the 920. I didn't spec out a specific machine.

The lawn is pretty flat and wide open. I do have a small enclosed area near the house but with a zero turn it shouldn't be a problem. I do have one steep area near the garage, I may keep the husky to go up and down that if the big deck scalps there.

I can drive around and look at some other machines, but when it comes time for service I'd rather not drive an hour each way.

My buddy said he had two $13k machines, some brand I didn't recognize. He also has had Scag stuff in the past and really liked them. I'm admittedly a newb with the commercial grade stuff. I bought my yard snail from Lowes 6 years ago. Haven't had a reason to look into mowers since then. It did my .75 acres just fine.

 

[Shughes717]

I guess I was more interested in knowing if the freedom z would work out or not. I didn't get all the specs. I do know the 915 and 920 had the 54" decks. I'm not sure which engines. I'm going back today now that I've done my homework and accepted the prices. He said 'high sevens' for the 915 depending on options and 'high eights' for the 920. I didn't spec out a specific machine.

The lawn is pretty flat and wide open. I do have a small enclosed area near the house but with a zero turn it shouldn't be a problem. I do have one steep area near the garage, I may keep the husky to go up and down that if the big deck scalps there.

I can drive around and look at some other machines, but when it comes time for service I'd rather not drive an hour each way.

My buddy said he had two $13k machines, some brand I didn't recognize. He also has had Scag stuff in the past and really liked them. I'm admittedly a newb with the commercial grade stuff. I bought my yard snail from Lowes 6 years ago. Haven't had a reason to look into mowers since then. It did my .75 acres just fine.

The answer to your question is yes. The scag freedom z would suit you well. If your lawn is flat with no serious slopes or obstacles the freedom z should get the job done. The freedom z is a semi commercial mower made for lawns the size of yours. Would go with the 61" deck though

 

[Parkmower]

IMO those deeres are WAY overkill. The freedom z would suit you fine. Or even a lower model Deere. Remember sales men are in it to make money so of course they'll try to up sell you.

 

[rprice54]

It's not just the salesman pushing me to a commercial mower. Here's the breakdown:
(All with 50ish decks)
Freedom Z, 48" deck 18HP Kawasaki engine, 20" wheels $5300
Z915B, 25hp Kohler, 54" deck, 24" wheels, $7500
Tiger Cat 25hp Kawasaki 52" deck $8200
Z920B, 23.5 Kawasaki, 54" deck $8500

My other consideration is just cutting time. All of the commercial mowers are faster than the freedom z.

I walked around the yard, I've got a few spots the 61" wouldn't go through.

I lean towards the Z915B. Overkill?

 

[Shughes717]

It's not just the salesman pushing me to a commercial mower. Here's the breakdown:
(All with 50ish decks)
Freedom Z, 48" deck 18HP Kawasaki engine, 20" wheels $5300
Z915B, 25hp Kohler, 54" deck, 24" wheels, $7500
Tiger Cat 25hp Kawasaki 52" deck $8200
Z920B, 23.5 Kawasaki, 54" deck $8500

My other consideration is just cutting time. All of the commercial mowers are faster than the freedom z.

I walked around the yard, I've got a few spots the 61" wouldn't go through.

I lean towards the Z915B. Overkill?

That's all up to you. If you don't mind paying that much then no it's not over kill. I mow 4.2 acres with a 48" snapper pro s150xt. Takes 2.5 hours, but I have a lot of obstacles and some hills. The scag freedom z would handle the job and can cut at 8 mph, but if you feel you need to go bigger then that's your call. All of the mowers you mentioned are good machines.

 

[djdicetn]

It's not just the salesman pushing me to a commercial mower. Here's the breakdown:
(All with 50ish decks)
Freedom Z, 48" deck 18HP Kawasaki engine, 20" wheels $5300
Z915B, 25hp Kohler, 54" deck, 24" wheels, $7500
Tiger Cat 25hp Kawasaki 52" deck $8200
Z920B, 23.5 Kawasaki, 54" deck $8500

My other consideration is just cutting time. All of the commercial mowers are faster than the freedom z.

I walked around the yard, I've got a few spots the 61" wouldn't go through.

I lean towards the Z915B. Overkill?

If I were you, I'd spend the extra $700 and get the Tiger Cat. If you're gonna overbuy a bit(and this is coming from a guy that bought a Commercial Gravely for 1.5 acres:0) the Tiger Cat would get you Commercial grade that would last a very long time with your requirements. Of course....I can't ever resist....if you have a Gravely dealer nearby you could easily get into a 52" Pro-Turn 100 XDZ with a Kawa like mine for $7,699 plus tax(current Haggle Free Pricing). Again, a Commercial grade ZTR that would suit your needs. If you're interested in adding Gravely to your demo list, here's a link where you can check out the specs and find the closest dealer and pricing:

Pro-Turn 100 Commercial Zero turn Mower

 

[rprice54]

Thanks. I'll look into it.

Found a World Lawn Cobra here for $6250. Never heard of them. Thoughts?