Need light weight mower

[Jlplawn]

Hi

I have a 61" ferris ztr (IS2000) and a 5+ acre lot. The ferris is reeliable, cuts great, moves fast, but is very heavy ~ 1300 lbs - add my weight and we're talking over 1500#. In the early spring and fall the ground is soft, so the mower leaves deep wheel tracks that don't go away until next winter. Tires are 22 x 11. I need recommendations for a much lighter weight mower with wide tires.

 

[bertsmobile1]

You should be able to get dual wheels for your Ferris
Other than that it will be a lightweight domestic ZTR and they are throw aways with a lot smaller decks .

 

[slomo]

21" Snapper Commercial push mower. All 0 turns leave ruts in the turf. Like you said they are 1,000 pound machines.

slomo

 

[bertsmobile1]

The rubbish RTZ huskys ( or the rebadged alternatives ) with a single cylinder engine are a lot lighter as are the small JD's EZ 335 ? or whatever it is now days .
These are sub 1000 lbs.
Swisher wide area walk behinds come up to about 50" and they are light, Toro do some big ones as well
Should not be a big deal as you only need them for a month or so till the ground firms up.
A tow behind & quad bike which sits equally on 4 wheels so will have less ground weight per wheel.
Then there are the standers , again lighter than the regular ZTR's
Or consider a couple of tons of coarse river sand as a top dressing
Allows better water drainage & run off

 

[Jlplawn]

Thanks for your replies. I don't mind a smaller mower, since its only in the beginning and end of year. However, a 21" walk behind is a non starter. I have a 30" toro walk behind and it takes 12 miles of walking to cut the lawn - not something I am interested in doing. Dual tires sounds interesting, but I can seem to find much info on getting them for my ferris. It seems all the smaller ztr's (42-48 inches) have tires that are narrower, so the gain I get in weight reduction is somewhat lost with narrower tires.
Any other suggestions?

 

[Born2Mow]

Go to the store and buy 100 helium-filled balloons. Tie the balloons to the Ferris. It will then be lighter than 1300 lbs.

Just be careful driving home from the balloon store.

 

[Mikekap]

Hello, For soft soil the ventrac is a great machine. My is3200z Ferris is much more comfortable. I put cruiser run stones on top of where i have soft or wet ground . It does work. Good luck , Mike The ventrac can be used for many things other than cutting grass.

 

[VRR.DYNDNS>BIZ]

changing your mowing pattern will also help. Rolling the lawn will help. dual tires will help. 2 pounds less in the tires will help. A tail wheel with adjustable down pressure will help.

 

[Jlplawn]

OK Dual tires seems a popular answer. Where can I get a dual tire kit or components?