Seeking insight to a unique dilemma regarding mowers

[rep860]

I am renting a house with 5-6 acres of mowable land. I am responsible for maintaining the lawn. I have been looking at ZTR mowers as the land is mostly open and what tree's there are have the clearance to get under the lower branches.

The lease runs yearly with no guarantee of renewal, however we expect to be here for at least 3 yrs.

Dilemma:
Buy semi-pro machine (Toro Titan, JD Z465, or similar) with 60"deck for around $5.5K or Buy Heavy Duty residential machine (Toro Timecutter, Cub Cadet RZT) with 50" deck for around $2.5k or maybe an option I have not considered.

Have kept garden tractors off my list because of the slow mowing speed and don't want to take days to mow the property

I would hate to invest 5k and then be trying to sell it before next cutting season, however with nearly 6 acres of land I don't know how well one of the lessor models will hold up. I have been looking for used contractor equipment, but it is still early in the season to have much to choose from.

Suggestions (as my 23" craftsman mower is not an option, no matter how much I try to bribe the kids)...

Thanks,

Rich

 

[jimrs]

Sounds like your in a pickle. The zero turns are the way to go and I know a lot of people here will tell you to buy a commercial grade. They are most likely right with the exception of the cost of the machine, I understand. If your going with a homeowners model it will be made lighter and have a few more repairs for such a large area.

They will also tell you that the zero turn has cut mowing time in half or almost half. So it's not like your going to be mowing daily. Once a week mowing 6 acres is like a month and a half of me mowing. I think that a home owners model will last you for 5 or 6 years if you follow the service schedule and keep it up. This means oil, belt, air filter, plugs and blades. You will still have the same service schedule on a commercial grade mower. So what would be the difference?

I would stick to a name brand they all make a nice zero turn for home owners. I just bought a 42" Toro and would not be afraid to mow 6 acres with it. I opted for the Toro as it had a bigger motor than the John Deere in the same size. If your going with a larger cut the motor is going to be larger than mine.

I would not buy the Cub as I have had there home owners mower and I did not like it at all. You never said where you would buy this machine but from the brands listed I am guessing a big box store. Your local dealer would be the same price and have service for you when needed plus have parts. My suggestion is Toro ss as my personal choice.

Good luck with your quest to find the right one. Your local dealer will be a lot of help in selecting the right mower. Some people just cant afford a $5,000 dollar mower. I could but decided not to spend the extra $2,500.00.

 

[rep860]

I have decided to stay away from the Big Box Stores and work through a local dealer. There are 4 in the general area that all sell the 'high' end residential mowers. I briefly considered the ZTR mowers at Tractor Supply, but the lack of service after the sale didn't make the small price difference worth it.

Which model of Toro did you go with?

I looked at the timecutter ($2999 to 3500) and was comparing to the Titan ($5k to $5.5k) with 54/60" decks. I think that the Timecutter would fit the bill, however the Titan is definately of heavier construction.

My biggest hangup is that I have no experience with this style of mower and I would hate to sink $$$ into something that just is not enough or too much for the job. Ultimately I will have to bite the bullet, but I do appreciate the feedback.

Thanks,

 

[jenkinsph]

I am renting a house with 5-6 acres of mowable land. I am responsible for maintaining the lawn. I have been looking at ZTR mowers as the land is mostly open and what tree's there are have the clearance to get under the lower branches.

The lease runs yearly with no guarantee of renewal, however we expect to be here for at least 3 yrs.

Dilemma:
Buy semi-pro machine (Toro Titan, JD Z465, or similar) with 60"deck for around $5.5K or Buy Heavy Duty residential machine (Toro Timecutter, Cub Cadet RZT) with 50" deck for around $2.5k or maybe an option I have not considered.

Have kept garden tractors off my list because of the slow mowing speed and don't want to take days to mow the property

I would hate to invest 5k and then be trying to sell it before next cutting season, however with nearly 6 acres of land I don't know how well one of the lessor models will hold up. I have been looking for used contractor equipment, but it is still early in the season to have much to choose from.

Suggestions (as my 23" craftsman mower is not an option, no matter how much I try to bribe the kids)...

Thanks,

Rich

You might be better off with a good used mower, something that is in good shape and that will not loose to much of its value over a three year period. I wouldn't overlook some of the good garden tractors either, some of them are pretty fast and consider the lawn in question as to how fast you can mow. My lawn area is very smooth and I can mow it about 6 to 8 mph with my garden tractor, with a wide deck of 60"+ you can cover alot of ground.

A zero turn mower is great if you have lots of obstacles and a good used one would be great choice too. These are fast on smooth ground and have a nice cut.

Not saying which one is better for your needs but I would look for the best deal on either type in a used model. If you wind up moving and need to sell the mower you are much more likely to recoup more of your money on a good quality used mower.

 

[jimrs]

I bought the Toro timecutter ss 4235 It was the one that the dealer recomended. I had checked all the Zero turn mowers and found this is the one that I wanted. I had him put an Hourmeter, hitch and mulching kit on it. It cost me with tax 3,100.00 The mower alone was priced at 2599.00 and was a last years model with the Kawasaki 20 h.p. motor.

My neighbor borrowed it as he gave his son his Snapper Zero Turn as he hated it. It went down that same day and bought the same mower. He said he was impressed with the build of the mower and the cut he got from it.

Your local dealer should be able to get you one but it will have a different motor as they no longer use Kawasaki due to costs.

 

[YardMonkey]

Ever think about a tractor with a fine cut bush hog on the back or an under belly deck. I know Kabota and JD have them...used to use one to cut baseball field and football field.

 

[reynoldston]

You responsible to mow 6 acres with only a 1 year lease with your own mower. That is one big lawn to mow for free with a 5000 dollar investment. That also would be hours of mowing a week. I always thought that renting a place the landlord did the mowing. Sure has to be a nice place to rent to even think about about renting with all that much money and time involved.

 

[Mad Mackie]

Would have to be rent free or some serious perks to get me to do that!!:laughing:
Mad Mackie in CT:biggrin::laughing:

 

[hitmanharleyk]

I own some rental property and I offer to mow the 1 acre lots for a additional $75 a month. I've never had a tenant take me up on it, they said they'd do it themselves. Basically they all do a crappy job and I end up keeping their deposit when they leave due to it because I then charge them to get it back in shape, it is in their lease agreement.

 

[Mad Mackie]

I've never run across a renter that brought a running lawn mower with them or would ever consider buying one. Having done lawn and other maintenance at rental properties I could tell you some stories, but you probably know most or all of them.
Here in liberal CT, the renter has more rights than the property owner particularly if the renter hasn't paid any rent for the last year. The court appearances usually go past 3 and the non paying renter usually goes rent unpaid for 16 to 24 months before they can be evicted, needless to say the condition of the place/apartment is poor at best once the property owner is legally permitted to evict the tenant and permitted to enter their own property.
The original poster spoke of 6 acres to mow. I have no idea of his capabilities nor his agreement with the property owner, but 6 acres is a bit much IMHO!!!:frown:
Mad Mackie in CT:biggrin::laughing: