Help me choose a new zero turn mower

[OPEfan]

I am buying a new house and I’ll be going from less than 1/4 acre to a little more than 2 acres. Needless to say, my Honda push mower won’t cut it (no pun intended) so I am in the market for a new mower. I currently help my dad mow his two acres with a lawn tractor and although it’s ~22 HP with a 46” deck, it seems to take forever and occasionally feels underpowered. For this reason, I’m leaning towards a zero turn mower. I have a (bad?) habit of buying the biggest and baddest of whatever I’m in the market for that I can afford instead of a cheaper product that suits my needs. So lately I’ve been looking at commercial grade mowers for my future property. The mower that really catches my eye right now is the Bad Boy Rogue with the Kawasaki FX1000 (35HP) and the 61” deck. I see this mower as my “forever mower” for my “forever house”. I really love the combination of features and power for the price and have had a difficult time finding a comparables. Since I haven’t closed on the house yet, Ive had time to think about my choice and I’m starting to think this mower may be way overkill for my application. Do I really want a $12,000 commercial grade mower? Yes! But do I really need one? That’s where I need help and advice.

The property I will be mowing is 200’ x 450’ with a drainage ditch running on the 200’ of frontage. The property is surrounded by large ~40’ conifers and the ground is mainly flat with slight slopes at the septic field area. I cannot speak to the thickness or type of grass but it’s certainly not golf course quality - I believe the grass is just natural and native with no real previous lawn care (watering, fertilizing, aerating, dethating, etc). What size and power mower do you think I would need at a minimum to mow, weed whack and blow this in 45 minutes or less? I want a mower that is reliable and reputable. I’d like to not have to worry about my mower being underpowered in thick patches or while mowing wet grass the day after a rainstorm. I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts on this.

 

[Duce]

Exmark, Ferris will work.

 

[ammoaddict]

Ferris will be the smoothest ride, Bad boys are built like tanks. That's what I was going to buy until I found a good deal in a Hustler. Unless your yard is level, smooth and no obstacles I doubt you can mow over 2 acres in 45 minutes. I mow about 3.5 acres. I had a Murray 40" and it took 4 hours. Then got a Husqvarna 54" and it took 3 hours. Then I got the zero turn 60" 24 hp Kawasaki Hustler and do it in just under 2 hours.

 

[Al Smith]

I've got a Toro Titan 54" ( welded heavy deck ) with a 23 HP Kawasaki .Mow about 2.5 acres .It does very good as well as often over 1,000 feet of ditch bank .

 

[OPEfan]

I've got a Toro Titan 54" ( welded heavy deck ) with a 23 HP Kawasaki .Mow about 2.5 acres .It does very good as well as often over 1,000 feet of ditch bank .

How long does it take you to mow?

 

[Al Smith]

About an hour and a half on just the two acre field plus the half acre around the house .If I mow the over 1000 feet of ditch bank maybe another 45 minutes .Keep in mimd I have to take a break to get a smoke and a beer some times .I mean WTF I am retired .

 

[Al Smith]

Correction on my on my last .It's 500 feet on my road frontage and 1500 on the other side the farmers will not mow of the ditch banks .Frugal bunch they are.but I like them any way .

 

[ammoaddict]

About an hour and a half on just the two acre field plus the half acre around the house .If I mow the over 1000 feet of ditch bank maybe another 45 minutes .Keep in mimd I have to take a break to get a smoke and a beer some times .I mean WTF I am retired .

The hotter it is outside, the longer it takes me. More smoke and water breaks.

 

[Crzybowhntr]

I have limited experience with them but I own an Exmark that has the two arms vs a steering wheel and I have used a new Cub Cadet with a steering wheel. My Exmark does not get used often due to the terrain being hilly so I normally just use my Husqvarna rider with a locking rear differential. The Cub Cadet was really nice, mowed great, seemed to be built well, held the hills, and was comfortable to drive.

I guess what I am getting at is that if you have hills do not get one of those with the "arms" for directional steering. I`ve had to pull mine out of my pond and fences on numerous occasions.

 

[Moparmyway]

@Onan18

Joe knows his stuff

 

[Squareground3691]

Kubota , Kawasaki motor, Parker Hydro’s

 

[OPEfan]

Kubota , Kawasaki motor, Parker Hydro’s View attachment 367023

I was just looking at Kubotas. What’s the model # on that?

 

[Squareground3691]

I was just looking at Kubotas. What’s the model # on that?

Z724 48 inch deck

 

[Duce]

I purchase a 54” husky 24 hp kaw for myself and 61” husky 24hp kaw for my son. Have mowed with both in heavy grass that 61” deck begins to bog. Neighbor has a 72” cat powered Ferris he purchased used from local golf course, parts are available, it rides like a Cadillac compared to others I have used. He mows about 10 acres and I have mowed it several times for him when he was working out of town. Mow that with mine and you feel beat, his is a smooth ride and fast.

 

[Duce]

Forgot to say I would want a suspension seat at least, full independent is nice.

 

[Squareground3691]

Kubota , Kawasaki motor, Parker Hydro’s View attachment 367023

Spend the extra, and get the suspension seats, best money spent ,

 

[RCBS]

Does it have to be spanky? I was looking about 6 years ago. Ended up finding a 8 year old ZD326P for less than half of what a new one cost showing only 915 hours. Non-commercial unit, dealer have service records. Farmer traded in for a new one. It should outlast me if I do my part. I've actually 'made' money on it at this point, were I to sell it. lol

 

[Seachaser]

Forgot to say I would want a suspension seat at least, full independent is nice.

Gravely.

 

[ammoaddict]

Like Duce said, Ferris is the Cadillac. You don't necessarily need a professional mower to mow 2 acres. Zero turns are like chainsaws, homeowner, farm&ranch and professional. My Hustler falls into the farm & ranch category. The quality of the engine and the hydros are the most important thing. Just make sure the hydros are serviceable with oil filters on each one. I got mine 7 years ago. They had two leftover from the previous year. I got it for about $1500 less than the current year one.

 

[plcnut]

I really like my Spartan SRT-PRO with a 61" deck and a 25hp Kohler. It is a commercial mower.
I bought a used one that was in good shape and saved a chunk over new.
I mow about 3 acres with a lot of very steep terrain as well as a bit of highway frontage with ditches and a pond. It takes me about 4 hours. Running on flat ground with grass that is not overgrown, it will go a lot faster.