We lost our beloved, new Zero Turn mower when our stable burned down in Jan. It was stored under the 8’ overhang and was totally roasted!! We had a Gravely. Good power, but didn’t cut “juicy” grass well at all (I think it had mulching blades) Great on lawn grass that was dry, but clogged badly in taller, juicy grass. Any favorites?? We have a LOT of lawn and a grass riding arena 135x250. We like to mow along our pasture fence at the road to make it look neat, too (80 acres). “Toasted” mower was 46"…looking at 54-60 inches. Thanks.
We have used the 54" commercial JD zero turn ones for years now and they do a great job on the finishing mowing in the yard, then raise the deck and get out in the cattle pens and pastures and they handle most anything also well.
If in very thick, tall weeds, cut only half width until you get thru the thickest.
For serious barditch and big pasture mowing, a brush hog type is better.
We use the 7’ JD one on the big tractor for that.
[QUOTE=crosscreeksh;8578799]
We lost our beloved, new Zero Turn mower when our stable burned down in Jan. It was stored under the 8’ overhang and was totally roasted!! We had a Gravely. Good power, but didn’t cut “juicy” grass well at all (I think it had mulching blades) Great on lawn grass that was dry, but clogged badly in taller, juicy grass. Any favorites?? We have a LOT of lawn and a grass riding arena 135x250. We like to mow along our pasture fence at the road to make it look neat, too (80 acres). “Toasted” mower was 46"…looking at 54-60 inches. Thanks.[/QUOTE]
Zero turns: Ferris. With suspension seat. One of the higher end models with independent suspension. No others need apply.
Gravely, Exmark, Hustler, SCAG, even Kubota all make outstanding mowers. But when you’re mowing grass that has ever been trodden by hooves, they are torture. The Ferris suspension system keeps your kidneys below your ribcage and lets the mower move at speeds approaching its capability.
Each has their own attributes. I had a CC TankM60. It cut grass like a fighter jet but rode hard. Handled like a dream. I now cut grass with a Kub ZD331/72 and it cuts grass like an dumptruck. Unstoppable, comfy, but not nimble.
Ive never owned a scag because I don’t care for the dealer, but I bet that is a great combo of power and performance.
The Kubota 72 inch deck is the best I’ve ever seen for fences. It is rounded and sticks out about a foot and can weave in and out really well.
We have a Scag for home use. It is a hilly property. But I have taken it over to a friend’s horse fields and occasionally will use it to mow some of the tree farm behind our property. I love that sucker. You can set the deck height to 5 inches for horse fields so you don’t cut too low. It is easy to adjust the height of the deck quickly. At home we have some drainage swales and I cut them lower than the rest of the yard.
Ours is older so we don’t have a suspension seat. We did buy a new seat recently so that helps. My only complaint is that the roll bar cannot be flipped down. Some models you can pull a pin and flip the top part down for going under trees. I have forgotten the roll bar a few times and hit a heavy tree branch with the roll bar and popped up the front end. That gets the heart rate up.:eek:
I have a Scag (Excellent machine!) for our property, but it’s not a farm. It’s never had an issue maintaining an area that doesn’t get regular mowing, however. That said, it might not be the best thing for certain kinds of terrain, for both operator comfort and traction.
Another Scag owner here. I’ve had a Turf Tiger now for over 14 years. I had a chance to pick up a second one fairly cheap that wasn’t running, so I did. Got that one running and now have two. One has the Kawasaki 27 hp liquid cooled motor, the other has the Kohler 25 hp. It’s amazing how much more power the Kawasaki has over the Kohler. The liquid cooled motor is also significantly quieter.
I think they are all good, but I would lean towards something with the Kawasaki liquid cooled motor based on my experience with these two.
[QUOTE=Buford;8579195]
The Kubota 72 inch deck is the best I’ve ever seen for fences. It is rounded and sticks out about a foot and can weave in and out really well.[/QUOTE]
This is important to consider. Decks that are as wide as the wheels make fencelines much more challenging. You want a deck that’s wider than the wheel on the side opposite of the discharge.
If you have trees or obstructions to mow between, make sure the deck is sized appropriately for that. Also take care that wavy ground and side slopes are very gentle, as a wide deck will scalp more vs. a narrow deck that follows the form of the ground better.
When landscaping and edging your flowerbeds, put very gentle bends in them so that the mower can get to them.
Another thing to know is never tow/drag your zero-turn unless you’ve unlocked the hydraulic pumps. On a horse farm it’s not hard to get a wheel stuck on a wet patch. Zero turns are only two wheel drive and the motors are extremely responsive so they are susceptible to getting stuck on wet grass. It’s easy to pull free with a tractor or truck but make sure you follow the owner’s manual on that.
David
Oh yeah, if youre looking for a mower that will do some close fence trimming, also pay attention to where the anti scalp wheel/rollers are. If they stick out on corner, like a grasshopper, it could be a challenge to accomplish what youre trying to do.
Butting in: my partner’s mother died in a tragic farm accident mowing with a zero turn. If your property has hills, please consider a tractor or something with more stability. And of course, always use caution when using farm equipment. I know this might seem like a dumb post, but if I make even one person pause and use a little more care, I might save a life.
It’s not dumb at all. A man here died last summer when his zero turn slid into his pond, rolled over and pinned him under, drowning him. Some do ok on slopes, some not, depending on weight and COG. They slide first, then catch and tip.
[QUOTE=Anne;8579782]
Butting in: my partner’s mother died in a tragic farm accident mowing with a zero turn. If your property has hills, please consider a tractor or something with more stability. And of course, always use caution when using farm equipment. I know this might seem like a dumb post, but if I make even one person pause and use a little more care, I might save a life.[/QUOTE]
Absolutely true. Zero turns do not do steep slopes well. Remember, it’s not the length of the slope it’s the steepness. I have a drainage swale that’s as wide as my mower but the slope is just at my limit. Also my sand mounds have steep sides that push the limits. You wouldn’t even think about hills on my property but these spots are steep.
Even if safety is not your concern, steep slopes will damage the hydraulics. The owners manuals state the limits.
I didn’t know that about zero turns. I just assumed they had a low center of gravity with the big bottom area. Sounds like I would be better with a tow-behind ATV mower for the ditch.
We have a Ferris 60" and a Gravely 54" I think. Like them both for different reason, Ferris is great with the suspension and big Cat diesel engine. Gravely is good for smaller areas, that 60" deck not so good on uneven ground.
[QUOTE=Anne;8579782]
Butting in: my partner’s mother died in a tragic farm accident mowing with a zero turn. If your property has hills, please consider a tractor or something with more stability. And of course, always use caution when using farm equipment. I know this might seem like a dumb post, but if I make even one person pause and use a little more care, I might save a life.[/QUOTE]
Good point!! Our farm is flat to rolling!! No big hills at all. If I have to “do” a hill…I go up and down…never across!! I see hills the highway crews mow and it make me ill!! Always wonder how they keep from tipping over!!
We have a Grasshopper 928D that we bought VERY used with almost 2000 hours on it. I love that mower. If it blew up tomorrow I would buy another one. They are very pricey - even used. But I have beat that thing to death and it comes back for more.
I’ve got a Ferris 61" Zero Turn and it’s great except for when the ground is wet. Yes, I do get stuck and need to go get tractor to pull it out. I just wish I’d learn to use the old Wheel Horse mower more in the spring as it doesn’t get stuck as frequently. I’d probably do better to not try to push as close to the wet areas either. 
Not sure how long ago I got it but it wasn’t cheap at $9K. I’d probably say maybe 2009. I do think it had a 2 yr warranty but honestly don’t remember.
The deck is wide enough to cut close to posts and then weave in to get under so there’s less to weedwack under my post and rail fence. Unfortunately the edges of the deck are not rounded and I’m not the greatest driver and have smashed the posts on occasion. Maybe if I slowed down it would help. :yes:
I do keep my pastures mowed to a 5" height and mow immediately when I’ve rotated the horses to another pasture which is about every other week. Actually pastures get mowed weekly in the spring as they grow like crazy. Lawn mowed quite a bit shorter so I can find the doggy do easier.
We went and looked at mowers yesterday. Think we are going with a HD…not quite commercial, “Hustler” 54". The 60’‘s are really too big for what we need and DH has a 8.5’ brush hog for pastures. This one has a bigger motor, bigger tires and HD deck…and softer seat they say!! Might as well enjoy the ride!! We are limited in our area for potential service…JD is 50-60 miles away. Atwood’s Farm store sells a good brand name, but NO service available. An important detail when you live in the middle of nowhere!!
It’s always wise to buy something where local service is available. Most of the major brands have “comparable” units so shop function and service. Hustler makes a fine machine…one of the local Kubota dealers I get service from hustles Hustler. 
[QUOTE=Jim_in_PA;8581797]
It’s always wise to buy something where local service is available. Most of the major brands have “comparable” units so shop function and service. Hustler makes a fine machine…one of the local Kubota dealers I get service from hustles Hustler. :)[/QUOTE]
Thank you for that advice!! We live in NE Oklahoma where service of anything is an issue!!! Never did get two weekeaters back from a shop 3 years ago!!! Now we buy cheap ones and throw them away when they fail!! The Hustler dealer does GREAT service on our farm tractor…sometimes he fixes “stuff” with no fee charged!! Another reason hubby would like to patronize him if possible!! A tractor dealer…who also sells mowers…charged DH $65 to loosen a bolt on his mower blade!! Minimum charge they said!!! OOOOOOOHH!!
