Zero-turn mower and drag together? One Fell Swoop, please

[mvp]

I’m learning about pasture management on someone else’s place before I buy the equipment to run the place I’ll build (sooner or later). My short question:

Can I move 6 acres of flat Coastal Bermuda grass AND… wait for it… just hook on an 8’ drag behind it so that I just have to make one pass over my pastures? I do plan to rotate horses on them.

Let me know if you have other questions. I’m trying to buy minimal equipment for my place, but the right equipment that will do the jobs I want, and this seemed like a great plan to me… but I have yet to see anyone else do it.

[wsmoak]

In general, a mower is not a tractor. They are not built to pull things, only to turn the wheels and blades. Are you picturing a fancy one with a hydrostatic transmission or a simpler one with a belt? If the latter, the inevitable repair will at least be cheaper. DH says I’d be looking at a $2k repair bill if I did this with our Kubota zero turn. Obviously if you do it once or twice it’s unlikely to kill the thing. But if you make a habit of it, you’re putting stress on parts that were not built to handle it.

So… how about a proper tractor with a belly mower + the drag? Then you can have a front-loader on the tractor as well.

[Simkie]

Sounds like a great way to blow the transmission on your sexy zero turn!

@wsmoak

So… how about a proper tractor with a belly mower + the drag? Then you can have a front-loader on the tractor as well.

This is The Way

And also has the option of a bush hog!

[lenapesadie]

I have seen lots of Bermuda / Bahia pastures mowed with a zero turn but I’ve not seen one pull a drag. The folks I know that drag use a tractor or a quad.

[Rallycairn]

Why do you hate your (hypothetical) zero turn mower so? I think you’d kill your transmission pretty quickly with any drag, really, but 8’? What did that poor mower do to you?

[mmeqcenter]

@mvp

Can I move 6 acres of flat Coastal Bermuda grass AND… wait for it… just hook on an 8’ drag behind it so that I just have to make one pass over my pastures?

I do this, with a tractor that has a mid-mount mower and front-end-loader.

As others have said, it is not a good idea to pull/drag anything with a zero-turn.

If you don’t need to get tight into the corners with the drag, you could just pull a drag behind a regular vehicle and drive around.

[ASB_Stars]

Everything that has been said, and, the fact that a zero turn is so named because you can spin it right around on it’s axis. The drag behind it kind of defeats that plan.

[mvp]

@ASB_Stars

Everything that has been said, and, the fact that a zero turn is so named because you can spin it right around on it’s axis. The drag behind it kind of defeats that plan.

Yes, but doesn’t a zero-turn mow better than a lawn tractor?

I’m not worried about getting it jack-knifed. But I’m trying not to buy a tractor or multiple machines for this dinky little farm.

Thanks!

[clanter]

@mvp

Yes, but doesn’t a zero-turn mow better than a lawn tractor?

faster however either uses the same cutting deck design

[Simkie]

@mvp

I’m not worried about getting it jack-knifed. But I’m trying not to buy a tractor or multiple machines for this dinky little farm.

A little tractor that can take a drive on belly deck or a drag (put it on a 3 pt rack, it’s AWESOME) or a FEL or a bush hog or any number of other implements will be a single piece of equipment that’s SO much more useful for you than a zero turn, which really has one use: mowing.

[lenapesadie]

@mvp

Yes, but doesn’t a zero-turn mow better than a lawn tractor?

Faster, by a lot, plus you can usually drastically reduce the need to weed eat as with the zero turn. Major time savings.

Depending on your circumstances, dragging with a pickup is totally doable.

We have a wee 3.37 acre place and still greatly appreciate our tractor. But if you have straight grass that’s been maintained (not the wild kingdom in a jungle) and no manure pile, I can see having the zero turn as the major piece of equipment.

[Cynical25]

I had previously pulled my 4x4’ Northern Tool drag with my Cub Cadet 52" riding mower, and that worked fine. Mowing 6 acres, 4.5 of which are dedicated horse pasture.

So I had the dealer install the implement hitch on my Scag TigerCat II zero turn when I purchased it - tried the drag once and it just didn’t work as anticipated. The speed of the zero turn meant the lightweight drag just floated over the pasture manure instead of distributing it. Slowing down defeated the purpose of having a faster mower.

[Ponycatraz]

Are you planning on a UTV at all? My UTV can tow 1100 lbs and does gteat for the heavy work my ZTR can’t do

My Ferris semi-commercial ZTR Is rated to tow 300 lbs. We use it to tow some but are careful to stay under the limit.

[mvp]

@Ponycatraz

Are you planning on a UTV at all? My UTV can tow 1100 lbs and does gteat for the heavy work my ZTR can’t do

My Ferris semi-commercial ZTR Is rated to tow 300 lbs. We use it to tow some but are careful to stay under the limit.

I was trying not to buy a UTV or a tractor. Again, this is a 7 acre farm and mowing has to be done. It has be done frequently enough that I need to buy the right machine for that job and I won’t hire out that work.

Stalls will be cleaned into a bin near the barn and that hauled away. Managing that is the one time I’ll wish I had a tractor with a FEL.

But I can’t see the rational for buying a UTV and a mower. Buying a shitty mower that is slow and can’t get right next to fences seems like bad idea/ Buying two or three machines really seems like a bad idea.

[Simkie]

@mvp

Buying a shitty mower that is slow and can’t get right next to fences seems like bad idea/ Buying two or three machines really seems like a bad idea.

Buying an expensive piece of equipment and ruining it by using it for something it’s not designed to do also sounds like a bad idea

Can you hire out the dragging?

Truly, though, a tractor is a HUGE asset. Even on “only” seven acres.

[Ponycatraz]

We were ZTR only on our 10 acre place without a problem. We found it was cheaper to rent a tractor or skidsteer for the one weekend a year we needed it then the yearly fluid costs on the tractor. Also we could rent a $93k skidsteer with multiple attachments that made the jobs so much easier then when we had a tractor. Plus that machine was sooo nice. Way better than what I could buy.

The 144 acre place… yeah we need a UTV :). Can you pull the drag with a vehicle? We would drag our dry lot with my husbands Tahoe pre utv. It couldn’t get into the corners well but did a good job otherwise.

Our ZTR tows 300lb. Possibly other brands might tow more or less. We have regularly towed a trailer, roller, or a piece of hog panel to break up poop when mowing the pasture without issue and within the intended use.

I will never go back to mowing with a tractor! The ZTR at 11mph does a quick and fantastic job. Uses less gas and is a breeze to work on.

[mvp]

I think the truck will be too big.

The 6 acres will be divided up into 4 smaller pastures. I have a 4WD Ford, so it has a turning radius of Manhattan. It’s the wrong tool for the job.

[mvp]

@Cynical25

I had previously pulled my 4x4’ Northern Tool drag with my Cub Cadet 52" riding mower, and that worked fine. Mowing 6 acres, 4.5 of which are dedicated horse pasture.

So I had the dealer install the implement hitch on my Scag TigerCat II zero turn when I purchased it - tried the drag once and it just didn’t work as anticipated. The speed of the zero turn meant the lightweight drag just floated over the pasture manure instead of distributing it. Slowing down defeated the purpose of having a faster mower.

Thanks for the explanation.

I had read that chain harrows actually work best for breaking up and spreading manure if they are drawn slowly over the ground… as in 3-4 MPH, the speed of a horse doing the job.

And another thing!

What’s the best design and weight for my drag? I assumed larger and heavier was better. But not so for horse manure on short Bermuda grass? So maybe I’m supposed to want the worse/slower mower? But then I’d definitely want the mow and drag simultaneously… even more so if the belly mover can’t get into the corners and now I have to weed wack the fence lines.

[mvp]

@Simkie

@mvp

Buying a shitty mower that is slow and can’t get right next to fences seems like bad idea/ Buying two or three machines really seems like a bad idea.

Buying an expensive piece of equipment and ruining it by using it for something it’s not designed to do also sounds like a bad idea

Can you hire out the dragging?

Truly, though, a tractor is a HUGE asset. Even on “only” seven acres.

Yes, but why would I hire out the dragging? It’s a tiny and easy job that’s not worth someone putting their equipment on a flatbed for. Also, the right way to manage these pastures is to rotate them, mow and drag often. So I’d have the problem of having my dragging person come out all.the.time. You don’t want to sign up to hire out small bits of work in the South often. That’s masochistic.

Personally, I think it would be cheaper to rent a tractor for the few times a year I might need it than to buy and maintain one. Also, I have a feeling that I won’t want to pay for a tractor large enough to do the manure bin management I want, and that would be the main purpose for owning it. Once this place is built, I don’t want to do more than mow and sometimes spread seed or fertilizer. But those are short-term jobs. And I can do that with my truck.

[lenapesadie]

There is that lol. I’ve seen plenty of big trucks pull drags (and the lime and fertilizer buggies) in smaller paddocks but it’s all dependent on your situation and what you wanna do. Ground conditions, fence line placement, compaction concerns, time constraints, the list of variables is endless it seems.

I was keen to acquire a drag for my place too (picking works beautifully for my wee place but my back can’t tolerate it and I have an endless list of projects I’d prefer my help to focus on). Currently, the rain is obliterating manure piles multiple times a week so I have a bit of reprieve.