Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Should i buy a zero turn, a flail mower, or a finish mower

I already have 35 horsepower tractor, I have 5 acres to mow about half is lawn the other half more weeds with a gradual slope. I tried the finish mower I wasn't extremely crazy about it especially going up hills with it, always seemed to pop up in the air and leave high spots of grass, it also makes the tractor considerably longer. I like the idea of a zero turn, but not the idea of a additional piece of motorized equipment to maintain

If you have the means and your time is valuable, a commercial zero turn is the best but most costly option.

My yard is 4A, and I, like you, already have a similar tractor (JD 3039R) and I have a Woods 72" finisher on the 3-pt.. Even with a few slopes here I have no problem with this setup..

IF I didn't have a tractor, the zero-turn would be used... But ye gods, those things are expensive.. Good ones running 7 grand +++... The Woods cost me $2K....

However, those that have 'em sure love the time savings they offer.. FWIW.

Wait for Bristoe’s response.

He a pro.

Commercial 72" zero turn is fast, you will feel like you are cutting grass on a go cart it is so fast.

https://www.hustlerturf.com/

The decks are strong enough were you can run over shovels and hoes, horse shoes.

Buy the best, upgrade the seat with a seat that moves like a truck driver's seat. You will not live long enough to wear out the mower as a home owner.

Buy gas engines, never diesel.

Leaning towards a flail mower with a hydraulic shift adjust that goes side to side

Nobody ever goes back to another type of mower once they've used a zero turn.

There's some good mowers in the $5K range that should handle 5 acres for many years.

For the money, a ZT Elite looks like a good choice. It's got the Hydro Gear 3100 series transmissions and is available with the 23 HP Kawasaki motor.

https://www.badboymowers.com/bad-boy-shop/zero-turn-mowers/zt-elite-lawn-mower

Zero turn all the way. It will be alot faster and the cut will be better. If money is an issue, look for a used commercial unit. They can last thousands of hours and the parts are replaceable and widely available.

I have a flail for my tractor. I use it for mowing down down thick weeds and barberry. No way I would want to mow my lawn with it.

Many of the compact tractors have a forward facing mid mounted PTO shaft to drive mid mounted mowers.

If the tractor is equipped for it, I would certainly consult the dealer about a mid mounted mower. Probably 72 to 96 inch mowing swath, depending on terrain. If you go too wide, you will scalp the high spots if the ground is not fairly smooth, which is not the same as level.

I have a 72" flail mower and hate it. I should have bought a finish mower.

Use a JD 1070 with a 72" flail for "mowing" around the house/outbuildings and a 72" Woods rotary for cutting the full 20+ acres once a year to keep the tansy ragwort at bay. Both are fine for field mowing but if you are maintaining a lawn, 0-turn all the way.

Also, Cub Cadet recently came out with their ZT2 mower which has the Hydro Gear 2800 transmissions and the 23 HP Kawasaki motor for under $4K. They're selling a *lot* of these.

https://www.cubcadet.com/en_US/view-all-riding-lawn-mowers/zt2-50/17RIEACO010.html

google tractor house John Deere 72 mower. It is a "drive over" attachment.

Prices run $4k to $1.5K depending on degree of "newness". The John Deere 72 is apparently the same mowing deck which is used on John Deere zero turn machines. If I understood what I was seeing.

Bought a BadBoy commercial grade “Rebel” 54 inch deck first of March to mow the in-laws place. It has the 850 cc Kawasaki engine and was money well spent. Went with the adjustable air ride seat, mows fast and smooth. What used to take most of the day is now an 1 to 1.5 hour minor task.

I have a 2006 Ex-mark Lazer Z still running the original belts and blades...It has had 2 batterys and 5 oil changes and one Electric PTO for the blades...so about 300 bucks in 14 years.. I mow 3 ac twice a week....It still looks and runs like new....

I remember a pallet of no name push mowers at a grocery store many years back for $99 a pop. The SKS of mowers.

Now they cost $300 at Home Depot, have tall tires, are self propelled, and say Toro across the front.

2004 Exmark. Bought in 2011 with 700 hours on it. I use it 2 hours a week to mow my yard from Mid-March to October. Any issues have been self induced. Enough of them have been made and various varieties that all the wear parts are common across a bunch of different mowers.

So simple my 9 year old can do it-

DO you have the top link to tight.?...... it should be fairly loose as this allows the mower to move up and down and follow the terrain, obliviously within limits. Finnish mowers will give you a lawnmower type cut......flail mowers somewhere between a finish and a bush hog, depending on the type of knives you use. for 5 Ac of grassish type lawn, the Zero turn will be the best and fastest, but you should go to a commercial heavy duty type, cause it sounds like some of your lawn is almost more pasture than lawn. Everything you want to know about Flail and finish mowers got to tractor by net .com.......there is a 600 page flail mower thread. You can search there for all three

Another vote for Zero Turn. Have had a 5ft cut, 28hp, Dixie Chopper for past 15 years. Still going strong. No complaints. With knobby ATV tires on the back, and the deck up, it also identifies as a small bush hog...

Regardless of what you get, if it has an options for a ROPS, get it. We have had two fatalities in our little county in past 10 years due to Z mower turn overs...