Good riding mower for 2 acres

Hustler makes a nice residential zero turn without busting your balls on price. Should be able to get a 52" Raptor for around $3000. Most of the places around BR do their spring blowouts within next few weeks.

Ok. Sounds good. Looking for min 42" cut minimum but enough horsepower to run a good clip and pull a small yard trailer for sticks, trash etc

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What is a good riding lawn mower for 2 acres that can also pull a cart for yard work? Thinking of a budget of $2500-3000

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Looking for min 42" cut minimum but enough horsepower to run a good clip and pull a small yard trailer for sticks, trash etc

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You want to cut 2 acres for $2500-3000 cost of riding lawnmower, 42" cut minimum, run at a good clip (I assume while mowing)?

All those things are possible.

However, sounds like you have more time than money. That's OK. I've been there. I will explain:

Lower riding mower costs these days, implying smaller cutting decks & thus smaller HP motors on these mowers are available at so many places. However, just do not expect for these "smaller" mowers to cut 2 acres in a relatively short amount of time.

Cutting 2 acres with 42" or 48" can be done. HP of any riding mower will be adequate to cut grass, but smaller cutting deck sizes tend to have smaller HP.

Smaller size mowers cannot cut your 2 acres as fast ("run at a good clip") even if you cut grass when it is not so tall (if you cut more often).

To cut faster, you must cut grass more frequently when the grass is at a lower height or cut taller grass more slowly (taking more time) if and when it has grown to a higher height.

To sum up, cutting your 2 acres with a 42" or 48" riding mower (with probably a somewhat smaller HP engine) will take more time for width of each pass plus more time for less HP to brute force through any taller grass.

Therefore, cutting with a less expensive riding mower costs more time.

You can do the same thing of cutting 2 acres (more or less frequently) with a smaller riding mower. It just takes overall more time (perhaps much more time) for that mowing year/season.

I know. I have "only" had an acre to mow for the past 35 years. I had a 42" Dixon ZTR 14 HP for about 25 years ($5,500 1988). Took about 2.5 hours to 3 hours to cut my 1 acre (around trees, shrubs and other), regardless of grass height.

Bought a 60" residential Gravely ZTR 23 HP over 2 years ago for about $5,200. Takes 1.25 - 1.5 hours to cut, regardless of grass height. I mean regardless - even if grass was 15" or 18" tall. 2 cylinder with amazing fuel economy (to me compared to my previous riding mower's 14 HP) - I usually run at about only 1/3 throttle. Normally cuts my 1 acre with less than 2 gal. fuel used. I learned.

Good mowers will last practically a lifetime. You can bring them with you wherever you wind up living later in your life.

All riding mowers (like my 42" Dixon and 60" Gravely) can easily pull a small cart or yard trailer (assuming mower has a towing bar). Cost to add towing bar installed by my dealer on the Gravely was an extra $60. To me pulling a small cart or trailer is a non-issue - they can all do it, IMO.

Hope I helped.

I sell true garden tractors some models with drive shafts and zero turns. At the price point you want to pay you have options. $3k residential zero turn is ok but still won't give you the life of a true drive shaft garden tractor with limited slip tranny and fabricated deck.
Cub Cadet, Husqvarna, and JD make garden tractors in this price point and they are different machines than the lawn tractors at the big boxes.

Size of deck unless you need to get inside tight areas is small. At your price point 50" to 54" even up to a 60" is a better choice.

Zero turns in this range and the skippys on this board can say a zero turn maybe a good choice. What you want to pay they want last. At even $3,500 to $4,000 price point 2 acres will wear these belt driven units out fast. You need to start at the $4,500 and up series to get a good unit. Even bad boys will be in the shop for pulley issues and the lower end scaggs, kubota, and hustlers.

If your property gets muddy good luck.

Garden tractors with drive shafts in some models cut around 6.5 mph even in mud. You typically can get a limited slip which is great when you hit a mud hole. The transmissions and drive shaft on them can handle the abuse. Electric pto is pushing it. Typically these have greased spindles. The ones I sell can cut grass up to 5 ft tall down to around a foot high. You cannot do that with a zero turn at a price point under $6,500 without damaging the unit.

You do have options and I would visit an independent dealer that sells both.
In the BR area
Watson tractor - sell rzt and garden tractors
Port Vincent Farm and supply- sell both

How much would you want for it? I'm in the market for a 48 or 52 inch ZT


been looking at gravely and bad boy





To the OP, at your price point you are in the danger zone of buying a good ZT with a shitty transmission.. I'd raise your price range probably about a grand (if you can swing it, the financing options are pretty decent right now) and get you a machine that will last forever... Most of the under $4000 residential ZTR’s will last about 450-500 before the engine and/or transmissions give out, the frame cracks or all the pivot points on the deck wear out. For a homeowner that’s around 10 years use. In addition, an under $4000 ZTR will need oil/filter, new mower blades and probably a deck belt every 50 hours. So at 450 hours that’s about $1170.

I believe you, would you care to post your email? I'm genuinely interested

Any idea of how many hours it has? What kind of condition is it in? What specific model is it because I've been intrigued by the raptors but I've heard they have transmission issues down the line...

I'll shoot you an email, send me back whatever details you can. TIA

delete

You can delete swampbandit... thanks


Also, YGM