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Ride on lawn mowers.....the good, the bad and the ugly.

Tropicgardener

By Tropicgardener
in OHANA NUI  -  OFF TOPIC SUB-FORUM

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Tropicgardener Mentor

Tropicgardener

Posted
Posted

Hello all, I have just sold my property in Tannum Sands and will soon be on the move to a 2.5 acre property near Airlie Beach along the tropical Whitsunday coast............ The property I have bought is a 5 bedroom. 3 bathroom house, a large 3 bay shed and basically nothing else except for 1 small fig tree and 2 Coconut Palms and lots of grass !!!

So I am interested to see what others with large properties have in the way of ride on mowers............. today I had a look at some 'Hustler' models made in the USA with Kawasaki engines. I have been told that they are quite reliable. Others speak favourably of Husqvarna..... Need some ideas for a property with reasonably high rainfall and a tropical climate.

Eventually most of the property will go under cultivation, gardens and shade houses but I will certainly need a ride on for at least a few years.

Suggestions ???

Andrew,
Airlie Beach, Whitsundays

Tropical Queensland

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Moose Grand Master

Moose

Posted
Posted

Dixie Chopper is one of the top of the line ride on mowers. Mike Harris (Waykoolplantz) has a simular sized property and invested in a Dixie Chopper after the other needed to retire. He has been very pleased with its performance.

Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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Tassie_Troy1971 Grand Master

Tassie_Troy1971

Posted
Posted

Hi Andrew

A fella i know down here that has a good sized lawn has a big Ferris http://www.ferrisindustries.com/au/en/zero-turn-mowers/is5100z/

Says it's the best one he has ever had and can turn on the spot etc !

Old Beach ,Hobart
Tasmania ,Australia. 42 " south
Cool Maritime climate

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Jerry@TreeZoo Grand Master

Jerry@TreeZoo

Posted
Posted

If all you are doing is cutting grass, a zero turn radius mower like the one Troy suggest, is definitely the way to go. They can't be beat for speed and maneuverability. However, they cost a lot more than a regular rider and the hydraulic transmission is VERY expensive to repair if it breaks. If you are pulling things like trailers, especially heavy trailers, they are not ideal.

Stick to reliable motors like Husky or Kawasaki even high end Briggs and Straton. You will find that the motors last very long with little maintenance. It is the other things that cost money, like belts and pulleys, replacement wheels and damaged mowing decks.

Try to get a used high end mower and stay away from the box store bargains. Your 2.5 acres will reduce them to scrap in a year. Are you able to get John Deere products there? They have some decent mowers that should suit you.

  • Upvote 1

So many species,

so little time.

Coconut Creek, Florida

Zone 10b (Zone 11 except for once evey 10 or 20 years)

Last Freeze: 2011,50 Miles North of Fairchilds

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Kennybenjamin Veteran

Kennybenjamin

Posted
Posted

Can't help with the mower choice Andrew but great news on your new property!! Sounds like a great opportunity!! Congrats!!

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_Keith Grand Master

_Keith

Posted
Posted

Not sure if they are available there, but Skag mowers are beast. I can't afford one, but I occasionally borrow my brother-in-laws and mowing with it is a joy.

In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

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tank Grand Master

tank

Posted
Posted (edited)

Dixie choppers are expensive but awesome, but more of a commercial mower unless you have money to burn. You can easily drop $3000 to $5000 on a zero radius turn mower. I have a craftsman lt1000 for my two acres and it works great and is easy to maintenance. Cost me $350 used. Granted, I can't mow the lawn at 15mph, more like 5mph :winkie: . I pretty much mow the lawn once a week during the summer.

Edited by tank

Jason

Gainesville, Florida

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redant Grand Master

redant

Posted
Posted

I have had a cub cadet zero turn for many years, it's been great nothing other then replacing drive and mower belts and oil change. Zero turn is the way to go unless your just cutting a big field.

Jupiter FL

in the Zone formally known as 10A

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Tropicgardener Mentor

Tropicgardener

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Zeeth, that flying mower would be ideal for clipping the wing of pesky Flying Foxes.............Thanks everyone for you suggestions. I have been thinking along the lines of a 'zero turn' model..... I see that Dixie Choppers are available here but probably not where I am heading, might look at the Husqvarna or Hustler, have heard mixed reports about the John Deere models. Eventually once the farm/nursery is up and running and I don't have so much grass I might have to look towards one with towing capacity.

Andrew,
Airlie Beach, Whitsundays

Tropical Queensland

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Tropicgardener Mentor

Tropicgardener

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Can't help with the mower choice Andrew but great news on your new property!! Sounds like a great opportunity!! Congrats!!

Thanks Ben, I suppose it has been a bit of a lifelong ambition and the time is pretty well right now........am looking forward to new challenge once again !!!

Andrew,
Airlie Beach, Whitsundays

Tropical Queensland

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Tropicgardener Mentor

Tropicgardener

Posted
  • Author
Posted

If your new place is not flat Ferris makes a ZeroTurn with independent front suspension.

It is fairly flat (gently sloping).....I will look into the Ferris too.

Andrew,
Airlie Beach, Whitsundays

Tropical Queensland

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Daryl Grand Master

Daryl

Posted
Posted

Andrew, I think Newcal has a husky...maybe PM him for his opinion? Just make sure that whatever you get has built in media player and drink holders... :winkie:

Daryl

p.s congrats on the acreage! What size dam are you putting in?

Gold Coast, Queensland Latitude 28S. Mild, Humid Subtropical climate. Rainfall - not consistent enough!

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Tassie_Troy1971 Grand Master

Tassie_Troy1971

Posted
Posted

Or there is always the organic alternative 30 sheep !

Old Beach ,Hobart
Tasmania ,Australia. 42 " south
Cool Maritime climate

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_Keith Grand Master

_Keith

Posted
Posted

Or there is always the organic alternative 30 sheep !

Sheep, cows, chickens, free meat. Troy, your idea sound pretty good. Electric fencing is dirt cheap.

In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

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Tropicgardener Mentor

Tropicgardener

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Or there is always the organic alternative 30 sheep !

Yeah, not sure how they will go in the tropics !!!

Andrew,
Airlie Beach, Whitsundays

Tropical Queensland

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Tropicgardener Mentor

Tropicgardener

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Andrew, I think Newcal has a husky...maybe PM him for his opinion? Just make sure that whatever you get has built in media player and drink holders... :winkie:

Daryl

p.s congrats on the acreage! What size dam are you putting in?

Thanks Daryl, the husky is one that I am considering highly especially if it has drink holders!!.........have mixed feelings about leaving this place as I know that a number of my good palms (and other plants) won't survive once I am gone........ No current plans for a dam but have thought about it............ First thing I will do is to put down a bore. That location has very good water.

Andrew,
Airlie Beach, Whitsundays

Tropical Queensland

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Daryl Grand Master

Daryl

Posted
Posted

It's hard to leave a good palm garden behind, knowing what it's likely fate will be...

Sounds like you have it figured out re: water...it's amazing how much water acreage plantings suck up!

Just be careful with your new ride-on that you don't get done for MUI! :mrlooney:

Daryl

Gold Coast, Queensland Latitude 28S. Mild, Humid Subtropical climate. Rainfall - not consistent enough!

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Pedro 65 Grand Master

Pedro 65

Posted
Posted

Andrew, sound like a "beautiful move" you have made to Airlie beach, thought I'd add this pic to show all the "non Ozzies how beautiful this area is.

After having 3 Oz made Cox Ride ons which can climb hills and eat lantana , we now have a John Deere which is great for flats which you have , V cheap to buy, have near zero turn, "Large strong blades"( 2 x 2 ft. cut each end so 4 cutters) only complaint I have is they are "too slow " in Reverse, other than that, can fault it and I treat mowers "rough" :)

post-5709-0-44950000-1381876834_thumb.jp

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DoomsDave Grand Master

DoomsDave

Posted
Posted

Andrew, sound like a "beautiful move" you have made to Airlie beach, thought I'd add this pic to show all the "non Ozzies how beautiful this area is.

After having 3 Oz made Cox Ride ons which can climb hills and eat lantana , we now have a John Deere which is great for flats which you have , V cheap to buy, have near zero turn, "Large strong blades"( 2 x 2 ft. cut each end so 4 cutters) only complaint I have is they are "too slow " in Reverse, other than that, can fault it and I treat mowers "rough" :)

Well, whap me upside my head with a full-grown saltie, that's a purty place all right!

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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palmmermaid Veteran

palmmermaid

Posted
Posted

We've been through 2 in the last 12 years - both with Briggs and Straton engines. Make sure you can pull a trailer with it. We purchased a Rubbermaid trailer along with our first one 12 years ago and we still have it. It has a removable tail gate and dumps. We have used it to haul everything around the yard. I also rigged up a drag to pull behind ours. It is just a piece of chain link fence with a 2x4 in the front with 2 eye bolts and chain to attach it to the mower. I put a couple of cement blocks on it and drag it around to level out places my horses create.

Buy more engine than you think you will need.

Palmmermaid

Kitty Philips

West Palm Beach, FL

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_Keith Grand Master

_Keith

Posted
Posted

We've been through 2 in the last 12 years - both with Briggs and Straton engines. Make sure you can pull a trailer with it. We purchased a Rubbermaid trailer along with our first one 12 years ago and we still have it. It has a removable tail gate and dumps. We have used it to haul everything around the yard. I also rigged up a drag to pull behind ours. It is just a piece of chain link fence with a 2x4 in the front with 2 eye bolts and chain to attach it to the mower. I put a couple of cement blocks on it and drag it around to level out places my horses create.

Buy more engine than you think you will need.

Sage advice. Also, make sure you have a trailer that the mower will fit on to pull behind your vehicle so you can haul the mower to the shop. That seems to be an every 12 - 18 month ordeal. And if repair shops there are like those in the US, prepare to wait 2, sometimes 3 weeks for it to be fixed.

In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

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Tropicgardener Mentor

Tropicgardener

Posted
  • Author
Posted

We've been through 2 in the last 12 years - both with Briggs and Straton engines. Make sure you can pull a trailer with it. We purchased a Rubbermaid trailer along with our first one 12 years ago and we still have it. It has a removable tail gate and dumps. We have used it to haul everything around the yard. I also rigged up a drag to pull behind ours. It is just a piece of chain link fence with a 2x4 in the front with 2 eye bolts and chain to attach it to the mower. I put a couple of cement blocks on it and drag it around to level out places my horses create.

Buy more engine than you think you will need.

Sage advice. Also, make sure you have a trailer that the mower will fit on to pull behind your vehicle so you can haul the mower to the shop. That seems to be an every 12 - 18 month ordeal. And if repair shops there are like those in the US, prepare to wait 2, sometimes 3 weeks for it to be fixed.

I am leaning more towards this type of machine....the towing capability will be important especially once the business gets up and running. My Toyota hilux ute (pickup) won't be able to fit down the rows and I certainly don't feel like having to wheelbarrow loads over 2.5 acres.

Andrew,
Airlie Beach, Whitsundays

Tropical Queensland

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_Keith Grand Master

_Keith

Posted
Posted

Andrew, I intentionally made paths and rows wide enough to get my truck down most of them. On 2.5 acres things get big, plants, waste, loads of everything like compost, mulch, ferts, you name it all get big. I can't imagine not being able to get my truck reasonably close to everything. You might want to think about those row widths.

In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

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  • 2 weeks later...
avb Community Regular

avb

Posted
Posted

post-232-0-74068700-1383459191_thumb.jpg

This is my idea of a good lawn tractor, especially if you have lots of acreage or problems with invasive weeds and trees. It will also make short work of filling any holes or digging some if you need to plant a large palm fast. Just imagine how fast you could move that unsightly pile of dead palm fronds to the compost pile out back.

It'll clear a path for a truck with room to spare in no time at all, and goes as fast(7.3 MPH) in reverse as it does forward. It has 850 HP and weighs 230,000 pounds, and is 22 feet wide at the outside of the blade.

It does present some storage problems, though, and costs a bit more than a John Deere.

Alan Brickey

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bgl Grand Master

bgl

Posted
Posted

Alan,

I happen to have a few annoying weed trees, and there's a bunch on the vacant acre next to me as well. And I'd like them gone. Like in yesterday. Maybe you could drop by on Monday morning with that cute little tractor? Say around 8 am or so. You could just head up the property line on the right hand side and quietly mow down anything in sight. At that top speed of yours (7.3 mph) you'll get to the back property corner in exactly 40 seconds, so it'd be good if you could time yourself and stop after exactly 40 seconds. My neighbor has a lot of unusual Dypsis on her land and I'm guessing she wouldn't be all that happy if you keep going and accidentally wipe them out! I understand some of them are pretty rare! :bemused: So, can I rent it for just those 40 seconds? Money is a bit tight... Oh, heck, I'll just pay for a full minute. Don't mean to sound stingy! :mrlooney:

Bo-Göran

PS. Oh, and try not to make too much noise. The neighbors tend to get a bit nervous when they hear big machinery in the neighborhood. Makes them think you're going to wipe out the entire forest here. I bet that would take you all of five minutes! :lol:

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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Walter John Grand Master

Walter John

Posted
Posted

I have a Rover clipper 14.5 hp, 40 inch cut mulch mower. It is great for a small area, I have a half acre block. It pulls a small trailer, good for large rocks etc. I would be inclined to get more horsepower motor for anything over 2 acres though.

Happy Gardening

Cheers,

Wal

Queensland, Australia.

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Kennybenjamin Veteran

Kennybenjamin

Posted
Posted

We've been through 2 in the last 12 years - both with Briggs and Straton engines. Make sure you can pull a trailer with it. We purchased a Rubbermaid trailer along with our first one 12 years ago and we still have it. It has a removable tail gate and dumps. We have used it to haul everything around the yard. I also rigged up a drag to pull behind ours. It is just a piece of chain link fence with a 2x4 in the front with 2 eye bolts and chain to attach it to the mower. I put a couple of cement blocks on it and drag it around to level out places my horses create.

Buy more engine than you think you will need.

Sage advice. Also, make sure you have a trailer that the mower will fit on to pull behind your vehicle so you can haul the mower to the shop. That seems to be an every 12 - 18 month ordeal. And if repair shops there are like those in the US, prepare to wait 2, sometimes 3 weeks for it to be fixed.

I am leaning more towards this type of machine....the towing capability will be important especially once the business gets up and running. My Toyota hilux ute (pickup) won't be able to fit down the rows and I certainly don't feel like having to wheelbarrow loads over 2.5 acres.

What's your business idea Andrew, it's none of my business but I am interested to know?? Something involving plants by the sound if it?

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avb Community Regular

avb

Posted
Posted

Alan,

The neighbors tend to get a bit nervous when they hear big machinery in the neighborhood. Makes them think you're going to wipe out the entire forest here. I bet that would take you all of five minutes! :lol:

The neighbors will feel the ground shaking way before they'll hear it. They'll be checking uphill for a new flow of molten rock headed their way.

Alan Brickey

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palmmermaid Veteran

palmmermaid

Posted
Posted

We made our paths wide enough with enough arc on the curves to get the mower and the trailer down them with ease. And in some cases me made short paths to make it easier to get at things. And if you have fences, make sure your gates are wide enough and you have enough gates. I recently added 2 more so we can get behind the fence and to make it easier to corral my horses. And if you plan on any arches, make them wider and higher than you think will be necessary. Otherwise they will get hit by something going in or out. Trust me, I know this from experience.

And for repairs - I can get ours in the back of my truck with ramps but our repair guy makes house calls! The only way to go.

Palmmermaid

Kitty Philips

West Palm Beach, FL

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  • 2 weeks later...
sur4z Grand Master

sur4z

Posted
Posted

here's mine

Clifton-City-Hillbillie-riding-lawn-mowe

The weight of lies will bring you down / And follow you to every town / Cause nothin happens here

That doesn't happen there / So when you run make sure you run / To something and not away from

Cause lies don't need an aero plane / To chase you anywhere

--Avett Bros

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