Cut and Collect or Mulch

Hi All,

My dilemma concerns a new lawn that has just been prepared and seed and now I need the lawnmower. The grassed area (once it grows) is about an acre and I was looking at getting a half decent ride on lawn mower and while doing a little research I have come across multicilp mowers. This seemed to be the answer to my prayers, allowing me the ease of a ride on and no collecting or disposing off tonnes of grass per season. As well as the added bonus of feeding the grass, however when I mentioned this to the gardener he was very negative and felt they could end up ruining the grass.

Can I ask for your thoughts on the subject and any advice would be gratefully received.

Regards,

Don

PS. I have posted here after trying the same thread in tools section but no replys, if this isn't the right place please move as required.

 

Welcome to Gardeners Corner Don

This looks like a better place, not many people go into Tools.

I used to mow a 5 acre field with a victor, seem to remember tons of raking afterwards though.

 

get a Husqvarna zero turn mower, and mulch


have a look at this (it's on my wishlist)



these are very easy to manoevre and they turn on a ticky .... they will mow a large lawn in quick time ... very good value, and they get rave reviews from the guys who mow commercially in the usa

 

It does look like a great bit of kit but way outside my budget. For the Mulching machine I'm looking at a Husqvarna R 111B, but only if I can find other users that feel it won't have any long term negative effects on my lawn.

Otherwise it's a Husqvarna ride on tractor, either CTH 174 or CTH 194.

Regards

Don

 

the Husqvarna R 111B retails for £2850 new .... The Husqvarna RZ4623 retails for $2600 USD which equates to approx £1700 .... so, that is a thousand pounds cheaper than the R 111B that you are considering buying

I frequent a US lawn site, where most of the forum members are landscapers/lawn maintenance .... Many are recomending the RZ zero turn .... they say it moves very fast

and, they all mulch .... it's too much hastle for them to collect and dispose .... many of these guys mow acres per day .... I've seen their photos of lawns and they look very good when mulched

 

I've just had another look on the UK Husqvana site and only 2 options available. £9,999.99 or wait for it £17,300.00

Just another example of us here in the UK getting limited but expesive options. See the following link for the site.
http://www.husqvarna.com/uk/products/zero-turn-mowers/husqvarna-zero-turn-mowers-for-homeowners/

Regards


Don

 

heck! ... I did'nt know that, as the Husqvarna RZ4623 is one of the top reasonably priced zero turn mowers in the US, and spoken very well of on the lawn forum that I sometimes visit

... I was hoping to pay less than £1200 for a used one with low miles/hrs

no wonder I could only find it on a US site, so converted from USD to £

 

Now if I could find a way to get one across to the UK for a fair transport cost!

Don

 

Don ... a curved ball

not sure how fit you are, but 1 acre can be cut with a good walk behind mower ...

an Etesia Pro 51 (commercial) will mow an acre in 2hrs.... it just need steering ...and if mulching worries you, the etesia collects very well even in the wet and can easily do slopes of 20 degrees ....

a new one costs approx £2k, so you could get a demo version for cheap (with a warranty) well within your budget ... you may be able to get one on demo to try before you commit

I don't have much experience on sit ons, but I did use a small hayter on a 5 acre property (approx 1 acre lawn) .... used to take me approx 1hr 15 min on the hayter .... it was useless at picking up wet/damp grass, and if the grass was damp, the belt would keep on slipping off (even when set at the tightest tension)

 

Now you have hit on my biggest issue. I live on a hill in Northern Ireland that seems to attract more than it's fair share of rain. So the idea of a ride on was to allow the Father in Law the ability to cut the grass when ever the weather allows. He's in his seventies and not really able to spend a couple of hours walking around the garden.

This is another reason I was looking at a mulcher as he has the time on his hands to do the garden a couple of times a week and therefore taking very little off each time.

Regards,

Don

 

You can get a mulcher for the John Deere ride on tractor/rotary mowers. Dunno about price, but my neighbour has one and I've borrowed it a few times and been impressed with it.

Not sure I would worry too much about "mulching". It just cuts it up finer ... if you cut the grass regularly, and blow it out of the side nozzle, it should spread it sufficiently that it will be fine. But personally I collect my grass clippings as I think that mulching leads to problems with the lawn - depends how smart you want the finish, and whether you want "fine" grasses - if you are not aiming for a stripy bowling green type of finish I doubt you will have a problem (mow frequently though ...)

I would be more interested in acres-per-hour cuttings speed that pretty much any other characteristic of the mower (provided it was a known reliable brand )

 

I think that a zero turn would be ideal for your father in law .... I've never tried one, but they say it is very easy to manoevre, however, you have to control it by pushing and pulling 2 bars

this may be a bit tiring for an older person, so if you do decide to look at a zero turn (perhaps a good 2nd hand?).... take your father in law with to try it before comitting

if he is comfortable on that, it will be like a Ferrari for him (they move fast and seems fun to handle, they also turn on the spot) ... he may want to mow lots

if you get something that tires your father in law, he will end up disliking mowing

 

The model may be ideal (in other respects) but I would not pay extra for Zero Turn unless I had lots of trees (with small clear areas around them) to do.

 

WIth all the advice above and taking into account of the amount of rain that falls here, I'm thinking of going for a ride on tractor that gives me the option to mulch. I know a dedicated mulching machine will do a better job then the tractor but I've come to the conclusion that I need to have the ability to collect. I may in time find that I can get away with a mulching only unit and then look at upgrading and like the idea of the zero turning units. I have seem them available on european sites so may look at Southern Ireland.

I have spoken to a couple of dealers who have recommended the CTH 164T Tractor, which does start above my budget at £2,999.99 but hope to find a good deal out there.

Regards, and thanks for all the help.

Don