This is a bit of a dumb question. I have a decent sized plot of land (2.5 acres) that is just large enough that, even with a good-sized riding mower, it takes me the better part of a day to mow if I want to do a good job of it. I was thinking about how I could cut my time down, and even better would be to be able to get rid of the lawn tractor as that's one more thing to maintain (I've been trying to minimize the number of things I need to maintain). If I can get it down to only having to maintian the Jag and the Excursion (and maybe the motorcycle, unless I sell it) I'll be thrilled.

So, I came up with this idiotic idea of getting a pull-behind gang reel setup and hooking it up to the Excursion, then driving it around my back yard to mow the lawn. In doing a bit of research I've found a few setups that are designed to be used with lawn tractors that I could probably adapt. Has anyone done something crazy like this, or am I just an idiot?

 

u need a PTO, dont u? Is that grass cutting nice or is it *****ty gras that u dont care about tearin up?

 

I use to build mowers. You can get decks without the PTO, they are independently powered via motors on top of the blades. Depending on the size of the deck you are looking at 3-4 motors at least = lots of gas just for the deck.

Problem is going to be the speed. Depending on your gears, the Ex will probably idle way too fast for the mower. That means riding the brakes which means lots of extra wear and tear on the ex, brakes, suspension, tires, etc. I'd wager that in the end a tractor would be cheaper.

Just my humble opinion.

 

I hate to break it to you, but a gang reel mower will be more maintenance than a riding mower. It isn't engine maintenance, but blade maintenance on those isn't easy (and requires specific tools). You'd be best off to get a large commercial zero turn, like a Toro, Exmark, or John Deere (many makes). You still have maintenance, but you could cut your grass in 30-45 minutes. Pull out your checkbook though.

Ryan

 

Thats WAY too complicated

Do what I did, and go to a tire shop, get a couple of used tires for free and tie them across a 10 or 12' 4x4 with steel cable and then get some heavier cable and some eye bolts and bolt the 4x4 to the tow chain loops on the hitch of the X. Beats down the fields real good

 

By the time you trim everything you couldn't hit with the EX, you would be time and money ahead just getting a rider.

 

If u get a rider, get somthing like this. It will be aalot funner then cutting grass with a truck.
http://cgi.ebay.com/2006-60-Exmark-L...QQcmdZViewItem

I get to ride somthing like that all day in the summer. If ur gonna get a zero turn, get a toro, exmark (toro owns exmark), a cub cadet tank, or a lesco (cub owns lesco commerical or use to). Make sure that it has a kohler motor in it! No kawaskis or else ull be readjusting valves every 3 or 400 hours.

 

Thanks for the responses confirming that I'm an idiot.

The way my yard is set up, I'd be able to hit the vast majority of it with my proposed setup, I think. For me part of it is the unusual/absurdity factor. I can't see the truck going too fast in low range for the mower.

I have a riding mower right now, the problem is that it does require maintenance (at present it's broken). I'm not going to go out and spend $5000 on one of those zero turn things (that's way too much money), so the idea really was to have some setup that would allow me to get the yard done quicker than I do presently, without spending a significant amount more money than I'd be looking to spend for a standard riding mower (which I'd probably be buyin to replace what I currently have). I suppose I'm being unrealistic, but I figured it was worth an ask.

Thanks for the help!

 

fence it in and get some sheep

 

I have a 2.5acre lot as well (Well 2.47acres). To add to that it is about 85% treed with lawn on most of it in amongst the trees. I have a John Deere with a 42" deck and I can have the lawn cut in about 3hrs from start to finish INCLUDING all the darn whippersnipping around all the trees. And believe me, my yard is my trophy so, it is not done just because i have to, it is meticulously cut almost every 5 days...

So, the reason i am bringing this is up is..... Why is it taking you the better part of a day? I only whippersnip every second cut, which reduces every other cut time by over an hour....

 

My lawn is primarily my means of separation from my neighbors.

Probably part of the reason it takes me longer is that I avoid cutting it and frequently don't have the time, so when I go out it takes me a good sum longer. If I went out more often it would probably take me less time. Also, my mower doesn't seem to do that great of a job if I go quickly over it, I've tried that. Then again, it's not a great mower, so maybe I should just get a better one to start out. It is a 42" deck as well. Mowing ever 5 days is not something that tends to happen. Doing it weekly is probably a stretch as it is. I'm working full time while working on my graduate degree, taking care of the dog, plus my car hobby, flying lessons, having to go help out my mom (who's a single mom, not completely self-sufficient, and no other relatives are even remotely nearby), and a few other community service things I do (and other incidentals always come up), and business trips that can last 1-2 weeks... yard work falls pretty low on the priority list. That said, last summer was the first summer I actually had to deal with this, and I got off to a bad start when the months of April and May were completely shot due to lots of things that basically left me completely out of commission for doing anything other than waking up and going to sleep. I ended up enlisting the help of a local who's got a large tractor to mow my yard, and that may be the best option to continue doing. The problem is that he doesn't get all the areas perfectly, and his schedule is busy as well, so I can't always get him to come when needed.

The idea was more that if I could figure out a way to get the lawn done reasonably quickly with something I could pull behind the truck, it would have a definite cool factor and also mean I could get this done more often and more quickly.

Being from the urban jungle (where I grew up thinking that trees were all planted by men in their little boxes, as that is how they were in my home of Manhattan), this whole yard thing is still something I'm getting used to. I like a lawn that looks nice, but it's not as high of a priority to me as other things, so my primary goal is to get it cut and presentable enough so I can get back to other things I'd rather be doing. The biggest reason for having the land is I like the isolation and privacy that it provides me. For the most part, my property is set up so I can do as I please and others have to go out of their way to see what I'm doing, which is a big plus!

Now when I go back home to visit my mom in Manhattan I can't believe how noisy it is.

 

Just do a couple low passes with the Cessna! Where are you at in your flying lessons?

 

Hey, if i lived near u, id cut it for u with my exmark. But if u got the one with the link, u could easily cut at 8 or 9 mph with out missing anything. (depends on how tall the grass is). Do u bag it or mulch it?

 

Matt, you should move out to PA and cut my grass. I just let the shavings spray over the yard, so I guess I mulch it.

Steve, I'm at 32 hours right now and need to do my solo XCs, night XC, night landings, and one more hour of hood time and then I'm ready for my check ride.

 

Congrats. Thats great. I do it for a living and miss small planes. Wish I lived closer I'd trade you some free dual for a burger on one of your x-countries. Good luck.Speaking of lawns and planes, I saw a guy at Oshkosh one year go over a bump and hit his prop on the ground. Ruined over 100 grand worth of engine and prop. That was one big divot that went flying!