I need a new mower to finish cut about 2-3 acres. I am down between a zero turn or using an ATV with some type of mower attachment. My land is still a bit rough and I like the idea of the additional utility of an ATV.
I have read a few threads on here about the tow behind mowers for ATV's. It seems to be a mixed bag, some love them some and some don't think they are worth too much.
I see that Quadboss has a belly mower option. I am guessing that other companies do as well. It is pretty pricey because you have to buy a 'power head' to run the thing. I am wondering if anyone here knows anything about this type of a mower for an ATV?
Thanks!

 

Zero Turn. You'll probably get done in half the time and you'll do it cheaper too.

ATVs don't make very good lawnmowers. Since the rear end is locked they tear the crap out of the grass. The turning radius of the ATV is much larger than a lawn tractor and a zero turn has, well, zero turning radius essentially.

You also have to consider the fact that you're not only running your ATV but a mower as well. You're going to use twice as much gas. It might not seem like a big thing but wait until gas gets back up to 5 bucks a gallon. For instance last summer it cost me about 10-15 bucks in gas to cut the grass with my riding mower. I'd have hated to pay even more because I was riding the ATV at the same time. I'd rather save the ATV gas for other chores and for recreational riding.

Also look at the price of ATV mowers. They're quite expensive. More expensive than they probably should be. For the price of a mower for your ATV you can buy a new lawn tractor or even a zero turn radius mower.

Can you cut your grass with an ATV and mower? Of course you can. Can you do it quicker, cheaper and easier with a regular mower? Absolutely.

About the only reason I can see for a ATV mower is to sell the wife on letting you get an ATV. You know, "but honey I can mow the grass with it too!"

 

I have a swisher rough cut mower I use to mow 5 acres several times a year. Often, the vegetation gets as high as 4 feet. To my surprise it does an excellent job! I also mow some other lots we have when necessary. One has juniper bushes as large as 2-3" in diameter. It annihilates them! I have been using this mower for almost 4 years now. I paid about $1200 for it brand new. It is 11 hp. I have had no problems with it. It always starts right up year after year. I am not gentle with it, either! I understand what captquint is saying about burning more fuel, but I only use about two gallons of fuel in my tow behind to mow my 5 acres; double that for the atv, so maybe 4 gallons total. All in all it takes me about 6-8 hours to mow the acreage, depending on the growth. I, personally, would definitely not use a lawn tractor mower or zero turn. I don't see how they would hold up mowing so much acreage. They are not designed for such use. You will find yourself replacing them much sooner I'm sure. I don't know what your property looks like, but just how tight do you need to turn on three acres! LOL! And, as for the tires tearing up the grass, they do make tires that are non aggressive. In fact, most stock tires are made just for this purpose, unless it's a polaris, they tend to offer more aggressive stock tires. My popo also has a turf mode so the differential is unlocked. The turning radius is much better, too!

I would definitely consider a tow behind mower if I were you and compare them to a riding mower. Who knows, maybe you would prefer a riding mower. If you do buy a riding mower, don't tell the salesman you are going to mow acreage. That is considered commercial use and will void the warranty I'm sure.

 

I use a Swisher Rough Cut 44" to maintain, at the present time, around 7 acres of native grass, brush and weeds. The ground is fairly smooth but some areas are quite rough with steep hillsides. One area I mow only downhill as the quad wants to lift the front end with the mower hooked up. Quite a bit of this area is mowed about 6" high as it's maintained with rows of brush for game birds and other wildlife. When the brush rows start getting too wide I just lower the mower down to about two inches cut height and grind it up. I have worked the heck out of this machine and the only failure so far has been one belt, which I consider normal wear, and one of the adjustment linkage rods broke off where the bolt was welded to the tube. Simple fix with an arc welder.

When we got the Swisher several years ago I only mowed about three acres but it's been steadily growing as we add more managed area to the place. We'll soon be taking in another 5 or 6 acres and I see no problem with the Swisher handling it. Been a good machine and I'm seriously considering buying another one to pull both at one time for double the cutting width.

For the finished lawn area I use a riding mower, off brand thing I bought at a yard sale and fixed up, and am considering a zero turn unit from Swisher. I've had very good support from the factory when I have needed anything for the mower or other Swisher equipment we own.

From my experience dealing with the folks at Swisher I would have to say anyone not happy with their service is approaching them with a very negative attitude and/or expecting really unreasonable service.

If you call the factory and talk with them prior to purchasing your equipment, which I did, you will find they may recommend a mower different than what you think you need. They did in my case and the advice was excellent.