Riding mower advise

[BLachance75]

I need to get a new riding mower this year and am looking for input/advise on a mower.

I have 1 acre and part of my yard is sloped from front to back and side to side. From side to side the slope is 15-20° and around 10° from front to back. Right now the sloped part doesn’t have much grass but I will be seeding in the spring.

This is from the front of the yard looking back.



Looking down towards the fence



Looking towards the front



With my old rider I mowed from the front towards the back on the slope. I had to lean/sit on the side of the seat while going down the hill. I did try to go from the middle of the yard towards the fence but it didn’t work well and I often got stuck.

Should I stick with a regular riding mower or would a zero turn work.

[GratefulWood]

Im a landscaper.
Have almost 15 years experience riding zeros. Standers are something you should look into. Theyre replacing walk behinds. They weigh alot less than the zero turns.

As far as your slope goes , with grass grown in you will have 0 trouble with a zero or stander on that. Without grass , it will be a slippery mess.
Please be aware before you seed that pine needles mess with the PH of the ground and makes it tough for grass to grow. You will have to maintain the needles on your grass if you want it to grow in correct and stay thick.

[GratefulWood]

If youre considering a zero turn its hard to beat the Gravely company.
I currently own 2 Gravely 72s and 1 Gravely 60" zeros , Gravely 52" stander and my backup mowers are Hustler Super Z 72s and a Scag cheetah 72" ... I also have a ton of experience on Exmark 60s/72 if you want advice about and of those specific brands.
I would reccommend a 52" or 60" if you plan to only use it in your yard. 52 is the ideal weight ... especially a 52" stander.

[boarder2k7]

I think the obvious answer is to get a backhoe and flatten that thing out! If it ain't flat you don't own it

I have a 54" John Deere walk behind because it was super cheap and I do a full acre of grass with it now, it's a bit slow but the mower only cost me like $300. Thinking about one of these things in my future though https://www.toro.com/en/product/75757

The fully suspended seat is important to me, I'm sensitive to shock/jostling so that seems like the most comfortable option available at the moment.

[Mann]

I think that it really depends on how much you are wanting to spend. 2k or less buy a small rider 2-5k a small zero turn 5k-up a small compact tractor. looks like you could use the tractor for other small chores (clean up, moving firewood, splitting wood, etc)

[BLachance75]

I'm in the 3-5k range.

I'd love a sub compact tractor. I borrowed a Kubota L series tractor over the summer that had a PTO driven wood chipper and it was so handy to have. I originally borrowed it for the chipper but I used it a lot, especially while I was cutting and moving wood around. I guess I should go to a local dealer and see what one would cost.

[Tarsun2]

had an old scag 52(?) zero. it was ok. you at ontop of the engine.
got a newer scag 52(?) and its a bit different. The engine is behind you and you sit lower.

beefier tires help but you wind up tearing up the grass when you turn.

never tried a full size walk behind.

went from 6 acres to 1 and change. bought myself an old school snapper. (think of forest gump). its ridiculous. has a 36' single blade. takes both feet and three arms to operate. lol

cant stand pine trees.

it goes without saying but ill say it anyways. there is a difference between bagging blades, mulching blades, and discharge blades. keep them sharp too.

[Redragoon]

My back hard has a ridge with about that same slope. I went with a Husqvarna riding mower over the zero-turns. Mine has a limited slip diff so it has yet to get stuck on slippery surfaces.
Mine is smaller with a 42" cut to fit in a narrow space by the house, but I believe they go up to 60". Pick one up from a dealer instead of Lowes, better models and offers. I can also highly recommend the Kawasaki engine. Starts every time.

[Jonnydread]

Lachance I'm jealous of your fenced-in yard. Piggy would go bonkers for that

[BLachance75]

Mine love the yard. Its about 50 yards from my back deck to the fence in the back so I can really launch a ball or frisbee for them. It is also super convenient to be able to let them out and not have to fully pay attention to them.

[Legacy]

Looking at that yard I think I'd look for a true lawn tractor rather than a zero turn just because of that side hill. I'm a big fan of the Deere x300 series tractors. They're big enough you can get all sorts of big boy attachments but they aren't stupid expensive either.