I have about 10 acres to mow once a month and I have about $2000 (no more). I know that is pennies in the mower world but that is what I have got.
Luckily I don’t have any wild inclines and not many things to mow around. Just the house and the barn and a few trees.
It’s not the smoothest ground, I am not looking for a golf course cut or any fancy stripe business.
It had not been mowed since November, we have had crazy rain with tons of flooding, the grass was crazy wet, over knee high, and rained almost my entire time mowing today.
I got about 2.5 acres done with my rather old Honda push mower. It was miserable but that covered the drive from the road and a nice area around the house and barn and not have to worry about critters hiding.
Comfort is the number one priority over speed. Looking for reliability and super easy to work on. I have a small tool kit that goes with me but don’t have my full collection at my disposal down there.
While a zero turn would be nice they are way out of my budget so just a standard type riding mower is likely best.
Who are the best brands to look at will likely be looking used so what should I look for, how many hours are too much, etc.

I used an Ariens lawn tractor on 2 acres and beat the crap out of it. Did a great job. You will have to find a used one as Ariens only makes zero tirns now!

Like Yooper, I (and my father before me) had been using box store 42" riding mowers (Craftsman, White, Ariens) for decades on the 2 acres here. There's not a level part of the land - some sort of slope to every bit - and it seems to grow rocks better than grass. With these conditions the mowers we used would get the job done for years, of course doing regular maintenance and fixing things that broke.

That said, back in 2014 I bought a used John Deere 318 with a 46" and finally realized what a tremendous difference there is between a lawn mower and a lawn tractor. Power steering, more powerful engine in hp and torque, hydraulic system for deck & attachments, heavier construction, smoother ride, etc. - and that's on a unit that, at the time, was 30+ years old.

Then about 3-4 years ago, a neighbor had bought a 20+ year old well-cared for Kubota BX1500 thinking that his son would use it to start a lawn mowing business for the summer. That didn't happen so he offered it to me for the price he paid ($5,000) and since then the Deere, as good as it is and as much as I like it, has been sitting idle.

Certainly any new lawn tractor is well out of your budget, and even used would be a stretch to get something in that category at that price that hasn't been through the wringer, but it's worth looking.

Black - are you near me, statewise? If you are and think you might like the Deere, let me know and I'll give you the particulars. Although having a spare of anything is nice, it's a unnecessary luxury for me.

Sorry no advice other than get a tractor of some kind and a pull behind mowing apparatus like the county uses on the medians and shoulders down here. Or find a local teenager with access to one and pay him to do it once a month. My neighbor is a tree guy with amazing tree and hedge equipment. His son works for him and I get the kid to do occasional yard work I don’t have time or tools for for cash. Dad doesn’t mind and kid likes the cash.

I have a 48 inch zero turn and just about .5 to .75 acre in front and same in back it takes me about an hour to do each side, longer in back because I occasionally stop to pickup dog dukey I missed on my walk prior to starting.

With only $2,000 to spend I'd try to find a nicer, older, garden (not lawn) tractor, with a mower deck still in good shape.

https://www.facebook.com/marke...8c-ad67-788967fbb9f6

Get a few sheep? Or rabbit tractor? You could raise quite a few rabbits on 10 acres.

Wife of a guy I worked with, inherited some acreage. Way overgrown, so they got some goats. He learned to make goat cheese and is now seeing a healthy income from the cheese.

https://celebritydairy.com

Take a look at Case/ Ingersoll in your area. You'll have to shop Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, eBay, or a dedicated forum as they are no longer manufactured but still supported. A 446, 448, 4016, 4018, or 4020 would serve you well. Take a look here:

https://www.caseingersolltractors.com/tractor-models

and see for yourself the capabilities of these tractors and attachments.

Here is one but I don't know about future parts:

https://louisville.craigslist....turn/7824438887.html

I would consider chemicals to slow down growth, but don't know about the comparative economics, ease of control, or safety, or if people actually do it.

Farmall cub with a Woods belly mower. Maybe a BN.

Any riding mower with some life in the engine, use a high lift blade, raised all the way up to its highest setting, drive slowly to keep the blade spinning, and don't forget the beer. Go for the most horsepower per dollar, since horsepower is more important than anything else since new mower reliability isn't in the current budget. Been there done that but only for one acre.

Is it fenced? Perhaps rent it out as pasture for horses/cows. It'd be easier than trying to mow ten acres and you could perhaps make a little money on it.

What are the long term plans for this place?
What are local ordinances for livestock?
Is it inside city limits or unincorporated county land?

For just once a month, it may very well be worth it to hire it done, depending on whether this a permanent situation or just for the time being. I mow about 3 acres with a 60” cut zero turn Husqvarna. It takes quite a bit of time and a lot of fuel. Not counting trim work.

quote:

Originally posted by marksman41:
Black - are you near me, statewise? If you are and think you might like the Deere, let me know and I'll give you the particulars. Although having a spare of anything is nice, it's an unnecessary luxury for me.

Email sent

quote:

Originally posted by ElToro:
Sorry no advice other than get a tractor of some kind and a pull behind mowing apparatus like the county uses on the medians and shoulders down here. Or find a local teenager with access to one and pay him to do it once a month. My neighbor is a tree guy with amazing tree and hedge equipment. His son works for him and I get the kid to do occasional yard work I don’t have time or tools for for cash. Dad doesn’t mind and kid likes

I have a big Ford 3600 that one day I may get running again.
My place is in the middle of NO WHERE so there are no local kids.
My cousin has been doing the mowing for me for the last few years however he is no longer able to do it.

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
Get a few sheep? Or rabbit tractor? You could raise quite a few rabbits on 10 acres.

I am two hours away. No way to take care of them plus no fencing and fencing in 30 acres would cost me way more than $2000.

I wish I could have animals on the property. I’d have a bunch of Guinea Fowl to cut down on the tick population.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
I would consider chemicals to slow down growth, but don't know about the comparative economics, ease of control, or safety, or if people actually do it.

Not a chance in the world. The whole property gently slopes down to my pond. Not going to endanger my fish.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
Is it fenced? Perhaps rent it out as pasture for horses/cows. It'd be easier than trying to mow ten acres and you could perhaps make a little money on it.

No fence. Would cost me a fortune to fence in 30 acres. One small section of fence at the drive as it is the only way for vehicles to get in. 20ish acres of the 30 are densely wooded.

quote:

Originally posted by hudr:
What are the long term plans for this place?
What are local ordinances for livestock?
Is it inside city limits or unincorporated county land?

For just once a month, it may very well be worth it to hire it done, depending on whether this a permanent situation or just for the time being. I mow about 3 acres with a 60” cut zero turn Husqvarna. It takes quite a bit of time and a lot of fuel. Not counting trim work.

I don’t mind to mow at all. Very little trim work thankfully. Just the house, barn, and a quarter of the pond.

It’s our family escape. Property where my grandfather grew up.
Deep in the middle of no where. No ordinances, no permits, no one to hire really.
Electrician had to come from 2 hours away and the plumbers about an hour. Folks that replaced the windows were an hour away. Took me nearly 2 years to find an electrician to come.
Getting people to do work there is pretty much impossible.
Then getting trusty worthy people is not worth the effort.

Osage orange was used as a cheap way to build excellent fencing hedges, at one time.


Might be fencing option for you.

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
Osage orange was used as a cheap way to build excellent fencing hedges, at one time.


Might be fencing option for you.

I have one section that I needed to plant some things to make a bit more dense.
I will look into these a bit.

I used to mow a 12 acre field that had been in soybeans. I'd hate to think of doing that on a $2000 mower. I used a Kioti 35hp 3 cyl diesel with a 6' bush hog. Still took over 6 hours. I'm a buy once kind of guy but I always try to find value and this sounds like something that will be ongoing. I sold my mowing rig for a small profit after I sold the ground.

Read doublesharp above. He is right. I'm not sure a $2000 mower can cut the grass you are talking about. If it can it will be creeping. I have a 24 horse John Deere diesel, 60 inch deck and it has it's hands full if the grass gets to 6" and I cut it to 3". What you need for that job is a 40-50 horse tractor with a 6 foot mower or you will be spending hours/days just to mow it once. Can you borrow a mower and try it to see if it works with what you have? I don't think a 20 HP mower will do that job. Could you find anyone interested in it as hay? Best of luck whatever you decide! Could you hire it done by someone who has a tractor and mower to mow it and get it under control then you take it over when it is 4 inches tall? I don't know what the going rate for one mow of that height would be. Around here a neighbor would cut it and bale it for hay if the field was clear of rocks and trash.

reply sent, Black.