Ride-On Mower for Rough Ground?

[MrZebra]

Hi, can anybody recommend a ride-on lawnmower suitable for rough ground?

I want it mainly for the lawn, however there's also a paddock and it would be brilliant if it could manage that as well. Any ideas?

[Gentian]

I'm not much help, my OH would love one as we have 1/4 of an acre under grass. I would need one with enough space for the dog to ride between my feet.

[MrZebra]

It seems that there's a continuous spectrum between ride-on lawnmowers and compact tractors - i.e. the high-end lawnmowers also have attachments for ploughs, tillers, and so on! Unfortunately, the attachments are the same price as those for tractors, and the price of the machine itself isn't so much less.

[Rustic Pumpkin]

I'd make enquires locally and see if any vendor was prepared to give you a demonstration on your small holding. We have several here who give 'at home' demonstrations. They'll question you first to make sure they bring something suitable, and then at least you know it is going to work or not.

[eleanor2]

zeb my son has souped up an ordinary ride on mower.he welded bigger wheels over the small wheels.he mows our field to a degree.but mainly him and grandson use it a bit like a quad.we have had some laughs with it.

[Crocus]

Hi MrZebra, Mr C suggests that you could perhaps look at a 20 horse power unit and the two names which proved themself in our rough areas are John Deer and Husqvarna. (Hope the spelling is correct!).

[MrZebra]

I can't decide whether I should get a big mower or a small tractor! It turns out that you can get a second hand tractor for less than I thought - in fact less than the cost of a mower; but then of course you have to buy the attachments which are very expensive...

[Crocus]

......but in the long run, living on a farm, won't the small tractor perhaps be a better option? For starters just buy the most needed attachment, and with time and when you need it, you can buy another attachment ....

[MrZebra]

Yeah, however the most pressing problem is keeping the grass cut. The fields (or at least one of them) are too rough for grass tyres, but agricultural tyres would destroy the lawn. So if I get a tractor I can't cut the lawn, and if I get a lawnmower I can't cut the field - and I can't afford both! I know I could probably get a small tractor and swap the tyres as necessary, but I'd still probably need a fine mower for the lawn and a more heavy duty mower for the field, which is again too expensive.

[Crocus]

Oh dear, you've got a bit of a dilemma it seems, although keeping the grass cut kind of made the decision for you methinks. Perhaps there's a goodhearted neighbour who can perhaps help out with a tractor to cut your field every so often?

[annie fenbug]

One option is called a donkey. low maintenance, not much fuel intake, contribute to the compost heap and usually (given a handful of Polo mints) not that difficult to start. And, if my neighbour's anything to go by, an endless source of jokes about 'my little ass' (oh tee-hee Neville). Only downside I can think of is the ungodly noise they occasionally make - far more unsettling than peacocks!

[Clunkshift]

Zeb, I think the lawn is spoiling things. Sheep or geese are traditional lawn mowers and a small Chinese/Japanese tractor with a front loader is very useful.
Cost will always be the problem with used compact 4x4 tractors starting at about £1800 and about £500 for a mower attachment.
It would actually be cheaper to tow a mower with an old Daihatsu 4x4.

[MrZebra]

One option is called a donkey. low maintenance, not much fuel intake, contribute to the compost heap and usually (given a handful of Polo mints) not that difficult to start. And, if my neighbour's anything to go by, an endless source of jokes about 'my little ass' (oh tee-hee Neville). Only downside I can think of is the ungodly noise they occasionally make - far more unsettling than peacocks!

I'm dying to get a pony... I wonder if you can train them to munch stripes in the lawn... :D

[MrZebra]

Zeb, I think the lawn is spoiling things. Sheep or geese are traditional lawn mowers and a small Chinese/Japanese tractor with a front loader is very useful.
Cost will always be the problem with used compact 4x4 tractors starting at about £1800 and about £500 for a mower attachment.
It would actually be cheaper to tow a mower with an old Daihatsu 4x4.

If I could find a compact tractor and a mower for that price I'd probably get it! The ones I've seen are 2-3 times that. Do you know a good place to look?

Of course, I'd still have the problem of grass tyres vs agricultural tyres...

I'd like to stick a couple more sheep in the field. Not sure about geese as a solution... the amount of poop on the lawn would probably preclude any casual summer badminton :D

[Rustic Pumpkin]

I'm dying to get a pony... I wonder if you can train them to munch stripes in the lawn... :D

. . . but you'd have the best roses!

[Clunkshift]

Zeb,

You can find used Kubotas and attachments in Autotrader (plant section), Exchange and Mart etc - obviously some distance form Anglesey as Sod's Law will apply to best bargain vs distance away.

The pony (or indeed zebra) idea has drawbacks in the poo department too, unless you buy a towed poo picker, they won't eat near the deposited piles and you will get very patchy grass cropping, but geese don't seem so fussy.

You might consider multiple guinea pigs inside a roller made of wire netting with removable ends. I claim no originality for this invention but have no idea of the grass cutting rate per pig.

As I said, that lawn is the trouble; lawns are so decadent. Have you thought of more rural pursuits that don't need flat ground? Petanque? Bog snorkelling?
Nine men's morris? Cheese rolling?

[annie fenbug]

I'd have to agree with Clunk, ponies are patchy eaters - that's partly why I suggested a donkey as they're a bit more thorough, although not as keen on thistles as you might suppose. Sheep seem to be one of the best non-mechanical lawnmowers - Jacob's Sheep are a small and manageable size, fairly hardy and easy to look after, and think of all the lovely jumpers you could produce! (Seriously, MrZ, a friend of mine keeps about 8 of them precisely to maintain a large area of grass in front of her house, and they do a good job as well as looking decorative.)

[JG]

We have a ride on mower that works well on our rough paddock. It's a Mountford. I have a slight problem that, when I go over a bump, the engine has been known to cut out, because my weight shifts off the safety mechanism under the seat that is there to stop the mower if you fall off. I was flattered to think that I was too light for it (I am 9 and a half stone on a good day and 10 on a bad day)
When we bought the Mountford, we were replacing an American one that used to block when we tried to cut the grass wet. We were told that this is common with American ones. But our ground is often wet (heavy clay) so we have to be able to cut it wet, so were recommended the Mountford as able to cope with what we Brits throw at our mowers. I find it a bit awkward to empty the bag by turning around to lift the lever that spills the grass out, so OH does most of the ride on mowing as he's got the emptying down to a fine art. On the whole we're pleased with the Mountford, which has passed its annual 'MOT' or service for about 6 or 7 years now.

[souter girl]

How about the novelty value of llamas? They are apparently very sweet-natured and you could charge people to visit them?
I would love to see a picture of Clunk's guinea pig roller - we used to have 2 GPs and they could munch for Britain so I am sure it would be effective!