Rider or Walk behind?

[kiadog]

I'm new to this world of commercial mowers and would really appreciate some advice - you guys clearly know your stuff.

I'm a homeowner with about 4 acres to cut. Most of the land is sloped and about half of it has trees. I've been using a small consumer-oriented riding mower, but it takes a really long time and the equipment tends to get pretty beat up - just wasn't designed for the volume of mowing I put it through - so I'm looking to buy a 50" or 60" ZTR mower that will go faster and hold up for the next ten years. A couple of questions:

1. Walk behind or Rider - I'm guessing that walk behinds are better on slopes because of the lower center of gravity. Is that alone enough of a reason to get a walk behind? The riders I've seen seem to have the weight distributed fairly low on the unit. Any advice on pros and cons of riding vs standing on a sulky would be really appreciated.

2. A mower mechanic I know swears by Dixie Choppers and said that if I choose a rider, that's what I should get. But in looking through the forum, I don't see that brand discussed much. Any particular reason to get (or not get) a Dixie Chopper?

Thanks a lot for your help.

[rockstate]

You should look into the wright standers, they are just as fast and have a better cut than ztrs. They are a little bit cheaper also. Great cut

[THE_CROOKED]

i think a 4500-6500 bobcat or exmark is perfect and comfortable for many terrain types that will last hundeds of hours