Wow guys, thanks for all the great advice! I will check out that tractor forum too.
I was talking to a dealer my uncle likes, and he said about what you guys are saying. That is about 1 1/2 hours with a commercial zero turn, about 3 hours with a compact tractor and 4+ hours with a lawn tractor. As i stated, my reservations with the zero turn are the hills and that I want to pull a trailer into the woods which doesn't have many paths. The guy who cut the lawn before we bought the house had a zero turn (Woods?), and we noticed several spots on the hills where he spun his tires. And yes Seth it seems the yard is bumpy, but my brother in law does have a lawn roller I can borrow. That said, I have friends that are very happy with their zero turns. Several have commercial Toro mowers and one has one from tractor supply. They all brag about how the new mowers cut their mowing time in half. So the non-commercial zero turns aren't worth buying? What's the main difference? Just the cutting speed?
I was glad everyone seems to like John Deere. I really would like to get one of the 1 or 2 series compact tractors or a Kubota bx series. I have been checking Craigslist as the dealers often advertise the used or demo machines there. I have noticed that John Deeres do hold their value. Many of the used tractors were only 10-20% less than the new price. JD2720, of the four dealers my wife and I have stopped at, JD equipment in London was the only one where no one talked to us. The most helpful was the Kubota/ Mahindra dealer.
There hasn't been any serious interest in our house yet, so I might end up looking for a used four wheel steer John Deere or zero turn. WOW, are the 3 series four wheel steers good tractors or would you advise sticking with the 4 series?
Tom