12999$ for a ZTR--insane

[frank_f15]

would i pay that price for a lawnmower? nope! BUT if i had a need for a fastcutting machine, then i guess i would. its all a matter of need. reminds me of the time i asked a jewler why he had a $20,000 wrist watch for sale, his reply! they make them , cause somone buys them. GOOD ANS. and true.

 

[bsauter]

Best money I ever spent was on a ZTR. Kubota ZD28 72 inch deck cut my mowing time from 3 hours to 1 hr 10 minutes AND I get a much nicer cut, more professionnal looking, much more refreshed and less tired after cutting and have a lot more fun.

I've been cutting with tractors for years and always disliked the ZTRs. Thought they were expensive toys!!! I wish I wasn't so bullheaded cause I've been cussing the grass for all this time. Now I manicure it in less time and have fun! There is no comparison. Our friends and neighbors think the place looks like a golf course or park now with all the pretty stripes I can make.

It was actually my next door neighbor who bought a little Dixon ZTR that made me think long and hard about them. He would cut his 3.5 acres way faster with that little thing than I could with my big 3010 and 6 foot deck. He fertilizes with it and hauls trailers around and everything. Even snow plows with it. Not me though, gotta use the CUT for something!

I love my CUT but for cutting grass they are ineffecient for yards compared to ZTRs. Like the dealers always said when I started looking after talking to the lawn pros....take one home and see how great it is. I tested a couple at home and was convinced!!!!

I enjoy seat time in the tractor but I much prefer to bushhog a field or play with the front loader than backing up and cranking the wheel for a half day cutting 4 acres of lawn. Plus now I don't have to swap implements all the time on the 3010. I would have to remove the FEL and put on the finish deck every time I needed to cut. Now I just hop on and go.

If you gots the dough, ZTRs are great and a CUT on the side for scooping poop and spreading manure and all the other junk is great.

 

[JATO_RaT]

Oh man Mr BSauter, you have my machine. I want it, am I insane? Hehehe. Rat...

 

[gerard]

Can't argue with someone who has both!! Think we have a definitive answer - you have the best of both worlds!!

 

[cowboydoc]

I agree with you soundguy. I had one for awhile that the dealership let me use. It was a Landpride with a 72" deck. It did a good job but just couldn't see $10k for it. Then I tryed a 935 front mounted mower with a 72" deck. I hated that thing. It got stuck on the hills and I didn't think the cut was that great at all. Next I tryed a 455 diesel with a 64" deck. That little sucker hauled!!! I cut just as fast with it as I did the ZTR. Going around trees was a bit more of a pain and it was harder to do the zigzag pattern. The 455 was a little cheaper than the ZTR and I can use it for other things as well. I honestly think the cut is just as good as the ztr. I just liked the idea of having the 455 to do other things with if I needed.

 

[radman]

The front mounted mowers are not as popular as the mid mount mower ZTR's with lawn companies. Traction was a problem with front mount mowers, they are more expensive and require more space to store and haul. I have a 52" Toro Z Master ZTR with 27 hp motor and this thing moves. Up to 9-10 mph - if the grass isn't too tall or the ground too rough. I mowed around over 400 seedling trees is about 2 hours - conventional lawn mower would have taken much longer and a CUT over a day. I got a great end of the year deal for $5900. Much cheaper than a JD 455. I have an hitch and can apply fertilizer, pull a small cart etc. If you need a pure mowing machine it is hard to beat a ZTR.

 

[JATO_RaT]

bsauter, how long have you had your 72" Kubota ZTR? I have yet to see one, just the smaller guys. Folks with the 60" say the traction on theirs is fantastic and lots of power since each wheel has its own drive motor. Folks who have owned others and now have the Kubota ZTR mention the Kubotas as being the nicest they have ever owned, the Cadiallac of ZTR's. My experience is with the John Deeres. Landscapers out here use ZTR's exclusively for large areas, I have yet to see a compact for mowing by any landscaping company. You have some great stuff, Rat...

 

[bsauter]

I've had mine since the summer....traction is fantastic. I can actually get through a ditch on my property better with the ZTR than the 3010 in 2WD better without tearing up the turf. And it is soooo much faster. No way I'd take it in a muddy paddock or anything though!

We don't have any tractors cutting grass around here either with the companies. All ZTR. Time is money. I can actually cut my yard three times in the time it used to take me on my tractors. More time for the family now.

I thought the Kubota was the nicest built too but there are alot of good ones. ZTRs are taking off in such a big way that everybody is building them now.

The JD dealer 5 minutes form my house was ecstatic to get theirs in. They sell them very quickly. My Kubota dealer would sell the ZD28 to guys right away. Many dealers didn't have any sitting around.

 

[DavidInNH]

I have a Toro Z350. It has a front deck that flips up for saving space, cleaning and changing blades - very slick. I've found it to be just fine on my hillside - better than my old TroyBilt. I tested both conventional mid-deck ZTR's and front-deck. I really like the view of a front deck and the ability to mow up under shrubs and low hanging spruce branches. This machine has a grass catcher that ducts under the middle of the machine. This was a BIG win in my yard - when I tested side exhaust machines, I kept finding all the obstacles. I had serious heartburn over the cost, but after one mowing season, I have no regrets - mowing with this machine is almost as fun as ... well you get the idea ...

 

[Soundguy]

2 of my neighbors have ztr's, one even got rid of a nice mf for his ztr... whish I could have been in on that deal...

They can't believe that I use my tractor to mow with.. but unless you have pretty flat pasture with no rocks or other blade eaters... I still gotta go with a tractor. I have seen the neighbor stuck so bad in his ztr that he had to use the truck to pull himself out.... incidentally my tractor drove over that same grade in 2wd without a problem..... guess i'm just a tractor guy.

A third neighbor uses a large huskie rider mower pulling a 4' self powered drag mower... honestly can't see a difference in cut from my finish mower to the neighbors rider+drag vs. the ztr.. except that I dont make the nice diagonal stripes that the ztr and the rider+drag mower can make..... And my NH 1920 cost less than the ztr....again.. guess I'm just stuck on tractors.

Soundguy