Researching a new ZTR..driving me crazy!! Need some advise!

   / Researching a new ZTR..driving me crazy!! Need some advise! #1  

stumpmason

New member
Joined
Aug 24, 2012
Messages
8
Location
monroe
Tractor
Hustler Fastrac SD 60"
Hello all and thanks well in advance for any help. About 4 years ago I bought a 50" Troy Bilt ZTR from Lowes..we only had a .75 size lot and it worked great. Fast forward to the present day and we bought a new house on 2 acres in the country and I feel like I need an upgrade. My lot for the most part is level and I'm defintely sticking with a ZTR. I have been through almost every post on here researching them. I want to go commercial or near commercial so that it will last for the future. I'd like something a little bigger so a 52"-60". I was thinking to stay around the $5000 area. I was looking at the normal suggestions Bad Boy, Hustler ext... then I stumbled upon the Toro mowers and they are running a great finance deal on only the Toro Timecutters, TITANS and Professional Mowers. Zero payments/ zero interest until April of 2013 then 4 year interest free after that..so of course I started looking and trying to find some feedback on these. The Timecutters are out of the question but there are some Titans and some Professional that seem pretty solid. Would I be overpaying for these? The financing deal helps with me selling this new tractor to the wife so that's why I'm interested in these....so any advise/tips let me know. Thanks again!!!
 
   / Researching a new ZTR..driving me crazy!! Need some advise! #2  
You won't get a real commercial ZTR for $5000 unless you go used. I have a Ferris IS3000 and it's awesome, built like a tank. I have no experience with Toro.
 
   / Researching a new ZTR..driving me crazy!! Need some advise! #3  
Oh ya, I cut 3 acres of grass in about 70 minutes.
 
   / Researching a new ZTR..driving me crazy!! Need some advise! #4  
I doubt that you could go wrong with any of the commercial brands. I would say just find the mower that appeals to you in regard price and features. I went with a SnapperPro more so for the dealer that I already trusted than the brand. If your ground is rough I would advise springing for a suspension seat or a machine with suspension.


Edit: Kiotiken is right. You will have to go more than $5K to get a new commercial ZTR. More like $6500 or more depending on the machine and options.
 
   / Researching a new ZTR..driving me crazy!! Need some advise! #5  
Yep, you are a little low IMO for a true commercial unit.

There are "some" kinda in-between units that have some of the features of a pro model, but some of a homeowner unit too.

To get true pro in the $5k range, you may want to seek out some dealers and see if they have any demo units they want to part with.:thumbsup: This is the time of year to do that.

AS to size, survey your property closely. See if there are any areas that you cant fit a 60" between. If there are none, get the bigger.
 
   / Researching a new ZTR..driving me crazy!! Need some advise! #6  
Here are a few tips I came up with from my search this past spring. The difference between a residential unit and a commercial unit are the hydraulic pumps, wheel motors, engine, and the spindles that support each mower blade. There are really only two makers of pumps/motors, 3 makers of engines, and as for the spindles it is pretty easy to see why some aren't all that robust. With all this said, the brand of ztr does not make a big difference I think because the only thing they can control is the design of the mower frame, ergonomics of controls and ease of maintenance. My recommendation is to find a unit with separate wheel motors and separate hydraulic pumps. 2 pumps on my Ferris and 2 wheel motors. In the residential units these are combined into a single pump/dual motor assembly which can overheat without much abuse. Next, is get a commercial grade engine like the FX series Kawasaki's. As for the spindles, check out the difference between standard spindles, Ferris' aluminum spindles, and their Hercules spindles which are cast iron to see why this matters. Besides this, just look for a brand that lays the machine out the way you want it. My Ferris IS2000 has suspension to save the welds from cracking in the frame and extra armor around the mower deck to keep from denting it up. 1/2"x1 inch plate along the bottom edge. One last note is the mower decks like the Scags and Ferris units are designed with a different leading edge to allow the grass more time to stand back up for a better cut. The deck also has more vertical height to help with mowing thick stuff and discharging it. Hope this helps.
 
   / Researching a new ZTR..driving me crazy!! Need some advise! #7  
Oh, and a deck hanging by chains provides a better cut as it can float a little better I think.
 
   / Researching a new ZTR..driving me crazy!! Need some advise!
  • Thread Starter
#8  
thanks for the help guys....here is one I found at my local toro dealer..

Toro | TITAN MX5480 - Zero Turn Lawn Mowers

he said I can get it for $4900...

It shows the engine as a 23 hp Kawasaki® 726cc
deck is 10-gauge fabricated w/ bull-nose bumper
transmission as a HG-ZT3100 w/ charge pumps, shock valves & heavy duty gears
spindles as 7.75 in diameter/1 in (2.54 cm) shaft
and tip speed as18,000 ft/min

Is this in your guys opinion anything worth me looking at or is this pretty much what you get for this price?
 
   / Researching a new ZTR..driving me crazy!! Need some advise!
  • Thread Starter
#9  
oh boy now it's getting more difficult...I just found out that Hustler is offering the same 48 months 0% deal....
 
   / Researching a new ZTR..driving me crazy!! Need some advise! #10  
I purchased a Hustler Fastrak SD 54" this spring and have no complaints whatsoever. I mow about 2 acres of yard, about 1/3 of it being field that I am "turning" into part of my yard so my dogs have a place to crap without much of a chance of me stepping in it. It is my first ZTR, and I went through the same pre-purchase fretting that you are going through. After much research I came to the conclusion that the Hustler was giving me the most bang for the buck, and my dealer is relatively close.
 
 
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