Best commercial zero turn?

[screamin400]

Thinking about what the next step is for my landscaping company. Not sure I want to get into mowing but certainly something I need to entertain. Big farm show coming up in 60 days so I can see all brands there. Ferris is made here so they seem to be very popular. What should I look at for a small commercial operation. I will not be mowing 60 lawns a week or anything like that. Price is always a concern. I will be looking at new so older models will not be in my sights. What width do you guys like best for mowing homeowners? What speed do you mow. Price for a good mower? Thanks guys.

 

[rustyshakelford]

I think it’s overkill unless you’re doing large estates type places and heavy on a trailer but we run a kubota zd1211 60” RD and love it. I think it’ll cut at 10 or so. Really as fast as the ground will allow. Been real happy with it at our place. Suspension seat is comfortable also

Brett

 

[screamin400]

I think it’s overkill unless you’re doing large estates type places and heavy on a trailer but we run a kubota zd1211 60” RD and love it. I think it’ll cut at 10 or so. Really as fast as the ground will allow. Been real happy with it at our place. Suspension seat is comfortable also

Brett

Took a quick look and great machine but far too much machine to start out with. I bet it works great

 

[Streetcar]

Terrain will dictate width of mower. Large mowers will scalp areas if it is hilly.
Had a scag, but it started having electrical issues with switches and sensors going bad.
Switched to exemark, 600 hours with no issues

 

[rbtjr]

We have no commercial experience but we have had five zero turn mowers now, including three commercial models. We have two now, a 50" Toro MX5060 (with a bagger) for home use and a 61" Wright Sport X that you can operating standing up on the platform in the rear or sitting on a simple seat in the rear. We had a 66" eXmark and a 61" Husquvarna, both commercial models that were used at our place in the country where we mow about two acres and now use the Wright. The Toro is a good mower and cost less than half of the Wright. I am very impressed with the quality of the Wright. It mows well and fast. Around here we see many Wright mowers used commercially, more I think than any other brand. The 52" Stander seems to be the most popular commercial mower. However, a new Wright mower might be more of an investment than makes sense unless you plan on doing a lot of mowing.

 

[art]

You are asking some good questions but you have the answers! For the width of the deck, get the largest one you can that will go through the smallest hole you have! Buy the smallest frame with that largest of deck you can get! Time is money and the less trimming you have to do by hand because the deck sticks out further is a money maker. The money in the zero turns is between the hydro's and the engines so the better quality machines use longer life engines and bigger hydro's which can relate to the smoothness of operation and the longevity of the machine.
We sell machines that I have seen in excess of 5,000 hours and still in use and for the average gas machine you have a maximum life of roughly 3,000 hours on a commercial unit with the right engines. To compare a good used pro machine at 1,000 hours will normally give you better service then a low end commercial unit new! We sell five brands of Zero turns and there are differences and there is not one seat that fits everyone's work!

 

[screamin400]

You are asking some good questions but you have the answers! For the width of the deck, get the largest one you can that will go through the smallest hole you have! Buy the smallest frame with that largest of deck you can get! Time is money and the less trimming you have to do by hand because the deck sticks out further is a money maker. The money in the zero turns is between the hydro's and the engines so the better quality machines use longer life engines and bigger hydro's which can relate to the smoothness of operation and the longevity of the machine.
We sell machines that I have seen in excess of 5,000 hours and still in use and for the average gas machine you have a maximum life of roughly 3,000 hours on a commercial unit with the right engines. To compare a good used pro machine at 1,000 hours will normally give you better service then a low end commercial unit new! We sell five brands of Zero turns and there are differences and there is not one seat that fits everyone's work!

So Art are you telling me that if that time comes I should go see the boys in Canastota. They always have a fine selection. Actually may take a look at the Empire Farm Days.

 

[MESSMAKER]

You can expect to pay at least $7500 for a quality ZTR. You can pay double that if you go top of the line. Most of the top brands use the same components so they are going to be pretty good. Cut corners and make something that is not durable in the lawn care business a you are done for. I will list some of the brands I know about below more or less by market share and use by the professionals. I will put them in two groups but I am not saying the second group is not quality. My mower is from group 2.

Group 1
Scag
Exmark
Grasshopper
Toro
Walker
John Deere
Kubota
Ferris

Group 2
Cub Cadet
Bobcat
Bad Boy
Snapper Pro
Dixie Chopper
Simplicity
Husqvarna

 

[mikester]

You can expect to pay at least $7500 for a quality ZTR. You can pay double that if you go top of the line. Most of the top brands use the same components so they are going to be pretty good. Cut corners and make something that is not durable in the lawn care business a you are done for. I will list some of the brands I know about below more or less by market share and use by the professionals. I will put them in two groups but I am not saying the second group is not quality. My mower is from group 2.

Group 1
Scag
Exmark
Grasshopper
Toro
Walker
John Deere
Kubota
Ferris

Group 2
Cub Cadet
Bobcat
Bad Boy
Snapper Pro
Dixie Chopper
Simplicity
Husqvarna

Good list. My first choice would be Kubota with Diesel engine. Second choice any other Group 1 with Diesel engine.

Avoid Group 2 if you intend on making money with your machine. I'd also avoid gas engines and anything with stamped metal decks for commercial use.

 

[EddieWalker]

Dealer support is always important when it breaks down and you need it running to make money. After months of looking at different machines, researching online, I went with Scag. For the first few years, I loved it and highly recommended it to everyone who asked. Then I started having electrical issues. The key wouldn't work, then the starter wouldn't work, then a safety sensor went out, and then another sensor went out, and then I replaced all the sensors and the new ones failed fairly quickly. Then the PTO Generator went out. I only have 200 hours on it, and I've bypassed the key to start it with two exposed wires. There are no longer any safety sensors. So far, it's working well without any of the electronics that I've bypassed, so now I'm semi OK with it. But I would not recommend buying a Scag any longer.

When looking, be sure to see what it takes to change the blades. Some brands are a lot easier then others.

Avoid B & S engines, and just about any other non motorcycle company engines. Honda engines are the best and worth whatever they cost. Mine has a Kawasaki engine and that's been flawless. It's one of the main reasons I bought it.

Kubota is famous for making one of the best diesels out there, but I'm not sold on their gasoline engines.