What ZTR to buy?

[Papa Chilly]

I have somewhere around 5 acres of heavy grass that is a mixture of large open areas and orchard/small buildings. I currently have an old Ford 8n with a 60 inch deck, an ancient Cub Cadet riding mower, and a push mower. I have wanted to get a ZTR to "replace" these implements for some time now, but am not sure what the best one is for me. I do not want a little cheap one that will get destroyed by things my boys will run over when mowing, so I want commercial grade-ish something. Any suggestions? Price range up to 8k or so.

 

[Nik]

I own an Exmark with 54" deck. Commercial quality and no problems after 3 years of use for 1.5 acres. Make sure to get the best suspension seat you can for a better ride. I have some rough areas on which the ZTR can get bouncy. I would look at FERRIS as they have a shock absorber suspension available which should give a better ride. I do have a ROPS on the ZTR as I have some hills and wanted this safety feature.

 

[oldnslo]

What dealers do you have in your area? Grass Hopper, Ferris, Scag, John Deere, Ex Mark all make good quality commercial mowers. Toro was a good name brand but I believe they have moved most if not all of their production to Mexico and have been having some quality issues. These may have been addressed by now.

Are you going to be using this for anything besides mowing the lawn? I.e. Snow blower. If yes, I would strongly reccomend getting a unit that has hydraulic lift.

Roy

 

[magicheater]

I have a Hustler 42" super duty. Solid unit but if you want to catch grass I would think twice as their grass catcher leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[Papa Chilly]

Thanks all for your help already. All I will be doing with it is cutting grass: no snow-blowing, bagging. I'm leaning towards the ExMark currently, but I am not sure what the price range is for them.

 

[AlanB]

Exmarks are great, and their tech service is better. I think what I have is now called a Lazer Z "classic" or something and something you may consider, it does not have all the bells and whistles of the newer full tilt commercial ones, but really does the job fine. We have two Lazer Z's 7+ years old running commercially and a Quest bought this year.

For the Money. Bad Boy has a 60" Z at TSC for $5K. That is tough to compete with.

I would have a tough time if I felt I needed to replace one of the Z's right now (I usually just put them back together) I have no dealer I like for Exmark currently and would be tempted to save the money and give the Bad Boy a shot.

Again though, I cannot say enough good things about Exmarks tech support.

 

[RedDog]

You have many, many choices out there. While I have not driven all of them, I have delivered many of the brands to different dealers,,, ex: John Deere, Hustler, Kubota, Exmark, Toro, Grasshopper are names that I remember.

I mow about 4 to maybe 5 acres about the same as yours. Not really any obstacles and I did not choose any of the above mowers. I chose a Country Clipper back in early 06 and would buy another one right now if needed.

What drew me to it was big tires, front and rear, articulating front axle, low center of gravity, and JOYSTICK steering. To this day I have not adjusted or replaced any part on it.

Happy hunting, you have many to look at!!