Newbee looking for advice

[ELAMCUP]

Hey, We moved into this house 3 years ago. We have between 1/2 and 2/3 of an acre of land. The front is flat and the back yard gently slopes at about 3 degrees. There is a 12 degree slope that runs along the side of my driveway. There is a 15 degree slope next to my neighbor's driveway. I am not sure exactly where that property line runs. We both cut that section of the lawn, it's no big deal.
I purchased a 28" Snapper mulching riding mower. I have a reaction to freshly cut grass and the mulcher takes care of it for me. We needed something that would fit into the garage along with our cars. It does the the trick.
I was puttin around my front lawn on the Snapper one day. A landscapper pulled up, unloaded his ZTR, cut the neighbors lawn, loaded up and headed down the road. I was still puttin around the front lawn. The Snapper had to go, all it takes is time and money.
We have our shed ordered, the door is 50" wide. I am shopping for my new mower. I went to 5 different shops looking at ZTR mowers and lawn tractors and talked to alot of people. I like the 42" Hustler Mini Fast Trak because the seat is lower and it appears to have solid construction. However it is at the upper limit of my budget and has no suspension. I am very interested in a Cub Z-Force 44, but haven't seen one yet. I think I have it narrowed down to those 2 ZTR's. The Cub LT 1046 was the tractor I liked the most. The owner of the Cub shop brought up some good points. The LT 1046 and the RTZ 42 have the same top speed. The tractor has an 18" turning radius. My yard is so small and has few obstacles so there won't be that much of a time savings between the two. His point is a ZTR won't be worth the extra money. In addition there are the slopes that could be dangerous with a ZTR. He got me thinking, is a ZTR worth twice as much as a tractor? There are plenty of other things around here to spend money on besides a ZTR.
I need your help. I have narrowed it down to the 3 mowers listed above. Does anyone have any experiance mulching with any of the 3 mowers? Would the ZTR really save me time mowing?

 

[hunterridgefarm]

I can't advise you on the ZTR since I don't have one. But if you only have 1/2 to 2/3 acre I would go with the tractor type. You can always add a front blade to push snow and pull and lawn trailer behind.

 

[Spiffy]

A lot of really cheap built tractors out there these days, so that narrows the gap a little between a LT and a ZTR.

You really have to test drive the Z to see how much time it saves. Also see if you are comfortable on the hills [though that can be just a bit of practice with the different steering or different mowing approach rather than actually not possible].

Doubt youd regret either the Hustler or the ZF. For your size lawn, could even run the RZT if you like the Cub Cadets, but I sure thought the ZF was better "bang for the buck." Not sure what mulching or bagging combinations are available; I was only interested in side discharge when looking at them.

Have Fun! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

<font color="red"> Edit: At the risk of stating the obvious, if it doesn't save you enough time or somehow justify the cost; I'm sure you'll be happy with any good quality LT. You had Snapper before? How about a RER [rear engine rider]? Just tossing ideas /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif </font>

 

[1962]

go with the tractor... its less expensive and like the post above you can put a plow on it in the future..

 

[Strugglewithin]

If I were buying a ZTR as a homeowner, I'd have to go with a Gravely. Well made machines for decent price.

Having a "tractor" is not a bad thing. That's what I have. Mine is a Craftsman. 3hi/lo, 50" cut, 25hpKohler. Works for everything I need. But it is not nearly as fast as a ZTR is.
Hustlers are great machines, but a bit high and I see that as overkill for somebody mowing their own yard.

 

[Spiffy]

Does Gravely have a homeowner Z? The ones I'm thinking of [like their PM 44Z] are 5K+, but I sure like the specs!

I was thinking the Hustler in question is around $4K, similar to the ZForce. If that is the case, I'd say similar quality [therefor value too], but which particular features are of higher quality varies quite a bit, so each to their own! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Back to which type of machine applies here: Can we get more information on why the old one was too slow? Even better, if you can just get a dealer to bring out your favorite options for a test drive on your property then you'll really know which you like the best.

<font color="red"> Just googled; I guess Gravely does have homeowner machines. Quick look, but they don't look too bad /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif </font>

 

[Strugglewithin]

Yeah, the HO units from Gravely are nice. They're not the same as a commercial unit, but no HO unit will be. If you shop around, usually you can find a good deal on them. I know back in Louisiana EVERYBODY is a Gravely dealer and most are willing to deal a little.

I used to work for a dealer that sold them. They have that little model with about an 8 or 10hp Briggs on it. That was within reason moneywise, nimble, and quick. I think it had a 30" cut on it though.

 

[Nasty135]

Mornin fella's ,Did somebody mention snow blade? Click here for a list of accessories to waste your money on. Admittedly so you would have to be using a commercial grade Z for these accessories to be useful(somewhat)at all. Not enough weight on the homeowner unit to handle any accessory IMO.
My thoughts on the 2/3 acre lawn is how long does it take to mow with your current mower?
You said you don't have much to mow around in your yard...
I might suggest looking at a more conventional style mower with a foot operated hydro for much quicker fwd /rev moves,there are several manufactures that offer this type unit Kubota is one and these usually have a very tight turning radius. check here for others.
A HO Z while it might fit the current marketing BUZZ for the speed of which it could mow your lawn. The slope mentioned in your first post might cause you more headache than its worth, as spiffy hinted on there is also a learning curve for operating one on slopes. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif A little pucker factor if you will. On flat ground I can see some benefit on the smaller lots ,But you have to weigh the cost....You should really try a ZTR out before buying as mentioned before.

Gravely's are good and so are the Hustler's which ever dealer is close to you... Just remember entry level HO Z's are not going to perform anywhere near the commercial level. The just LOOK similar...

Your neighbors guy no doubt had a commercial Z between 48" and 60" and Zip he was finished

EDIT: And after re-reading your post , I do agree with what your dealer offered same top speed a little more stable steering wise, tight turning radius, Does it offer the foot operated hydro? That would be all I need to make up my mind.

Good Luck /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[ELAMCUP]

I usually need 1-1.5 hours to cut the lawn with the Snapper. Based on your replies and talking to my Cub dealer again I think the LT 1042 is what I will get. I need to mulch and the 2 blades on the 42 will do a better job than the 46's 3 blades. The Cub dealer is willing to sell me any mower I want however he feels the 1042 is all the mower I need.
I asked him how much faster the 42 will cut the lawn than the 28 Snapper but he wouldn't answer. I would hope to reduce my time by about 1/3 because the 1042 is 1/3 bigger. Does that sound reasonable?
The LT 1042 is a hydro. The landscaper that cut the neighbors yard was on a 60" machine.
Thank you for your replies and advice.
Tom Elam

 

[Spiffy]

<font color="blue"> I would hope to reduce my time by about 1/3 </font>

Maybe!
Two opposing figures. First how much overlap you run right now. If it's ten inches [for a random wide figure] and you don't change, you'll do even better. On the other hand if you run "tight" and don't change; your figures come out. Of course, you could percievably run more overlap, which could negate the width advantage.

On the flip side, what about the manauverbility? Even with few obstables it can add up; especially on a small lot. <font color="red">edit: aside from the width, I have no idea whether your old machine or the LT1042 comes out better there </font>

You'll probably like the LT, but (especially coming from an RER [I'm assuming that] ) still think it'd really be nice if you could test it. If it's a private dealer and you assure him you'll buy one of his mowers; sure think he'd cooperate.

Oh, another option that you might not see much of, but comes up around here often enough: if you want to devour grass quick [and don't have bad knees or insist on the "cool" factor of riding or elsewise need a rider], you might like a commercial walkbehind (different than push). Just to paint a picture [not exactly accurate], a commercial Z without the seat and half the price.
/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif Just confusing you now I'm sure.....sorry!