Zero turn

[buckshot721]

Ok been thinking of a zero turn for awhile now, been mowing with x485 with a 54" deck. Reason for me is I have both knees replaced and the Doc keeps warning me about kneeling down. (as in putting on a deck). So I'm thinking of just keeping the other tractors for tilling and lawn cart duties, then I have something to just mow with. I have about 5 acres to mow about every 4 to 5 days (and its raining right now). So I'm going with nothing smaller than a 54" deck. Of course its gonna be a JD, any other good reasons to push me over the edge?

 

[bill allen]

I use a Kubota 72" ZTR and I wouldn't go an inch smaller. I mow 10 acres with it and another four footer and it takes a while. My neighbor has a nice 48" diesel Kubota ztr that he mows 4 acres with and he says it is way too small. He is planning to upgrade to a six footer as soon as he can. I would get as wide a mower as I could.

 

[DuckSlayer1017]

Wider is great until you need to get into some tight places, just something to consider. Last year I upgraded to a Dixon Ultra 61 zero turn and love it. The Dixon is rated at 4.5 acres/hr and cut my mow time from 1.5 hrs to 45 min. If you do get a 72" make sure it has a free float deck to prevent scalping. The wide decks can have issues if you have a lot of hills.

 

[4570Man]

I hate to bust it to you, but there are better mowers than John deer. I have mowers ranging from 42 inch to 72 inch. There are very few places that I can't mow with the big one that the small one will.

 

[RollingsFarms]

I recently bought a 915B and have enjoyed it a lot! Had a 910A before this and never had a problem with it either. If I didn't run Deere mowers I'd run Exmark or Hustler but that's mainly because dealers are very close by to me and that's what's popular around here.

 

[Gator6x4]

There are many good ZTR's today. My choice would be decided if looking, in how many belts does it have. I prefer drive shafts over belts for the drive train and mower decks.

 

[BlackRaptor]

I went from a Deere 425 with a 60" deck to a Deere 910a with a 54" and could not be happier I cut my now time in half. I went with the 54" because I found it a lot better for trimming around trees and getting into tighter spaces and the zturn mows so much faster smaller deck really was more of an advantage than disadvantage . Also the 54 7iron does such a great job of not scalping on my hills.

 

[yelbike]

I mow about 7.5 acres weekly. I've had to rear mount mowers, than a belly mower on my 2305 and 2320. When bought my z465 my bellies mower have not been back on since. Mowing is so quicker with the ztr, not by actual ground speed, I guess turning because I'm just done in less time.

As for width, wider is better except for, tight spaces and for scalping on uneven ground. For me and my rough lawn, 72" would work but I'm happy with my 60". 7.5 acres in about 3-3.5 hours. Best part is my son and wife really like mowing with the ztr so rarely get to do it start to finish. I only do Tue slopes.

Last point slopes take time to learn the maneuver. Still today a have a hard time holding a straight line side hilling, and no DWI for this guy. Slopes when wet or moist should be left alone when using a ztr. My opinion anyways.

The other option could be the auto connect deck john Deere has on the 1025r, awesome. My dads picking one up on Monday or Tuesday this week for his property.

 

[Gary Fowler]

A zero turn is definitely going to cut your mowing time but I wouldn't limit my choices to just a John Deere. There are much better mowers on the market than JD when it comes to ZTR's.

 

[RoyJackson]

I use a Deere Z920A...great machine and Deere does make some of the best on the market.
Personally, I'd go for a commercial grade machine, like the 920...especially considering the acreage and frequency of mowing you do. If you want to use a bagger, the Z930 would be a good choice.
If I could afford one, I'd go for the diesel (Yanmar) powered Z997.