As I edged along the road last night, I was thinking about how much I loved the ole' Bolens and the later Troy Bilt riding mowers. The GTX20 comes to mind.
I thought to myself, I honestly don't think I could cut grass with one again. I'm serious. As much as I loved their style, power, quality of cut and sentimental value, I just couldn't do it.
My Ferris IS3000 will just flat cut circles around one, cut around things much better, access to the engine is so easy, ride is great (maybe not quite as good as the old style but, then again, you are going several mph faster on the ZTR). When I was out to the property the other day, I blew through about 4 acres in about 1.5 hours- these areas are VERY rough. I think they were plowed 50 years ago and never disc. When I first started cutting, I was thinking I needed to hook up the 88" flail mower. Shoot, by the time I went and got the tractor, wrestled with the getting them together, I was about half way done!:confused2: I really didn't intend on cutting that much, it's just so easy. Before I knew it, I had the whole field cut, all the paths and was looking for more. ......and I don't care for cutting grass.
For all of you guys that are having trouble on hillls, listen to me, get you a set of ag treads for your ZTR and try them. They will climb up and go across more than you feel safe doing it. I cut the hill behind my house going up as far as I feel comfortable and then backing down slowly. Last night, for the first time, I hit it by going across it. Always before, I felt as though it wouldn't do it. It did it with ease and the ground was wet from two days worth of rain. Grant it, I cut from the base of the hill up. While I was at her uncle's, I had the mower with me one day. He wanted me to back it off of there and show him what it would do. Some dealerships told him he couldn't cut his yard and some told him he could. He lives on top of a hill so when you are cutting close to the edge, if you go over, you aren't going to get control back. I was puckered the whole time even though the mower handle all of his hills fine. I would have been almost as puckered on a regular riding mower. He was shocked when i came straight up his steepest part and the front end didn't even lift. I told him the decks are heavy on the front, the ag tires are what made the difference (I wouldn't even consider his yard with turfs...at all!!!) and if he'd load the tires, he'd have no problems. Now he wants one.
Honestly, every time I use the mower, I get better at it and making it become part of you. Don't get on one and poo poo a ztr the first time out. I did that. It was me, not the mower.
edit: the worst thing about them is the price.....
get the high lift gator blades and the lawn will look great....keep them real sharp too