new "Diesel" riding mower

[jenkinsph]

Jamming,
I am very satisfied with my x749 and it has been a good mower for the last four years. I recommend you try out what ever mowers you wind up with on your short list, that is enough money to make sure you are comfortable with it. How smooth is your lawn? I ask this because your mowing speed will be limited by this whether you go with the x754 or a zero turn.

 

[Xfaxman]

Front mower deck interesting. What is it?

There are many companies that make Front Deck mowers. Mine is a 1996 TORO Groundsmaster, 4 wheel drive, 25 horsepower 3 cylinder diesel, with a 6' side discharge deck.



Need 4WD for side hills :thumbsup:

 

[Gem99ultra]

There are many companies that make Front Deck mowers. Mine is a 1996 TORO Groundsmaster, 4 wheel drive, 25 horsepower 3 cylinder diesel, with a 6' side discharge deck.

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Need 4WD for side hills :thumbsup:
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Wow! That looks like some pretty steep hills you're mowing with your 4WD mower! Only thing I'd seem touting that steep of grade has been Vemeer and Kwik-Kut, 8WD. Looks like you have a hoss there!

 

[Xfaxman]

Wow! That looks like some pretty steep hills you're mowing with your 4WD mower! Only thing I'd seen touting that steep of grade has been Vemeer and Kwik-Kut, 8WD. Looks like you have a hoss there!

Thanks, it does OK on the 26.6 degree slope, but it tends to slide downhill on the steeper rougher areas.

Here is another view of the slope, the tow rope shows 90 degrees, the angle finder shows 30 degrees including body lean.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I've owned 3 different Kubota F model tractor/mowers. One I currently own is the first one I bought about 5 years ago, traded it in on a new F3080 4 wd and then bought it back last fall when I sold the first F3080 4wd that I had bought about 4 years ago. The F2680e 2wd will do slopes and hills fine but my steep hills require the F30804wd. I've tried zero turns and they are for sure a step back from a F model, I didn't like the zero turn and it requires mowing more often which I don't do, I waIT TILL THE GRASS GETS DEEP/HIGH ENOUGH TO NEVER QUESTION IF IT HAS BEEN MOWED OR NOT.
I have a 5 acre yard that's a bit rough, ditches, trees, rocks and some steep places not a lawn therefore a F3080 4wd model Kubota. My other rental acreage is fairly flat where I use the Kubota F2680e. 6' decks on both Fs.

 

[RaydaKub]

As you can see, John set me straight. The Kubota F is *not* a zero-turn strictly speaking. But it appears just as fast and almost as maneuverable as a ztr. Watching his video makes me wish I had more lawn to mow (on hills!) just to get one.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

As you can see, John set me straight. The Kubota F is *not* a zero-turn strictly speaking. But it appears just as fast and almost as maneuverable as a ztr. Watching his video makes me wish I had more lawn to mow (on hills!) just to get one.

Kubota indicates F has faster top speed than their Z but doubt anyone could mow with either one at top speed except on pavement. F just different class machine than Zs but also about twice the price which I've decided is worth it.

 

[eagle628]

Just some comments on zero-turns vs riding mowers...I own both, run them commercially, and in my experience the ZTR will handle a lot more than you might think. And they make mowing fly. With six acres don't even think about a tractor IMO. A ZTR will have no problem in "uneven terrain," it's true that they may struggle on a sidehill, but mine holds a slope steep enough that I'm cautious about taking the garden tractor on it. Besides, the ZTR has a rollbar, so an argument could be made that it's actually a better machine on hills. My advice is buy a used diesel zero turn with a 72 inch deck (Deere 997 is the one I know offhand, but all ZTR manufacturers make an equivalent). New they'll run closer to 18k, but a fairly lightly used one should hit your budget, and it should be a 2000+ hour machine. I love my X595, but for six acres of grass there's no way it'll come close to the ZTR's performance.

 

[94BULLITT]

If you are afraid to use a ZTR in the ditch could you use a push mower or trimmer?

 

[TSO]

I had a commercial front mower (Ford diesel) and now have the Hustler diesel ZTR. The front mowers are better on hills (much bigger footprint and ground-contact area) but they don't cut nearly as efficient as a ZTR. Even though the front mower was 72" and my ZTR is 66", I can still cut much faster. It's not necessarily the "straight run" cutting that makes a difference, it's the maneuverability. ZTR's are also much smaller than the front mowers, so they store better, and can get into tighter spots.

Overall I'm very happy with my super Z diesel