How to drive a zero turn?

[radman1]

I have a nice commercial grade zero turn with 52" deck and 27 hp kawasaki motor. My mother's house which is 90 miles from me. I mow it most of the time with my zero turn and haul it down on a trailer. Often I am going to the farm for other reasons. I can't justify running down there just to mow. This is a farm yard - not a lush city yard. Mostly fescue and zoysia grass. In the spring it probably needs mowed weekly. In the late summer it can go 2-3 weeks. Used a lawn service a few times but it is in the country and they charge $70 to mow about 1/2 acre and trim. There is another 2-3 acres but I can mow that later when needed. I want to get a second, zero turn for the farm. Nothing fancy or large. I have tried to get my 3 sisters and neices to mow but they can't seem to drive a zero turn. They are intimidated and walk away after a few minutes. My wife mows our 1.5 acres all the time with the zero turn and loves it. What tips or tricks can I use to teach them to mow? I am also considering getting a lawn tractor instead of a zero turn, which is probably easier for them, but slower for me!

Talked with dealer yesterday. He said with women and first time on a zero turn he had a few tips. First he sends the husband away. Wives don't want to listen to husband. Second, he tells them not to look at the edge of the mowed grass but instead look 10-20' in front of the mower so they can get used to driving. He agrees with me that a zero turn is 3-4X faster than a lawn tractor because of the maneuverability around obstacles.

 

[radman1]

2nd question. Who makes a good, residential duty zero turn?

 

[Steve C]

I have one of these and I love it. It has cut my mowing time in half. I was using a 25 hp garden tractor with a 50 inch deck.
Swisher Max Z ZT2660B zero-turn mower Review: Powered by ConsumerGuide and HowStuffWorks
I have no connection with swisher, the products seem a little unrefined but the one I have sure works good. It is heavy and it seems to bridge the gap between home owner and professional machines. The front wheel supports and cutting deck are very stout. I have seen them clearanced priced at $3400 new at my local farm supply store. That seems very reasonable for a 60 inch cut zero turn. It has dual hydraulic drives but it is limited to around 6mph. My 4 acre yard is so lumpy I can't stay in the seat any faster than that. I would love to have a professional mower that would run 10 or 12 mph but I wouldn't be able to use it on my lawn, I can barely hang on at 6 mph.

 

[KB9UDE]

Radman

I wish you lived closer. I have a used Snapper zero turn I am looking to sell that only requires one hand to operate. It has a single joystick on the right hand side. I have had people who never even looked at zero turns driving this one in a few minutes. The guy I bought it off of a few years back said he wishes he would have ordered his new Snapper ztr with a single joystick-like mine. He bought the new one with the traditional 2 stick setup and misses the old one.

John

 

[Will_C]

I gave my fiance the same advice about driving a z-turn, focus on the horizon and don't worry about the deck. It also helps that she is practicing on a 10 acre field we own. I mow with my tractor on the far end, so she isn't nervous.

My brother has a Toro Timecuter. He has used it for 7 years with no problems. He probably puts 100 hours a year on it.

Will

 

[radman1]

Radman

I wish you lived closer. I have a used Snapper zero turn I am looking to sell that only requires one hand to operate. It has a single joystick on the right hand side. I have had people who never even looked at zero turns driving this one in a few minutes. The guy I bought it off of a few years back said he wishes he would have ordered his new Snapper ztr with a single joystick-like mine. He bought the new one with the traditional 2 stick setup and misses the old one.

John

How do you drive it with one stick. (In a circle?)

 

[KB9UDE]

NO

It has a single joystick over in the right hand fender that you push which ever direction you want to go. It seems to be easier to operate for new operators because there is no confusion on pushing one fwd and one back for turning, etc...

I have no problems with either setup but this Snapper design is really neat!!

 

[ray66v]

I found the easiest way for a beginner is: Move both sticks forward, or back, evenly until the desired slow speed is reached, then adjust as necessary, by moving only one side, to steer.

After am hour or so, most people can begin to use both hands to steer.

 

[coobie]

2nd question. Who makes a good, residential duty zero turn?

I guess it comes down to how much you want to spend.I bought my Kubota ZD326(diesel) pro (60 inch deck) back in 2006 for $10,700.No regrets yet.coobie

 

[Charlton John]

Just practice in an open field and after 15 minutes they will have the hang of it. I practiced for about 5 thought I had it then brought it up front and mowed over a nice little Maple tree I had planted.

I have the largest TORO residential unit they make. Timecutter Z 5060. It has a 50 " deck and a 25 horse Koehler engine. I mow roughly 2 acres and I beleive it is good up till 3 acres. It cost me 2999.00. Truthfully it is a nice little unit but now that I know what I am doing and really enjoy these machines when my tractor is paid off in a few yrs. I am going to step up to a nice commercial unit.

 

[MarkV]

Cut down on the RPM's without the mower deck engaged so the hydraulics react slower. Once they get the basics down that way the rest will come easier. We teach people to use a backhoe the same way.

With only a 1/2 acre that really must be mowed until you can get there why not just an inexpensive riding mower. Most ladies are comfortable with a steering wheel and hydrostatic transmission.

MarkV

 

[LBrown59]

*I am going to step up to a nice commercial unit.[/quote]*I don't consider going from a tractor to a ztr stepping up.

 

[harpoonalt]

I have a BX2350 with a 60" MMM. I had a ZTR too, but sold it for the MMM so the tractor would get more use. Big mistake. I had an Exmark commercial hydro walkbehind with a sulky. Mowed better and faster even with a 48" vs 60" deck. The BX does ok but tends to mat the grass down with the front wheels and is nowhere near as good as the ZTR getting close to things. Trading up? You bet! A commercial ZTR is designed to do one thing and do it well. A tractor does many things well but it's a compromise. If I could go back, I'd never have bought the MMM and kept the ZTR. Live and learn. I like my BX but for mowing I'd take a good ZTR anyday. If you've never had one, you owe it to yourself to at least try one.

 

[WH401]

My 3320 w/ the 72" RFM cut my former total cut time in half. It used to be about 7 - 8 hrs with an IH Cub, now I can do the 7 acres of my total 11 in about 3 - 4 hours. But that said, if I had a ZTR I know I could probably shave another hour off my time. Nothing, period!, cuts faster than a ZTR. They're made to do one thing and one thing only, cut grass. If that's all you need to do than its the best way to go.


If your female friends are uncomfortable with the controls of a ZTR, and it's only a 1/2 acre of grass to cut, than a new lawn tractor could be suitable in this situation.

 

[horsebroke]

I received a Toro Z4200 ZTR for my birthday. Does all I need it to do. Learning was a steep curve. At first, all I could accomplish was jerking it back and forth left and right. Oversteered like crazy. Finally I settled down and quit oversteering it - and works fine. Only "complaint" is that even though it's "zero turn radius", it's not really... When you go around an object, the rear "lags" the belly-mower position - so to get the mower up tight to the tree, the rear wheel hits the tree. Hard to explain - but I'm slowly getting there..

The Toro was purchased from our local Home Depot - and I had LOTS of problems with it. Finally took it back, HD replaced it from their floor unit. And IT wouldn't work, either. I called Toro - got practically zero help. I finally figured out that the factory REVERSED 2 wires on the PTO switch relay. The PTO switch had to be ON before it would start!! SCARY. I reversed the 2 wires and all's well now. NOT happy with Toro's support or their quality control. But Home Depot's support was GREAT.

 

[Ken45101]

I don't consider going from a tractor to a ztr stepping up.

I certainly do! I've mowed for years with a Kubota B2700 with a 5' MMM. We just recently bought a Kubota ZD323 zero turn. Wow! My wife says the yard never looked so good. Mowing takes half the time and is enjoyable.

Nothing, period!, cuts faster than a ZTR. They're made to do one thing and one thing only, cut grass.

Well, a 15' Bush Hog cuts faster At least as long as you have a big open pasture. They are not very maneuverable in a congested yard, however OTOH, the yard could quickly become uncongested!

Ken

 

[WH401]

Well, a 15' Bush Hog cuts faster At least as long as you have a big open pasture. They are not very maneuverable in a congested yard, however OTOH, the yard could quickly become uncongested!

Ken

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Michigan Seat Highback Suspension Seat, Model# V-5300 | Suspension Seats | Northern Tool + Equipment

SteveC if you are still mowing rough ground read the reviews on this Michigan High Back seat. Swisher uses it on their new PRO-SERIES line of mowers. The PRO-SERIES line is basically the same unit as yours but has the seat to reduce the bounce, electric deck lift, bigger tires and drive motors that will go up to 8.5 MPH, 7 vs 11 gauge deck, etc.

This seat it the OEM equipment for several commercial grade manufactures. It has the industry standard 12 1/4 x 11" hole spacing so you will not have to do any fitting.

Read the reviews before ordering for a better take on what it will or will not do for you.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have to agree with others, for a 1/2 acre yard, a tractor style lawnmower would work well and at half the price of a ZTR. THe ladies would have no problem with that either. Might take longer but 1/2 acre isnt going to take a long time either way and if you have limited shrub, flowers or trees to go around, the ZTR wouldnt be that much faster

 

[om21braz]

I'll agree w/ others. for a 1/2 acre - stick to lawn tractor. Much simpler for those who just want the yard mowed. If a ztr is a must - try out several different brands as some have controls that are not nearly as touchy as others and therefore easier to learn operation on.