Mowing Which is better for mowing on hills, ZTR or SCUT?

[Ken45101]

Exactly. If mowing on a slope is a concern, there is positively no comparison between a front mount ZTR and a mid mount. As some know, I've had plenty of ZTR mowers over the years, especially when I had a mowing business. You can stop, turn circles, and go up, down, or sideways with a front mount Grasshopper on hills that the most 'stable' mid mount ZTR mowers couldn't possibly mow. With a front mount ZTR the problem of losing control going down a slope is completely eliminated for all practical purposes. A front mount ZTR will cost more, by a bit, than a mid mount ZTR, but there is a reason they cost more.

We first looked at a Grasshopper but the store salesman couldn't work it crosswise on a hill at the store that wasn't nearly as steep as the hill in our yard. He even had trouble going up the hill. From what I saw of that demo, our Kubota ZD321 does better than the Grasshopper. BTW, our ZD has turf tires and I think the Grasshopper had chevron tires, but I could be wrong.

Ken

 

[OKnewguy]

We first looked at a Grasshopper but the store salesman couldn't work it crosswise on a hill at the store that wasn't nearly as steep as the hill in our yard. He even had trouble going up the hill. From what I saw of that demo, our Kubota ZD321 does better than the Grasshopper. BTW, our ZD has turf tires and I think the Grasshopper had chevron tires, but I could be wrong.

Ken

And this was a front mount, and not a mid mount? I can not speak to the Kubota zd, but I did do a demo side by side with my neighbor. He wanted me to get a Ferris, after I got grasshopper front mount, he came over and was still talking up the ferris. Now I am not knocking ferris at all. I asked him to bring his ferris over and try out some of my hills, he went and got it and promptly lost traction and would not try anything else (he was spooked) so I then took the grasshopper on stuff more harry then he had just done, he was very impressed. BTW, he never knocks the grasshopper anymore.
Dave

 

[Charlesaf3]

great info guys, much appreciated.

So front mount really is that much better? Any downside other than increased price? It actually seems like a better location for cutting close, from my experience with mid mount on the 3030 I'd prefer front or rear mount, with front the ideal obviously.

 

[Dargo]

We first looked at a Grasshopper but the store salesman couldn't work it crosswise on a hill at the store that wasn't nearly as steep as the hill in our yard. He even had trouble going up the hill. From what I saw of that demo, our Kubota ZD321 does better than the Grasshopper. BTW, our ZD has turf tires and I think the Grasshopper had chevron tires, but I could be wrong.

Ken

Kubota makes great diesel ZTR mowers. I didn't own one but used one from a friend when I needed an extra machine. To be honest, most commercial ZTR mowers seem well built to me. However, on hills the Kubota ZD is nowhere close to a front mount Grasshopper on handling slopes. On wet grass I could easily start down, stop, run cross ways and turn around and go back up a slope the ZD just slid down with no control. It's just a matter of design. Only a purpose built Power Trac mowers out handle front mounted deck Grasshoppers on hills. No mid mount machine can compete on hills with a front mount ZTR. Mowing wise, durability wise and quality wise, there is no special advantage for a front mount mower. They are just better at getting under shrubs, pine trees and mowing out over the edge of lakes. I really appreciate never having to use a string trimmer around any of my ponds.

 

[Dargo]

Dargo, this is a little bit off the OP question, but it may help him decide on which way to go. Does the Grasshopper have posi-traction or a diff. lock of some kind? Just curious. Thanks.

They have two separate hydrostatic drive pumps; one on each drive wheel. Once you learn to have the drive wheels counter turn, you can turn in place without tearing up the lawn any. Unfortunately, after 10 years my wife still hasn't figured out how to do that. But, she likes the Grasshoppers so well that I bought her her own mower and she mows the 10 acres or so around our home about half of the time by herself. Since she does that, I'll live with her ripping up some grass by not turning properly.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Kubota makes great diesel ZTR mowers. I didn't own one but used one from a friend when I needed an extra machine. To be honest, most commercial ZTR mowers seem well built to me. However, on hills the Kubota ZD is nowhere close to a front mount Grasshopper on handling slopes. On wet grass I could easily start down, stop, run cross ways and turn around and go back up a slope the ZD just slid down with no control. It's just a matter of design. Only a purpose built Power Trac mowers out handle front mounted deck Grasshoppers on hills. No mid mount machine can compete on hills with a front mount ZTR. Mowing wise, durability wise and quality wise, there is no special advantage for a front mount mower. They are just better at getting under shrubs, pine trees and mowing out over the edge of lakes. I really appreciate never having to use a string trimmer around any of my ponds.

I looked over the mowers my neighbor bought, he is a commercial mower, and he is partial to Ferris. He has run just about everything but has never had a front mount. I have often asked him why and he said it was the equipment on trailer issue. How did you solve this? Seems like he could get 2 mid mounts on a trailer where a front mount would only fit one.

Chris

 

[Steve C]

I looked over the mowers my neighbor bought, he is a commercial mower, and he is partial to Ferris. He has run just about everything but has never had a front mount. I have often asked him why and he said it was the equipment on trailer issue. How did you solve this? Seems like he could get 2 mid mounts on a trailer where a front mount would only fit one.

Chris

Way to easy....bigger trailer! The front mounts are about 3 foot longer.

 

[mus302]

I mow for a living with most of my business being rental cabins in an area that borders the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Many of the yards I mow are steep. I have a ZTR and a walk behind. The ZTR is great for most things but can't touch the walk behind for hanging on a slope.

For those that have said that a ZTR won't turn over, I have seen pictures of one turned on it's side in a subdivision in the area that I mow in. The operator was mowing sideways on a steep bank and lost traction. The mower slid sideways down the hill. The slope ended at the edge of the street below and when the mower tires hit pavement, the mower turned over on it's side, throwing the operator out onto the pavement. Nobody was hurt but it could have been serious.

Last year, a mower lost control of a ZTR going down a steep slope and tried to bail off the mower and got his foot mangled when the mower ran over it.

 

[Ken45101]

For those that have said that a ZTR won't turn over, I have seen pictures of one turned on it's side in a subdivision in the area that I mow in. The operator was mowing sideways on a steep bank and lost traction. The mower slid sideways down the hill. The slope ended at the edge of the street below and when the mower tires hit pavement, the mower turned over on it's side, throwing the operator out onto the pavement.

no seatbelt?

Ken

 

[Dargo]

I looked over the mowers my neighbor bought, he is a commercial mower, and he is partial to Ferris. He has run just about everything but has never had a front mount. I have often asked him why and he said it was the equipment on trailer issue. How did you solve this? Seems like he could get 2 mid mounts on a trailer where a front mount would only fit one.

Chris

That's exactly why I always kept one sort of mid mount ZTR when I was mowing. The Grasshoppers make a power folding up deck now specifically to address that issue. My newer Grasshopper has a power folding deck. I don't know if it would help for trailering or not. All I know is that I prefer the old fashioned manual deck height adjustment as opposed to the power one on the Grasshoppers. You have to stop, raise the deck (powered), and flip another rubber spacer in place and then lower the deck onto that spacer to change mowing heights. It's really no big deal except when you compare it to easily changing the mowing height on the fly with the "old" style on my older Grasshopper.