Need a new zero turn mower.

flyingdutch16 · Mar 19, 2011

Hey guys,

I finally got enough customers to mow lawns for, now its time to buy a zero turn mower.

I found a exmark lazer zhp 50" deck on craigslist for 2800 dollars its from 2002 and has 2100 hrs on it. Now it has been privately owned. But i dont know if the mower will hold up for another 3 years?

Ive also been looking into to the John Deere Eztrak 425 series.

Would the exmark be a good buy since its fairly cheap and still a comercial grader mower?

Hope to have some feedback.

JP11 · Mar 19, 2011

wow.. 2100 hours is a lot.

I just bought a demo exmark with 90 hours on it. Saved about a little over a thousand off new.

Still not cheap. But 2100 hours is asking a lot. There's a lot of sealed bearings and such that are meant to be used... but at that kind of age may be used up.

may be one of those deals where a little up front costs means only more costs to keep it going.

A new homeowner model... if cared for and used by you only, may give you a lot better longevity than an old machine that MAY have had a hard life.

Tough choice.

JP

richamor · Mar 20, 2011

2100 hours in 9 years. That's commercial hours there. My Hustler gets about 25 hrs a year cutting my 2 acres.

crbr · Mar 20, 2011

flyingdutch16 said:
Hey guys,

I finally got enough customers to mow lawns for, now its time to buy a zero turn mower.

I found a exmark lazer zhp 50" deck on craigslist for 2800 dollars its from 2002 and has 2100 hrs on it. Now it has been privately owned. But i dont know if the mower will hold up for another 3 years?

Ive also been looking into to the John Deere Eztrak 425 series.

Would the exmark be a good buy since its fairly cheap and still a comercial grader mower?

Hope to have some feedback.

What engine?

IMHO, the JD EZ track 400 series will not hold up to commercial work. They are inexpensive for a reason.

Ex has a good reputation and testimony throughout the industry.

2002 w/ 2100 hrs is average of ~230 hours per year. Good engine, good maintenance (records would be nice), and I'd certainly expect it to last another 3 years if it were mine. Test mow with it and a compression check will also help with decision factors. Compression checks are easy.

My final decision would be based on the engine make.

$2800 seems a little low in comparison. Be cautious of a Craiglist scam.

Life left in tires? 75%, 50% ??

Sawmilllawyer · Mar 20, 2011

Like others said 2100 hours is a lot on the meter and the home owner model JD probably will not hold up. There are some great deals out there. Last summer in July, I bought a demo scag last year for about $1K less than sticker, it had 15 hours and has a 19hp kawaski motor and 48 deck. You could go with a freedom series from scag about $5K new, or Bad boy from Tractor Supply with 60" deck and kohler motor with electric lift for $4,999.95 or an Ariens 60" with 26 hp kawaski from Home Depot also about %K. Also on a new zero turn mower there is some great financing like 3.55% over 60 months meaning low payments and you do not get ate up with interest charges. Best of luck with your search.

flyingdutch16 · Mar 21, 2011

thanks for the replies guys, and i realized 2100 hrs is to much.

I found a bad boy with only 178hrs from the year 2010

2010 Bad Boy 50" Zero Turn Mower theres the link

and was wondering if this machine would be any good. from what ive read it seems to me to be a prettty decent and solid piece of equipment.

Hope to have some responses
thanks guys

squaredots · Mar 21, 2011

A new Hustler will run you about 4k with a kawasaki. Get a canister filter system with it and you will be good to hook :thumbsup:

amaxwell · Mar 21, 2011

The bad boy is in the pics is probably a good machine,but not as heavy duty as the exmarks. Don't know how it will hold up for commercial use.Bad boys do have some commercial mowers ,but not the ones at TSC .Exmarks are expensive ,but they do hold up well. I have had mine almost 10 years with only routine maint. It has just over 500 hrs.

richamor · Mar 22, 2011

The Bad Boy mowers look to be pretty well built. I'm not to keen about the electric deck adjustment..seems something expensive to fix. The price is not too far off.

I will second the Hustler recommendation. My FasTrack is a hellofa mower! But I don't think you'll get a new one for 4 grand.

Exmark, Scag, Bobcat, Toro Commercial, Dixie Chopper, Hustler, Ferris are all good machines. Look around at what the pro landscapers in you area are using.

jcliburn · Mar 22, 2011

I agree with richamor about the Hustler price. I just bought a Hustler Sport with Kawasaki 22 HP engine earlier this month for $4200. I looked at the Fastrak, but it was $5600 fitted with the same engine. No doubt a sturdier mower, though.

Jay

JiminGa · Mar 22, 2011

bad boy mowers are well built, but you need to consider parts and repair in your equation. Where are the dealers, are they easy to deal with, etc..

Dargo · Mar 22, 2011

My local Kubota, Scag, Bobcat, Grasshopper, Exmark, New Holland, Gravely, Argo, Brillion, Agco, Kawasaki and Woods dealer picked up Bad Boy last year. After about a year of having the line, they told me that they are about on par with Scag mowers and are actually taking a bit of their Scag business from previous Scag owners.

Gizmo2 · Mar 22, 2011

A 50 inch deck on a commercial ZTR is pretty small and really hard to use for close work and trimming. My Toro Zmaster has a 52 inch deck and I would not want it any smaller. Just sayin.

jcliburn · Mar 22, 2011

I got a 54 inch deck on the new Hustler Sport I mentioned a couple of posts ago. The deck extends a pretty fer piece beyond the wheel width, and I'm still working on getting the hang of proper placement as I operate the thing. Some of my mulch rings have paid the price as I accidentally rip through them and spray shredded mulch to kingdom come.

The most recent casualty of my ZTR operator folly was a platform bird feeder in the front yard. Tore that sucker right off with the ROPS while mowing around the base of the post it was mounted on.

Jay

LHS Inc · Mar 22, 2011

Whatever you decide to get make sure you can get parts and service. Since you're going commercial you need to have that mower in top shape. Grass doesn't stop growing because you're broke down. What would you do if your mower was in the shop for a week? Buy from a dealer that will put you on a mower while yours is being worked on. Its worth the extra money spent on a mower from a reputable dealer to get the parts and service and a loaner if needed.

Chuck52 · Mar 23, 2011

A local dealer has both Bad Boy and Gravely in the $5k models. Though the Bad Boy has a heavier deck, the warranty is better on the Gravely. Gravely has a Kawasaki while Bad Boy is Kohler. Lots of opinions on that difference, but at least if you buy from a dealer who services what he sells, a longer warranty sounds good. The deck on the Gravely is heavy built enough for any mowing most folks would do. That $5K Gravely, BTW, is the exact same machine as the $5K Ariens at Home Depot. Gravely has a 36 month 0% finance this month....might end soon?

Chuck

flyingdutch16 · Mar 25, 2011

Today i went to take a look at the bad boy mower that i saw on craigslist. Looks and runs very well, gonna pick it up tomorrow for $2850. I just need to service it. Such as, new oil, trans mission filter, air filter, new blades.

Now on the blades do any of you guys have any recommandations? I saw meg-mo blades, and i know a lot of people like them, but im looking for other blades that just cut well.

Also if you guys have any good websites that i can use to order all these parts that would be great. Its a badboy 5000ZT 2010 series.

Hope you guys help me out.

Thanks

richamor · Mar 25, 2011

If you want to mulch, I recommend Gator blades. Not cheap, but they do the best job I've seen.

tlbuser · Mar 25, 2011

flyingdutch16 said:
Also if you guys have any good websites that i can use to order all these parts that would be great. Its a badboy 5000ZT 2010 series.

Looking forward to how the first season with this mower goes.
LAWNMOWER PARTS - Agri Supply
Lawn Mower Parts Bad boy is under more brands and http://www.jackssmallengines.com/dealer_application.cfm

Don87 · Mar 25, 2011

If you look around the 'Lawn and Garden' forum on here, you will find that most of the 'non-commercial' machines have major problems just after the warranty expires (usually the transmission goes out).

But the 'commercial' machines seem to last forever.