What's it like owning a zero turn?

[aczlan]

I was citing what the JD dealer told me about the lawn tractors. For them - all ya gotta do at a big box store is lift the engine cover to see they're not the same engine. Those around here (Lowes) have Briggs engines, including their "top of the line D170. My X500 (purchased at a dealer) has a Kawasaki. And all you have to do is look at the foot pedal arrangement to see they don't have the same transmission either. Plus, diff lock is simply not available on a big box John Deere. No sir, they're not the same lawn tractor. Incorrect as it may turn out to be, I was extending that observation to the big box versus dealer ZTRs.

You are comparing a Cadillac CTS-V to a Chevy Cruze if you compare a X500 series to a D100 series. Despite what the Deere dealer may say, if the model number is the same, its the exact same mower. The only models available at big box stores are the D100 series (which replaced the L100 series) and they are the exact same tractor as the same model sold at a Deere dealer.
Now, the Deere dealer will also have the X300 and X500 series machines which are a different class of machine (stronger, better transmission, engine, etc), but if they sell you a D100 series, it will be the same as the one at a big box store (although the one from the Deere dealer might have better setup/prep).

Aaron Z

 

[Midniteoyl]

They cost the same too..

Shop John Deere D130 22 HP V-Twin Hydrostatic 42-in Riding Lawn Mower with Briggs & Stratton Engine at Lowes.com

iconagequip.com | 2013 John Deere D130

Greenway Used Equipment | 2013 John Deere D130

John Deere D130 Lawn Tractors JohnDeere.Com

 

[lostcreekranch]

We bought our first ZT, a John Deere Z820-A, about 4 years ago from local John Deere Dealer that specializes in commercial mowing operations. Ours was a demo that had 25 hours on it but looked like it was brand new. Dealer gave all the incentives being offered on brand new ones then deducted another $2k from price. I had never used a ZT but my wife had so she did the test drive and gave a thumbs up. Dealer was laughing about this so I got on it and almost ran into our truck. Took me a couple of hours to get used to it and now would not be without one.

Traded in a JD GT-345 that had low hours and it's 5' x 8' trailer and got the Z820-A and and 6' x 12' trailer that can hauls the ZT or our Polaris Ranger.

Our Z820-A came with the 60" 7 Iron deck and large solid rubber front wheels. I have noticed that JD has gone back to smaller inflatable front tires on new units but don't have a clue why.

Side note, most dealers, that specialize in supporting commercial mowing, will have a grassy area that you can try out mowers instead of hauling one home only to not like it and return it.

 

[DK35vince]

When we first got a zero turn several years ago, my wife hated it. Hated it bad.
She had a hard time controlling it a first. After weeks of use she got better and better, now she races around the yard like she is on a go cart and loves mowing with a zero turn.
I had thousands of hours on skid steers that steered the same way as a zero turn, so I always felt right a home on the Z.

 

[MoKelly]

In my opinion, a zero turn mower is made to cut grass. Its sole purpose in life is to cut grass. It isn't meant to also plow your driveway, haul dirt in a trailer, move rocks or till the ground. It cuts grass and it does that quite efficiently and quickly.

You can go as slow or as fast as you like. As in a car, you don't have to move as fast as it can go. If you hit a bumpby patch .. go slower. If you have slopes, just be smart. It is not that hard to learn to control the machine --- just some practice. It is much much much easier to get good on a zero turn than to get good at golf! I will always have a zero turn to cut my grass. Get as best a machine as you can afford, maintain it and you will be in great shape for a long long time.

The critical things I have learned going from the suburbs to acreage is to (a) get the right machine for the job (b) get as commercial of a machine as you can afford and (c) maintain the machine as per the manuals. Anything else just seems to create problems, wasted time and extra money.

Good luck.

MoKelly

 

[RG1]

Well, I actually can't speak for a big box ZTR, I've only owned the Ferris. I was citing what the JD dealer told me about the lawn tractors. For them - all ya gotta do at a big box store is lift the engine cover to see they're not the same engine. Those around here (Lowes) have Briggs engines, including their "top of the line D170. My X500 (purchased at a dealer) has a Kawasaki. And all you have to do is look at the foot pedal arrangement to see they don't have the same transmission either. Plus, diff lock is simply not available on a big box John Deere. No sir, they're not the same lawn tractor. Incorrect as it may turn out to be, I was extending that observation to the big box versus dealer ZTRs.

If you'd return to the context of the OP question, $5500 DOES buy you a first tier residential/consumer grade ZTR. Rather than argue off-topic, let's get back to helping the guy gather his info.

//greg//

No, I can't let misinformation posted in a publicly viewed thread like this pass. What I said was that the same machine, whether it is a ZTR or tractor at a big box store, is the same exact machine found at the dealer.... when comparing apples to apples. You are not when you compare an X500 series to one of the entry level machines. A D170 at Lowe's is the same exact machine as a D170 at the dealers. A tier one machine is a top of the line commercial machine. You didn't differentiate between HO and Pro machines with your earlier statement, but most anyone who goes to look at new machines would take your statement the same way I did, and might think they are getting a top of the line Z at $5K, which they are not.

Yes, we want to help the OP, but we also need to be aware that others come here to read who may be reading this thread that never post, so we want to make sure they get the facts as accurately as we can when we discuss this stuff.

 

[RG1]

We bought our first ZT, a John Deere Z820-A, about 4 years ago from local John Deere Dealer that specializes in commercial mowing operations. Ours was a demo that had 25 hours on it but looked like it was brand new. Dealer gave all the incentives being offered on brand new ones then deducted another $2k from price. I had never used a ZT but my wife had so she did the test drive and gave a thumbs up. Dealer was laughing about this so I got on it and almost ran into our truck. Took me a couple of hours to get used to it and now would not be without one.

Traded in a JD GT-345 that had low hours and it's 5' x 8' trailer and got the Z820-A and and 6' x 12' trailer that can hauls the ZT or our Polaris Ranger.

Our Z820-A came with the 60" 7 Iron deck and large solid rubber front wheels. I have noticed that JD has gone back to smaller inflatable front tires on new units but don't have a clue why.

Side note, most dealers, that specialize in supporting commercial mowing, will have a grassy area that you can try out mowers instead of hauling one home only to not like it and return it.

The factory only uses the smaller tires up front on certain models like the newer 915B, but the M and R models along with all of the Z900A series uses the run flats up front. They are not solid rubber as you stated though. They are hollow with stiff sidewalls to provide support and some degree of flex to soften the ride (which they really don't do at LOL). The smaller tires are true pneumatic tires that rely on air pressure to keep their shape. They soften the ride tremendously compared to the run flat tires. I've owned both on Z's in my business and I'll take the pneumatics any day over the run flats. The run flats do not go flat no matter what you run over with them, but you pay for that feature with a harsh ride. The most important thing to remember with pneumatic front tires is to inflate them to what the machine manu recommends and not the max pressure stamped into the sidewall like a lot of guys do.

 

[lostcreekranch]

The factory only uses the smaller tires up front on certain models like the newer 915B, but the M and R models along with all of the Z900A series uses the run flats up front. They are not solid rubber as you stated though. They are hollow with stiff sidewalls to provide support and some degree of flex to soften the ride (which they really don't do at LOL). The smaller tires are true pneumatic tires that rely on air pressure to keep their shape. They soften the ride tremendously compared to the run flat tires. I've owned both on Z's in my business and I'll take the pneumatics any day over the run flats. The run flats do not go flat no matter what you run over with them, but you pay for that feature with a harsh ride. The most important thing to remember with pneumatic front tires is to inflate them to what the machine manu recommends and not the max pressure stamped into the sidewall like a lot of guys do.

Good to know RG1.

Thanks

 

[bandaidmd]

If you have never used a zero turn, I would suggest you use one on your property before buying one. As others have said, they work great on flat property. They can be a challange on sloping property. If you enjoy relaxing while you are mowing, stick with a tractor type mower.[/QUOTE]

Having mowed with ZTR's for 8 years i would argue the opposite, A conventional tractor style mower is surely not a relaxing job with all the turning and backing that has to be done especially with a non power steering model, running a ztr is a pleasure compared to that.

 

[rvtech]

I started out mowing my 5 acres on a 2305 with a 62" belly mower. It works great, but takes approximately 3 hours to mow it all. Like you, I had a budget, but wanted a zero turn. I had no interest in any "residential quality" mower. I ended up finding a commercial mower business that was auctioning off their old mowers. I purchased 3 used zero turn units at at the auction. I quickly fixed up and sold 2 of them which in effect left me with no money invested in the third, only time. This was approximately 5 years ago. I'm still using the same mower. It has needed some repairs along the way. (I'm a mechanic by trade) I'm very satisfied with the way I handled this. The zero turn I have is a 2005 commercial BadBoy with. 32H.P. Vanguard and a 72" mower. It mows our 5 avers in 1-1.5 hours easily. I only use the 2305 to mow areas that are sloped around a pond and a ditch.