best zero turn $3000

[super55]

For the amount of mowing you got a 52" 25 hp gasser would be minimum a 72" would most likely suit you better. Unfortunately 3-4k most likely isn't going to get you what you need for the amount of mowing you are going to do. If you were looking at new probably the bad boy mowers would get you as close as possible to your listed price range. They are incredibly stout mowers.

Buying a used commercial grade mower is another option. They usually have industrial gas/diesel engines in them but just remember all the hours on that engine are hard hours. I worked lawn care for years and every time that thing came off the trailer and mowing it was going at full throttle to get maximum hydraulic flow and blade speed. So if you find one with a thousand hours on it just remember that 1k hours was at wide open throttle. The other things to look over is the spindle bearings for the blades and the mower deck itself. A welded steel deck will give you twice the life over a stamped steel deck due to parts of it getting squished thinner from the press mold. This is usually in the curves of the deck right where rocks and sand will wear away at it.

Is there a lot of trees you need to maneuver around throughout the whole 4 acres? If it isn't too wet could you put a large finish mower on your kubota to handle the majority of the mowing and than use a ZT for the specialty areas such as around trees and the slopes? The reason I ask is because years ago when I worked lawn care we had a 5 acre field to mow on an occasional basis. It was faster for us to bring the large tractor out and mow it with a 7 foot finish mower and than have another guy come out with a ZT and a weed whip and go drive around tree to tree and touch up. That way the ZT wasn't getting overtaxed and the finish mower didn't have to get close. Plus it wasn't the smoothest terrain and trying to mow it full tilt with the smaller tires of the ZT just rattled you and the equipment to pieces.

 

[LD1]

I have bar tires too. AT-101's I believe. And I agree, I do less damage with them than turfs.

Bar tires seem to slip and slide too much, even on dry ground, which causes damage.

Bars dont slip. When mowing around a tree or something, you are forced to hold the sticks in the correct position, where as turfs you can be spinning one wheel all the way around and have no idea.

Key is no zero point turns. Do a k-style turn or 3 point turn and there is no damage

 

[dragoneggs]

I have bar tires too. AT-101's I believe. And I agree, I do less damage with them than turfs.

Bar tires seem to slip and slide too much, even on dry ground, which causes damage.

Bars dont slip. When mowing around a tree or something, you are forced to hold the sticks in the correct position, where as turfs you can be spinning one wheel all the way around and have no idea.

Key is no zero point turns. Do a k-style turn or 3 point turn and there is no damage

I pretend I am a Zamboni

 

[Gafn]

The OP has stated his budget is $3000....

The Hustler Raptor is about the best in that price range for new.
The others in that price range are from the big box store... you know the orange one.... look at the Hustler and what the box store is selling - you will see a quality difference.

Many of the other commercial brands can be had for $3k, however they will have lots of hours on them already.

Craig's list will find you many used ones in that price range...

As far as speed goes... look up the specs to see which one cuts faster...
The LA145 Travel Speed - Forward 0 - 8.9 km/h (0 - 5.5 mph)
The raptor cuts at Speed 6.5 mph

 

[aczlan]

Bar Lug tires - seem very aggressive, and several forums don't recommend them for keeping yards nice.
The forums are dedicated to lawn-care by lawn-care professionals, are stating that using the ZT to make a zero turn with the bar lug tires tears the grass up, and leaves marks even when performing gentle turns on damp, or wet grass.
here is a post from one of the guys on those forums:
I have bar tires on a Super Z.
I got them for mowing on slopes etc. They are shocking at digging up turf! Have to be so carefull when zero turning and turning on slopes inst much better than turf savers. They still slide but also dig up the turf.
Turning them backwards, while a little better with traction, was even worse when doing a zero turn.
Only get them as an absolute last resort.
What are your experiences?

IMO, if switching from turfs, go to Carlsile All Trail tires (or a tire with a similar tread) rather than bar tires. They are easier on the lawn than bar tires, but have more traction than turfs.

Aaron Z

 

[gladehound]

I recently bought a 2010 Exmark Laser Z with 52" series 4 deck to replace a Toro Time cutter Z420 (42" deck). I had the Toro 9 years and the deck was completely mangled and did not cut well anymore. Prior to getting the Laser Z, I was under the impression that zeroturn mowers were not great on slopes. The Laser Z changed this impression. It is amazing on slopes! I will mow side slopes with it that I would never take my tractor on. It has so much weight on the rear, that it can back up a steeper bank than it can drive up forwards because it lifts the front wheels going forwards before it breaks traction going backwards. And I have turfs. This is the "next gen" laser Z and a lot was done with weight distribution to make it better on slopes - and whatever they did, it works. I started looking at $3000 like you. I was looking at new machines. I pushed to $4000 because I didn't like anything at $3000. Then I found this Laser Z with 400 hours used by an elderly gentleman with 5 acres. I paid $4500 and am very happy I bumped my budget up. No comparison to anything I could get in the stores. Go commercial - and for slopes the nex gen Laser Z (2009 +) is good.

 

[aczlan]

I recently bought a 2010 Exmark Laser Z with 52" series 4 deck to replace a Toro Time cutter Z420 (42" deck). I had the Toro 9 years and the deck was completely mangled and did not cut well anymore. Prior to getting the Laser Z, I was under the impression that zeroturn mowers were not great on slopes. The Laser Z changed this impression. It is amazing on slopes! I will mow side slopes with it that I would never take my tractor on. It has so much weight on the rear, that it can back up a steeper bank than it can drive up forwards because it lifts the front wheels going forwards before it breaks traction going backwards. And I have turfs. This is the "next gen" laser Z and a lot was done with weight distribution to make it better on slopes - and whatever they did, it works. I started looking at $3000 like you. I was looking at new machines. I pushed to $4000 because I didn't like anything at $3000. Then I found this Laser Z with 400 hours used by an elderly gentleman with 5 acres. I paid $4500 and am very happy I bumped my budget up. No comparison to anything I could get in the stores. Go commercial - and for slopes the nex gen Laser Z (2009 +) is good.

I have never used that model, but I have a lot of hours on several Lazer Z mowers (not sure on the year, they were somewhere between 2003 and 2005ish) and even that model was good on slopes (felt more stable than our BX2660).
The ones I was running had watercooled Kawasaki gas engines and 60" decks (which came with a stack of 1/4" weight plates bolted under the front of the foot platform) or 72" decks (no weight plates).
The biggest problem we had was slow leaks in the front tires which would let them pop off of the rim if the guys didn't check the tires a couple of times per week.
Interestingly, the 2005-2006 Huskvarna 60" mowers we had were not as good on slopes and they had a poor deck belt system (one 90" belt that ran from the engine to all three spindles). The 90" long deck belt was easy to smoke pushing it in heavy grass and cost a pretty penny to replace.
The Exmark system used a short belt from the engine to the deck (to a jackshaft), then another belt from the jackshaft to the spindles. It was harder to smoke those belts (we might have replaced one per summer vs 3 in one week with the Huskvarna).

Aaron Z

 

[Boris1]

IMO, if switching from turfs, go to Carlsile All Trail tires (or a tire with a similar tread) rather than bar tires. They are easier on the lawn than bar tires, but have more traction than turfs. Aaron Z

Do they look like RTV worksite tires?

 

[roadhunter]

I bought a Craftsman for about $2,400 on sale a few years ago. It's certainly not a commercial machine but so far it has done what I needed it to do and it's much faster than the JD garden tractors I've had in the past. I would go for aggressive tires if you want to hit some steep areas. Zero turns are not really very good on slopes or near water from my experience on a few machines.

 

[aczlan]

Do they look like RTV worksite tires?

Yes, pretty much the same pattern.

Aaron Z