Buying Advice Buying a Zero-Turn Mower

[stoyan79]

I am in NW Indiana and I was in your shoes few months ago.

I did tons of research and consulted with owners of lawn maintenance companies.

Having to mow 7 acres, paying extra for commercial unit is a wise move.

It is hard to beat a Snapper Pro for the money.

So, I will make it easy for you, after many hours of research, here are your best bets.

1. Excellent, top of the line residential - $4,350
Snapper 550Z - 61" deck, 3100 commercial trannys. Best residential machine out there with many commercial features.
550Z Zero Turn Mower: Riding Lawn Mowers | Snapper

2. S125XT - Commercial mower, 61" iCD deck (highly regarded by Pro's), commercial engine, 3400 trannys - $5,350
S125XT

3. S200XT - A Tank - High End commercial machine, comparable to some $10K mowers from other brands.
Excellent machine, all the way. 61" iCD deck, commercial engine, 5400 trannys - $6,350
S200XT

I bought the S125XT, but you cannot go wrong with either.
This place has best prices, owned by an old Amish gentleman. The store is in his house.

Bontrager Engine Service LLC
3500 N 500 W
Shipshewana, IN
(260) 768-3129

 

[TJP89]

As an update, I'm looking around online at various models that fit my specs. I might get out this weekend to some dealers to get more of a firsthand idea of them. Going slow:thumbsup:

 

[TSO]

I am in NW Indiana and I was in your shoes few months ago.

I did tons of research and consulted with owners of lawn maintenance companies.

Having to mow 7 acres, paying extra for commercial unit is a wise move.

It is hard to beat a Snapper Pro for the money.

So, I will make it easy for you, after many hours of research, here are your best bets.

1. Excellent, top of the line residential - $4,350
Snapper 550Z - 61" deck, 3100 commercial trannys. Best residential machine out there with many commercial features.
550Z Zero Turn Mower: Riding Lawn Mowers | Snapper

2. S125XT - Commercial mower, 61" iCD deck (highly regarded by Pro's), commercial engine, 3400 trannys - $5,350
S125XT

3. S200XT - A Tank - High End commercial machine, comparable to some $10K mowers from other brands.
Excellent machine, all the way. 61" iCD deck, commercial engine, 5400 trannys - $6,350
S200XT

I bought the S125XT, but you cannot go wrong with either.
This place has best prices, owned by an old Amish gentleman. The store is in his house.

Bontrager Engine Service LLC
3500 N 500 W
Shipshewana, IN
(260) 768-3129

LOL boy did that ever sound like an advertisement.

What makes them "the best" ?

 

[stoyan79]

Best bang for the buck.
Show me another 61" ZTR with commercial trannys, Kawasaki engine, made by well known, over 100 years old, reputable company for $4,350?

LOL boy did that ever sound like an advertisement.

What makes them "the best" ?

 

[TSO]

Ah Roger-that ... I read that as you saying "best" and didn't know you meant "Best bang for the buck." That does seem like a good deal.

 

[stoyan79]

I was in the market for a ZTR few months ago and did spend a lot of time, trying to find best bang for the buck. Snapper seems to be offering best bang for the buck right now. The $6,350 machine is built like a tank, very heavy and comes with 5400 trannys. Most ZTRs built like that with that kind of components are around $10K.

Ah Roger-that ... I read that as you saying "best" and didn't know you meant "Best bang for the buck." That does seem like a good deal.

 

[Gary Fowler]

And those little diesels aren't very thirsty. My F-series will mow forever on a tank of fuel. These gassers are pretty thirsty. My F-series has a 60" deck and unless your yard looks like the side of the mountain it will be fine.

My 52"deck will scalp just about anywhere in my yard at some point since it is all up or down hill running. It would scalp worse if wider. Sloping property needs to be considered when selecting a deck width along with clearances between fixed objects, trailer width etc.

 

[TJP89]

My 52"deck will scalp just about anywhere in my yard at some point since it is all up or down hill running. It would scalp worse if wider. Sloping property needs to be considered when selecting a deck width along with clearances between fixed objects, trailer width etc.

Yes, I'm starting to lean toward a 54" for those reasons.

 

[tcartwri]

Best bang for the buck.
Show me another 61" ZTR with commercial trannys, Kawasaki engine, made by well known, over 100 years old, reputable company for $4,350?

They are made by Ferris. They are basically a Ferris with a suspension delete.

Ferris, Simplicity and Snapper Pro are in turn owned by B&S.

 

[DK35vince]

7 acres is a big yard. Here is my experience with a big yard.
I mow around 7 acres and my first zero turn was an upper end residential unit a Hustler FasTrak 54".
I had it for 4 years. It was a well built little mower, never gave me a single problem. It was great for cutting around the trees, house and tight areas. But I sure wouldn't want to cut the entire 7 acre lawn with it every week.
We used it for the tighter, smaller areas and used the tractor with an 84" rear mower for the open areas.
For this big yard I just wanted more, so a couple years ago I sold the FasTrak and upsized to an upper end commercial unit. 35 HP Hustler Super Z 72" zero turn. Pricey, but this should be the last mower I ever need to buy.
This thing is awesome. Built like a tank, very fast, plenty of power and mowing 7 acres is a cake walk with this mower. (mows my 7 acre lawn in 2 hours).
With my wife on the zero turn and me mowing with the tractor we can mow the lawn in around 1 hour 20 minutes.

Attached is a picture of my previous FasTrac 54" beside the Super Z.