Lawn mower?

paintman161 · Feb 21, 2016

I am looking for a zero turn mower but not sure what to even look for.

I will have about 4 acres to mow with slight to extreme grades (the extreme grade will be done by push mower). Thinking zero turn and about 54-60" deck what are your thoughts on brands and what to avoid. Not sure if I i will buy new or used yet.

4570Man · Feb 21, 2016

Could you borrow a or rent a ZTR to try it out on hills? Depending on the conditions a ZTR doesn't do well on hills. They have a very low center of gravity, and are very stable. The problem is they tend to drift down a hill. It also greatly depends on your skills. When I first started I couldn't mow flat ground without skidding around. Now with several hundred hours experience I can pretty good on hills. I'm thinking a walk behind mower might be better suited for your task.

paintman161 · Feb 22, 2016

There are two small areas they are steep (right near the house by the walk out), so I dont mind unsing a push mower for those areas, the rest of the area is flat with very slight slope.

davesl708 · Feb 22, 2016

Our dam is mowed with ZT mowers. They mow across the face. The face of the dam is pretty steep. They angle up a little to compensate for the drift.

Gary Fowler · Feb 22, 2016

The first zero turn I bought was a box store Craftsman residential grade mower. Two employees picked it up and put it on my trailer, it is that light. It would NOT hold straight even on very slight hills when mowing across the slope especially on wet grass even with bar lug type tires.

Finally I got a near commercial grade Ferris with tires about twice as big plus an 850# gross weight. I can mow up, down, sideways, etc and it doesn't drift at all.
I only use the Craftsman with the tractor type bar lug tires now to mow my swampy area where water stands all the time during the early spring and grass grows fast. With its light weight and bar lug tires, it goes just about anywhere with ease.

Gary Fowler · Feb 22, 2016

There are lots of good brand mowers and most all of the commercial or near commercial grade will perform the same. Some are a bit more comfortable that the others so it is just like tractors, you have to sit on one and operate it to see how if fits your frame. You will have to pay $6000-9000 or more for a good zero turn mower in this grade, but one of these should last a home owner for a lifetime if properly maintained.

paintman161 · Feb 23, 2016

do you recommend any brands over another?

MorrisGray · Mar 2, 2016

I am searching for a new mower myself. I currently own but am giving to my son-in-law a Ariens 48" Max Zoom w/ Kawasaki FR691V 24hp engine. It has been a really good mower with very few problems. No problems with motor at all. I have 3+ acres of grass to mow with a very rough yard, old pasture land that is bumpy when mowing. I first bought a Snapper riding lawn tractor but it could not handle my yard and I gave it to my parents after one year. I may end up buying another Ariens but most of them now have a Kohler engine and I am unsure about buying that engine although I read somewhere that Kohler was supposed to be better than a Briggs. ??? I was happy with 48" cut but will probably get a wider cut on my next mower.