Best commercial zero turn?

[NoTrespassing]

The Walker Advantage: Beautiful Cut

 

[mikester]

Which commercial zero turn has only one belt.I have seen top end Kubota have shaft drive,but they cost $14,000 +.

Kubota ZT's use single belts - at least the ZD series does/did. PTO shaft to gear box and center blade, single serpentine belt drives other two blades.

 

[aczlan]

I have never seen one with only a single belt....unless something is shaft driven.

Fewest I have seen is 2.

One belt drives the hydros, another LONG belt goes from clutch and all deck spindles.

3 belts are also common. Still one for hydros. A smaller belt that goes from clutch to a double pulley on the deck. A third coming off that double pulley running all the spindles.

If you can, avoid the ones that have one belt from the engine out, around all the spindles and back. We had that on some Husquvarna commercial zero turns that I worked on and they ate belts like nobodies buisness.
The system with one belt around the deck spindles and another running to the engine (like eXmark used), or shaft drive to the deck, then a belt around the spindles on the deck (like Kubota uses on their tractors) is a better system which burns through less belts.

Aaron Z

 

[screamin400]

I am fortunate to have a very very large Ferris/Kubota dealer within my area. He is getting me a price on a Ferris 2100 and the equivalent Kubota. The Ferris will be priced with the Kaw engine. Does anyone have any experience with this setup?

 

[LD1]

If you can, avoid the ones that have one belt from the engine out, around all the spindles and back. We had that on some Husquvarna commercial zero turns that I worked on and they ate belts like nobodies buisness.
The system with one belt around the deck spindles and another running to the engine (like eXmark used), or shaft drive to the deck, then a belt around the spindles on the deck (like Kubota uses on their tractors) is a better system which burns through less belts.

Aaron Z

MAybe....

My scag wildcat is a single belt from the clutch and around all the spindles. 178" or something like that.
Dad has a Bobcat that uses the double pulley and pair of belts.

Cant say I really have anymore belt replacements than him.

Not sure what scag's are like currently.....Mine is an OLD (maybe 20 years) wildcat. Old enough to still have the "A" deck and not the "V" deck

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I would actually prefer a stamped deck.

BUT, it has to be done right. Im not talking about 16ga steel like MTD et al.

But 3/16 stamped steel deck......yea I'd take that over a 3/16" fabbed deck ANY day of the week. Contoured exactly how they want it, optimal airflow, no sharp corners, everything with a nice radius and no welding so not much stress points.....

Seems everyone is always quick to assume stamped deck = junk and fabbed deck = good.

Well if someone fabbed a deck out of the same 16ga (or less) material that MTD uses.....would that still be a good thing because its a "fabbed deck"?

Takes a huge press and lots of tonnage to stamp a 7ga steel deck for a commercial mower.
Not nearly as much press or tonnage for a MTD deck out of 16ga....

Plus, the deere 7 iron deck is bolstered with a thick rectangular flatbar around the front perimeter now.

 

[4570Man]

The best setup is a double belt on the deck and shaft drive to the deck. I think Kubota is the only one that does that. I tend to break a lot of the belts that go from the deck to the engine, but if you only cut yard grass it’s probably a non issue. My mom is a real estate agent and I do a lot of 1 time cuts on overgrown lawns before the closing. I burn probably 3-5 belts a year at $30 each so it’s not a huge problem. I’ve never broken a belt on my double belt Kubota. Btw, there’s at least two meanings of double belts used in this thread.

 

[D2Cat]

Grasshopper has a PTO shaft coming to the deck and one belt for the blades. In ten years I have not replace one of those belts on three mowers. These are out front decks with power lift. Way out of OP's budget, unless pre-owned!

 

[kenmac]

I have never seen one with only a single belt....unless something is shaft driven.

Fewest I have seen is 2.

One belt drives the hydros, another LONG belt goes from clutch and all deck spindles.

3 belts are also common. Still one for hydros. A smaller belt that goes from clutch to a double pulley on the deck. A third coming off that double pulley running all the spindles.

my kubota zd has only one belt. It has a gear box that is shaft driven which turns the blade belt No electric clutch.
It also has heavy duty cast iron pulleys instead of aluminum pulleys

Not 14k but it's still out of his 7k price range

 

[LD1]

my kubota zd has only one belt. It has a gear box that is shaft driven which turns the blade belt No electric clutch.

Just like I said.