Buying Advice Thinking about buying my first ZTR

[3gunr]

I have had my bad boy pup with a 30 hp kohler and 60 inch cut for 7 yrs. I cut 9 acres a week with it. i had to replace a front tire this yr. My son just bought a toro titan with the easy ride system and compared to my bad boy it was very comfotable and smooth. Also had a nice cut. He paid around 5 for it. My old back is killing me on mine but i think that is normal. mine does not have a suspension seat.

 

[stevem5215]

A ZTR with a suspension seat is a minimum for a rough pasture cut. A ZTR with a full suspension system like a vehicle has is better yet. Balloon tires on some ZTR's also help but suspension is better. The new easy ride system from Toro is new this year and it adds suspension as an option (cheaper versions are available without of course). All that said, I have four mowers here. I have a Black Craftsman Professional model with a 24hp engine and the cheap Hydro gear K46 tranny that's not very good. But it has foot control and that's really a great feature one i highly recommend. It does a good job of actually cutting grass though. And it has a rear two bag catcher system that actually works very well except in wet grass. Damp ok but wet forget it due to clogs. It's been a good mower and i have it "on loan" to a friend during the summer months as he can barely walk these days so i let him use it and then get it back in the fall so i can suck up the leaves here. As for repairs, I replaced the transmission drive belt once and serviced the K46 tranny with new 5w-50 synthetic fluid (had the typical barely moving hydro problem) and have replaced the valve covers once (they were leaking oil) along with a couple of spark plugs once and a headlight socket and bulb once as they wear due to vibration. A new battery once too of course (still running that battery 8 years later due to keeping it on a tender in the winter months and topping the water up as needed).

I also have a Simplicity ZT 2500 24hp with front suspension only and a 48" fabricated deck with Gator blades and dual ZT 2800 transmissions. That setup was a great deal at only $3000 new (after $400 Simplicity rebate in the springtime). It cuts the grass very well I'd say and especially is better with those Gator blades as it handles heavy/tall grass dispersion better. It works better of course when the grass is dry and not even damp at all. The 24hp Briggs commercial engine is good and I've had that one for about 5 years now with the only issue being a bar that cracked that held the transmission mounting points (there's two of the exact same bars and one cracked). It broke on the 3rd year while under warranty but the bars were on Nationwide back order so i just took it to my favorite welding guy and he welded it up and it's not broken since. And the other replacement finally came and is sitting in a box in my garage (took 3 months to come in). That bar was a simple fix. Just 4 bolts hold it in and pulls out the bottom side. Otherwise that mower has had no issues at all. Runs good and has a EFI system of some type on it. The ride quality of this mower is good and was better than that of the Black Craftsman mower. It was an incremental improvement that was nice when i got it. The ZT2800 transmissions have been better and I've done a couple of services on them since they have drain and fill plugs along with spin on filters. (hence the reason to get these better transmissions) It does about 7mph full throttle across the field when cutting. (level no hills light loads on the mower deck when cutting) Otherwise at full speeds it's bumpy. ZTRs in general are bumpy ride cause you can go so fast. And hence why you buy one with suspension of some kind. It's important.

My third mower is also the newest. A Simplicity ZTR Citation XL 61" fab deck with a 27hp Briggs commercial engine and ZT 3400 transmissions. This one has full suspension front and rear and it'll do 11mph across the field. That's moving let me tell you. And it's easiest on the body without a doubt. I call it the Cadillac ride. It's really great to use. You can cut full throttle and at 61" you are really doing some damage to get done QUICKER. It probably has cut my cutting time in 1/2 to 2 hrs vs 4 hrs with other mower used. Previously i used a Ford 1900 with a 72" deck. That sounds like a great combination doesn't it ? I mean wow a 72" deck would seriously cut down cutting time. Nope not really. It can't cut things that fast. It was a 30hp diesel machine with a rear discharge deck. It left clippings more so than i liked to see on heavy grass and if I tried to cut with it fast it threw me all over the place and cut even worse. Nope, I loved having that tractor but it wasn't a great mowing machine like a ZTR gets you. Even the Black Craftsman cut quality was far better (I put Gator blades on it too). As a result the 1900 was gone last spring and in came the Citation to replace it. And it's been far better for my tastes (and the wife loves it too and saves her back for doing more fun things like tooth brushing the grout on the floor ! lol). So far it's been reliable too. Nothing yet but it's only on it's second year. Unlike the Craftsman that's on it's 12th year!

I also have another machine for cutting but it's just a "backup". I have a Steiner 420 AWD articulating sub compact tractor. It has a 48" mower deck and uses low pressure high flotation tires along with a criss-cross hydro drive system to not tear up the grass in the yard. I mostly use it for loader work (sub compact loader that handles about 700lbs max) and also i use a rotating brush to clear the driveway of snow in the winter. Advantage of it is that I don't use ANY salt on my driveway. It can clear snow down to the pavement and the sun clears the rest of it off. I have the cleanest driveway in the winter months here. It's always bare and dry by 10am. As for summer use, I have used it a couple times to cut the grass but that front mount deck just blows grass all over you i found. It's really annoying so i don't use it much. A mid deck blows stuff too but it's mostly behind you by the time it catches the wind. And at 10mph it never hits you! lol
The Steiner isn't new and is a 1994 model with a Onan 20 Performer engine. It's very reliable. I have had a few problems with it over the years I've had it. MOstly simple things like plug wires and new spark plugs along with a charging problem with the Molex connections they used back in 94' which weren't very long term reliable and corroded due to their unprotected nature in this application (auto type connections weren't used in tractors till later years probably due to this reason) But, mostly it's been reliable for me. I have the hydro system serviced every 5 years or so and use only the STeiner hydro fluid as it's proven to be reliable without issues or questionable fluid life like other manufacturers supplied for this application. I can't really complain at all about it. It wasn't a cheap machine to buy but it's been a good machine. And where else can you have the cleanest driveway in the neighborhood ? Without a lot of work? I can have it cleared in the winter in 15 minutes. 400ft plus turnaround area at top. That's big.

So, all that said. I highly recommend a ZTR. And get a ZTR with suspension. One without it isn't going to save any time cutting and you might as well just buy a Home Depot or Lowe's tractor. As for price, more $$ gets you more machine. It's worth it IMO. Same holds true for regular tractors too. And always buy one step up from what you think you need. Bigger never hurts. Smaller does!

Steve

 

[NickTaylor]

Thanks for all the great advice. I've decided to go with the "nearest good dealership" tip and will probably pick something in the Kubota ZT line - we have a very large dealership a few miles away that people seem to think highly of. Went there yesterday and drove a handful of their machines. Z421KW seems to be a commercial-ish unit with a Kawasaki 24 hp engine and all the features I need. New costs ~$7100. A lot more powerful than I expected and drove it around on hills at the dealership and it didn't seem to struggle at all. Anyone out there have experience with this model?

 

[RalphVa]

We bought a Scag ZTR for the church lawn in NJ way back in the 1980s. It was great because it was so easy to maintain, as the deck could be cranked up and the 3 through-bolted blades removed in all of about 5 minutes. Could mow that near 5 acres in 1/2 the time needed with an underbelly Sears tractor.

No mower is any good unless you can remove the blades easily. On a walkbehind, you just toss them onto their sides and do it.

Ralph

 

[johncanfield]

Thanks for all the great advice. I've decided to go with the "nearest good dealership" tip and will probably pick something in the Kubota ZT line - we have a very large dealership a few miles away that people seem to think highly of. Went there yesterday and drove a handful of their machines. Z421KW seems to be a commercial-ish unit with a Kawasaki 24 hp engine and all the features I need. New costs ~$7100. A lot more powerful than I expected and drove it around on hills at the dealership and it didn't seem to struggle at all. Anyone out there have experience with this model?

I was looking at the Kubota Zs on the Iron Planet auction site (I've bought equipment there) when I was thinking about upgrading from my old Gravely. There were quite a few of them with less than 100 hours up for auction, maybe rentals? Apparently Kubota dealers turn over rental equipment with low hours - haven't quite figured that business model.

When you evaluate Zs, ride quality is paramount right along with cut quality. Faster blade tip speed means better cut quality and the faster you can mow. Check how easily you can change the height of the deck, in the summer I mow about an inch higher than in cooler weather. When I mow in a pasture I'll set the deck to maybe four inches. Changing the deck height on my Z945M is as easy as pushing a foot lever and turning a knob on the right side console. Also how difficult is it to do routine maintenance. The deck might or might not have greasable spindle bearings, if they need grease, how easy is it to access the Zerks.

 

[aczlan]

I fully agree with that statement 100%. The dealers sell only "high end" residential and Commercial mowers

Correct, however if the dealer has the same model number as what they have at the big-box store, the mower will be the same.
Most dealers however don't stock the lower end mowers as the profit margin is not good enough.

Aaron Z

 

[Mudder]

Found a Toro 3000 MyRide, very nice with the adjustable seat platform shocks on my bumpy pasture. Only issue so far is some paint chipping off in spots, dealer gave me a spray can for touch ups. Cutting 4 acres.

 

[mo1]

I need to replace a piece of junk riding mower for mowing around house and barns, driveway, etc (about 2 acres). Mostly level, although I do have a few gentle slopes to work around. I use a JD770 for pasture mowing and really hilly terrain.

My budget for this is $3000-$5000, of course cheaper is better.

Have read much about ZTR mowers which seem all the rage, but so many to choose from I go blind with all the options.

Any sage advice out there on ZTRs in this range? Other other better options than ZTR?

Thx,
Nick

I would look for a used commercial zero turn if you have a $5k budget and want a zero turn. New ones worth getting start at about $9k and go up from there, so $5k should buy you one that's 3-5 years old and 500-1000 hours, which still has a bunch of life left. Quality would be similar to your JD 770. I wouldn't bother with a new zero turn in the $3-5k price range as those are going to be similar to your "piece of junk" riding lawnmower. I grew up cutting five acres with a series of Sears riding lawnmowers and currently have a 60" Toro Z Master to cut my 3-3.5 acres of lawn. I also have used a compact tractor and a rear finish mower in the past to mow a yard at a previous house. The zero turn is the best lawn mower by a long shot. I poke along because my lawn is a bit bumpy and I don't like to get bounced around much, but still manage a little under two acres per hour and can easily maneuver around obstacles and turn around. The Sears lawn mowers cut maybe 1/2 acre per hour despite being relatively large ones with 48-50" decks and 20-22 hp V-twin engines, the decks were poorly designed and would plug up very easily. Mowing around a tree was a make several loops deal. The compact tractor with the 6' rear finish mower did okay in wide open areas but it was not maneuverable at all, put a tree or garden bed in the way and I just avoided them to come back and mower closer with a push mower. I don't have to do that with the zero turn. The rear finish mower also liked to get plugged up with grass which limited speed as well. The zero turn's deck is much better than any of those other decks and actually works very well.

I don't recommend a cheap zero turn as cheap equipment is a headache. The Sears riding lawnmowers were cheap equipment. The decks clogged if it wasn't perfectly dry or you went faster than about 2 1/2 mph. The first gray one with the flathead Briggs twin was also very unreliable. The engine ate starters and loved to flood its carb and foul its plugs. The steering gear setup was poor and would frequently break and its tensioner-less drive belt setup would throw the belt frequently. The later green ones with the Kohler V-twins and a different transmission setup were much more reliable but the decks were still poor. My Dad has a little cheap Deere riding lawnmower bought from a box store (LA105, I think) and it broke its steering gear as well, and he has had to weld the deck mount flanges back on several times. My Toro was probably as expensive as all of those mowers added together but it's built like a tank and I haven't had to do anything on it in the five years I've owned it except routine maintenance.

Zero turns can slip and slide around on wet grass and hills but much less so than a riding lawnmower. The riding lawnmowers I've used have been about 600-700 pounds with a full tank of gas and me sitting on it. My zero turn is about 1400 full of fluids and me on it. The tires on a good zero turn are also much better than those on a riding lawnmower. The tractor /rear finish mower was a lot heavier and didn't have turf tires, and it got better traction, but it would rut the ground some if the ground was moist, the zero turn does not. I personally wouldn't run a tractor over about 2000 pounds on a yard unless it has balloon turf tires, and those stink for traction too.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

I just got done buying a ztm myself. Challenging time to buy, between the time of year and the pandemic, dealers are out of stock in many cases.

You can get an eXmark Radius E series for $4999, possibly less with incentives. I was looking at the 50+ inch decks, and in my case, replacing my very expensive lawn service basically meant I felt like I was printing money by buying my own mower because of how quickly it will pay for itself.

I generally like to buy one level above my needs, was looking at Radius X and Kubota Z400 series. I was also in a hurry, inventory was lean. I couldn't find any eXmark Radius mowers to ride! After trying an eXmark lazer Z (too expensive), and Kubota Z400 and Z700 series, I went with the Z700. It's cheaper than an an eXmark laser Z, has superior hydraulics, and a 7 gauge steel deck, i.e., a tank. Since I also have a Kubota tractor I already have a dealer relationship/dependency so there's that too.

For the incremental dough, I just felt the Z700 was more responsive. Having used it for only one mow, all I can say is that I can be heard yelling various equivalents of "cowabunga!" as I charge across the flat pieces of the yard at 11 MPH. Seriously speedy stuff, fun as ****. I bought the 54 inch deck. The z700 is probably 2 steps above my needs, for which had a penny pincher's bit of buyer's remorse, but when I mess with that deck and things that hit it in my yard, that extra steel seems like money well spent.

Good luck.

 

[Bearsixty7]

Check out SpartanMowers.com and see if they have a dealer near you. I have 2 2016's, A SRT-PRO (Dad's) and a SRT-HD with 61" decks with just 26hp Kohler motors and they have been good mowers. I bought the first for my Dad in MO. to mow about 8 acres. After using it a few times I couldn't shake the desire to have one for my little acre here in TX. (Way more mower than needed but mowing now is trivial and not a chore now).
Spartans creator is Robert Foster who was one of the founders of Bad Boy mowers so he has decades of mower experience. Spartans are built like tanks and their design gives them some of the best hillside stability and traction of any ZT.