Lawn Tractor vs Zero Turn

[Gem99ultra]

I fired up my robot mower, bought it for my mother, but I may just buy one for myself, it works pretty well.

Is it true that robot mowers do NOT handle slopes well? Hopefully you'll be able to give us some insight.

 

[WM75Guy]

Just get the ZTR mower. Get one with the Kawasaki commercial engine and a 60" deep deck. You will be glad you did and will never want to go back to a steering wheel. I have a Deere 930M that I bought new almost 7 years ago. It mows approx 5 acres of grass 9 months out of the year. Occasional belt, grease the zerks, sharpen blades and change the oil and filters on a regular basis.

I am not so sure of that. I got a deal (steal) on a Kubota F2560 with a 72" front mount deck. It actually is more comfortable to ride and easier to steer than my ZD1211 ZTR. With a ball on the steering wheel it takes one hand to get around, the other stays on the armrest. It turns as sharp as the ZTR, it did take a little adjustment with the deck out front.

 

[2manyrocks]

Slope mowers tend to be pricey, and I wonder how much of the price goes to pay for products liability insurance. I also wonder how much manufacturing cost is needed to make a mower that is operated by a person versus a mower like this that has remote control.

https://www.koeppl.com/en/produkte/crawler

 

[drumminj]

I'm impressed this thread is still going! Spent some time today working on a gas pedal modification for the girlfriend and figured I'd share some photos.

This only adds about an inch to it, but if she's wearing her big boots it will be fine. I cut up some scrap stall mat from Tractor Supply I had laying around and drilled some holes in it. Two layers on the front (to get 1" on top of the pedal) and 1 layer behind just to avoid having the washers/nuts directly against the pedal. 5/16" x 2 1/2" bolts with washers and nylock nuts.

Execution could be a bit better, but overall I'm happy with how it turned out. Maybe not the most elegant, but not totally ghetto either . I had thought about counter-sinking the washers on the top side (so the bolt heads don't stick out so much), but I think this works fine and the bolt heads actually give it a bit more reach.

 

[drumminj]

I am not so sure of that. I got a deal (steal) on a Kubota F2560 with a 72" front mount deck. It actually is more comfortable to ride and easier to steer than my ZD1211 ZTR. With a ball on the steering wheel it takes one hand to get around, the other stays on the armrest. It turns as sharp as the ZTR, it did take a little adjustment with the deck out front.

I had not thought about adding that to the mower, but that absolutely would make turns easier. Thanks for bringing it up!

 

[Hay Dude]

I am not so sure of that. I got a deal (steal) on a Kubota F2560 with a 72" front mount deck. It actually is more comfortable to ride and easier to steer than my ZD1211 ZTR. With a ball on the steering wheel it takes one hand to get around, the other stays on the armrest. It turns as sharp as the ZTR, it did take a little adjustment with the deck out front.

My F3680 rides worse than my ZD331. It’s also a lot slower.
Did you add an air-ride seat to yours? Mine really gets to bucking when the smaller rear tires hit bumps

 

[WM75Guy]

My F3680 rides worse than my ZD331. It’s also a lot slower.
Did you add an air-ride seat to yours? Mine really gets to bucking when the smaller rear tires hit bumps

It came with a TSC aftermarket suspension seat, which is pretty comfortable. I have a lead on an aftermarket air-ride seat that will fit the mower but it is $1,600. I don't use it enough to justify it, I just go slow and enjoy the seat time. Now that I am retired I have more time to devote to mowing.

 

[Camofurever1]

I'm impressed this thread is still going! Spent some time today working on a gas pedal modification for the girlfriend and figured I'd share some photos.

This only adds about an inch to it, but if she's wearing her big boots it will be fine. I cut up some scrap stall mat from Tractor Supply I had laying around and drilled some holes in it. Two layers on the front (to get 1" on top of the pedal) and 1 layer behind just to avoid having the washers/nuts directly against the pedal. 5/16" x 2 1/2" bolts with washers and nylock nuts.

Execution could be a bit better, but overall I'm happy with how it turned out. Maybe not the most elegant, but not totally ghetto either . I had thought about counter-sinking the washers on the top side (so the bolt heads don't stick out so much), but I think this works fine and the bolt heads actually give it a bit more reach.

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Nice mod. It's good that folks can still banter back and forth about which product is the best for them and no one gets their panties in a wad over it.

 

[two_bit_score]

 

[two_bit_score]

I’ve been looking at stand on z turn mowers - either JD or Grasshopper is top right now.

if I was considering a conventional zero turn I would seriously look at a Stihl with Kawasaki engine. Right now several are $1,000 off.

https://www.stihlusa.com/products/lawn-mowers/zero-turn-mowers/