I need a new lawn mower!

[Camofurever1]

I might be biased, as I have always been an avid John Deere fan. But I can give some tips what to look for and what to stay away from. If it is for sale at a big box store, stay away from it. Period. Those are cheaply made, consumer models. Less quality parts, cheaper engines, paper thin decks, non-serviceable bearings and what if you need service? Big box store doesn't even have availability for parts.

Support your local Machine dealer. They have the parts, Factory training and they can easily recommend a model for you that will have the exact features you want. They even have sensible financing.

I am a big guy, also. My latest ZTR is a JD 930M. It is now 8 years old. It has a Kawi V twin 25HP engine, which has been bullet proof. It has a 60" 7 iron deck on it. After 8 years, no dents or bends. The spindle quills on the deck are massive and have grease zerks on them. Give each one a shot of grease every time you mow. The seat is a adjustable suspension seat. Very comfortable.
Being a big guy, it is very easy to mount, dismount, plenty of operator space and it gives a comfortable ride for several hours of mowing. We mow 7 acres of grass a week here on the farm. Not all of it is golf course smooth. Yes, you have to slow down for rough patches of ground. Same thing with my large tractor. That is common sense

4 wheel suspension kind of defeats the finish mow of a deck. ZTRs rely on the deck being securely suspended from the machine and any rough areas are absorbed by the large back pneumatic wheels, so that doesn't reflect in the cut quality as you travel over rough ground. The front wheels are solid rubber. You don't want pneumatic tires on the front of a ZTR. They easily will get sharp sticks, thorns and other pokie things shoved through them. If you don't have those things on your lawn, front pneumatic tires will still find those non-existent things for you. The deck basically floats across the rough, bumpy areas. If your deck is riding on the ground on hard wheels or casters, you will get scalping and a uneven cut.

I know they make 72" decks. Unless your entire lawn is perfectly smooth, stick with a 60" deck that stays contained within the wheel base of your mower. On bumpy, uneven ground, the extra width of a 72" will scalp on the outside cutting edges.

As far as tires, your mower is a turf machine. That is why it runs turf tires. Turf tires are not mud tires. If you want to mow your turf, use turf tires. They save your lawn and give a better ride. If you deal with a lot of mud, then you need a tractor with a brush hog or 3PH rear discharge finish mower. If you deal with very steep hills, hand cut it or get a walk behind mower. Ztrs were never designed for steep hills. If they start sliding, then that is a safety threshold that tells you don't go any steeper. If you install more tread aggressive tires so you can hold the hill, those tires will hold you better on the hill, but where is the center of gravity on your machine with you sitting on top of it? Those tires may hold you on steeper angle until you flip over if you hit a hole in the ground. Something to think about.

Whatever you decide, stay away from Kohler engines and Briggs & Stratton gasoline engines. They are consumer junk.

If you want a diesel, get something with a Yanmar or Kubota diesel in it.

 

[5030]

Once in awhile you see those front diesel mowers at auctions both JD and Kubota shaft powered decks, If I ever turn a decent profit hobby farming I'd probably look for one. I'm kind of bewildered how much gas the wife's z-turn uses I think it's a 26 hp Briggs endurance and unlike the hydros, simple to maintain, always starts and runs good but sucks gas, Surprisingly my collection of old derelict JD 200 series, sip gas in comparison. Granted all my jd's are less than half the rated HP of Z-turn.

Just bought a used Kubota F series front mount diesel mower. It has a steering wheel versus the 2 oars I'm used to. Having the dealer go through it and replacing anything that needs replacing and change the fluids and filters as well.

Like I stated previously, all the gas powered ones are gas hogs.

Trading in a Cub Cadet M60 tank with a 27 horse Kawasaki gas hog engine and 2 oars.

 

[5030]

Whatever you decide, stay away from Kohler engines and Briggs & Stratton gasoline engines. They are consumer junk.

Got news for ya, so are Kawasaki's. Projected engine life is around 2000 hours with normal (infrequent maintenance) which is what most of them get today. Most all of them are similar with die cast aluminum blocks and plated cylinders and all of them aren't designed to last a lifetime anyway, one reason I'd never buy a green one. That and the OTD cost.

 

[jjeff]

Got news for ya, so are Kawasaki's. Projected engine life is around 2000 hours with normal (infrequent maintenance) which is what most of them get today. Most all of them are similar with die cast aluminum blocks and plated cylinders and all of them aren't designed to last a lifetime anyway, one reason I'd never buy a green one. That and the OTD cost.

Wonder why Honda gas gx series vertical shafts aren't more prevalent in Z-turns? One look at my 30 + yr old 6k generator and you'll understand why I drifted with that question.

 

[Camofurever1]

Got news for ya, so are Kawasaki's. Projected engine life is around 2000 hours with normal (infrequent maintenance) which is what most of them get today. Most all of them are similar with die cast aluminum blocks and plated cylinders and all of them aren't designed to last a lifetime anyway, one reason I'd never buy a green one. That and the OTD cost.

No commercial engine will last any extended length of time with infrequent maintenance. Oil and filters need to be changed on a hourly schedule.

 

[jyoutz]

I might be biased, as I have always been an avid John Deere fan. But I can give some tips what to look for and what to stay away from. If it is for sale at a big box store, stay away from it. Period. Those are cheaply made, consumer models. Less quality parts, cheaper engines, paper thin decks, non-serviceable bearings and what if you need service? Big box store doesn't even have availability for parts.

Support your local Machine dealer. They have the parts, Factory training and they can easily recommend a model for you that will have the exact features you want. They even have sensible financing.

I am a big guy, also. My latest ZTR is a JD 930M. It is now 8 years old. It has a Kawi V twin 25HP engine, which has been bullet proof. It has a 60" 7 iron deck on it. After 8 years, no dents or bends. The spindle quills on the deck are massive and have grease zerks on them. Give each one a shot of grease every time you mow. The seat is a adjustable suspension seat. Very comfortable.
Being a big guy, it is very easy to mount, dismount, plenty of operator space and it gives a comfortable ride for several hours of mowing. We mow 7 acres of grass a week here on the farm. Not all of it is golf course smooth. Yes, you have to slow down for rough patches of ground. Same thing with my large tractor. That is common sense

4 wheel suspension kind of defeats the finish mow of a deck. ZTRs rely on the deck being securely suspended from the machine and any rough areas are absorbed by the large back pneumatic wheels, so that doesn't reflect in the cut quality as you travel over rough ground. The front wheels are solid rubber. You don't want pneumatic tires on the front of a ZTR. They easily will get sharp sticks, thorns and other pokie things shoved through them. If you don't have those things on your lawn, front pneumatic tires will still find those non-existent things for you. The deck basically floats across the rough, bumpy areas. If your deck is riding on the ground on hard wheels or casters, you will get scalping and a uneven cut.

I know they make 72" decks. Unless your entire lawn is perfectly smooth, stick with a 60" deck that stays contained within the wheel base of your mower. On bumpy, uneven ground, the extra width of a 72" will scalp on the outside cutting edges.

As far as tires, your mower is a turf machine. That is why it runs turf tires. Turf tires are not mud tires. If you want to mow your turf, use turf tires. They save your lawn and give a better ride. If you deal with a lot of mud, then you need a tractor with a brush hog or 3PH rear discharge finish mower. If you deal with very steep hills, hand cut it or get a walk behind mower. Ztrs were never designed for steep hills. If they start sliding, then that is a safety threshold that tells you don't go any steeper. If you install more tread aggressive tires so you can hold the hill, those tires will hold you better on the hill, but where is the center of gravity on your machine with you sitting on top of it? Those tires may hold you on steeper angle until you flip over if you hit a hole in the ground. Something to think about.

Whatever you decide, stay away from Kohler engines and Briggs & Stratton gasoline engines. They are consumer junk.

If you want a diesel, get something with a Yanmar or Kubota diesel in it.

Agree with everything except your comments about Kohler and Briggs engines. Both of those companies make commercial grade engines as well as consumer grade. I agree to stay away from consumer grade engines.

 

[Cycledude]

Hello folks,

After giving up on my 314 and sending it on down the line, I am without a mower; this hasn't been a problem, but it'll need to be rectified before we get into Spring. My lawn, if you could call it that, would currently be about an acre on a just under 2 acre property. It barely exists as a lawn, having seen much destruction over the last year, and it was a mess to begin with. However, over time it'll be smoothed out, dried out, and an attempt made to return it to normal.

Traditionally I have mowed with lawn or garden tractors; prior to moving here I had a D160 that I really enjoyed, however I found the lawn (before it's current state) beat the tractor rather hard, so I sold it before it caused any damage. That has me scratching the 100 and 200 series out of the running. That was replaced with a Cub Cadet XT3, which handled the property well, but those are no longer in production. The obvious alternative is the X500 series, but that would need to be used given their premium price. So, that leaves the X300 series; from that I've cut out the K46 machines. From there I've narrowed it down to the X380, or maybe even an X384.

The lawn tractor market is sad these days, the only real alternative to the Deere would be a Cub Cadet XT2 in the higher end. Those seem to be good machines, but the frame is similar to that of the 100/200 series Deere; they're pretty well put together, but I'm a big guy and the flex makes me a little uncomfortable.

Husqvarna isn't even in the running, their lawn and garden tractors are a bit of a farce. So I guess that just leaves the Deere X380/X384, or whatever I can find used.

Or...

I could get a zero-turn.

I've never operated one in my life, but they've taken over the market so there must be something to them. I have a few concerns; first and foremost, will my Big & Tall catalog self be able to operate one comfortably? Not far behind that, I wonder how they do on rough terrain? Mud?

I've looked around the local field, and I've found these machines. Does anyone have any thoughts on them? On zero-turns in general? How they compare to lawn and garden tractors? This will just be a lawn mower, other tasks are handled by the Kioti. That said, I've got a 10P cart I'll be able to use again.

Cub Cadet ZTS2 50

ExMark Quest X

Scag Liberty Z

Ariens IKON

Ariens APEX

Bad Boy ZT Elite

John Deere Z330R

Is there anything I'd be doing a disservice not to look at? I'm trying to stay right around 48" with the deck size. Is there anything to look for on a zero-turn that doesn't apply to a lawn tractor? Anything to avoid?

I'd like to figure this out quick enough, before the Spring rush I suppose.

I believe the rough terrain and mud you mentioned pretty much rules out a zero turn mower for you. Probably better off looking for a nice used tractor type mower until your lawn gets repaired.

 

[Camofurever1]

Wonder why Honda gas gx series vertical shafts aren't more prevalent in Z-turns? One look at my 30 + yr old 6k generator and you'll understand why I drifted with that question.

Hondas are used quite a bit on commercial construction equipment. Not so much on mowers. I own several pieces of equipment with Honda engines. The only one I have problems with is my i2000 generator. It's problem isn't the motor, it's the carb.

 

[jyoutz]

Hondas are used quite a bit on commercial construction equipment. Not so much on mowers. I own several pieces of equipment with Honda engines. The only one I have problems with is my i2000 generator. It's problem isn't the motor, it's the carb.

I have a nice snapper commercial grade self propelled walk behind mower with a commercial grade Honda engine. A fantastic mower. Sadly they don’t make them anymore.

 

[jjeff]

My Briggs endurance has 500 hrs on it still runs like it's new with only a fall or spring pm it also has a small external oil cooler on it.

 

[EddieWalker]

I took a good look at Scag today, and I quite liked them until I sat on them. They're the least fat man friendly, lol.

That's odd. I'm more on the chunky side then I want to be, but the best thing about my Skag mower is the seat. They might of changed since 2010, when I bought it, but I hope not. It's a REALLY NICE SEAT.

My wife and I are playing around with making videos. Here's one of me mowing part of my back yard with the Skag yesterday.

 

[jjeff]

Hondas are used quite a bit on commercial construction equipment. Not so much on mowers. I own several pieces of equipment with Honda engines. The only one I have problems with is my i2000 generator. It's problem isn't the motor, it's the carb.

Remove that bloody screen in the tank and put an inline filter on it solved all my continuous fuel problems with my old Honda.

 

[Camofurever1]

Agree with everything except your comments about Kohler and Briggs engines. Both of those companies make commercial grade engines as well as consumer grade. I agree to stay away from consumer grade engines.

I give a more detailed explanation of my dislike for Kohler's in this thread.

Lawn Tractor vs Zero Turn

Sounds good in theory, but suspension seats (if just buying the parts) seem to be $1k+. At least that was the answer I got (actually $1200) for the Cub Cadet I bought. Nah, around $470 bucks. I would worry about the deck cutting level if the mower had four wheel suspension. Thats why they...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[Camofurever1]

Remove that bloody screen in the tank and put an inline filter on it solved all my continuous fuel problems with my old Honda.

Yep, I removed that and put an inline filter in. I also bought the kit for converting the On/off switch that just killed the motor, but wouldn't allow you to run the carb out of gas for storage. Now, I can shut off the fuel, but the gen will continue to run until the carb bowl is dry. You can also instantly kill it by pushing the installed kill button. I have already replaced the carb once on it, I only run non-ethanol gas in it, but I still have issues with the jets getting clogged up if the unit sits for more than 6 months without being started. It doesn't have fuel in the bowl when sitting unrun for extended periods. I mostly use my 3000 watt Champion with the remote start anymore. It always starts and runs without carb work being done on it.

 

[jyoutz]

Yep, I removed that and put an inline filter in. I also bought the kit for converting the On/off switch that just killed the motor, but wouldn't allow you to run the carb out of gas for storage. Now, I can shut off the fuel, but the gen will continue to run until the carb bowl is dry. You can also instantly kill it by pushing the installed kill button. I have already replaced the carb once on it, I only run non-ethanol gas in it, but I still have issues with the jets getting clogged up if the unit sits for more than 6 months without being started. It doesn't have fuel in the bowl when sitting unrun for extended periods. I mostly use my 3000 watt Champion with the remote start anymore. It always starts and runs without carb work being done on it.

My Honda motor has a fuel shut off switch. It’s easy to shut off the switch when the motor is running and let it run until it purges the carburetor and fuel lines.

 

[5030]

No commercial engine will last any extended length of time with infrequent maintenance. Oil and filters need to be changed on a hourly schedule.

The issue with that simply is, a large portion of owners are lax in the maintenance department. reminds me of the guy across the road, never changes the oi or cleans the airfilter or replaces it in his ZTR and then whines when he has to have the mower shop up town work on it. I don't see how it even cuts as the blades are just nubs as well. Interestingly, he's a tool and die maker but has no sense at all when it comes to mechanical stuff.

I just observe and chuckle to myself.

 

[5030]

After tossing a rod in a Honda motor at 6 hours and Honda denying any warranty, I won't use any Honda motor ever again. I'm 100% HF Predator. If a Pred pukes, they are so cheap, landfilling one don't cause any consternation, but interestingly, never had issue one with any of them I own. One on the garden tiller, one on the pressure washer and one on my trash pump and the one on the pressure washer is at least 10 years old and it's on the original 'Torch' sparkplug as well I change to oil in all of them in the fall and I use the drain oil I drain out of my farm tractors. Why waste good oil I say. Blackstone always tells me the used oil is still good (TBN number is positive) so I use it again, that and I'm inherently cheap as well.

The Pred on the pressure washer gets used a ton too. It washes down farm equipment as well as the cars and truck. On the original PW pump as well though I do have a spare one, just in case. Don't use antifreeze in it either, I just store it in my heated shop in the winter.

 

[jjeff]

After tossing a rod in a Honda motor at 6 hours and Honda denying any warranty, I won't use any Honda motor ever again. I'm 100% HF Predator. If a Pred pukes, they are so cheap, landfilling one don't cause any consternation, but interestingly, never had issue one with any of them I own. One on the garden tiller, one on the pressure washer and one on my trash pump and the one on the pressure washer is at least 10 years old and it's on the original 'Torch' sparkplug as well I change to oil in all of them in the fall and I use the drain oil I drain out of my farm tractors. Why waste good oil I say. Blackstone always tells me the used oil is still good (TBN number is positive) so I use it again, that and I'm inherently cheap as well.

The Pred on the pressure washer gets used a ton too. It washes down farm equipment as well as the cars and truck. On the original PW pump as well though I do have a spare one, just in case. Don't use antifreeze in it either, I just store it in my heated shop in the winter.

Sure your Honda wasn't a GC model? Both are Honda's but built totally different imo. 4k + hrs (first digit is a 4 on that hr meter but hey plastics have yellowed lol), on this Honda gx engined gen set if that hr meter still even works. It's been physically abused, dropped off trucks, ran over by a skytrack, ran hard day after day 8 hrs at a time, til I took possession of it as it was going to be scrapped by a co. I worked for almost 20 yrs ago. burns oil but I'm fine with it. Not saying preds are bad but you knocked a brand I'm a firm believer in its durability from experiences, I also have a gx motor in my pressure washer never a problem.

 

[tacticalturnip]

I've got a Honda push mower and generator that are older than my kids; perhaps, older than both combined. I'm at least the second owner, and I try to keep up on basic maintenance- neither has ever let me down. Which is really good, because I couldn't afford to replace them these days.



@EddieWalker the seats on the Scag's were quite nice, the lap bars were just a tad tight on the lap.

 

[jjeff]

Seems like Briggs is on the way out, Honda is not really in the game so all your left with is Kohler or Kawasaki for engine power on popular riders and zero turns? All power equipment manufacturers have different levels of engine quality depending on model and are priced accordingly. Seems all manufacturers of smaller air cooled 4 strokes have strong and weak points. As previously mentioned by others some maintenance at least seasonally is important. (Oil air filter etc). On new break in periods weather called for or not I've always added a very minimal amount of two stroke oil to first tank of gas (I use synthetic blend or full, definitely don't want to run to rich subsequently scoring cylinders walls due to excessive carbon) so take my non professional keyboard commando opinion accordingly on top of using seafoam (only snake oil fuel additive ive seen notable results with) all the time, and initially change oil and filter after a few hrs of use. Still waiting on first catastrophic failure on smaller air
cooled 4 strokes with something I own on all levels of initial engine quality by a few notable manufacturers. Knocking on wood lol