A Tracked Zero Turn????

[the old grind]

Just like most ZTRs nowadays there is no pivoting front axle. My ZTR is up on the wrong 3 wheels at times. That means one-wheel-drive on much uneven ground that my older CC didn't struggle with to get an even cut. Ferris and Country Clipper offer models that retain the feature. IMO for >$10k it should be a standard.

 

[Hay Dude]

This setup handles hills very well and most manufactures have this option now


View attachment 666741

Nice machine, but after 8 hours of mowing slopes, youd be really beat up

 

[Motorboatin]

Nice machine, but after 8 hours of mowing slopes, youd be really beat up

Buy the sit down version

 

[Mat4644]

Buying anything expensive made by MTD sends chills down my spine.

 

[leonz]

1. it's not the first zero turn on tracks, the robomower from Germany is from what I remember.

2. no matter the size rubber tracks will tear up a lawn due to the tracks lacking enough surface area to reduce the ground pressure per square inch-bigger tracks equals less ground pressure per square inch. Wetter ground needs bigger tracks for greater floatation and adhesion.
a. tracks with steel spikes aid in holding the robomower in place when mowing steep slopes above 15 degrees or using when a snow blower to increase the tractive effort and increasing adhesion when driving into deep snowpack.

3. you can install mattrack tracks on a ventrac articulating lawn mower you just need the right size model and it has to be a wider track to reduce the ground pressure per square inch.

4. in my opinion, foolishly they figure they can get away mowing across a slope that is greater than 15 degrees and that is downright foolish and only inviting an injury to the operator or death of the operator.

5. slope mowers like the radio controlled spyder and radio controlled robomower can start at 40K and go beyond 60K with attachments.
a. the spyder mower has a rope winch to allow it to be anchored above the mower and mow across very steep slopes and the winch winds the rope up to allow the spyder mower to essentially climb the slope as it mows at the same time. The spyder mower comes standard with a rotary mower and it can be equipped with a belly flail mower as well from what I remember.
b. the engine of the spyder mower uses a pressurized lubrication system to maintain the flow of crank case oil for the engine as all times and while mowing slopes above 15 degrees.
c. the engines used on the robomower models from Germany rest in a cradle that tilts in relation to the angle of the slope it is mowing or clearing heavy brush with a flail mower or flail forestry mower.

6. the video showing the turning radius of an altoz and a ventrac is misleading BECAUSE the turning radius of the ventrac is larger due to the design of the articulating steering system that can not zero turn as it has 4 or 8 wheels.

7. mowing wet turf with any mower is an invitation for trouble especially without a tilt meter.

8. conveniently they neglected/did not wish to compare the slope mowers that allow the operators station and the mower deck to tilt to remain horizontal in relation to the angle of the slope being mowed.

Truth in advertising goes a long way in the scheme of things; but money talks and cow manure only gets forked/shoveled on a 400 bushel manure spreader with a broken drag chain; AND you still have to fork the manure out of the entire manure spreader to find the break in the drag chain to get to the chain and fix the broken link or links.
I wonder how much j&g landscaping was paid to be a spokesman in their low cost commercial?

In the scheme of things a real slope mower is the Harper ATM72LC and the older Deweze slope mowers



My thoughts anyway.

 

[Catie Kimoda]

What a cool idea!

 

[WilliamBos]

Buying anything expensive made by MTD sends chills down my spine.

I completely agree - avoided that when I bought my Zero turn.

 

[Diggin It]

I finally got a chance to look at a few of these today, including the stand on version. Explained my slope situation and the guy said it should handle it fine. He was going to let me run one, but it was too wet in their field. Offered to bring one out the house though for a demo.

Base price is in the $23K range though which isn't in my realm of reality.


Edit ....

Plus with all the weight towards the back, I wasn't convinced they wouldn't go wheels up when climbing a hill. Guy said there was an optional 700 pound weight kit that could be added to the front.

 

[seville009]

You can buy smooth turf tracks for skidsteers

 

[jmc]

You can buy smooth turf tracks for skidsteers

View attachment 741365

I looked at those about 15 years ago. They had a video of doing donuts on a putting green and you couldn't see any damage. IIRC, the edges of the tracks are chamfered with a shallow angle to ride up when skidding sideways. Probably not much good on a side slope though.

 

[Shoresy]

My noob question would be how hard is it to re-install a track in the field, once it has slid off off the machine

 

[bmg88201]

The 2 guys in the video said they do a lot of government work. Lol, that’s all I needed to hear. I’m retired from the federal government, I know what that means. “Screw it, it’s good enough for government work”

 

[Shoresy]

Several videos from lawn maintenance professionals posted and they claim contrary to what many think tracks don't tear up grass. Looks like they can mow slopes even when wet. Try that with a wheeled zero turn.

Turf Testament: J&G Landscaping with the Altoz TRX - YouTube

Thank you! I have demo set up on the land next week. Spendy at $24k, but that half of a Ventrac with a few attachments.

 

[5030]

I can see it successful. There is a niche market for lower cost lawnmowers that can handle slopes well. Bet you can put this together cheaper than a Ventrac.

At a 15 grand starting price (tops out at 22 grand, it's not a cheap date by a long shot and it will tear the grass up turning, fact of life or should I say mowing.

Far as I'm concerned just an expensive gimmick.

 

[5030]

I didn't end up buying one because the price was higher than I could justify for my flat, finished lawn. But they are definitely worth a look if you have side slopes or low, wet areas that you need to mow on a regular basis.

...and have a deep, deep wallet too. I'll pass. Present day economy is tanking. Not about to buy a lawnmower that costs that much. Don't even have a diesel option, just crummy gas motors.

 

[Rdrcr]

^^^^
I don’t have a problem with $15K for a quality mower. I don’t have a problem with commercial gas engines (though I too prefer diesel). I do, however, have a problem spending that much money for a mower that doesn’t have any dealer presence in my area and, the dealers that did have them, dropped them. Nope, not for me.

Mike

 

[mikester]

...and have a deep, deep wallet too. I'll pass. Present day economy is tanking. Not about to buy a lawnmower that costs that much. Don't even have a diesel option, just crummy gas motors.

I think it might be a fun winter project to convert my ZD326 to track drive...after my lottery ticket comes in big...

 

[ArlyA]

My noob question would be how hard is it to re-install a track in the field, once it has slid off off the machine

If you detracked that machine, its track tension is waaaay to loose so they shouldn't be coming off. I have something over 3000 hours on rubber tracked machines and only de-tracked one when a idler had fallen off from a bearing failure. So in general they don't come off. Nonetheless, getting a track back on is a pain in the &!@*&.

 

[Hay Dude]

A Kubota F-3990 was $29,900 last year at my local Kubota dealer..
The tracked machine at $23,000 looks like cheap traction compared to the F-3990, but the Kubota does come with a diesel engine.

If you want hillside traction in a commercial machine at a reasonable cost, find a clean, used Kubota F. I found my Kubota F-3680 for $14,000 with 900 hours and a brand new 72” deck.
Kubota’s is great at making small commercial diesel machines.

My F has proven itself at sticking to slopes very well.

 

[Rdrcr]

^^^^
My Cub Cadet Pro Z 560 S KW also does an amazing job mowing and sticking to the steep hills and slopes. The quality is outstanding and it’s built like a tank.

At around $14K these days, it’s one of the least expensive options for safely mowing steep terrain. I just wish it had a diesel…

Mike