Anyone have opinions on the Bad Boy ZTs

[RSKY]

I have had my Bad Boy for several years. Broke a cast bracket the first year, replaced under warranty, dealer laughed and asked what I hit, told him wife mowing when it happened. I've had one starter solenoid go out on the Kawasaki motor. I replaced two but it was actually the battery on the second one. Other than blades nothing else has gone wrong. I've had it about ten years. Besides the dealer the main selling point for me was the electric height adjustment. My wife loves to mow. She is also about 5'-3" tall and had a hard time adjusting height with our old mower.

RSKY

 

[BigBlue1]

Well, I decided yesterday that I'm going to take the plunge and get the Rogue. My dealer got a shipment in. I compared the ride to a Deere Z970r and the Rogue's suspension makes the ride notably better. The Rogue has the 3-link rear suspension, bushing/pivot front and a suspension seat. The Deere only has a suspension seat. These are good looking mowers that seem very well designed.

Rob

 

[dpinkerton]

I purchased my first Bad Boy Mower a couple of months ago from Southland Powersports in Lexington, TN. I got a 60-inch ZT Elite with the Briggs motor. I got it home and almost got my whole lawn cut when it threw one of the pulleys off one of the spindles and threw the belt. Loaded it back up and carried it to work with me so I could carry it back to Southland before they closed the next day. I took off work a hour and half early and made the 45 minute drive to drop it off. They said no problem we will get it fixed. Two weeks later I got the call it was done. Repeated the same steps above to pick it up. Got it home and made three passes around my yard and it happened again with a different pulley. This time however the belt was smoking and the pto clutch was making a horrible sound. I loaded it back and had to take off work again to drop it again. They called several days later stating it was ready again, I asked are you sure you went thru the whole thing this time. I got oh yes, its good to go now. Went back to pick it up and started it to load on my trailer and the motor was making a very loud ticking noise. They tried to tell me it was normal. I advised them it was in fact not normal, and it needed to be fixed. After 2 hours of them try to diagnose the issue in their parking lot I finally left. Got a call from the service manager at 5pm stating I was in fact right and it was going to need a new motor. I advised them at this point I wanted them to swap me for a different mower as this one clearly has a lot of issues. Southland Powersports says its impossible for them to swap me out or give me a refund. I called Bad Boy Mower themselves and spoke with the warranty department who advised me it was up to the dealership to make it right and not them. I then spoke with the regional manager for Bad Boy who advised the same but told me he would call them and try to make them make it right. I got that call today and its more of the same. Noone can step up and take care of a customer and everyone is just shifting the blame.

 

[shooterdon]

I have had mine for over three years since I started this thread. So far, no problems at all. I got the 54” Elite and my mowing time, from a 48” Husqvarna rider, has been cut in half.

 

[dwarrenk]

I bought a ZT Elite 60" in May 2022 from First Choice Farm Supply in Memphis, TN. (Cost $6.000.00) By the start of mowing season 2025. the Power-coated arm rests (left side) were flaking & extremely rusted.. in 2 years???? Also, the hour meter completely died (blank screen). The problems happened while the mower was within the 2-year warranty, but neither Bay Boy of First Choice will do anything about it.... I also have a 2008 Pup Lighting 52" that I got used in 2015. It was always breaking belts, so I decided to get a new one.... BIG MISTAKE. Friends ask me why I have 2 mowers... it's because one (or both) of them is always broken. Look elsewhere for a dependable mower because you won't be able to depend on a Bad Boy mower.

 

[BigBlue1]

Does your mower sit outside in the elements? Unsure why it would be rusting otherwise. Could explain why the hour meter died too.

 

[Tinhack]

Does your mower sit outside in the elements? Unsure why it would be rusting otherwise. Could explain why the hour meter died too.

Mine sits in a three sided shed. The edges of most of the flat plate metal are flaking the paint off. It comes off in strips. Seems every time I look at it, there's strip hanging somewhere. Whether it's paint or powder coat, it wasn't done right.

Mine also developed a trans oil leak. After checking it out, it had a bolt broken off in the case. This had to come from the factory. I removed the hydro and did the welded nut process on it. It was good after replacing the bolt.

My hour meter still works. I've left it out to cool off so I could wash it and it got rained on. That's happened a couple of times this year already.

 

[Cycledude]

Driving around the country Bad Boy equipment does seem to be pretty popular and I always liked the stuff when just looking at it, never operated any Bad Boy equipment but after reading this thread I would be very careful about buy anything from Bad Boy.