Bad Boy ZT Elite at TSC

spook1 · Mar 21, 2013

Guys I am looking for my first zero turn mower. I mow about 2 acres a week at my house. The problem I have is that there aren't alot of dealers close by as I am in rural southern Ohio. However, there is a Tractor Supply about 35 minutes from me. I was looking at their Bad Boy ZT Elite 60" mower for right at $5,000. The only other thing I have found reasonably close is a John Deere Dealer. The only thing he had used was a 727 for the same price. I was wondering with what I will be mowing, if the Bad Boy ZT Elite would be a good machine. It seems to have good better than average hydraulic pumps. Any advise on this machine, or anything else I should be looking for would be greatly appreciated.

djdicetn · Mar 21, 2013

spook1,
I looked at the Bad Boy Outlaw last fall and was quite impressed with the build. However, I also looked at the base ZT model(in 2012) at TSC and was not quite as impressed(they may have improved on the base ZT for the 2013 ZT Elite model). Looking at the Bad Boy website, it doesn't really specify if the trannies are Hydrogear ZT-2800 or ZT-3100(just that they have a spin-on oil filter). Also, if the ZT Elite at TSC has the Kawasaki engine I would recommend it, but the Kohler Courage has a very bad reputation for design flaws. Not sure about the Briggs & Stratton engine option. Everything else about the Bad Boys seem to indicate that for the money and what you will be mowing this would probably be a very good ZTR for you. Maybe, if the one at TSC has the Kohler, you can ask if they can order you one with the Kawa engine. Hope this helps some.

cletus99 · Mar 21, 2013

I don't have any personal experience with it, but I did a lot of research on the same ZT from TSC last year. I decided to get a tractor instead of a ZT. From everything I could find they seem to be very good mowers. Most of the complaints I found were the tires slipping on hilly terrain. As long as you have flat smooth terrain I believe it will be a good ZT for you. I've seen several lawn care companies around my area using the Bad Boy Mower too. I believe you can take it back if you are not happy with it within a certain time period. So you might want to just give it a try.

spook1 · Mar 21, 2013

Thanks for the replies. The one at TSC does have the 3100 pumps, but it also has the 27hp Kohler Courage motor. So do you think that the motor would be a deal breaker? Like I mentioned, this mower will be strictly for my residential use. I don't want to pay for an all out commercial mower as I don't think I will need one. But, I do want to buy something that will last me many years mowing my few acres.

djdicetn · Mar 21, 2013

spook1 said:
Thanks for the replies. The one at TSC does have the 3100 pumps, but it also has the 27hp Kohler Courage motor. So do you think that the motor would be a deal breaker? Like I mentioned, this mower will be strictly for my residential use. I don't want to pay for an all out commercial mower as I don't think I will need one. But, I do want to buy something that will last me many years mowing my few acres.

spook1,
You may get lucky.....or Kohler may have fixed the design flaw(s). If you search this forum and the sister Lawn Mower Forum(or even Google Kohler Courage) I think you'll find an overwhelming amount of information that would make the Bad Boy purchase a deal breaker due to the engine. Like I said, tell TSC your "fears" and let then deal with their Bad Boy connection to see about a ZT Elite with the Kawasaki engine "order". Can't hurt.
P.S.
It's a shame you are so rural that you don't have a nearby Bad Boy "dealer" which would make the engine selection a lot easier!!! Normally, most of us discourage a purchase from a "big box retailer"(like TSC) who CANNOT service what they sell.....so you may want to ask the TSC salesman "where would I take this mower for Warranty Service????". You may not like his answer;0(

djdicetn · Mar 22, 2013

Just saw my very first Bad Boy TV advertisement last night on CBS during the late 10:00PM news(after the March Madness basketball that ran over). My wife had the remote for the DirecTV DVR and she fast-forwarded through it and got mad when I asked her to back it up:0)
She's still suffering a little "sticker shock" after my buying the Gravely last fall(she got used to me only spending around $2K on the "disposable" lawn tractors I had bought before and didn't completely embrace the expenditure for a Commercial-grade ZTR. I had to convince her it was a "retirement investment" so we would not have a couple of thousand dollars expense after we retire:0)

kubotacres · Mar 23, 2014

Actually the 2014 has the New Kohler 7000 series engines on them and a few updates to the overall mower as well. The 2013 models if you can still find them have the older courage which is why you can get $500 off them from TSC. I'm buying one (from the dealer) tomorrow but I think i'm going to ante up the extra $300 and go with the Kawasaki.