Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR's again.

cphilip · Jun 1, 2005

Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

Hey folks. Been doing a lot of reading here. Got a good baseline of information from here. So thanks for that.

My story?

Well.... my dear beloved Snapper LT is about on its last legs. Over 23 years of faithfull service. Still rock solid body and deck but things are just starting to nickle and dime me to death now.

So my search was for a replacement. Here is the line up I went through..

Of course it was Snapper at first. But really that new Scrambler is a joke. A disgrace. The next one up in the homeowner line is quite nice. And acceptable I think. At 4 grand its a bit more than it might should be for what it is though. Stamped deck and all. But not bad. But the Cub Cadet is as decent thickness and all. Both lines actualy. The ZTR and the other homeowner (forget model) both are as good built in most ways it appears to me at least metal thicknesses and all. So its a toss up there.

Then of course I was almost tempted to the dark side yesterday with a VERY good price on a Bob-Cat ZT 218 with a 44" deck and 18HP Kohler. They offered it too me for $5100 and I almost bit it and all. Should have maybe. But for one thing its too darn big. Let me explain....

I have about 1/2 Acre to mow. A few slopes and all. An old terrace thats been flattened out is what it is. Some rough spots but mostly open and some shrubs and trees to do. 80% flat and nothing terrible bad. takes me about an hour with the Snapper LT16 with a 41" deck. So really something in the 36 to 44 inch range is best for me. Because of this one slope and all and the small size. But I am like most of you and want bang for buck and beefy metal.

So what am I ending up with.... well.... looks like a Hustler Mini FasTrak. I am totaly impressed with these little beasts. And the prices are very in the budget. I got a quote of $2999 for the 36" deck with Kohler 15 and $3415 witht the 42" and Kohler 17. I am undecided on which would work best. Bigger is always better but in some cases not. I got one little area in this slope that I dig in some with the current mower at 41 and with the yard being not that big I figure I might just be as well if not better off with the 36" and the $400 in my pocket.

I drove one today. At a local dealer. Smoooooth. Spring seat too. But I am now negotiating with him on the price. He wanted to quote me MSRP but the "real guy" that can dicker on that was not there today. So tomorrow we talk again. The dealer that gave me the best price is 80 miles away. But he came off big time just right off the bat. So I might be driving... Would rather do business in town but not going to do it at the cost of 500 bucks difference. Hopefully the "real guy" can get closer. Otherwise I hook up the trailer and drive.

But anyway just wanted to thank all of you for your candid posts and in leaning me in the right direction. If you have not looked at these Hustler Mini fast Tracks... and you are looking for a small but built as beefy as a commercial (other than they have GZT drives and no hour meter) you cannot find a closer match than these. Side by side they are indeed impressive little beasts. And priced right in there with any lesser home model. They are definately more machine than the Snappers and Cub cadets by a good margin. Go look.

theplayer · Jun 1, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

Those prices are better than MSRP

Mini FasTrak, 15HP Kohler / 36" FST15KOH36A (927343) $3,495
Mini FasTrak, 17HP Kohler / 42" FST17KOH42A (927350) $3,795

cphilip · Jun 1, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

( Those prices are better than MSRP

Mini FasTrak, 15HP Kohler / 36" FST15KOH36A (927343) $3,495
Mini FasTrak, 17HP Kohler / 42" FST17KOH42A (927350) $3,795 )

Indeed. And I know it. So I am leaving in the morning to go get it. I called and confirmed it this late afternoon. In stock and price. So I cannot pass it up. Thats $500 under MSRP. Cannot think to do better than that. Worth the 77 mile trip I figure. He quoted me $3415 on the 42 inch with the 17 Kohler. But not certain he has that one in stock. But he does have the one I was after and have test ridden. The 36" with 15 Kohler. So I am going to make the ride. Wish me luck. Unless someone bought it out from under me I got it.

wushaw · Jun 1, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

Buy the 42" model yo won't regret it, I have the 36" Hustler and wished after the fact I should have opted for the 42" model.
The left hand side of the deck sticks out a little farther than the 36" model and it's better for trimming, also watch out for the discharge chute, it is made of metal and will bend not just fold out of the way.
Other than the discharge chute need to be made of plyable plastic it has been a good little machine since mid April.

theplayer · Jun 1, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

Yes....I bought a Ferris 1500 and it has a rubber discharge chute...VERY FORGIVING /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Moon · Jun 2, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

just curious, is the hustler made by husqvarna? I saw husqvarnas when I shopped for ZTR last year, but I did not see a hustler.

moss2940 · Jun 2, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

Based on my recent experience with Hustler I am very happy with mine.
I would say get the 42". I think you will find less weedeating time with the 42" since it has more overhang. The whole point to one is to save time spent mowing.

Nasty135 · Jun 2, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

Moon, No I think Hustler is its own brand, Actually a good bit better than the Husqvarna /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif IMO

cphilip · Jun 2, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

Yes. Hustler is its own brand.

A bit from my research.

Hesston Industries, who used to make Combines and Tractor Cabs is where Hustler came from. Became Excel Industries later but still operate out of Hesston. They made the very first ZT mower back in 1964 and marketed it to the home market for a while. I don't think they ever took off in that market. But they then got realy big in the Goverment contract mower market selling to Highway Depts and such. Mostly kept to that market until recently. And realizing they had let everyone else slip by them in the Landscaping and home market they decided to re-enter it. With the FasTrak and now a Mini Fas Track plus pushing out to develope a dealer network in the Landscaping and home markets. And they have come on like a storm. No one offers as well built a unit in the Mini ZTR than this. These guys been making em for 40 years.

I just got back. By the way the real final price was $2995.00. I did end up with the 36". Yea I know... regret is something I do with everything so why not this? I do have some realy tight places mostly front yard and overall I would guess its going to be an advantage in some places and a disadvantage in others. But somewhat driving me to keep there was.... Availabiliy... he had the 36" and Price.... he came off MSRP $500 on that one and only 300 on the 42". So I live with it. Hey.... why not one of both! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Anyway I cannot say enough good about this dealer. VERY nice fella. Very honest and his shop is neat as a pin. He is knowledgable. Small place outside of a small town. House right next to the shop. He says he sells a slew of Hustler mowers. He is a Exmark dealer but now he says Hustler is about to take over. Everyone he sold Exmarks to are coming back and buying Hustler. He claims its better. And of course cheaper. He says he will beat anyones price. And he claims I am not the only one to come from afar to buy.

If you are in the Upstate SC area or so.... you should check this guy out. Mr King.

http://www.exmarkdealers.com/clinton/default.asp?ID=118&PageData=152250&P=1

Does this BBS version allow image display? Lets see....

cphilip · Jun 4, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

Well after about 2 1/2 hours of seat time I can tell ya.... this thing mows! dam nice too. I getting pretty good at it now. But you have to completely rethink your approach to mowing with these things.

Some Newbie observations:

No more wasted turn time. No more thinking in circulars and endless time mowing wasted space to come back around to get on line. You can actualy cut back and forth on the same line. You have to rethink entirely your layout. Just when you got a method to the madness.... its all different! hehe...

Infinate speed control. No more adjusting throttle to slow up and speed up... This might be the best unmentioned feature of a Hydro drive.

You have to slow down when making a turn as what happens is you turn so fast you leave a sliver of uncut grass where you thought you were going to turn over. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

No more constant pressure applied to the steering wheel on a slope to keep a straight line. Indeed you do it with some slight lever offset. But its allmost effortless.

I can truely see the savings in time around trees and stuff is parly in the not needing to stop, put it in reverse, start forward... back up again.. do it all over again. Its all eliminated.

This little thing is a beast. My only regret is not getting one sooner. I am liking this little 36". I found several spots nothing bigger would go between and I used to weedeat but now can get into. And it barely clears my storage door with the chute down. Although I put it up. I got like 4" clear on each side then. Used to barely make it with the 41" snapper LT deck. Scraped it often. And thats without a side chute on. I feared anything bigger was going to be a problem there. Not really missing the extra few inches. Just having to recalibrate my brain for the overlap. And in fact finding the smaller deck is getting in places nothing else would. I guess everyone has to really think about their situation. And get the best compromise.

I cannot really estimate my time savings yet because I am such a rookie on it. But its noticable already. I did my yard at a high setting, then the father in laws side yard at high. Then went back and redid them both at 1 1/2" and estimate it was about 30-40% faster than we used to do em in. And not to mention how do you measure the "less string time".

All and all I am well pleased with no regrets. Thing runs like a champ.

wushaw · Jun 4, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

These ZTRs bring the fun back to mowing and make more time for other things...like more cold beer /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
I put a screen door type handle on my discharge chute so I can lift it when needed without turning off the deck.

HP_guy · Jun 28, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

Guys, I am new to the ZTR field, but I have been warned about some smaller ZTR's not being able to handle inclines in my yard. These are not steep slopes, so I am not too concerned. I was told this is attributed to the weight (or lack of) for the ZTR's as compared to a larger Lawn Tractor. Can anyone comment on this with the mini-fastrak's. I am considering the 42" model. Thanks. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Kyle_in_Tex · Jun 28, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

( These ZTRs bring the fun back to mowing and make more time for other things...like more cold beer )

How do you ZTR guys hold a beer while you cut???

(I have seen the joystick models so I know how you guys do it)

Spiffy · Jun 29, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

How do you ZTR guys hold a beer while you cut???


It's a bit of a learning curve, but you can control both sticks with one hand fairly well once you get the hang of it. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Spiffy · Jun 29, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

If mowing across a slope, a midmount's front end can be drawn into the slope regardless of size or weight, but since you have independant rear control it's still not bad.

I haven't noticed any trouble going up and down, but on a 1050lb machine, it doesn't really answer your question.

I would say that if you have quite a few obstacles, you'll have so many positives to the ZTR, that a new mowing strategy on your slopes will seem meaningless as in painless not unimportant.

Should ask though, how much yard do you have? Also, since you talk about "yard" instead of "lawn"; you'll find all sorts of areas you just didn't think were that aggresive while creeping along on a LT. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Will the dealer let you test one?

 edit

Nasty135 · Jun 29, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

HP, I have found that when traversing a slope it is impossible to turn up hill , down hill is fine but up hill you have to stop and start a backward movement while making a twist toward up hill then go forward up the hill (slope).

When going straight across a slope you will actually be driving with the down hill wheel , the up hill wheel will have to be driven at a slower speed to keep on your line. I have actually stopped the high side wheel on a slope and when this happens it actually takes a more direct down hill track(due to traction loss), so when you want to maintain a line you must always (on a slope) keep the high side wheel turning just to maintain traction for some sort of managable line . Doing this I find you can manage to go toward an up hill line if neccessary .

Now all this info has been MY experience with my Lesco/Cubcadet (tank) 60" ZTR that weighs in at 1050 lbs.
"your mileage may vary" /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

rfawkes · Jun 29, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

My Swisher 50 inch cut 22 HP Briggs and Stratton ZTR cuts up hill and down on my 8 1/2 acres, and it costs under $3000. Check out their website. Residential mowers work just fine, you certainly don't need a professional mower on less than an acre. You are throwing away your money.

MrCJ · Jun 29, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

Tire size is something you may want to look into. Depending on the amount of area and slope you have this can be a very important factor. I have 4+ acres and only moderate slopes, but couldn't keep a Woods Mow'n'machine on the hills. It was a front mount deck and had 21" drive tires. Any moisture and it would sit and spin. I just purchased an eXmark Lazer XS gas 31hp with 60" deck. It has 26" drive tires and is a mid mount design. I can't believe the difference!
I have not had any issues with traction even in a rain storm. I was cutting my father in laws 10 acres between (and in) rain showers. The field area was around 6" high and this thing never bogged down, grunted, or slipped.
Most important was the time savings over a conventional tractor. More time for some frosty cold ones!
This unit also has a full suspension seat, available hopper style grass catcher, and standard ROPS.
They make smaller models, but I question if I shouldn't have bought the 72" deck????? Only $300 more with initial purchase.
Just my 2 cents worth.

Moon · Jun 30, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

Like MrCJ, I have a commercial model ZTR. Scag Wildcat 27hp w/61" deck. It has rather large tires (but I don't know the size offhand). It can do circles on my slopes with no problems. I have a pine or two on one slope in particular, I do a circle around it every time I mow. So my hills / slopes have not been an issue.
One spot in particular I used to have to put my Kubota in 4wd to get up the hill, the ZTR climbs it with ease. It must be the weight difference (1100 vs 4500) and the Kubota was pulling a 6' RFM.
Since all slopes are different, you might try to get a on site demo of whichever ZTR's your interested in buying.

cphilip · Jun 30, 2005

Re: Be gentle... its my first time.... ZTR\'s again.

( Guys, I am new to the ZTR field, but I have been warned about some smaller ZTR's not being able to handle inclines in my yard. These are not steep slopes, so I am not too concerned. I was told this is attributed to the weight (or lack of) for the ZTR's as compared to a larger Lawn Tractor. Can anyone comment on this with the mini-fastrak's. I am considering the 42" model. Thanks. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif )

I got slopes. Some fairly good ones. And like the guys have said... you relearn your whole approach. And manage them differently. But I am not having any difficulty with this machine doing them. Its not all that light if you look into it. Not as heavy overall as a commercial one but all things are relative are they not? Size of tires verses weight on them I would suspect is similar in ratio. Not that I can say with any certainty that it makes any real difference. Sure I have spun in wet grass making a fast 180 turn. But ya can slow down if you want too and the conditions are unfavorable for cutting and you just have to for a spin. Or you can cut downhill because you can now care less what line you take because you have the quck manuverability you didn't have before. And still end up cutting in less time.

The size of the machine is predicated more on what size of lawn and howm many obsticles and how wide those are. Not anything else. I tell ya what.... ask your dealer why there would even be a smaller unit if this was so? I can tell you that "some" of these smaller units will be in the hands of a few Professionals for those tight small inner city lawns were they cannot get their big rig into. Like places with 40 or so inch clearances and such. I would predict a big service might even have one for those situations whereas he might give up his other walk behinds if he had one. And there are several out there that are built to the beefyness and thickness of their bigger Cousins the commercial models. Just downsized. The Mini, in my opinion, is just that. A scaled down version. And its just one option that I know of. Its the one I chose for my yard. I have a large back with some slopes.... and a tight small obsticle course front yard. Not much more than 40" will get me around every nook and cranny. So I was sort of having to compromise on deck size to do it all. I am still happy with my choice. Obviously it would be better to have a nice big 50" Ferris to cut the back... and the Mini 36" for the front. But who can afford that. I am cutting a half acre in an hour as it is. And another small yard next to me and my hour meter is at 1.4 hours. Probably a tad over 3/4 acres with numerous obsticles (Dam trees and wifes concrete animal fetish!) Used to take me almost 3 hours with the 41" Snapper tractor. And as I get pretty good around trees I am doing less string trimming. And so.... I can live with what I had to chose to deal with this.