bought a new z-turn mower

RollingsFarms · Apr 6, 2010

I decided it was time for me and my 3yr old John Deere z225 to part ways. After replacing the battery 3 times in 3 years, among some other things, enough was enough. no more "price fighter" homeowner mowers for this guy! i made my mind up that i was going to buy a commercial grade z-turn mower. i was interested in something between 48-54" cutting width with a Kawasaki engine. i looked at 3 major brands that were closest to me, Hustler, Exmark, and John Deere.

Hustler- very nice salesman, he was the owner acctually. i liked the Super Z i sat on, really comfortable seat and controls were laid out nicely. it had a 54" deck and 19hp Kawasaki engine. so far so good. it was an 09 model and on sale for $6,900. he instantly knocked off $500 because he said he had to move it before taxes came up on it next month. to make things better he said he would sell me a "super duty Z" with same size deck and 25hp Kohler engine for $10 more. i liked the Super Z better though. the only thing that made me not choose the Hustler was i only was offered $400 for my 3 year old mower which only had 18hrs on it. second thing that did it in for me was who Hustler used for financing. GE and some other place that started with an S? in not so many words he told me you had to have immaculate credit to be financed with the company whos name began with an S and GE's rates were not competitive(5.9% for 36 mo).

Exmark- looked at 2 different models here. one had a 48" deck and 20hp Kawasaki engine and the other was 54" and same engine i believe. both comfort and control layout was equal in my opinion with the Hustler and Exmark. Exmark was a little pricey, $7,000 for 48" deck and $7,500 with 54" deck. You could get them both with a Kholer engine if preferred and add $700-800 to the price. that's ok, i didn't want a Kohler anyways. problem here is they go through the same company for credit as Hustler did. trade-in price was a joke also($500).

John Deere- last stop was to the Deere dealership where i bought my tractor from and lawn mower i was looking to replace. the salesman knows me very well. i looked at Deere's new model of commercial mowers and fell in love with a 910A. nice seat! i wish they had this seat on the tractors! also had a 54' deck with 22hp Kawasaki engine. $7,200 plus he gave me $1,500 for my mower. final price of $5,750. told him let's sign some papers. did the credit thing and got 1.9 for 36 mo. now i'm not going to kid myself and think the Deere is on par with Hustler or Exmark in the commercial mowing business, but after asking some guys who run lawn businesses for a living they all told me Deere made leaps and bounds improvments with the 900 series over the previous 800 series. for what i'll be using it for it should last me a long long time. that and the other thing that sealed the deal was i can keep my Ready To Mow home service plan where they come to your house to service your mower and tractor. some think it's expensinve but when you sit down and do the math you acctually save money with it.

All in all i'm happy with my purchase. haven't got the new mower yet, but will let you know how it does when i cut with it tomorrow. hopefully this review will help someone else who's looking at these 3 brands.

magicheater · Apr 6, 2010

Good for you!:thumbsup: I have a Hustler but not fond of their bagging system. What is yours like? Ya gotta like what you're sitting on and sounds like you do. Way better and more fun than mowing with a tractor! Did I just say that!:laughing:

passgas55 · Apr 6, 2010

What problems were you having with your ez225 besides the battery? I am looking at a ez 445 48" but what is holding me back is the deck. I was thinking of a 510A but it has a Kohler motor, I taking it is a Command and hope it is not the Courage model. May have to see what kind of a deal I can get on a 900 series.

RollingsFarms · Apr 6, 2010

passgas55 said:
What problems were you having with your ez225 besides the battery? I am looking at a ez 445 48" but what is holding me back is the deck. I was thinking of a 510A but it has a Kohler motor, I taking it is a Command and hope it is not the Courage model. May have to see what kind of a deal I can get on a 900 series.

it was mostly blades not cutting evenly at times, not always a perfect cut, rough ride due to small rear tires, seemed like i was having to buy a battery every year for it. just got tired of that. good homeowner mower though, best mower i've ever had but take that as you wish cause i've had some dud's in my time. i had just made up my mind that it was time to buy a mower, and i mean a REAL mower, not something i'd have to fool around with in 2 or 3 years and every year after that. price was a factor, but was not the be all end all of my decision. financing rates, and trade-in is what seperated Deere from the other two. truth be told, if everything was equal or at least close to equal i would have gone with Hustler or Exmark. from what i've been told by the guys who cut grass for a living, these new 900 series are leaps and bounds better then the old 800 series that Deere had so many problems with. they're really trying to get them out there because they are pushing demos for a week, and prices are VERY competitive. like i said $7,200 is the price i was given for a brand spanking new 2010 JD 910A 22hp kawasaki 54" deck. basically for $2k more, you get a commercial mower over an Estate mower(510A) and 445(homeowners edition). like a guy told me that cuts grass for a living. he said "well it depends, you want it to last you 2 years or 10?". that was all the convincing i needed to go commercial. that and he said that people kill for commercial mowers owned by residential users. most commercial mowers are worn out when they come up for sale but every now and then you come accross a good clean one at the right price. i'll get my money back out of this one down the road, i have no doubts about that.

z man · Apr 7, 2010

I have the Hustler Super z with 31hp kaw. I more hP you can afford, the better. I know what I have is a overkill but this machine is alsome. No matter what you get, as them if you can demo it. The Hustler is by far the most comfortable and smoothes to drive.
Happy hunting!

RollingsFarms · Apr 7, 2010

i looked at a Super Z with 54" deck and 19hp Kawasaki. really liked the mower! would have bought it, or the Exmark, had the financing been better and trade-in a little more. i just couldn't let my 3 yr old Z225 with only 18 hours go for $400-500 when i paid $2,800 for it. if it was on it's last legs, and looked like junk then yeah i could understand that. i understand they have to make money when they resell it, but if i had been offered AT LEAST $1,000 for it, i would have taken that. John Deere was my 3rd favorite out of the 3 i looked at but they offered me $1,500 and i didn't have to beg for that price. i don't mow on any hills, my yard is relativley flat, although a bit uneven, and my grass isn't all that thick so i think i'll be fine with the 22hp Kawasaki. maybe the next time i have to buy a mower i'll get to own a Scag, Hustler, or Exmark:thumbsup: hope that isn't anytime soon though, i'm tired of buying lawn mowers ever couple of years!

franklinute · Apr 11, 2010

About a month ago I bought a used Hustler Super Z with 60" deck and the Kohler 27hp engine. I really like it because it provides a good cut and it is fast sometimes too fast. I have two teenage boys to keep busy and they enjoy mowing. We have a big yard to mow plus have picked up a few paying customers. This used mower just kind of fell into our lap. A couple at our church was moving and asked me if I needed a mower. I am generally leary of used equipment but this mower showed 140 hours and we have been well pleased.

FlaDon · Apr 11, 2010

18 hours in 3 yrs. :laughing: That right there will kill the bettery. In 5 months I put 60 hours on one and only homeowner use. Replacing a battery yearly isn't out of the ordinary. That's why some makes only give you a 6 month warranty.

IXLR8 · Apr 11, 2010

The new 900 series are much better than the 800 series. I have the older 727 with the 7-Iron 54" deck, 23 hp Kawi. I like the unit, it was scary fast at first, it is my first ZTR, by the end of my first year... I wish it was faster. For some of my hills I wish it had more power. I have to slow down or I put too much load on the engine which slows it down and the cut suffers. I don't have a bagger for it, but others who do say the unit is a bit underpowered to drive the JD bagger and if you are serious about bagging, it would be best to get one of the aftermarket self powered baggers. I don't know if your 910 would have those issues or not, just be aware it might.