Buying a ZTR, what should I look for, or avoid?

[big bubba]

no mention of Kohler here, never owned that engine, but was highly unimpressed with my neighbor's one on a Bad Boy. poor air filter design. i have both intek & kawi twin, both have been excelent

 

[WinterDeere]

no mention of Kohler here, never owned that engine, but was highly unimpressed with my neighbor's one on a Bad Boy. poor air filter design. i have both intek & kawi twin, both have been excelent

I've owned a few Kohler engines, but all K301's and the like built in the 1960's, so probably not very relevant to anything modern wearing that badge. The old ones were actually respectiable little engines, in so far as 1960's homeowner grade equipment goes, but I wouldn't take one over a modern V-twin.

 

[mjonesnh]

no mention of Kohler here, never owned that engine, but was highly unimpressed with my neighbor's one on a Bad Boy. poor air filter design. i have both intek & kawi twin, both have been excelent

Have a 2005 Cub Cadet ZTR with a 23hp Kohler Command engine. Replaced coils 5-6 years ago as only repair. 686 hours and very dependable

 

[MMC]

I've owned a few Kohler engines, but all K301's and the like built in the 1960's, so probably not very relevant to anything modern wearing that badge. The old ones were actually respectiable little engines, in so far as 1960's homeowner grade equipment goes, but I wouldn't take one over a modern V-twin.

The old cast iron Kohlers were capable and dependable engines. I have a 1969 John Deere 140 with a 14HP Kohler K321 in it. Has a hydrostatic in it the size of a 1958 Buick automatic LOL, independent brakes, and a real hydraulic system for attachments. Bought it worn out from a school and put a new short block in it in 1986 and then mowed with it for many years...really hard to bog that thing down. Still get it out occasionally to mow with or to pull a spray trailer. But those engines are long since gone and probably just too expensive to produce today.

 

[jk96]

sounds like you done right. as a footnote that seems obvious but will say anyway: within a manufacturer, there are both consumer (box store quality) all the way up to heavy duty commercial grade models.,

mention this as a friend has a lower end Hustler (raptor i believe) that has been one headache after another incl replacing pumps. highly suggest going upper tier on any manufacturer.
many of the upper end models use Parker pumps, & Hydro Gear motors

In addition to build quality there can be a big difference in mowing speed between the homeowner and commercial versions as well. Currently have a 72" exmark but a couple of years back I had a 60" exmark lazer z x series and dad had the homeowner pioneer exmark model in 60". I had to borrow his once when I damaged a spindle. I mow 6 acres and his mowed great but was painfully slow.

 

[bcp]

What I've learned about mowers is to start mowing around the house with a gas or electric push mower. Stop after one hour. That is the maximum size of your yard. From then on, mow your yard with whatever you want. All the rest is a field for the tractor/cutter to cut a couple of times a year.

Don't be a slave to your lawn.



Bruce

 

[big bubba]

Have a 2005 Cub Cadet ZTR with a 23hp Kohler Command engine. Replaced coils 5-6 years ago as only repair. 686 hours and very dependable

glad to hear....never owned a Kohler, the one i mentioned was on a lower end Bad Boy. goes to show quality difference between upper & lower ends of a given manu can differ. regards.

 

[WinterDeere]

What I've learned about mowers is to start mowing around the house with a gas or electric push mower. Stop after one hour. That is the maximum size of your yard. From then on, mow your yard with whatever you want. All the rest is a field for the tractor/cutter to cut a couple of times a year.

Don't be a slave to your lawn.



Bruce

... and with that bit of humor, I'm out to finish moving the the last of the 24 yards of mulch I had delivered.

Mowing is actually the easy / fun part of the property care package. Weeding gardens and trimming shrubs is the part I hate, so I hire that out after the initial spring cleaning and mulch are done.

 

[Bocephous]

Without reading all the posts, and having my Hustler Fastrak SD for 13 mowing seasons now, mowing about 2-3 acres weekly on semi-rough terrain, I'd look for 4 things if I had to replace it:

1. A Kawasaki FX motor. It has been trouble free and is easy to maintain.

2. Hydrogear transaxles. Mine has 3100 transaxles and has been trouble free. The dealer services them every other year.

3. Some kind of suspension. My Fastrak has Hustler's flex forks, and I installed a suspension seat base. This helped a lot and was worth the $150 I spent on it at the time.

4. Quality product from a knowledgeable dealer. No off brands, no box stores. My dealer is a husband/wife/son operation and all work is performed by them. They don't sell garbage and the owner/son are first rate mechanics.

 

[arrow]

no mention of Kohler here, never owned that engine, but was highly unimpressed with my neighbor's one on a Bad Boy. poor air filter design. i have both intek & kawi twin, both have been excel

Kohler is getting out of engines. As they should.
Have been nothing but headaches for the last 5 or 6 yrs.
They went the way of the Subaru/Robin debacle.