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

[wolc123]

We purchased a Husqvarna MZ54 last year. Lowes had one leftover that I got for about $2000 cheaper than a new one. Plus it had a full warranty and a new battery.
The reason I got this model was a friend of mine had the same mower for years and his sons did lawn care after school and summers to earn money. I asked him how often he serviced the hydros. To which he in all seriousness asked They can be serviced.
I took that to be a statement of how well they would hold up.
I took the money I saved and did some upgrades.
Vevor seat suspension
Bagger
Better tires
Air cleaner was free just had to make the mount and put a Uni in place of the cap.
Lights and switches.
Forgive the dirt and dust and the cats.

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That looks just like the one my dad had for about (5) years. My parents lawn is about 4 acres, and very flat. It worked very good until last season, when it wouldn’t start. It turned out that a plug under the switch had worked loose.

Getting it going involved taking out the (4) screws that hold the panel in, lifting that up (wasn’t real easy to do that) and pushing the plug back in. It loosened up several more times last season. I tried wrapping it with electric tape which helped a little, but it still didn’t start on occasion. We discovered that tapping the panel with a rubber mallet would get it to start if there was a “no go”, so he kept that mallet on it and used it for most starts last season.

He got a little too feeble to easily get on and off this year, so I took over the mowing duty. I did the spring service on it, installing new filters and oil change on the Kohler engine.

On my first cut, the grass had got quite high and a spring came off of the deck when I bogged down in a real thick spot. Fortunately, I found it, reinstalled and finished the cut. I had also needed the rubber mallet to get it to go.

On my second cut this spring, the motor started but the pto would not engage. I cut an acre, close to the house, with my old wheelhorse gear drive 12 hp lawn tractor, that I had given my dad to pull his roller, a few years ago. Cutting with that takes a long time, which I didn’t have working a full time job and having a big lawn of my own to take care of about 20 miles from my parents.

The following week, dreading cutting my patent’s whole 4 acres with the old wheelhorse (the back 3 acres now about a foot tall), I walked to the dealer across the street and traded the non-spinning mower blade MZ in on a new z-454 commercial model.

That thing has been working great, after 4 or 5 more cuts. It did bog down a little on the first one, chopping that foot tall grass down to 2” in a single cut. I went slow and got it done. I learned that it handles the real tall stuff much better if done in stages, starting with a max height (4-1/2”) cut. I did a little spot on the neighbors with it last time, that was 2-3 ft tall and hadn’t been cut yet this year.

Mowing with that new Husqvarna is so much fun, that I really look forward to the job every week. I’ve thought about getting the suspension seat for it, but that would just make me do the job faster, cutting down on my “fun time”.

Good luck with your MZ. How big of lawn are you cutting with it ?

 

[Alan W.]

That looks just like the one my dad had for about (5) years. My parents lawn is about 4 acres, and very flat. It worked very good until last season, when it wouldn’t start. It turned out that a plug under the switch had worked loose.

Getting it going involved taking out the (4) screws that hold the panel in, lifting that up (wasn’t real easy to do that) and pushing the plug back in. It loosened up several more times last season. I tried wrapping it with electric tape which helped a little, but it still didn’t start on occasion. We discovered that tapping the panel with a rubber mallet would get it to start if there was a “no go”, so he kept that mallet on it and used it for most starts last season.

He got a little too feeble to easily get on and off this year, so I took over the mowing duty. I did the spring service on it, installing new filters and oil change on the Kohler engine.

On my first cut, the grass had got quite high and a spring came off of the deck when I bogged down in a real thick spot. Fortunately, I found it, reinstalled and finished the cut. I had also needed the rubber mallet to get it to go.

On my second cut this spring, the motor started but the pto would not engage. I cut an acre, close to the house, with my old wheelhorse gear drive 12 hp lawn tractor, that I had given my dad to pull his roller, a few years ago. Cutting with that takes a long time, which I didn’t have working a full time job and having a big lawn of my own to take care of about 20 miles from my parents.

The following week, dreading cutting my patent’s whole 4 acres with the old wheelhorse (the back 3 acres now about a foot tall), I walked to the dealer across the street and traded the non-spinning mower blade MZ in on a new z-454 commercial model.

That thing has been working great, after 4 or 5 more cuts. It did bog down a little on the first one, chopping that foot tall grass down to 2” in a single cut. I went slow and got it done. I learned that it handles the real tall stuff much better if done in stages, starting with a max height (4-1/2”) cut. I did a little spot on the neighbors with it last time, that was 2-3 ft tall and hadn’t been cut yet this year.

Mowing with that new Husqvarna is so much fun, that I really look forward to the job every week. I’ve thought about getting the suspension seat for it, but that would just make me do the job faster, cutting down on my “fun time”.

Good luck with your MZ. How big of lawn are you cutting with it ?

I cut about 2 1/2 acres counting both locations.
Mine has the Kawasaki engine.

 

[WinterDeere]

On my first cut, the grass had got quite high and a spring came off of the deck when I bogged down in a real thick spot. Fortunately, I found it, reinstalled and finished the cut.

Those things can really go quite a distance, and be awfully hard to find, when they do! I had the idler tension spring pop off my Deere deck once, and the damn thing must have gone close to 80 feet before the grass slowed it to a stop. Given I didn’t see it fly, I had no idea even which direction to start hunting.

 

[wolc123]

Those things can really go quite a distance, and be awfully hard to find, when they do! I had the idler tension spring pop off my Deere deck once, and the damn thing must have gone close to 80 feet before the grass slowed it to a stop. Given I didn’t see it fly, I had no idea even which direction to start hunting.

I was lucky that time. When the blades stopped turning, I pulled it into my dad’s barn, thinking I’d need his backup mower (wheelhouse gear drive 48” cut lawn tractor). When I noted the missing spring on the Husqvarna zero turn deck, I walked back to where it bogged down and it was laying right there.

I was able to put it back on and finish the last acre with it. The next time I went to use it though, I could not get the pto to engage at all. The dealer thought it would probably need a new clutch. I think it’s more likely some other electrical mishap, caused by all the hammer pounding of the switch panel, that was needed so often to get the motor to crank.

Not my problem anymore, since the trade for the new z-454 commercial model. I’ll have to follow up with the dealer and see what he needed to do to fix it. Naturally, this tune if year he is swamped, so no idea when he will have time to get to it.

 

[WinterDeere]

The next time I went to use it though, I could not get the pto to engage at all. The dealer thought it would probably need a new clutch.

One of the peculiarities of the Kawasaki V-twin used on most ZTR's, and maybe the Briggs is similar, is that the muffler is right next to the clutch. Even more importantly, the welds between the muffler and the mounting bracket thereof, point right at the clutch.

Of course, when a muffler fails, it's usually right at these welds, sometimes directing hot exhaust gas right at the clutch. And it's not always obvious, since these machines are so damn noisy anyway, and a small leaky break in the weld might only be detected when running the machine in the dark.

I actually had this happen to me, I inherited my ZTR with the house when it was about 4 years old, and went thru about 3 clutches in the first five or six years before finding the reason why.

 

[big bubba]

The 3 foot walk behind mower is going by the way of the dinosaur.
We stopped selling those two years ago.
I don’t even know if anybody makes them anymore with maybe the exception of cub cadet.
If you like yours, best keep it.

this zero turn works great on pond dams, my ztr rider would be useless.

» Hydro Drive Walk-Behind Mowers

encoreequipment.com

 

[wolc123]

One of the peculiarities of the Kawasaki V-twin used on most ZTR's, and maybe the Briggs is similar, is that the muffler is right next to the clutch. Even more importantly, the welds between the muffler and the mounting bracket thereof, point right at the clutch.

Of course, when a muffler fails, it's usually right at these welds, sometimes directing hot exhaust gas right at the clutch. And it's not always obvious, since these machines are so damn noisy anyway, and a small leaky break in the weld might only be detected when running the machine in the dark.

I actually had this happen to me, I inherited my ZTR with the house when it was about 4 years old, and went thru about 3 clutches in the first five or six years before finding the reason why.

The residential model MZ-454 had a Kohler engine, the new commercial z-454 has the Kawasaki. I am interested to find out if the clutch was bad or not though. Hopefully, I’ll find out before fall.

The dealer told me that parts and labor clutch replacement was about $ 500. The upgrade to the new commercial model was just under $ 5k with trade, including 8 % sales tax.

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

I was a Husqvarna dealer for 12 years, just changed careers a year ago. Trans axles are used in lawn tractors. ZTRs use 2 pump/motor units, at around 1000# a piece, giving you nearly 2000#.
As for the OP, If you went for a Husky, I would say a minimum of a Z4xx series, it is a robust residential unit. If I were doing what you are, I would buy a Walker, hands down.

I've never heard of Walker. At first I thought it would be something you walked behind until I looked it up.

The only disadvantage I see with it is that the dealer is over an hour away - I haven't looked at price.

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

this zero turn works great on pond dams, my ztr rider would be useless.

» Hydro Drive Walk-Behind Mowers

encoreequipment.com

I did a dealer search on this and most shown are service centers with the only dealer showing inventory being and hour and a half away. I bought my Massey because there was a dealer in town - then the JD came in a few years later.

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

I bought a Cub Cadet ZTR1 50 a couple of weeks ago. It lasted for about 90 minutes. The transmisson belt came off and to fix it, the mower has to go to a service center. Needless to say I returned the mower for a refund.

Anything can have infant mortality, but the fact that it requires a service center to reset the belt is a red flag for me.

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

It looks like you have Country Clipper dealers down there. We've had one for several years and have had no problems. I like the one hand joystick steering along with the flip up deck for under deck access.

There are a few dealers around, but the closest one is still and hour and a half away. I'd either have to fall in love with the machine (this has never worked out to my advantage) or get one hell of a good deal (which has some times worked out).

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

not bad, you'll have to scroll through the intro though

The Ferris is intriguing with that front suspension, but if the mower deck doesn't float I could see it scalping the lawn. This is my ignorance talking in that I don't know if these decks float or not.

I like that the Gravely has Parker hydraulics as I've experience with Parker and know hydraulic shops where I can get them serviced.

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

What to watch for:

If buying gasser engines, I'd only go Kawasaki on a commercial ZTR. If it has a Briggs, or any one of the several other brand names Briggs uses (e.g. Intek), I'm not even looking at it. I'm having trouble remembering ever seeing any commercial zero turn wearing anything other than a Kawasaki V-twin, they're damn near obligatory / standard.

Heavy cast front casters are a must for me, those things take a serious beating. I look at the folded flat steel casters featured on many ZTR's, and wonder how they're not constantly flexing and bending.

Look at what your local pro's are running, as that's probably a better indicator than any as to how they do under your local conditions and how well they're supported with locally stocked parts, mechanics, etc. Around here, the pros only run two brands today: Deere and Exmark.

(The local pro's used to run a lot of Scag, as well. But it's probably been 15+ years since I've seen any new Scag mower on a landscaper's trailer. Maybe their local dealer went away?)

What to avoid:

Your biggest problem with any ZTR is grass clogging the hydro pump cooling and the engine cooling. But how good or bad a mower design is in these regards is going to be real tough to assess on a dealer's lot.

Once you pick a brand, model, and deck configuration, start reading the lawnsite forum. Lot's of pro landscapers on that forum, and you can search to see if the configuration you've picked is receiving a lot of posts about trouble. On some models, even pro models, you'll find one specific deck configuration (e.g. 72" mulching) has lots of trouble, while other deck configurations are trouble-free.

Other:

The suspension mowers may be worth checking out, especially if your wife might be using it. I run a Deere 757, and they're known for a particularly stiff frame, it really jostles you around pretty hard. The Exmarks are known for a slightly softer ride, even without suspension, but those newer suspension chassis mowers from Ferris and others must be an even nicer ride. I'd not want to ride my Deere ZTR if I had breasts, I think they'd be bouncing off my knees, the ride on that mower is so damn rough at full speed.

The comments about diesels amuse me. We've run the numbers on this more than once, in fact there was a thread debating this just two weeks ago. There is no way any homeowner mowing their own 5 acres can ever justify the high upfront cost of a diesel. Even the commercial guys have to work hard just to break even on the cost of a diesel vs. gasser, based on fuel cost alone. The advantages of diesel are likely more on the convenience of carrying just one fuel for mowers and tractors, and in engine lifespan for those racking up a thousand hours per year. But for any homeowner doing 100 hours per year, your deck is going to rot out long before you exceed the 2000+ hour lifespan of a Kawi V-twin.

Lots of good advice here. I like the idea of checking of the forums of any model we've come to consider.

I was all about diesel when I was looking at buying our Kawasaki Mule. The dealer was even discounting them at less that the gasoline version. Then I test drove the Mule around their test course, and it was so incredibly loud that I immediately decided against it. I wonder if diesel ZTR's are similar in being noisy buggers?

I keep an 11 gallon gas tank on a pedestal with a hose. This way the wife and kids don't have to lift anything to refuel the gasoline powered vehicles.

I still have 5 gallon cans of diesel I have to lift for the tractor, this shows my position in the pecking order.

 

[Milo]

The Ferris deck follows the wheels up and down.

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

Mowing is actually the easy / fun part of the property care package.

I might have agreed with that if I still lived in Michigan, but Texas in the summer with high humidity sucks all the fun out of the process.

Add to that the long sleeves, slacks and hat the dermatologist says I need to be wearing...

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

The Ferris deck follows the wheels up and down.

That answered my question about whether the deck would float with the front suspension. Thanks.

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

The local dealers carry Cub Cadet, John Deere, Stihl and Gravely. The big box stores are Lowes and Tractor Supply.

Seems a bit weird to quote myself...

In performing the dealer search on the various models I was unaware of, I discovered that my local Massey dealer also handles Ferris.

So far I kind of like what I've seen of them.

Now, off to the forums...

 

[big bubba]

Anything can have infant mortality, but the fact that it requires a service center to reset the belt is a red flag for me.

good point. never had to have my Encore 36" walk behind replaired.
if necessary, have 2 places in my vicinity that repair. the ZTR walk behind is oft overlooked when it comes to mowers, & makes a great companion to the rider ZTR.

what i like about it is that if you're in trouble, just walk away & it shuts down.
not quite so with a rider or tractor....

 

[Duds13]

good point. never had to have my Encore 36" walk behind replaired.
if necessary, have 2 places in my vicinity that repair. the ZTR walk behind is oft overlooked when it comes to mowers, & makes a great companion to the rider ZTR.

what i like about it is that if you're in trouble, just walk away & it shuts down.
not quite so with a rider or tractor....

Very true. I'd recommend a stand on rider that same reason. If you ever got in a hairy situation that was going south, just hop off.

 

[arrow]

Seems a bit weird to quote myself...

In performing the dealer search on the various models I was unaware of, I discovered that my local Massey dealer also handles Ferris.

So far I kind of like what I've seen of them.

Now, off to the forums...

The Stihl is a Ferris