Buying Advice Commercial 60" cut mower

[Piperflyer]

From your experiance what's the best commercial mower out there right now. Looking for cost and durability. I need something that I'm not working on every other day.

 

[fredhargis]

I'll offer my opinion....I would pick a Ferris. If I had to cut a large yard and money was unlimited, it would be one with the Cat diesel ($15K at my local dealer). Second place might be a Dixie Chopper. Having just spent several days driving around looking at all levels and makes of mowers, the Ferris was the most impressive. I didn't need a commercial mower, and money was a factor; so I wound up with a residential model. That said, I expect all the commercial models are top notch, and it may boil down to personal preferences.

 

[smstonypoint]

I expect all the commercial models are top notch, and it may boil down to personal preferences.

I agree with Fred on this point. I would add that the dealer is important in my book. One way to evaluate dealer support is to keep an eye out for the mower brands that professionals are using in your area. The pros are unlikely to be using brands that do not have good dealer support.

Steve

 

[kub32guy]

I was looking at ZT reviews a couple of days ago on ******************** they had several reviews of the big names (ferris, scag, dixie chopper, kubota).
It would be a good place to see other's experiences good and bad.
Good luck with your search.

 

[kub32guy]

Sorry about that I guess I can't put that site name here.OOps

 

[CBJHSN2006]

We have a Kubota ZD326 with the 60" welded deck and 26 hp diesel motor and love it so far. So I would definitely look at Kubota hard if I were buying another zero turn mower.

 

[LHS Inc]

I have a Kubota ZD-28 60" cut that has about 1300 hrs on it. Other than the right hydro blowing out its been a good mower. The blowout was due to a defect. Kubota came up with a solution and fixed it and I haven't had a problem since. Nice diesel engine, plenty of power. They will be my first stop when I get another mower but I will look at JD also. When I got my ZD it was about 2500 bucks cheaper than a JD and that certainly helped me in my decision, don't know if that is still the case.

The dealer is in the area where I operate my lawn care business so that made a big difference. Its paid off many times when I needed some service and got taken care of without much downtime. A good dealer close to home can be just as important as the brand you choose.

By the way my ZD is about 7 yrs old so don't confuse the problem I had with the newer models.

 

[Carl_NH]

Kubota make an excellent ZTR especially if you want a diesel and Kubota content of the mowers is high (hydros, lift, engines). All the commercial machines are good and will provide a long life span if given normal maintenance.

It depends on your situation - residential or commercial, rough or smooth lawn, amount of obstacles/trees/shrubs to deal with etc.

I ended up with a Ferris IS2000 52" 25HP Kawasaki, full suspension as our ground is rough and it rides really nice. The other factor was cost, as I got an 09 leftover $7K vs $10-12K for the Kubota diesel - I dont put more than 40 hrs a year on the machine, so 20 years or 800 hrs the ROI for $3-4K more wasnt there for me. Now if you run it 40 hrs a week, thats an entrirely different equation for a diesel as you will save a fair amount on fuel alone it will jsuttify the cost difference.

There are lots of choices out there, Scag, Exmark, and more..

Good luck in your search,

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

bottom line is that there is not much different from one ZTR to the next, they all outsource most of their mowers to other companies. Kohler/KAW engines, hydrogear pumps, etc. The exception is Kubota who builds their own trans which has alot less wear parts. Over 4-5 years they are all great, beyond this is where Kubota starts to shine. I also sell Ferris, Grasshopper, Woods, Bush Hog, Cub Cadet, etc. Ferris is my 2nd pick... great mowers and considerably less expensive.