Buying Advice Diesel mower, 60" deck?

[MCHam]

Hi- looking for advice on lawn tractor/mowers to consider. High-level requirements are diesel, and a 60" deck.

Background

• Current owner of Deere X720 Ultimate, used for mowing and snowthrowing
• Have a Kubota RTV-X1100C on order for general land maintenance and snowthrowing (getting the Kubota 66" snowthrower)
• We mow ~7 acres, some hilly, some rough
• Because the Kubota is diesel, considering trading in the X720 for a diesel mower
• Of the Deeres, considering the X750
• The lawn tractor/mower will only be used for mowing: no snowthrowing, no trailer for hauling, no bucket attachment, etc

Other than the Deere X750 what else should I be looking at?

Of Kubota, I was looking at the BX2380 lawn tractor, but not super comfortable that I am looking at the right specific Kubota model. Also interested in specific other makes/models.

thank you

 

[dodge man]

JD, Kubota and several others make diesel zero turns.

 

[MCHam]

Thank you Dave! I have never owned a zero turn, am intrigued, but have read that they might not be the best if I have some hills to contend with (?)

 

[DK35vince]

Thank you Dave! I have never owned a zero turn, am intrigued, but have read that they might not be the best if I have some hills to contend with (?)

Depends on how steep of hills.
Tires also make a huge difference on zero turns.
My hill in the back I had issues mowing much of it and some areas I couldn't mow at all with the stock turfs.
I replaced the crappy stock turfs with bar tires (Carlisle AT 101's)
I can now mow those same hills no problem at all

 

[groundcover]

I run a Kubota diesel zero turn, love it ! Have a few challenging hills but it always do the job.

 

[Ford850]

I have a couple Grasshopper diesel front mount zero turns with 60” decks. They came with bar tires and handle hills great. The suspension seats make a big difference too.

 

[4570Man]

A large ZT with aggressive tires will ride a hill like a boss. A 60”or 72” ZT will mow 7 aces much quicker than a riding mower. I have a 428 Grasshopper with a Kubota diesel and it’s a solid machine that will last a lifetime of homeowner use but personally I’d rather have a Kubota.

 

[Wesdor]

I have an Exmark 60” diesel and love it Deere diesel was much more $$. Kubota also makes a good diesel ZTR

I have hills that I only go UP. with the right tires you might go down safely. Are your hills wide enough to go across them?

You should try a ZTR before purchasing.

 

[MCHam]

Wow- I wasn’t expecting this degree of zero turn enthusiasm- I will attempt to find a way to try one out on similar terrain before deciding!

 

[MCHam]

Are your hills wide enough to go across them?

For the most part, yes; however, I do mow a path on a particularly steep hill that I only feel comfortable going down with my current lawn tractor.

 

[Frankenkubota]

Wow- I wasn’t expecting this degree of zero turn enthusiasm- I will attempt to find a way to try one out on similar terrain before deciding!

I think That's the best idea, borrow one and try it out. I will do that if it ever stops raining. My buddy has a gas powered x mark he swears by.

A new, top of the line diesel zero turn kubota will set you back between $25 and $30K, for a lawn mower.

I'm in the same boat as you re land etc and have been asking questions and looking for months.

Virtually everyone i ask says zero turn.

 

[jaydee325]

MCH,

Since you are considering the Deere X750, consider one of Deere's all wheel steer models like the X754.

 

[chim]

Wow- I wasn稚 expecting this degree of zero turn enthusiasm......................

Yep, it's almost a kind of religion or political type of thing whenever the subject comes up. It can be entertaining to watch (or even participate in)

 

[Xfaxman]

How about a 4 Wheel Drive, 4 Wheel Steer diesel mower that can do more than just mow? Groundsmaster 360 Quad-Steer | Toro

And if you need heat and air conditioning, order it with the All-Season Safety Cab:

If you only need heat, order the Winter Enclosure:

 

[4570Man]

Yep, it's almost a kind of religion or political type of thing whenever the subject comes up. It can be entertaining to watch (or even participate in)

It’s really nothing like politics or religion. It’s pretty well agreed on that with limitations a ZT is the best mower there is. A 72” diesel ZT isn’t cheap and its not versatile but it’ll flat cut grass.

 

[MCHam]

How about a 4 Wheel Drive, 4 Wheel Steer diesel mower that can do more than just mow? Groundsmaster 360 Quad-Steer | Toro

Thank you that looks interesting I will check it out

 

[MCHam]

MCH,

Since you are considering the Deere X750, consider one of Deere's all wheel steer models like the X754.

How much more maneuverability does the four wheel steer provide? How do you like your John Deere X584? Thank you for the suggestion

 

[lostcause]

about 3 years ago i went from a 345 deere lawn tractor with a 48" deck to a gravely pro-turn with a 60" deck. it easily cut my mowing time in half - probably really shaved a little more than half of it off, and i was mowing 4+ acres of lawn with a lot of it around trees and buildings. i was struggling to justify a $10k or worse commercial zero turn, and eventually i found a 5 year old with only 225 hours for $5k. after buying it, i realize it would have been worth the $10k to have done it years before when i think about how many hours of my life i wasted on a rider.

 

[ruffdog]

I bought a x744 4x2 AWS diesel 62c deck and the wife loves mowing now....best thing I ever bought. Dad then bought a x749 4x4 AWS diesel 62c deck and his steep areas are no problem.

 

[jaydee325]

How much more maneuverability does the four wheel steer provide? How do you like your John Deere X584? Thank you for the suggestion

I was surprised at the maneuverability. I would not go back to a standard lawn tractor. I consider AWS as a close second to a zero turn. If your terrain is rough, running a zero turn as fast as it is capable of can be uncomfortable, at least it was for me when I tried out a few. If I would have gone with a zero turn, I would have had to spend the money for a premium seat like a Grammer seat.

I've put just over 20 hours on my X584 and have really enjoyed it. A minor nit is the V twin Kawasaki gas engine is a little thirsty. Diesel in the X754 would fix that for sure. But, my budget just did not have room to move up any further!

Another requirement for me was I needed a snowblower, so I stayed with a tractor vice zero turn.