Educate me on zero turns

[gsganzer]

I'm probably moving to a new place that has about 1.5- 2.0 acres of mowing and then some finish mower maintained trails on the remaining 100+ acres. I'm thinking of selling my 2003 Kubota BX2200, that I originally used for mowing, FEL and brush hogging, and getting a zero turn. The previous owners maintained the new place with a zero turn. I also have a Kubota L3800 with FEL, so I really just need a dedicated mower.

I believe in the buy once, cry once principle, so I don't really get hung up on price much. I'm thinking a 54" Kubota, probably diesel, but I could be talked into gas as well.

Anything I should look for? I've seen some used Kubota ZD machines with low hours (200-400ish) for $7-8K. Any recommendations.

 

[WM75Guy]

I have the ZD1211 60". It is a workhorse. With the solid front wheels and suspension seat it is not the most comfortable thing on rough ground. I am looking at replacing the suspension seat with the air ride seat off the ZD1611.

 

[anomad]

If you find your BX isn't mowing the way you want on the new property. Go find something else. Give it a chance before you start swapping out equipment. The old advice is, if you aren't happy with the way it mows or the time it takes, look for an upgrade.

 

[RjCorazza]

Once you've owned a Kubota ZD, there is no going back. I currently run a ZD326 60" and ZD1211 72", with 1600 and 2100 hours on each respectively. For 2 acres I would go with a 60".
For me, handling diesel is just SOOO much easier than dealing with twice as much gasoline for the same work being done.

 

[gsganzer]

If you find your BX isn't mowing the way you want on the new property. Go find something else. Give it a chance before you start swapping out equipment. The old advice is, if you aren't happy with the way it mows or the time it takes, look for an upgrade.

Part of me says this too. I originally bought the BX in 2003 when I just owned 3.25 acres with 1 acre yard, the rest horse pasture. With the 60" deck for the lawn, FEL for cleaning horse stalls and yard chores, 48" hog for mowing the pasture, and a 48" box blade for the gravel drive, it was perfect. Then in 2014, I bought the adjoining 3.5 acres and then added a Kubota L3800 w/ FEL, 60" hog and backhoe. Since then, I've never used the BX2200 for anything but mowing. We've always thought about upgrading it, but it was so reliable and perfect for our needs, we've just kept it. It only has 901 hours on it and has been reliable as anything I've ever owned.

The new place could benefit from a dedicated mower with a little more agility and speed. Zero turns seem to cut the chore to half the time and give a lot better cut. Plus, I have implements with the BX that I don't even use anymore. Seems like a waste that I should capitalize and sell before they go to waste. I googled some comparable BX units and it seems like it would go for $6-8K with the implements.

 

[Eagle1]

Part of me says this too. I originally bought the BX in 2003 when I just owned 3.25 acres with 1 acre yard, the rest horse pasture. With the 60" deck for the lawn, FEL for cleaning horse stalls and yard chores, 48" hog for mowing the pasture, and a 48" box blade for the gravel drive, it was perfect. Then in 2014, I bought the adjoining 3.5 acres and then added a Kubota L3800 w/ FEL, 60" hog and backhoe. Since then, I've never used the BX2200 for anything but mowing. We've always thought about upgrading it, but it was so reliable and perfect for our needs, we've just kept it. It only has 901 hours on it and has been reliable as anything I've ever owned.

The new place could benefit from a dedicated mower with a little more agility and speed. Zero turns seem to cut the chore to half the time and give a lot better cut. Plus, I have implements with the BX that I don't even use anymore. Seems like a waste that I should capitalize and sell before they go to waste. I googled some comparable BX units and it seems like it would go for $6-8K with the implements.

I can't give up the little BX even with a Zturn and a bigger tractor. Just handy for those little jobs or cutting something to rough/steep for the Zturn. I can whip the little guy into places that big tractor would take careful and many moves or is just plain to tall/wide.
Also if I get it stuck the LS will pull it out no sweat and the BX can rescue the Zturns when needed.
At times it is just the perfect size. I bet you will miss it a lot......

 

[gsganzer]

I can't give up the little BX even with a Zturn and a bigger tractor. Just handy for those little jobs or cutting something to rough/steep for the Zturn. I can whip the little guy into places that big tractor would take careful and many moves or is just plain to tall/wide.
Also if I get it stuck the LS will pull it out no sweat and the BX can rescue the Zturns when needed.
At times it is just the perfect size. I bet you will miss it a lot......

I hope I don't regret parting with it. The new place doesn't have any terrain that's crazy and the L3800 would be up to any on the tasks. I do agree that zero turns don't handle muddy or wet areas. It might be that I brush hog some areas when it's too wet and then send in the ZT when it dries up.

 

[riptides]

Our place used to be a small yard with hay fields. Then the bushhog showed up, upsized from a B to an M. Then the ZT showed up. Now the ZT is doing about 4 acres of "lawn". Since we have trails they are almost to a point of ZT ready too.

Point is, the ZT gives you scope creep on maintaining what you have. It does it faster and better. Those pastures look like lawns now.

Mines a gasser, with a 60 inch deck. Just a good fit for us and has been very reliable,

Good luck in your search and possible purchase.

 

[EddieWalker]

I bought my Scag zero turn new in 2010. For the first few years, it was awesome. A huge improvement over my Craftsman riding mower. Faster, more maneuverable and able to handle taller grass with ease. I went with a water cooled Kawasai gas engine. It was more money then an air cooled engine, but I thought it was worth the money if it lasted longer.

Then I learned about safety switches. One after another failed on me. It became a constant issue of getting it started, or spending hours figuring out which switch wasn't working, then replacing it. The PTO switch also went out several times. If it was electric, I had issues with it.

After a few years of this I got so frustrated that I just removed all the wiring and everything attached to it. Then I ran new wiring for the basics to start it and keep it running. I even put a heavy duty toggle switch on it to turn on the blades. This worked great for a few more years, but then this year I had fuel issues. I wasted time on YouTube trying to figure out the issue, and eventually I bought a new carb for it off of Amazon that fixed everything.

When it runs, it's awesome. The question is if it will run? It's 15 years old now and it's still solid, but I've gotten to the point that I hate it because of all the time I have to spend getting it to start and run.

My current thought is that they only last for 5 years, and then the issues start. When I was looking to buy I went to the local Kubota dealer and wasn't impressed. They had three of them in the shop that they were working on and the mechanic said it was all user error. I guess that's possible, but it seemed like a lot of user error to me. The engines were off of two of them, and the other was torn down quite a bit too.

If I was to buy one today, I would look at something more tractor like with a belly mower. I don't know if I would buy something like that. I guess in a perfect world I'd have a riding mower, a zero turn and an small tractor with AC and a belly mower. Another thing that I'm not so sure about is buying a commercial grade mower. I just don't think it was worth the extra money considering all the issues I've had with it.

The good side is the parts are easy to get and not outrageous in price. The seat is very comfortable. Having a canopy is a must!!! and when it's working, the cut is excellent. So far this year, I might of had a dozen days where it started and ran great all day. So those were good days. I've had more bad days then good days!!!

 

[gsganzer]

Eddie,
I can see the added complexity with a ZT. I suspect it has a lot more interlocks. That's part of the reason I've always kept the BX with the 60" deck. It starts and runs every single time. I've only replaced 1 steering hose and the rear axle seals in the 22 years I've owned it. Both were super easy repairs and not unexpected for its age. No other issues whatsoever. I did jumper out the seat switch, which I also did on my L3800.

I'll keep researching, fortunately, mowing season is about over, so I have plenty of time to look. Exmark seems to be what a lot of the lawn care companies use, so maybe I'll look into them.

 

[EddieWalker]

I complain about Scag because that's what I have. But the parts that I replaced where also used in all the other big name commercial mowing brands. My guess is that they build a frame for their mowers, then go to the same store to buy their electrical parts.

I've heard stories of other brands having the same issues, so I know it's not isolated to my mower. That's what makes me hesitant to buy another zero turn. The only real solution is to take it to the dealer every time it breaks down, but that's not something that I usually do. Just be sure to buy from a local dealer that has a good repair shop that will still be in business 20 years from now.

Something else to consider. The more tractors that I have, the more I use them. I'm at three right now and there are days when I use all three because each one is better at what I want to do then the other. I think every tractor is a compromise at doing the most things possible, but each one is better at a task then another. Having options with which one to use is a good thing. With more land, you need more tractors. Selling what you have would be a mistake. Odds are good that once you get settled in, and seen what the land and weather does over a year or two, you will be buying another tractor.

 

[anomad]

I complain about Scag because that's what I have. But the parts that I replaced where also used in all the other big name commercial mowing brands. My guess is that they build a frame for their mowers, then go to the same store to buy their electrical parts.

Which model SCAG do you have? I read your thoughts in one of the other mowing threads too. It sounds like you are where I was with my old Wright. It was great when it was running. But it got to the point I was fixing as much as mowing. Only on my second season with the SCAG v-ride 2. You have me paranoid about electrical issues - LOL. A stander is perfect for my obstacle course areas.

 

[EddieWalker]

It's a 2010 Scag Wildcat with a 61 inch cut and water cooled 26hp Kawasaki engine. It's a beast when mowing with plenty of power. It has a seperate hydraulic pump on each whell that works great. It's just an electrical nightmare to own.

Reading up on the Lawn Mower forum website, or it's called something like that, safety electrical switches are still an issue with all the brands. Chinese junk? Cheapest parts? or just technology that hasn't improved since it became mandatory?

In my opinion, everyone with a zero turn will have these issues if they keep it long enough. I should of sold it when it started to give me issues, but then I'd be buying a new one every five years.

I keep thinking that once I fix the latest issue, I'll get another 15 years out of it since it's built so strong, but the little things keep showing up to ruin my day.

 

[Runner]

Me, personally, if I was moving to a place with 100 acres and I had two tractors, I would find a place to house and keep both. Especially if one or both are pre-emissions machines.

You just never know when the BX might come in handy.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

I went from a JD430 to a used ZD326. It's a different universe.

The deck lifts so blade changes aren't difficult. I cover maybe 25% less ground when I mow because I'm not doing ridiculous loops in order to turn around. I can get into places the 430 can't reach. I move much faster because the Kubota cuts faster. I get a nice breeze in my face because there is no engine in front of me.

Mowing is fun again.

I have read good things about Scag, though, and I wonder if I should have bought one. I looked at a gas Tiger Cat II, and I couldn't stand the thought of paying $13K for a gas mower.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

A tractor is not a mower. It's a tractor with an attachment designed as an afterthought.

 

[Eagle1]

A tractor is not a mower. It's a tractor with an attachment designed as an afterthought.

True but I sure like the BX with the belly mower on the steep dam slopes where I am afraid to take a brush hog and no way a zturn. The little dude will cut darn near vertical down hill and pretty near that up hill.
Handy as can be....

 

[tradosaurus]

Once you've owned a Kubota ZD, there is no going back. I currently run a ZD326 60" and ZD1211 72", with 1600 and 2100 hours on each respectively. For 2 acres I would go with a 60".
For me, handling diesel is just SOOO much easier than dealing with twice as much gasoline for the same work being done.

And with the ZD and the tractor you carry only one fuel, diesel.

 

[gsganzer]

And with the ZD and the tractor you carry only one fuel, diesel.

Except I have UTV's too. Gas.

 

[DK35vince]

It's a 2010 Scag Wildcat with a 61 inch cut and water cooled 26hp Kawasaki engine. It's a beast when mowing with plenty of power. It has a seperate hydraulic pump on each whell that works great. It's just an electrical nightmare to own.

Reading up on the Lawn Mower forum website, or it's called something like that, safety electrical switches are still an issue with all the brands. Chinese junk? Cheapest parts? or just technology that hasn't improved since it became mandatory?

In my opinion, everyone with a zero turn will have these issues if they keep it long enough. I should of sold it when it started to give me issues, but then I'd be buying a new one every five years.

Bought my Hustler Super Z in 2013.
I have never had an electrical issue with it.