Help with Zero Turn Choice

[Tractech]

Grasshopper like every other mfg. makes the low end machines with the individual tras. unit. Commercial grade is a very gray area and to say the are all commercial crade is very misleading. The spindles really make the deck. Scag, Dixie, Gravely, use cast iron where other like Grasshopper use aluminum. Everyone has there opinion but you have to dig beneath the looks and get the true spec. Ask the dealer for the spec sheets on the mowers. (ie. weights, materials, blade tip speed, hydro pump size, etc.) Unless you are buying a box store type zero turn than you will be ok with most any brand for residential use. The best advice is to stay away from any z with a stamped deck. If it is not a fabricated deck don't buy it.

 

[Dargo]

Scag, Dixie, Gravely, use cast iron where other like Grasshopper use aluminum.

And your point is what?? I noticed that the concrete trucks hauling concrete for me last week, which weighed around 90,000 pounds, had Alcoa aluminum wheels on them, aircraft that weigh hundreds of thousands of pounds have airframes made of aluminum, some heads on 5000 hp dragster engines are aluminum. Other than aircraft, where weight would be an issue, wouldn't these other examples use cast iron if it were inherently stronger?

I've purchased many zero turn radius mowers and I can't say that I can agree with your selection process. Many mowers are very good, but some are unbelievably bad. The intended use for the mower also plays a big part in what mower would be most appropriate. And, FYI, I still own an old Grasshopper that has had over 1500 extremely hard hours put on it and there is zero play in any of the deck spindles. It's hard to say how much longer they will last since there is no real measurable wear yet. I'm just not buying the "aluminum parts are bad" theory.

Heck, I even prefer my beverage of choice in an aluminum can rather than a cast iron one. But, I'm just contrary like that.

 

[Will_C]

Some good advice on this topic. There does seem to be a gray area between residential and commercial zero turns. The Toro that the original poster was inquiring about is a commercial machine, not quite as featured as the 453 model that I purchased, but a machine with a heavy fabricated deck, seperate hydro pumps and wheel motors, and a Kawasaki engine. The Mini Z and the Toro mentioned by the OP are comparable. The Deere and the Fast Track are comparable machines.
Compare specs, demo the machines, and pick the one you like best, as long as you are comparing "apples to apples, and oranges to oranges."
Good Luck,
Will

 

[tiger9297]

The statement that Grasshopper makes low end machines "like every other manufacturer" is just plain false. Toro, JD, Cub Cadet, etc all make low end machines that are very light weight with stamped decks made from thin metal. To put it bluntly- They're cheap. True, not all Grasshoppers are $10k machines but they do not make a machine like the ones mentioned above. When was the last time you saw a Grasshopper sitting in front of Lowe's? The other manufacturers make great high end machines that are comparable to the Grasshopper. I'm just saying that Grasshopper focuses on the high-end market only. Even their small frame machines (which is what I have) are built just like the large frames.

 

[wushaw]

Dargo; You forgot that GM Duramax diesel uses aluminum heads which were suppose to melt in 2001.

 

[firefighter9208]

I just bought a Grasshopper 223 (23 HP Kohler Command Pro) with 54" deck yesterday. I paid $7240.00 out the door with extended handles (I'm 6'9" tall) and headlights.

I did a lot of research and started to go with the Kubota, but they didn't offer extended handles.

Grasshopper shouldn't even be discussed in the same thread with the Toro and JD units that can be purchased at Home Depot etc... This machine weighs in at 1070 pounds and has individual drive motors and pumps. This is definately a commercial mower. Oh yeah, BTW it's made in Kansas and all the bolts (except the ones on the engine) are standard sizes.

Chris

 

[Tractech]

For all the response to alum. I am glad you all know your difference in the alum. used in wheels, heads, and your cans. Fact is the cast iron spindle will handle the impact better than any alum spindle. The reason so many companies use alum. is the cost. It is cheaper for them to put on the machines but not when you go buy one!
Fact- Grasshopper does make a checper unit like the others! I never said it was built like a Crapsman. I said they made a cheaper unit. Each person has there opinion and through my years of sales, use, and mechanic if I am buying a mower it will have the cast spindles because of the factory training and mfg. experience I have been involved in through the years. But then again I am picky and expect my equipment to last and not repair it everytime I take it to the yard, or the track!

 

[tiger9297]

I say again that the statement "Grasshopper like every other mfg. makes the low end machines" is false. Grasshopper makes different models. They are different prices because they are different sizes, have different engines, different options, etc. It is ridiculous to say that b/c some models are priced lower than others, they are "cheap" or are "low end". They make more than one model and the models are priced differently. It's not rocket science. All Grasshopper mowers are high-end commercial grade mowers. The low end mowers that are made by JD, Toro, etc. that sit out in front of Home Depot are "cheap". Grasshopper does NOT produce those type mowers. End of story.

 

[wushaw]

Yes I will agree that cast is stronger than aluminum. Although I did break a cast spindle on my Snapper RER, a stump can do that.

There is also something else to consider why Grasshopper or any other manufacture may use aluminum spindles is aluminum will dissipate heat faster than cast will to remove the heat from the bearings, so that maybe the reason aluminum is used instead of cast.

I only have 87hrs on my 322D Grasshopper and all I have had to change is the battery, I know it may take many more years before I ever have any spindle problems...as long as I can keep it away from any unknown stumps.

 

[Dargo]

The reason so many companies use alum. is the cost!

Um, have you checked the prices of aluminum lately?? It's high enough that I've heard many stories about aluminum siding being stolen off of people's homes. It used to be that electric companies only had to lock up their copper wiring due to thieves, but now they will grab aluminum wire as well. I suppose we'll just have to agree to disagree. Fifteen hundred hours on my Grasshopper spindles, with no measurable wear, says you're wrong. If my aluminum spindles only last 5000 hours, oh well.