Kioti zero turn mowers

[drysalty]

Good morning, my simplicity riding mower (mid 90’s regent with a 38” deck) finally died on me at the end of last years mowing season. I’m seriously looking at buying a high end residential zero turn mower. Presently I’m mowing around 2.5 acres with the simplicity directly around the house and with a 48” brush hog behind my CK 2610 in the back field and it always takes the better part of a day to get it all cut. I love my tractor and I really like my Kioti dealer and I’m looking for feedback on the Kioti zero turn mowers. Has anyone here used one or purchased one? Please let me know what your experience has been And what your likes and dislikes are. Thanks!

 

[Boss 302]

I personally haven't been on a Kioti zero turn but when I was at the farm show in NC a few weeks back I was able to take a pretty good look at them and from what I saw they look to be well made. Also, the pricing wasn't bad either when compared to some of the other different color units.

 

[drysalty]

Thanks Boss! I haven’t been able to see one my dealer has none and can’t say for sure when he’ll get any. He’s hoping for April and he’s got me on the list for a demo, I have a fairly steep hill behind my barn that I want to make sure it will handle .

 

[MESSMAKER]

I have yet to see one in the wild. I am sure they are fine,but there are so many great choices when it comes to zero-turns.

 

[drysalty]

I’m finding out just how many there are, it’s like buying a snowmobile back in the seventies, there must be twenty names to choose from. Now I’m finding that there are a bunch of makes coming from the same parent Corp, Toro also makes Exmark, simplicities are really just rebadged Ferris mowers, Gravely and Airens are from the same corporation and so on. It’s all very involved. I like how the KiotiZXR SE mowers are spec’d 3200 hydros, better seats, etc. price seems reasonable and I’ve found my local dealer to be a great place to do business with. I just want to see/ demo one before I commit.

 

[seville009]

No experience with Kioti zero turns, but I used to mow about 3 acres with a 3 pt 5' finish mower on my MF1540 - took about 3 hours and killed my back.

bought a Ferris zero turn; can mow the 3 acres in 45 minutes (also 5' deck). It has suspension springs on it too.

Being able to mow so quickly is nice because I don't have to plan ahead as to when I'm going to mow. Can just fire it up and do it if I'm in the mood.

so....whatever zero turn you end up with will be a huge time saver.

 

[drysalty]

thats the kind of time reduction I’m after. Which Ferris did you buy? There’s a IS2100 on Craigslist that I’m going to see tomorrow. It’s a bit too larger I’m thinking, it’s got the bagger with the fan assist and a dethatcher and only 26 hours on it

 

[seville009]

thats the kind of time reduction I’m after. Which Ferris did you buy? There’s a IS2100 on Craigslist that I’m going to see tomorrow. It’s a bit too larger I’m thinking, it’s got the bagger with the fan assist and a dethatcher and only 26 hours on it

have the is5100z - pre emissions 33 hp (I think) diesel

 

[Boss 302]

Drysalty, you won't go wrong with a Ferris. They are top shelf.

 

[MESSMAKER]

Drysalty, you won't go wrong with a Ferris. They are top shelf.

Ex-Mark ,Scag and John Deere make good units. I have had them all.Ferris is owned by Briggs and Stratton, who appear to be getting out of the mower business.

 

[MichiganIron]

Ex-Mark ,Scag and John Deere make good units. I have had them all.Ferris is owned by Briggs and Stratton, who appear to be getting out of the mower business.

Apparently not so with Ferris. We are a Ferris Dealer, and Briggs is investing heavily in new Ferris Products and existing Ferris Product upgrades/updates. Availability is a bit of an issue right now...like everything else.

 

[drysalty]

Glad to hear Ferris is staying around as I bought the Ferris IS 2100 I went to see last Friday. I was concerned about availability, several of the dealers I had gone too mentioned issues keeping mowers in stock. I really like the look of the Ferris mowers I saw at the dealer and when I looked at the used one it was in such fantastic shape and the price was very reasonable I couldn’t pass it up. Now if it will stop snowing and we can move on to spring!

 

[Boss 302]

Ferris is definitely here to stay from everything that I've heard, they are expensive but so is anything that's top shelf.

 

[jyoutz]

No experience with Kioti zero turns, but I used to mow about 3 acres with a 3 pt 5' finish mower on my MF1540 - took about 3 hours and killed my back.

bought a Ferris zero turn; can mow the 3 acres in 45 minutes (also 5' deck). It has suspension springs on it too.

Being able to mow so quickly is nice because I don't have to plan ahead as to when I'm going to mow. Can just fire it up and do it if I'm in the mood.

so....whatever zero turn you end up with will be a huge time saver.

I’ve heard that zero turn mowers are great for lawns, but are really rough riding for field mowing. Is that true? I mow the rough areas with my tractor and rotary cutter, but I mow the native grass areas around buildings, outside yard and orchard with a riding mower. Will a zero turn handle these types of areas as well as a riding lawn tractor?

 

[drysalty]

I’ve heard that zero turn mowers are great for lawns, but are really rough riding for field mowing. Is that true? I mow the rough areas with my tractor and rotary cutter, but I mow the native grass areas around buildings, outside yard and orchard with a riding mower. Will a zero turn handle these types of areas as well as a riding lawn tractor?

I wish i could say but once i get a chance to run mine a bit i'll let you know. It's going to be a couple months before we get a chance to really put it hrough its paces. I would suppose its all going to be dependent on your field and how rough it is. I watched a ton of videos on you tube while i was doing my zero turn research and i'm willing to bet there is going to be something on there that is going to answer your question.

 

[RjCorazza]

I’ve heard that zero turn mowers are great for lawns, but are really rough riding for field mowing. Is that true? I mow the rough areas with my tractor and rotary cutter, but I mow the native grass areas around buildings, outside yard and orchard with a riding mower. Will a zero turn handle these types of areas as well as a riding lawn tractor?

All other things equal, a zero turn will be just as comfortable in a field as a standard lawn mower would be. The difference would be that zeros tend to be used at higher speeds, which can make for an uncomfortable ride. I cut somewhat rough areas at 5 mph or so and it's fine.

 

[jyoutz]

All other things equal, a zero turn will be just as comfortable in a field as a standard lawn mower would be. The difference would be that zeros tend to be used at higher speeds, which can make for an uncomfortable ride. I cut somewhat rough areas at 5 mph or so and it's fine.

Thanks

 

[seville009]

I’ve heard that zero turn mowers are great for lawns, but are really rough riding for field mowing. Is that true? I mow the rough areas with my tractor and rotary cutter, but I mow the native grass areas around buildings, outside yard and orchard with a riding mower. Will a zero turn handle these types of areas as well as a riding lawn tractor?

it depends - just go slower it it is rough ground. Raise the deck if necessary.

it's very easy to get stuck in slightly wet/muddy areas with zero turns (in my experience), so just make sure it's dry enough. When I get stuck, I just pull it out with the tractor.

 

[Alien]

That's funny. I got my tractor stuck with the flail mower on it, so I continued mowing with my Kubota ZT. Its not as heavy as the tractor so less likely to get stuck. No problems in the open fields. Very comfortable, but some more expensive machines, eg Ferris have better suspension for rough fields.

 

[ck90211]

I know many will look down at Cub Cadet ZT's, but it's the only one with steering wheel (going straight over bumps, beer drinking, and holding its line on hills). And if you splurge a little you can get a decent engine (Kawasaki FR's) with serviceable transmission (ZT3100 or ZT2800).

I like them so much I have 2 (54" for open yard and 48" for getting into fenced yard).