Buying Advice Kubota ZD323 vs GR2120

[davegr62]

Yes sir.. it was an old post but one of very few that showed a ZTR with tires other than the turf. I just picked up a ZD326s back in March when Kubota was offering the 0% financing. I have exactly 30 hours on it now and absolutely love it. I mowed last night with my B7500 and never realized how slow it was compared to the ZTR. I like the side discharge for what I'm mowing but rear is nice for mowing near the house and such.

I mow almost 5 acres and half of it is on a slope with a few steep areas. It goes up with no issue as long as I'm at a consistent speed. If I speed up too quickly the front wheels will lift off the ground some. The problem is going down. For the most part I can keep it controlled going down and found it easier to control at lower RPM. Once your traction breaks though, it becomes a littly tricky. Best thing I've found is to at least keep it straight and it will regain traction. I'm considering replacing the turf tires with something identical to your older ZTR. Not worried with chopping up the ground, I'm comfortable with turning and not tearing up much.

I may take your advice and lowering the tire PSI. I can see how that would help but I'm not sure how much additional traction I'd get to stop it from slipping going downhill. I bought a second set of rims to put the new tires on so I can swap back to turf easily if i needed to. I just need to decide on which tires I want, most likely the Carlisle Tru Power's.

 

[AxleHub]

Yes sir.. it was an old post but one of very few that showed a ZTR with tires other than the turf. I just picked up a ZD326s back in March when Kubota was offering the 0% financing. I have exactly 30 hours on it now and absolutely love it. I mowed last night with my B7500 and never realized how slow it was compared to the ZTR. I like the side discharge for what I'm mowing but rear is nice for mowing near the house and such.

I mow almost 5 acres and half of it is on a slope with a few steep areas. It goes up with no issue as long as I'm at a consistent speed. If I speed up too quickly the front wheels will lift off the ground some. The problem is going down. For the most part I can keep it controlled going down and found it easier to control at lower RPM. Once your traction breaks though, it becomes a littly tricky. Best thing I've found is to at least keep it straight and it will regain traction. I'm considering replacing the turf tires with something identical to your older ZTR. Not worried with chopping up the ground, I'm comfortable with turning and not tearing up much.

I may take your advice and lowering the tire PSI. I can see how that would help but I'm not sure how much additional traction I'd get to stop it from slipping going downhill. I bought a second set of rims to put the new tires on so I can swap back to turf easily if i needed to. I just need to decide on which tires I want, most likely the Carlisle Tru Power's.

Just a thought to consider. If you've already had issues going down the hills and your traction has to catch up with you as long as you are going straight . . . but what if you can't push/force it straight? Those front wheels go where the terrain takes them.
Right now the grass is ideal . . What about if its a little damp from humidity or fall temps? You do understand I'm sure that right now you have 2 rear differentials creating/pushing your steering/direction. If only 1 differential has traction . . You can't make it go straight . It will turn toward the non-traction direction and . . . . Uh oh . .

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Just a thought to consider. If you've already had issues going down the hills and your traction has to catch up with you as long as you are going straight . . . but what if you can't push/force it straight? Those front wheels go where the terrain takes them.
Right now the grass is ideal . . What about if its a little damp from humidity or fall temps? You do understand I'm sure that right now you have 2 rear differentials creating/pushing your steering/direction. If only 1 differential has traction . . You can't make it go straight . It will turn toward the non-traction direction and . . . . Uh oh . .

Discovered this to be, well almost all, true. My first purchase was the ZTR121 and going down my front slope it went crazy going its own direction, toward a tree until I let off the slipping wheel/lever and powered the traction wheel/lever which straightened it up with the drive wheels determining its direction and not the front wheels following the terrain unless the "terrain" is down and it was doing that. After close investigation and about 5 passes down the same slope I determined my left tire started slipping which made the Z go to the right and the more I pulled back on the left lever the more it went to the right which seemed wrong. I determined the left tire in neutral would start slipping and when powered to go backwards it slipped more than just coasting and required power to the right wheel to bring the machine back to straight so both wheels are turning at the same speed.
I guess during neutral/equal power to the two drive wheels the front wheels will determine direction but under power the rear wheels determine direction and can/do overpower the front wheels which are trying to determine direction which is why mine at high speed requires almost constant lever/wheel correction to keep going straight on my rough ground. Power wheels determine direction or it wouldn't turn around in the direction the driver wants it to go., while under power. A couple weeks after learning this lesson/lessons I bought a ZD326 which is considerably heavier and gets better traction so tracks a lot better but sure the same theory will apply to it under wet/damp grass conditions.

 

[525fury]

Fast forward almost 2 years...

I ended up buying a brand new Kubota ZD326. Love the power of the diesel and the deck. Build quality is very good. Built like a tank. I am not happy at all with the drive system; The handles are very stiff, not really a big deal. But you have to constantly be tweaking them back and forth to get it to track straight down a long straight stretch. I have lowered the rear tire pressure to about 8psi now, to try and get it to stop tearing up the lawn. The ride comfort is really good though.

First off, there is no such thing as a Zero Turn, cause if you do, it will tear the **** out of the lawn. I am very careful to do a 3 point turn and constantly watch the rear tires while turning to try and keep them moving to eliminate turf damage. There is way too many 1 foot dirt circles in my yard now for my taste. Cutting about 3.5 acres, with lots of trees, some slope, ditch and creek in rear.

The ZD326 is not very easy on the turf when mowing sideways on moderate/slight sloped front lawn. Sometimes the tire on the up-hill side just drags itself along, even though the sticks are even. Same thing when cutting around trees; Uphill tire tearing the **** out of the ground. Not happy at all with the drive hydraulics.
The Hustler Super Z I demo'ed was MUCH, MUCH, MUCH better. But went with the ZD because I wanted diesel.

I am now considering getting rid of my ZD326. Closely looking at the John Deere X758 (more expensive), and again at the GR2120 (all the bugs worked out?).
Don't think a Zero Turn is for me. But I haven't totally given up on it just yet.
I did see that Kubota has new ZD models out this year; a ZD1211-60 and ZD1021-54. They claim better "hill hold" and "side cutting performance". Anyone have any input on these?

Thinking that a 54" deck might be more manuverable with all my trees also.

I don't want to make another huge buying mistake. Advice would me much appreciated!

 

[kcender]

All I can say is I have many varying slopes on my property and the GR mows them with no problem and little,to no,turf damage.I am more than happy with it's capabilities.The GR is not for everyone and I have never ridden a zero turn but I think the GR is best suited to my situation.Right now my main priority is snow clearing but spring will eventually arrive.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

I ended up buying a brand new Kubota ZD326. Love the power of the diesel and the deck. Build quality is very good. Built like a tank. I am not happy at all with the drive system; The handles are very stiff, not really a big deal. But you have to constantly be tweaking them back and forth to get it to track straight down a long straight stretch. I have lowered the rear tire pressure to about 8psi now, to try and get it to stop tearing up the lawn. The ride comfort is really good though.

few comments. If your sticks are not tracking straight that can be adjusted. That's a common thing to do on any zero turn since the two sides break in differently. Tearing grass is an issue with any heavy ZTR, and the ZD's are some of the heaviest. A gasser is 400-500lbs lighter and kinder to turf on turns. I question lowering your tire PSI. It increases your contact patch and I would guess that would make it worse.

 

[Scooby074]

Tearing turf can be reduced with practice. NEVER "Zero" turn, thats a sure way to bore a nice hole in your lawn. Really you need to do a almost 3pt turn at the end of each row. The gentler the better. The wheels must never stop turning. Even the front casters can dig into the lawn if youre not careful.

The sticks can be adjusted. Its a pretty easy thing. I use a contact tachometer. Tracking still can be an issue, particularly if trying to go to fast. Its hard to get those laser straight stripes with a ZD. Mine are sloppy as heck

Slopes are another source of damage from the rear sliding out. I plan on putting some better tires on mine this year to fix that and hopefully hold the slope better.. Im considering the Carslile WT300 for tires.

The ZDs are heavy machines and can do a number on a lawn pretty quick . Been there done that (a lot :laughing. Practice helps but I still regularly make little donuts on the lawn when Im not paying attention

 

[4570Man]

Slowing down is the most important step. No zero turns is also a must. If the yard is wet I still have a hard time not getting a little wheel slippage. With experience you can reduce turf damage to very minimal to none.