Lawnmower Blues

[kthompson]

Only grades we have are slopes on pond or ditches. Have 72 inch rear finishing mower have used with tractor a good bit and it does decent job. Have two ztr mowers and they are faster than a tractor style mower or those I know and have their advantage but also negatives. Wet slopes stay off of them. The side yard of my inlaws is a natural slope that is often wet to a small branch. It has been pulled back up it more than once. Cutting sides ways on a slope you have to realize the front wheels are like those on a shopping cart, they go with the card or mower. No steering to them of any kind. It is the rear wheels that do all the driving and steering. So if you want to turn right the, the right rear wheel must slow down which means it is now throwing most if not all pulling on the left rear wheel. On dry slope no issue so far, damp one maybe or may need a tow.

However my rear finish mower of 72 inches is a Bushog brand as is our 52 smallest ZTR. 20 inches difference in width and use same deck design and spindles. Our yard is about 2 acres to be mowed with three buildings and variety of flower beds and trees. It took 2 hours with the finishing mower of 72 inches and the 52 inch ztr cut it in 1 1/2 hours with less trimming needed. String trimmer now is mostly for ditch use only now. The Bushhog ZTR is their middle of the line one now with a 20 hp Kohler motor. Just a basic ztr. About four years back bought a Ferris 61 inch with full spring and shock suspension and it cut the time down to just over an hour. It ought to. It has 37 hp Kawasaki. Great ride...about like a recliner, well okay better. It runs about 11 mph I think and it loves to run that fast, cut grass and drink ethanol free gas.

On ztr mower pay attention to the tire diameter, if you go that way they are running faster than again all tractor styles I have seen and the bigger the tires the smoother the ride. If you are happy with your tractor style then I would stay with it for the price you are saying they are and if the time to cut the grass suits you and how tight they turn.

 

[nards444]

how much do you actually mow. People say I have 2 acres but forget to minus house, driveway, woods, etc. With that said I was on year 7 of mowing almost two acres and yes I used map tools to figure it out. I took me over just an hour to do it on a box store zero turn that I had 2300 into. Could go out and spend 2-3 times that but not sure what upgrade I would have seen. zero turns are the cat behind, no better way to mow. But to me the big pricey ztrs are for commerical or guys that have maybe over 3 acres of mowable grass. Anything two and under not sure you get the advantage with the extra cheese you spent. Fast forward to today, just planting grass at house i built, its almost 4 acres of mowable, and going to give the box store ztr a test, but have a feeling I will have to upgrade.

 

[crazyal]

More importantly what's your budget? A Sub compact is out, got that. Are we talking $1000 or up to $5000? If $1000 then you are either going to be buying used or a budget box store model. I don't know if they still sell it but I have a MTD "super bronco" from 2006 that is like a hydro but it uses a reeves drive (like a snow machine). So when it starts to slip you replace a belt and are good to go again. With a little time you can usually find a low hour mower with a good transaxle (vs the cheap one that comes in the budget tractors). What you look for is the rear wheels having 4 or 5 bolts or lug nuts like a car, not the single bolt in the axle with a washer to hold the wheel.