LOOKIN FOR ZTR POWER PLANT OPINIONS

[PossumHound]

I aim to see the Ferris units today and begin a conversation with the dealer. I want to get the best engine for whatever I decide on, but due to some back problems the machine I go with will have either a great seat suspension or suspended wheels like the Ferris. The Toro I like has a great seat with armrests and is mounted on 4 point rubber vibration isolators - I think the salesman said the islolators were oil filled. It certainly was smooth riding around the dealer lot and yard.

Thanks for all the good suggestions; I will keep them in mind as I thin out the herd.

PH

 

[Dargo]

I went with the Kawasaki water cooled engine when I bought my Scag zero turn. It was really between that and the diesel engines for what I wanted and expected out of the mower. I've only had it two years, and absolutely love it. Easy to start, plenty of power and very smooth.

If you are looking for commercial quality mowers, you need to look around at what the pros are running. Husquavarna isn't gonna be on that list. It's entry level.

Eddie

You beat me to the punch. Most on his list of "commercial" mowers most certainly are NOT commercial mowers. They may advertise as much to snag the unsuspecting customer who hasn't done homework, but they are NOT in any way a true commercial mower. There are literally hundreds of differences. Buy a cheap "commercial" mower, and you'll start finding them one by one as you work on your mower each week before you use it.

Common commercial mowers; John Deere, Exmark, Scag, Grasshopper, Ferris, Kubota, Dixie Chopper and serveral others. Mowers NOT commercial are Husqvarna, Cub Cadet, Dixon, Snapper, Poulan etc. Those are medium to light duty homeowner series mowers. They may work well for you, but if a salesperson tells you that they are true commercial or industrial mowers, leave that store. There is a HUGE difference from spindles, engines, decks, wheel motors, deck bearings etc., etc., etc., between a true commercial mower that is designed to run 40 hours a week each week of the year and ones that are designed to run 50 to 75 hours a year. Common sense tells you that you just can't get the high quality, extremely durable, ZTR for a homeowner price.

 

[Dargo]

Kubota has a nice gas engine mower. It was really between the Kubota and the Scag when I bought mine. For the extra money, I think diesel is too much to spend for too small of a return. It would take too long to make up the difference in how long the diesel engine lasts over a gas engine, and by then, the rest of the machine will be wore out anyway.

Eddie

As many know, I make no bones about being a very strong Grasshopper supporter. After I was fired (they said furlowed - what's the difference) from my office job in a different life, I started mowing for a living. I already had the equipment since I had a lot of land to take care of and just bought more equipment as I landed more contracts. There are quite a few ZTR mowers made that are undoubtedly tougher than the operator. I've hit hidden washout ruts on Ferris and Grasshopper machines that hit so hard I just hoped I could salvage something from them; after I could see straight and made sure I had no broken bones from how hard the seat belt stopped me. To my great surprise, neither mower even had a bent spindle! I see no need to make them tougher than that. I've seen the same occur with a JD977 (I think that's the model) and a ZD28 Kubota. Again, probably stronger than they need to be.

Since I mow on some extreme inclines and around lakes, I soon discovered that out front deck mowers were my only possible choice. Sure, they cost more, but they paid for themselves in saved time and extra jobs fit in each day. Our local school corp uses Grasshoppers (where I first saw one of them) because they mow positively extreme slopes. If you have Google Earth, type in Francis Joseph Reitz High School bowl and zoom in to see the practice field and the main field. You might get an idea how steep the sides of that practice field are. They mow they up, down, sideways etc. with the Grasshoppers. No mid mount mower has ever worked there.

Anyway, I mow about 20 acres a week now that I no longer have a mowing business. My Kubota diesel engines have long since paid for themselves in longevity and fuel economy. I can mow exactly 20 acres with a full 8 gallon fuel tank on a 60" front mount diesel Grasshopper. The exact same mower with the same 3 cyl. Kubota engine but in gas (one smooth engine!) takes 2 1/2 fill ups to mow the same area. At about $4 a gallon, that saves me $26 to $28 in fuel alone each week. A guy needs to sit down and do the math on how long he's going to keep his mower, how much he's going to mow etc. when deciding between engines. I have just over 2k hours on my older Grasshopper. Most of the school corp machines are approaching 10k hours; at which they trade for new Grasshoppers.

 

[Birdhunter1]

Common commercial mowers; John Deere, Exmark, Scag, Grasshopper, Ferris, Kubota, Dixie Chopper and serveral others. Mowers NOT commercial are Husqvarna, Cub Cadet, Dixon, Snapper, Poulan etc. ..........
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Agreed on everything except Cub Cadet, the Cub Cadet "TANK" is a commerical duty mower 100%, I believe it is made (or was) by Lesco but don't quote me on that. Anyway the Tank is a heavy duty unit, rides like a log wagon, but is built well.
Also agree on the Grasshopper front mount decks!

 

[Dargo]

Agreed on everything except Cub Cadet, the Cub Cadet "TANK" is a commerical duty mower 100%, I believe it is made (or was) by Lesco but don't quote me on that. Anyway the Tank is a heavy duty unit, rides like a log wagon, but is built well.
Also agree on the Grasshopper front mount decks!

No problem. We just disagree. Cub Cadet sold lots of what I consider 'junk' mowers with their cool marketing name "Tank". I know no less than 3 homeowners who bought them only to have to buy another mower in less than 3 years. One is one of my best business customers. I got stuck trying to help him fix his. After trying to help him work on his, I came to the conclusion that they are disposable. I don't see that mower in any way, shape or form as a commercial mower. Maybe they are better now. That was about 4 or 5 years ago. So, heavens forbid, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they now have done more than put a sticker on a mid-grade homeowner's mower that says "commercial". We just disagree, no problem. I disagree with my wife plenty.

 

[Birdhunter1]

At least we agree on the Grasshopper though, whenever I went mower shopping in the last year nothing compared to the 700 series to me.

 

[PossumHound]

The only mower in my original list that was not commercial grade was the Husqy. I looked and drove the Ferris today and it seems borderline on the heavy duty construction although the ride quality was great (they wouldn't allow me to mow with it). It did have the 26 hp Kawa which sounded great, and they came off the list price $400 (rebates I think). It still costs nearly as much as the Toro though. In our neck of the woods Toros dominate the commercial landscapers world- a few Exmark, Deere and Hustlers but way more Toros. If you haven't seen one up close you need to; their frame and deck construction is simply the most robust out there. I do like the Grasshoppers and my old Toro was built that way - deck out front tricycle wheel in the back- and it really was easy to use that configuration and it cut beautifully. New Grasshoppers are out of my price range though.

PH

 

[MESSMAKER]

You never hear a bad word on Grasshopper. I just think they would sell so many more if they improved their marketing a little. The color of the mower alone has made at least 3 people I know look at other brands. Should color matter? no, It should not, but face, it does!

 

[Birdhunter1]

The only mower in my original list that was not commercial grade was the Husqy. I looked and drove the Ferris today and it seems borderline on the heavy duty construction although the ride quality was great (they wouldn't allow me to mow with it). It did have the 26 hp Kawa which sounded great, and they came off the list price $400 (rebates I think). It still costs nearly as much as the Toro though. In our neck of the woods Toros dominate the commercial landscapers world- a few Exmark, Deere and Hustlers but way more Toros. If you haven't seen one up close you need to; their frame and deck construction is simply the most robust out there. I do like the Grasshoppers and my old Toro was built that way - deck out front tricycle wheel in the back- and it really was easy to use that configuration and it cut beautifully. New Grasshoppers are out of my price range though.

PH

Possum hound look for a used Grasshopper if you want one, myself I couldn't spend the price of a new one and I found a 500 hour machine for less than 1/2 the price. The mower I have actually belonged to the dealers dad (there is a special built for _____ _____ plaque on it). Delaer said maybe 1/2 the hours were mowing hours, the other 1/2 were trips to the garden, trash cans, mailbox etc. Regardless Grasshoppers are long hour machines and can be found in the 500-100 hour range at pretty good prices.

I too like the Toro turboforce deck on the Z400 series. Toro doesn't have a large segment here on the commercial work, but they have an awesome mower and it left a better cut than just about anything I've seen, i really liked it with a mulch kit on it.

 

[6thgpSF]

I found a really nice 928D grasshopper on craigslist last yr. Paid $5000.00 .It's the best mower I've ever owned.The Kubota diesel sips fuel compared to a gas engine.It has the twin tail wheels with the 61" deck and I have no problems mowing my ditches either sideways or up and down.with the frount mount deck I'm able to mow under trees and fences insted of having to use my weed eater..russ