Mow with my bx24 or buy a zero turn mower?

[hizoot]

I have a little over 2 acres and an Exmark Lazer Z Hp (48" cut,20 horse) .I can mow my land in just a little over an hour and 40 minutes. I might be a little faster if my yard wasn't so bumpy. I hope to cure that,now that I have a new JD2520,by renovating this old pasture land...thats been overrun by moles for years. I bought this mower for the time savings as I'm in HVAC,and my summers are BUSY.But...the cut quality was an unexpected benefit.The commercial ZTR 's are fantastic. They will beat you to death on land like mine. I wised up quickly and bought the suspension seat. Its the same manufacturer as the one John Deere sells in yellow in their upgrade (special edition?),but mines grey. (I believe Northern Tool sells them in black)
The commercial ztr's are expensive, no doubt. But from what I've read, will last at least 2500 hrs, before needing much work. I've been mowing my 2 acres since '04,and have just over 250 hrs on the clock...it should last the rest of my life, and probably my sons as well.

edit to mention...sometimes it might be 2 weeks before I can cut and the grass can be 8-10" tall....The Exmark doesnt even hesitate . It will leave clumps sometimes in this situation, especially if the grass is damp,but...the mower is so fast, it doesnt take anytime to double cut the clumps and dispurse them out. I believe the blade speed and deck design is the reason. The Exmark ->18000fpm, my old John Deere GT275->11000fpm.

 

[Popster]

I would add that if you put some high lift mulching blades on the ZTR, not only is the cut fantastic, but you can get rid of the leaf rakes.

I put old blades on during the winter and mow the poplar burrs off of my drive and parking area.

 

[boggen]

i have no actual seat time on a zero turn.

the old allis chalmers CA has small front end. almost like a 3 wheeler. it is about as close as you can get to a zero turn, without being one. boy does it make a difference. in mowing from a good old riding lawn mower. to the CA with a belly mower. the turning abilty is the key. if i actually slow down (again if i slow down) i can pretty much cut everything right up to the trees. with maybe an inch to spare. (haven't hung it up yet on a tree, *knocks on wood*) if i did same thing on a riding mower. it would take for ever including doing some weed whacking with the weed-eater.

when speaking to a couple others had there small sized zero turns. and then i caught a post a couple days ago here on the forums. is that once the grass gets thick and just a tiny bit to high. even with deck raised up all the way and blades freshly sharpen. the zero turns. turn out to be duds.

and i am wondering after seeing other folks statements about getting a commercial unit vs the low entry market zero turns. if perhaps above is the reason and being able to deal with taller grass. and perhaps a little more weight and bigger tires for extra traction.

*looks confused*

 

[Haywire]

You fellas cutting twice a week are nuts.. I cut once every 2 weeks. Usually am cutting 3-4" of grass at a whack not counting the tassels.. they're a foot tall sometimes. I go past trees and leave the tapered strip fore and aft of the tree be. I take the time to cut that strip maybe once a month. I also go in circles, no striping, so no turning a 180 twice per row. I look at it this way. I've got a 2 acre yard, not a putting green.

Ian

 

[harleyguy302]

Looks like ZTR is the way to go. Next question I have what brands should I be looking at? I've got my eye on a couple of Bad boy mowers. I hope to get to bad boy dealer in the next couple weeks to check them out. Besides my Kubota I have always had John Deere but I really don't care much for my local dealer. If your not buying a combine he acts as he doesn't have much time for you.

 

[harleyguy302]

A guy I work with bought a new landpride ztr last year and loves it. Has anyone used one of these? The salesman talked him out of a kubota.

 

[Popster]

When I went through the buying process I gathered advice as follows:

Make sure there is a good dealer nearby just in case you need service.

On smaller plots, many folks seemed satisfied with the lower end ZTRs from TSC and the likes.

A heavy duty welded deck is much preferred to a stamped deck in terms of performance and durability.

I narrowed my selection to Scagg and Exmark. I chose the Scagg because I have a local dealer whose reputation is stellar. I bought mine about this time last year. He gave me an excellent price on last years model. He orders them from Scagg and discounts them to his customers. In my case over 1K. They have new warranties. My battery died at the end of the summer and he just swapped it out for no cost.

I chose the Scagg 61" Tiger Cat and ordered the mulch kit with it. It allows me to either mulch or blow out the clippings at the flip of a lever. I modified mine to get rid of the large grass deflector and just use the movable mulch plate as a guard.

 

[Tom_H]

My sister-in-law has a 61" 30+ hp BOB-CAT Predator-Pro. BOB-CAT is a completely different company than Bobcat. It cost $6k a few years back. It does cut fast and is pretty heavy duty, but I would prefer a quality diesel engine rather than the Kohler, Kawasaki, Generac, Briggs-Stratton, gasoline engines they use.

BOB-CAT Commercial Mowers | Zero-Turn Riding Mowers - View All BOB-CAT Zero-Turns | Compare BOB-CAT Zero-Turn Riding Mowers

 

[PoorMansCat]

When I went through the buying process I gathered advice as follows:

Make sure there is a good dealer nearby just in case you need service.

On smaller plots, many folks seemed satisfied with the lower end ZTRs from TSC and the likes.

A heavy duty welded deck is much preferred to a stamped deck in terms of performance and durability.

Personally, I would stay away from units from Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart..etc... While they may be ok for somebody mowing 1/4 acre of manicured lawn... they are built cheap. Much like the CUT market, many of the "major brands" are simply sticker engineering. Take the time to shop your local dedicated lawn and garden dealers. Its always a good sign if they actually have a parts inventory and a service department.
Diesels are a nice option, but repair costs could be substancially higher. Definitely spring for a fully welded deck, greasable joints, and rebuildable/servicable spindle shaft assemblies. Also, make sure it has the simple things, like arm rests on the seat, a small tools/trash storage spot. Drink holder, option for a sun cover;
My in-laws ZTR you have to keep the steering yokes pushed forward. So if you need to scratch your arm, you end up doing a donut or having to come to a stop. My Toro isnt spring loaded, I can actually drive it one handed. Just some things to consider when you go shopping.

 

[aczlan]

Personally, I would stay away from units from Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart..etc... While they may be ok for somebody mowing 1/4 acre of manicured lawn... they are built cheap. Much like the CUT market, many of the "major brands" are simply sticker engineering. Take the time to shop your local dedicated lawn and garden dealers. Its always a good sign if they actually have a parts inventory and a service department.

I agree. Go with something commercial or at least prosumer from a commercial brand and get it from a shop that work with that brand of commercial zeroturns.

Diesels are a nice option, but repair costs could be substancially higher. Definitely spring for a fully welded deck, greasable joints, and rebuildable/servicable spindle shaft assemblies. Also, make sure it has the simple things, like arm rests on the seat, a small tools/trash storage spot. Drink holder, option for a sun cover

if it dosent have an option for a stock sunshade, something like: Tractor Umbrella Top - 0290011 | Tractor Supply Company could work

My in-laws ZTR you have to keep the steering yokes pushed forward. So if you need to scratch your arm, you end up doing a donut or having to come to a stop. My Toro isnt spring loaded, I can actually drive it one handed. Just some things to consider when you go shopping.

I havent seen any brand that comes new without spring return on the handles (that is a "safety feature"), but on some (like the Exmarks I worked with) the ends of the sticks are close enough together to hold both in one hand.
Edit: Oon the Exmarks and the Huskvarna mowers I worked with there was a gas assist shock instead of a spring to provide the return action and to dampen the jitters in the handles

Aaron Z