Need help picking a zero turn

[Dargo]

Dixie Chopper, hands down the fastest mower on earth. I bought an 8 year old one. Owned by a private owner, not a lawn guy (they destroy everything) and I've had it two years now. It's still going strong. I replaced the belt once. My fault for running over Palm Fronds from Queen Palms.

It has a 60" cut and I mow just under two acres in 45 minutes.

I think they make a fantastic machine. I just wish they made a front mount version. Unfortunately, my lawn isn't exactly smooth (I don't know which is worse, having moles or having the holes my dogs leave getting the moles) and there's no way I could use top speed on a mid mount mower. I had 2 Ferris mowers with suspension, but they still rode considerably rougher than my front mount Grasshoppers.

Besides being extremely well built, I like the wide rear stance of the Dixie Choppers I've demonstrated. If I could use a mid mount mower, I'd likely go with a Dixie Chopper. Unfortunately, with lakes to mow around and a lot of inside corners, a mid mount mower just leaves too much trimming for my situation. Besides, after being used to the ride of front mount mowers for over 10 years, I don't think my back could take the beating. I don't doubt they are the fastest, but I can't find any place on their website that talks about their top speed. I can, and do, run my Grasshoppers flat out at 9-11mph each time I mow. If they are faster than that, you know I'd have to try going faster and I'd kill my back. I mow right at 12 acres of lawn each week around 30 to 35 weeks a year. Anyway, as a well built and tough mower, I give Dixie Choppers two thumbs up.

 

[Dargo]

in a word Grasshopper.
With only 2 acres to mow dont think you need an 50, or 60 inch deck
A ZTR with a 48 inch deck will work just fine. Reduce your mowing/trimming time and be enjoyable too.

I have 4.5 acres to mow I have a Woods 6215 61 " deck with a Kubota DT722 diesel. (Grasshopper made it for Woods)

My older Grasshopper (1999) is a 721D G2; basically the same as your mower just with Grasshopper colored paint. My newer Grasshopper is a 928. There are several areas where the 72" deck scalps the lawn and places I can't fit where the 721 does just fine. Both are powered with Kubota diesels just like yours. How many hours on yours? My 721 is approaching 1900 hours and I've not even changed a belt yet. Only scheduled maintenance.

 

[NOTV8]

Remember, whatever mower everyone owns, thats the one they will recommend

FWIW, I have a Hustler, I like it fine

Then I recommend Bad Boy . Have mine for 3 years now... :thumbsup:

 

[Dargo]

Have mine for 3 years now... :thumbsup:

My older Grasshopper just finished up it's 13th mowing season with zero issues and all original belts. Changed blades once. Otherwise, just scheduled maintenance. Hopefully yours will allow you to say the same after another 10 years of mowing.

 

[Sray330]

Thanks for the input Doug. I checked out the Ferris, and while it appears to be a fine mower, i am concerned it won't take on some of the taller weeds that we have to deal with at our other farm. Since it only gets mowed three times per year, it needs a really stout mower - just short of a brush hog.

 

[Sray330]

I love my fastrak! Got it for close to 5k after the dealer lowered the price quite a bit.

My wife went to our pecan farm this weekend, was brushogging the 4 ft. tall stuff when the Hustler dealer showed up with a Super Z. She said he was able to cut 4' tall scrub with the big Hustler! She was in disbelief and so am I. Never heard of a mower cutting anything like that. He mowed 5 acres, one pass with the deck as high as it would go and another dropped down for a cleaner cut. Guess what she is buying?

Thanks for the input.

 

[foreman Etexas]

eXmark!!!

 

[speedbump]

I think they make a fantastic machine. I just wish they made a front mount version.

Yeah, that's one thing that is amiss with a belly mower. The front wheels flatten the weaker grass and the deck skips over it before it can stand up again to be cut. So you have to go much slower over these areas. A mower with the blades up front would end that problem.

 

[whiskywizard]

...
Narrow decks not only cover less area but the big disadvantage is they do not allow you to get close to trees and shrubs so there is much more trimming.

Chris

Chris, Are you saying that the wider decks extend further in UNDER the bushy stuff, cutting closer to the trunk? I know what you mean - very true. I have many trees and bushes that I've trimmed back to the trunk from ground level up 3' so I can get right under them with my 54" deck. Also, I can't get right in under some branches with the ROPS up, so it's down most of the time.

However, if I had a deck that was bigger than 54", I couldn't get between many of my trees and shrubs. A 61" deck would have me out there with the push mower instead. At 54", I can go straight from Z to string trimmer, and there isn't much string trimming needed. I think the deck width is an important consideration, and it's one case where bigger isn't necessarily better. Each property layout will have an optimum width.

BTW, mine is a Toro Titan Z, with the heavy welded deck. Engine is 24HP Kawasaki. I can cut 4 acres (minus the footprint of buildings, driveway, little decorative pond, etc), in less than an 80 minutes. I really like this unit. It sits in between homeowner models and commercial units, yet is easy to maintain and cuts beautifully. The fact that it's between 1/2 and 2/3 the price of a commercial one might be a consideration for some folks. It was for me.

 

[bucktaker]

My older Grasshopper (1999) is a 721D G2; basically the same as your mower just with Grasshopper colored paint. My newer Grasshopper is a 928. There are several areas where the 72" deck scalps the lawn and places I can't fit where the 721 does just fine. Both are powered with Kubota diesels just like yours. How many hours on yours? My 721 is approaching 1900 hours and I've not even changed a belt yet. Only scheduled maintenance.

My Mower is a 1999 model I purchased with 375 hrs in 2002 I currently have 775 hrs Original belts, only issue I have had was breaking axles seems they over hardened the metal making it brittle

I picked up a used grasshopper 48 inch snow blower so the tractor does double duty now mowing and blowing.