no Questions?

[5030]

Hydrogear are less efficient, less powerful, less robust han dedicated pumps.

Sounds like fooey to me.... both of ours has individual (each rear wheel) Hydrogear pumps with spin on filters and you can spin the wheels on grass, no problem. My Tank is 12 years old and never had any issue with it.

Don't really matter to me as mine is going down the road anyway.

I just don't like the mid mount mower or the 'oars' either.

 

[5030]

I would imagine that a battery powered ZTR would be ok for a smaller lawn but the same issue arises with them that is inherent with electric tractors... What do you do if your batteries poop out a long way from the charging source? Carry a small genny with you...

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Never said a hydro gear transaxle won’t spin tires on grass.

There is a design reason commercial mowers use dedicated pump motors on each wheel, and not transaxles. Transaxles are more cost effective and more compact. Larger commercial mowers benefit from the dedicated pump units.

Back to the EGO debate. Maybe buy one, try it, return it if it’s not capable. I’ve heard Lowes has taken them back.

 

[tradosaurus]

Zero steer trans-axles don't like doing side hills.

After I put bar tires on the rear of my zero turn I rarely get stuck. It will rut a wet yard though.

 

[CH4Ohio]

I see it has a light gage stamped steel deck as well. Light gage decks without constant upkeep, tend to rot out quickly as well. Sizeable investment to have it rot out I'd say.

One of the driving reasons I'm getting a Kubota front mount mower, you can tilt the deck up quickly and easily to clean it off.

Leaving cut grass clippings on the underside of any deck, stamped or fabricated will promote corrosion but a heavy gage deck will last longer without cleaning, stands to reason.

What I do with our present ZTR's is I pick them up from the front with one of my loaders and clean them off standing vertically. I'll eliminate that with the new Kubota entirely. Both of them have the useless 'deck wash' on them. Totally useless. Only thing that does is drive water in the deck spindles.

Ditto on the deck wash systems -- Not an effective way to clean the underside.

 

[Hay Dude]

Anyone who thinks a front mount “F” mower is superior to a comparable sized zero turn will soon be disappointed.

I run both for about 3 years on our large mowing contracts. The 72” diesel zero turn is 2X faster, more maneuverable, and less tiring to steer than a 72” Kubota F. It’s also less expensive to buy and less expensive to maintain. The worst part about the “F” style mower compared to a zero turn is deck height adjustment.

The only place an “F” is better is working on extremely steep slopes where traction is an issue.

If you are a homeowner with a very steep yard and time is not an issue an “F“ is a decent choice, but they are absurdly expensive at over $30,000.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Do you have one of these zero steer battery powered lawn mowers? Have you had yours on side hills? If so, how did it work for you? Please post if you've had good or bad luck with your battery mower. Thanks!

To answer your question directly, yes, I had a ZT battery mower briefly last spring:

RYOBI 80V HP Brushless 54 in. Battery Electric Cordless Zero Turn Riding Mower (3) 80V Batteries (4) 40V Batteries and Charger RYRM8034 - The Home Depot

Introducing RYOBI's first lithium-ion battery powered zero turn riding mower, the RYOBI 80V HP 54" Lithium Electric ZTR*. HP Technology and 80V batteries combine to deliver the power equivalent of a 42

www.homedepot.com

I mow some rather steep slopes, and I was concerned about the ZT traction. The salesperson said if it didn't work out, I could return it. It didn't and I did.

The ZT wouldn't hold a straight line on the slope cutting parallel, so I had to cut on the bias. Traction became a problem, especially if there was any moisture.

On the level, I liked the cut, ease of use, and maneuverability of the ZT, but it really wasn't any faster than the 3pt behind my Kubota.

The 4 acre cutting ability was overstated and I couldn't do much more than 2 on a single charge.

Rather than keep two machines to do the same job, I went back to the A/C cab of the Kubota.

This is just my experience with the Ryobi on my sloping ground though. Others may have better luck with similar ZT's on different turf.

Hope this helps.

 

[5030]

Hydrogear are less efficient, less powerful, less robust han dedicated pumps.

You posted the above and I say fooey on that I believe you meant 'than'...lol Moot for me anyway as it's leaving soon.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

You can say what you want. Truth isn't subjective.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Zero steer trans-axles don't like doing side hills.

That's dead-on right. My old Husqvarna tractor style mower, 52" Kawasaki 27hp, would cut my 25* hills with no problem. It finally blew the pionion gear and with no replacement parts available.

I replaced it with a Kubota Z412, 48" Kawasaki 26hp ZTR. The ZTR not only won't pull the hills (with turf tires), it doesn't have enough power to pull up them anyway, it wants to slide right off the hills. Now, it's hell bent for leather for speed. Cutting time chopped at least in half, maybe more. And the fun factor went up, way up!

Would I select the ZTR over the tractor style? Probably not. But what I definitely would do is opt for a front mower style. I get really tired of trying to mow under bushes, etc. with a mid-mount mower. My Z412 rides fairly soft and does a good job of cutting, but I'm not sure that I made the very best choice of mowers that are out there.