Opinions Please on 50" Toro Timecutter ZTR

[MossflowerWoods]

Lennyzx11 - TBN is where I go for reviews. Where did you get those reviews?

RipTides - I've been mowing everything, including old pasture and fire roads with my LX266.. But yes I do have a fair amount of mixed, some of it "yard" some of it "FARM"... Right now a commercial mower is not in the budget... No it does not have a ROPS, nor does my current mower. Most of the "hills" are in the timber areas, but there is a pretty good slope (excellent sledding) in the back yard and inside the driveway loop (which I only bush-hog).

I think a good quality Heavy Homeowner type unit should last a long time, but clearly I'm not completely decided.

The 2012 Gravely my old tractor dealer has seems more Heavy Duty, but costs more, no warranty, and already has 550 hours...

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Be well all,
David

 

[riptides]

Ok, Look at the HD site for the reviews too.

550 is a lot of hours, to me, for mowing. I think a new unit your looking at has a 3-year warranty, so that would be a difference maker, IMHO.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Ok, Look at the HD site for the reviews too.

550 is a lot of hours, to me, for mowing. I think a new unit your looking at has a 3-year warranty, so that would be a difference maker, IMHO.

HD Site? Harley Davidson??? I'm missing something.

Yes, I thought 550 hours on a 2012 was A LOT, and a 3 year warrant was a no brainer... Honestly I'd prefer to buy NOTHIN and get my JD running until we finish the remodel, then buy some smoking mower....

 

[riptides]

HD Site? Harley Davidson??? I'm missing something.

Yes, I thought 550 hours on a 2012 was A LOT, and a 3 year warrant was a no brainer... Honestly I'd prefer to buy NOTHIN and get my JD running until we finish the remodel, then buy some smoking mower....

Home Depot, they carry the Toro Line from push to ZTR's.

Weed through the reviews, you get DOA to excellent and all things in between. Including the hot hydro and locking brakes issues.

It's another good source for buying opinions. Another site with large numbers of opinions is mowersdirect.

I usually browse as many reviews as I can, and then try and read into the issues, good, bad indifferent. It's online review, YMMV, but it's a review.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Wow...

The Toro online store reviews show a tendency for electrical problems, specifically the Brake module and the hydro seems to have issues over 250 hours...

The dealer is not offering any real discount, current special MSRP of $2899 with no sales tax added. I think maybe I will pass and spend more time on just fixing my old mower first...

Wow...

David

 

[Gary Fowler]

I sure wouldn't worry about not having a ROPS on whatever you buy. I ruined a lot of trees with mine before I removed it completely. I have some steep hills on my pond levees but after mowing them a few times, I found that there is practically no way to flip a ZTR (mine at least), it slides sideways way before it would roll over. Some of the tractor type seem to have some flip over issues and even side turn overs. If you can stay in the seat of a ZTR, it wont flip (unless you run it into a ditch or something).

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Gary,

I'm not worried about the ROPS at all...

Be well,
David

 

[GBHRPS]

MossflowerWoods,

I just bought the very mower you're describing earlier this week and have cut the grass once. I went upscale just a bit and got it with the My Ride (spring and shock system for the seat and foot pan). I should have bought it years ago (of course the system has only been around a year or so) because regardless of the terrain you don't get beat up. It is day and night above the Cub Cadet Z Force I just sold tonight. The Cub did the job, but this new Toro is a Cadillac by comparison.

And you do not want to buy any brand's introductory mowers as their hydro drive units are non serviceable and have a history of crapping out at about the 300 hour mark, forcing one to buy a new hydro unit for that one side to the tune of $900 or more.

The drive units of the Toro Timecutter series are Hydro Gear ZT2200's which are totally rebuildable and have readily available parts. Lots of YouTube videos on repairing them. If I had one criticism ... there's no hour meter supplied with the unit. Its an expensive $100 CDN here, so I bought one from Amazon today for $28 shipped to my door.

Gene