Pros to having a riding mower over a zero-turn

[DK35vince]

The dealers say it's hills. You have lots of hills?... get a tractor variant.

I have a garden tractor and zero turn mower with bar tires.
My garden tractor is no better mowing on hills than my zero turn.
And the zero turn is a lot less tippy (not nearly as top heavy)

 

[Mtsoxfan]

I just purchased a Cub Cadet ZTS1, and WOW... wish I made the change years ago. Even wife, who helps cut the lawn comments how much smoother riding it is. Cuts faster, on smoother ground. Ease of turning/cutting around trees etc. Many others commented on other pros, just want to add, cutting the lawn is no longer a chore.
Biggest drawback I can see is price. $4600 compared to about $2800 for a rider. This is a dedicated mower, vs a tractor which can run implements (which I have covered with other equipment)

 

[4570Man]

I have a garden tractor and zero turn mower with bar tires.
My garden tractor is no better mowing on hills than my zero turn.
And the zero turn is a lot less tippy (not nearly as top heavy)

My experience is the same. The small light weight zero turns do tend to suck on hills but the big ones will do fine. The wheels on my Grasshopper are 60” apart and the most of the weight is mounted at or below the top of the tires. There’s really no way you could roll it besides sliding off a retaining wall or something. Holding on the hill is no issue either with bar tires. I mow a ditch with the grasshopper at a family members house that they’ve push mowed for decades after they flipped a regular riding mower on it.

 

[Hay Dude]

I climb real steep hills with my zero turn that a I know a 2WD tractor wont climb unless bar tires.

 

[DK35vince]

My experience is the same. The small light weight zero turns do tend to suck on hills but the big ones will do fine. The wheels on my Grasshopper are 60” apart and the most of the weight is mounted at or below the top of the tires. There’s really no way you could roll it besides sliding off a retaining wall or something. Holding on the hill is no issue either with bar tires. I mow a ditch with the grasshopper at a family members house that they’ve push mowed for decades after they flipped a regular riding mower on it.

My garden tractor (Wheel Horse C-101) rear tires are 33" wide (outside to outside)
My zero turn rear tires are 60" wide with its weight way down low.
Way more stabile on side hills.

 

[Grumpycat]

I hauled firewood in a wagon pulled with my zero turn for years. Mowing the whole yard with one hand might be a struggle but I can easily drive the zero turn with one hand. I’d never go back to regular riding mower. The zero turn is vastly superior.

I have a Country Clipper with single joystick. Always drive one handed.

 

[jyoutz]

I bought my first ZT last summer when I bought my new home. I have roughly 4 acres of yard to mow. I can honestly say I absolutely hate my ZT and hate mowing my yard now, when I use to love to mow yards. The absolute game changer for me is that I can no longer drink beer and mow. That is the single biggest downfall to owning a ZT.

My ZTM has a cup holder.

 

[WinterDeere]

My ZTM has a cup holder.

So does mine. But each time I've placed a drink in it, I look down five minutes later to find it gone.

 

[Yander]

Here is ours, sprayer attached, with a remote for the sprayer motor. It gets used a few times a year for lawn roller duty, spraying the dandelions in Sept and for spraying the driveway throughout the summer. I paid $1500 for it last year and my wife informed me I'm not allowed to sell it. I buy and sell things a lot

No mowing, and I'm about to take the deck off of it. Though I did use it to finish mowing my MILs yard when both the ZTRs were down for about a week before I could get time to work on them.

 

[Yander]

So does mine. But each time I've placed a drink in it, I look down five minutes later to find it gone.

Hmmmm, perhaps?