Pros to having a riding mower over a zero-turn

[JeepHead]

You just got the wrong kind.

I agree with that. My brother in law and nephew talked me into the Spartan. I had intended to buy the CC with steering wheel. Sure wish I had went with the CC. But my girlfriend bought i for me so I would feel guilty selling it now. lol

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

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.

Buy one with a wheel

 

[2manyrocks]

How? What brand?

Look at Home Depot pricing for example. A 42" 18hp or so rider is priced about $2300. Most any equivalent size ZTR is about $3200 or more.

Really? I can mow way faster with a ZT than a garden tractor. It’s not even close. I just sold my Kubota F3680 and my ZD-1211 is 2-3 times faster. We actually have timed it. I have a place we cut that takes 4 -4.5 hours with a F-3680 and a ZD-1211. Now with (2) ZD-1211’s we just cut the same place in 3-3.5 hours.

In an open field without any obstructions, there's not much difference when the machines have the same ground speed and mowing width. In a yard filled with trees and odd shapes, the ZTR could be 50% faster based on my timed speed comparisons in the past.

 

[skipmarcy]

Or with a joystick !! (Country Clipper)

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I feel like it's easier to find a 72" ZTR than a 72" rider too. I can mow two acres in an hour on the ZTR without breaking a sweat. Now, it was pricey, I think it lists at $15k now.. It was $9500 list 6 years ago when I bought it

 

[4570Man]

I went to town last week and on my way, I saw a guy getting his ZTM pulled out of low spot with a pickup. On my way back I saw the same guy getting the same mower pulled out of another area by a pickup. It appears that they get stuck much easier than tractors. That area was a church lawn and not something a tractor would have had a problem with.

I know there are guys that claim that they can go dune hopping in the Sahara Desert, or mow a path through the Amazon jungle, or climb MT. Everest with their ZTM's. Fact of the matter is they are great at what they were designed to do and not good at the rest. It's kind of like a *** change. You can put a plow on one and pull a wagon, but if you look under the skirt, it's still a ZTM.

Dave

The zero turn needs bar tires on it not the trash turf tires they all come with. The zero turn will probably never equal a 4x4 mower but it will outperform a regular 2wd mower. I’m not sure why people think you can’t pull a wagon with a zero turn. It works perfectly fine. Plowing snow probably isn’t its strong suit but a regular riding mower is going to suck at plowing snow as well. I don’t live somewhere to care about plowing snow but I don’t see why a better end zero turn with drives that won’t explode can’t plow snow just as good as a regular 2wd riding lawnmower mower. And this was a zero turn vs riding lawnmower discussion not a zero turn vs tractor with a mowing deck comparison.

 

[WinterDeere]

So, what are the positives (if any) to owning a riding mower over a zero-turn? I am not talking about a sub-compact with mower deck but a dedicated riding mower.

A zero turn can reliably handle about 2 acres per hour, with regular tree and garden roundings. That means some of you might find your excuse of, "sorry honey, I need to go mow the lawn" barely keeps you busy an hour or two on Saturday, leaving you open to the dreaded house cleaning. Or God forbid... your wife dragging you to the farmer's market!

A riding mower can keep you busy all day, on even the smallest lawn, giving you a better excuse to avoid going out.

I have a JD 750 riding mower.

I owned a JD 750. I'd hardly call it a riding mower?



Are you sure you haven't mixed up model numbers?

My riding mower cuts just fine and was considerably less expensive than a ZT.

There we have it: cost is the most commonly justifiable advantage of riding mower over zero turn.

 

[JeepHead]

A zero turn can reliably handle about 2 acres per hour, with regular tree and garden roundings. That means some of you might find your excuse of, "sorry honey, I need to go mow the lawn" barely keeps you busy an hour or two on Saturday, leaving you open to the dreaded house cleaning. Or God forbid... your wife dragging you to the farmer's market!

A riding mower can keep you busy all day, on even the smallest lawn, giving you a better excuse to avoid going out.


I owned a JD 750. I'd hardly call it a riding mower?

View attachment 879451

Are you sure you haven't mixed up model numbers?


There we have it: cost is the most commonly justifiable advantage of riding mower over zero turn.

I don't house clean. I don't go out. I don't go to the store with her. I have enough outside work at home to last me the remainder of my life. She knows and accepts this... And I put our twin 13 year old boys to work outside too. Now, she does make them help with housework and they always get all of the furniture moving chores... The only chore I will do in the house is cook because NOBODY wants to eat her food. Well, and any needed repairs...

 

[dadohead]

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

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I might mow the lawn in an hour, but then I work in the garden, tend to the apiary, and work in the shop. I make it around dusk.

 

[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?