ruff riding zero turn

[smstonypoint]

I believe ZTR's do ride worse than other common machines mowing. First, they have, in general, very short wheelbases. While this enhances handling, it kills the ride. Second, they move fast. We are all told to mow at WOT as fast as we can, which may not be the desired 10 MPH speed claimed by some manufacturers. Third, the operator sits directly in front of the largest location of mass on the machine, making for a harsher ride. Finally, even in commercial ZTR's the largest common tire size for the rear is 24x12x12, which is still so low profile that it does little to reduce shock. As most know, Ferris makes a front suspended ZTR. I personally have never tried one, and some local mowers I know have had poor service from the ones they have had, but in theory the front strut system should really smooth the ride. The other issues noted above would still be present though.

John M

John,

I have only limited experience with my new ZTR, but its ride is a lot smoother than my 42" Snapper. Your third point may apply here, as the Snapper is a rear-engine rider and may ride rougher than a front-engine rider. Admittedly, I am still learning how to use the ZTR and I came no where near reaching its advertised top speed. But my dealer told me that I should maintain a high RPM and a relatively slow ground speed to obtain a quality cut.

Steve

 

[jcmseven]

Steve, your dealer is telling you well. I have never been able to get the butter smooth cut everyone seems to discuss at those 8-10 MPH mowing speeds advertised. With regard to ZTR's, I have had four of them and really like using a ZTR to mow. They are not the cat's meow for everyone. I had a 595 JD diesel LG tractor (I sold it about two years ago) with a 62" deck. On properties I commonly mow, it was within 10-15 minutes per acre of being as fast as my ZTR. This is a lot, but the number shrunk on steep terrain or bumpy terrain because the little tractor had a longish wheelbase and rode so much better. For a commercial mower doing 8-10 lawns per day, ten minutes per acre mowed adds up to an additional job or two per day, but I am not a commercial mower. I do, though, enjoy mowing with the ZTR and saving 30 minutes or so cutting my parents' grass. My most recent purchase, a 950 ZTR John Deere, rides a bit better and is even more efficient than the previous ZTR's I have owned. That said, I truly mow at 6-7 MPH most times and this gives me a very good cut. The 18000 FPM blade tip speed at that ground speed makes the cut not just smooth, but uniform. One can look at the grass blades and see they have been lopped off level, where even with sharp blades, my 595 would occasionally tear the grass. Looking at it as a whole, there was no visible difference in cut, but now the grass I cut has a much healthier appearance blade for blade and I think my folk's lawn in particular looks thicker and healthier. I suppose this is the difference between mowing at 7 mph with 18,000 FPM blade tip speed v. mowing a 5-5.5 MPH with 14,000 FPM speed and its traumatic effect to the grass.

John M

 

[JTKub]

My Cub Z-Force doesn't ride any worse than my Cub 2544 or Case 220. The name of the game for me is to slow waaaaay down on the very rough areas, which means my ground speed is generally slower all the time. To the OP, I thought Dixie Choppers came with big balloon ATV rear tires (like pictured at the bottom)? Those should ride nice. I do know that the tires were GROSSLY overinflated on my Z-Force when I took delivery. I didn't think to even check it until I got jarred around for about 3hrs of mowing. The pic below was taken when I didn't realize the rears were ready to pop. The rears are supposed to hold 8-10psig and they were at ~40 each!! The front casters take a higher pressure being small, so they're always going to be kind of hard.

Joel

 

[caseyvand]

I believe ZTR's do ride worse than other common machines mowing. First, they have, in general, very short wheelbases. While this enhances handling, it kills the ride. Second, they move fast. We are all told to mow at WOT as fast as we can, which may not be the desired 10 MPH speed claimed by some manufacturers. Third, the operator sits directly in front of the largest location of mass on the machine, making for a harsher ride. Finally, even in commercial ZTR's the largest common tire size for the rear is 24x12x12, which is still so low profile that it does little to reduce shock. As most know, Ferris makes a front suspended ZTR. I personally have never tried one, and some local mowers I know have had poor service from the ones they have had, but in theory the front strut system should really smooth the ride. The other issues noted above would still be present though.

John M

Hi ....... My manual says to mow at full throttle....that's so the blades can do the job and the engine gets proper cooling.........The forward speed is adjusted for length of grass, quality of ride and safety......Just my opinion.
Thanks.....Casey

 

[Alan L.]

I believe ZTR's do ride worse than other common machines mowing. First, they have, in general, very short wheelbases. While this enhances handling, it kills the ride. Second, they move fast. We are all told to mow at WOT as fast as we can, which may not be the desired 10 MPH speed claimed by some manufacturers. Third, the operator sits directly in front of the largest location of mass on the machine, making for a harsher ride. Finally, even in commercial ZTR's the largest common tire size for the rear is 24x12x12, which is still so low profile that it does little to reduce shock. As most know, Ferris makes a front suspended ZTR. I personally have never tried one, and some local mowers I know have had poor service from the ones they have had, but in theory the front strut system should really smooth the ride. The other issues noted above would still be present though.

John M

The ride our our Scag Wildcat is way better than the old craftsman lawn tractor, even going 4 times as fast and mowing better. I think mowing on the ZTR is actually pretty comfortable.

 

[pete-mi]

I have a Bob-Cat Preditor Pro mower and it has a good ride. The one thing I am glad it has is deluxe suspension type seat. That is one thing I would want on any mower. It makes more of a difference than you might think. On the Hustler and Big Dog mowers you can also get the front flex forks. These two options will greatly improve your ride. The thing I dont like about suspensions like Farris uses are the extra parts that will wear out over time.

 

[Dargo]

Ferris makes ZTR mowers with suspension. That helps some. Otherwise, the only way you're going to get a considerably better ride is to go with a front mount ZTR machine. These machines have a separate 'tractor' and mower deck. The mower deck has it's own smaller diameter wheels and pivots differently than the 'tractor' part of the machine.

I owned a mowing business for a while and bought several mid mount ZTR mowers because they cost less and you can get more of them of a trailer. Unfortunately, that's their only advantage and you pay for it with the rough ride. After many thousands of hours in the ZTR seat, when I sold my mowing business, I kept one of my Grasshopper front mount ZTR mowers and bought another one almost identical to it for my wife.

Our "lawn" is about 12 acres and I have many pine trees to mow under as well as an acre and a half pond to mow around. With the front mount mower, I've never had to string trim around the lake. I put several mid mount mowers in the lake trying to keep from having to trim. Basically, front mount ZTR mowers just ride far better than mid mount mowers. Mid mount mowers are less expensive to produce, and price sells. Take your pick.

 

[6thgpSF]

Hey Drago,I'm with you.I've got a 928D ,what a great machine! russ

 

[FrogLick]

I agree with Dargo that the front mount ZTRs will have a better ride for the reasons stated. My Grasshopper 618 also has wide stance tandem rear tail wheels which also make a big difference particularly on rougher ground. I took a Gravely mid-mount for a short test drive yesterday and the harshness of the ride was immediately obvious; I'm going to test drive a SCAG mid-mount today or tomorrow and see if it's any better. The older I get and the worse my back hurts, the more ride quality is something I pay attention to!

 

[big bubba]

smoother ride? jus go slower, what's the problem, wantin' that cold one and tv @ the other end? it'll come in due time......i sometimes ride w/a strap on back support that keeps me more upright = cheap suspension & keeps u upright. chill! bb