Semi - Commercial Zeroturn Comparison

JMER817 · Jun 1, 2016

Well, my 10 year old Craftsman 54" deck lawn tractor is near its death. Planning on upgrading to a zero-turn and have been doing some research this week. A good comparison chart is scarce out there so I decided to create my own. I'm focusing on the High end homeowner / low end commercial units ranging in price from $4500 - $7000. I've attached the spreadsheet for those that might be also interested in such data. I was told by a friend to take a look at the Husqvarna. I was never a fan of this make in regards to their mowers, but I am definetly looking at the MZ and MZT61 model. Looks like a good value for the dollar and has a lot of the features of the higher end machines. His brother-in law researched for 6 months and bought the Husqvarna just recently. I'm gonna demo it next week. Anyone else put the research in like this recently? Anyone have the Husqvarna MZ series?

Turbys_1700 · Jun 1, 2016

Around here Gravely and Ferris has a large share of the market due to two excellent dealers. I have no direct experience with the Husqvarna MZ's. If I was buying the Gravely ZD HT 60 would be at the top of the list. Local dealer here has been a Gravely dealer for over 30 years and he sells a lot of those units. Typically buys at years end several trailer loads at discount and sells at discount. They are very durable and good units. The average home owner will get excellent service out of them. The only negative I have is the sealed spindles. They are not serviceable. Less to worry about but eventually they do have to be replaced. How many hours they last I am not sure. I would think that they would be in the 500 hour range. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Maxify55 · Jun 2, 2016

I did exactly that 10'yrs ago. I bought a 2 yr old Ferris 1000Z for $3000. Had the motor rebuilt as the owner had run it low on oil. It's still cutting to this very day on the 7 acres out here in north Florida with barely 800 hrs on the clock, as I recall.

Loadstar · Jun 2, 2016

Ariens/gravely
Our Ariens zoom xl54 has been great

JMER817 · Jun 2, 2016

Can anyone see my spreadsheet that I uploaded?

tow653 · Jun 2, 2016

JMER817 said:
Can anyone see my spreadsheet that I uploaded?

Yes,nice job.

JMER817 · Jun 2, 2016

tow653 said:
Yes,nice job.

Good...Its not showing up in my phone

atomchaser · Jun 2, 2016

On paper, the Husky commercial unit looks like the sweet spot. I recently bought a Hustler Fastrak SDX and I have been satisfied with it. I bought it based on good dealer support and solid features at a good price point. I didn't look at the Huskies (did actually know they made commercial units) but definitely worth a look based on the paper specs.

check 6 · Jun 2, 2016

Good spreadsheet, but the question arises that when you get into the 6-7 thousand dollar range why have you not look at Kubota. The may be pricy at first but I have had a ZD 1800 54 " deck Kubota for ten years and it still looks and just great. I do annual paint. clean it regularly and keep the blades sharp other than that it has been without issue and does my 1 acre and additional mowing quickly

Gary Fowler · Jun 2, 2016

I would include the Ferris IS 700Z in the comparison. I have one and it is great, the springs over shocks really smooths out the bumps. I have the Kawasaki engine on mine, but they can also be had with a B&S engine if you like for a few bucks less. It also has the Hydro-Gear 3400 series serviceable transmission. I think they will still be in the $6-7000 range (maybe less if you look at last year clearance sale).