what to do... what to do

MrMagoo · May 1, 2008

Oh gurus of all things four wheeled, I need you help. I am now in the market for a zero turn mower after kicking tires the last couple of years. I am trying to stay around 5k for a mower used mostly to mow my 3 acre yard.

I've looked at Toro, Gravely, Scag, Big Boy, Cub cadet, ex mark, hustler, grasshopper and Kubota. I really dont have a name or color preference but am mostly about getting the most bang for my buck.

This week I was at the cub cadet dealer and a they had a seemingly good deal on a 48'' commercial unit. It was a 48 inch "V wing" and the dealer told me that it had been recalled by Cub Cadet because of problems with the "wings" on the deck. He said he bought about three hundred from dealers and he welded the wings solid so they will not move. Cub does not offer a warrenty on the mowers but he offered a 90 day warrenty and said that Kohler offered a two year warrenty on the motor. A wimpy warrenty made me a little leery of the unit but for the price (3599), I would be getting a non used commercial unit for the price of a residential unit from Lowes or Home Depot. A new 48 " enforcer (very similar) cost more than a thousand more. The dealer told me that he has about 84 units left in stock and that he would stand behind what he sells. Should i run "far away" from this unit? Should I be looking for a bigger unit for my yard?

I also looked at the Big Boy brand at another dealer in 60 inch models. These units look very well built for the price. I was most interested in a Z pup with a 23 hp briggs vanguard engine and a commercial air filtration system and an electric lift. He could sell this unit for 5800. Is this model to big for my yard? Is Big boy a good brand? Is the vanguard engine a good engine?

Scagg is very popular in my area as most of the pro mowers have them on their lawn trailers passing through town. The dealers are very proud of their
Scag though?

Should I be looking at a different brand?

Thanks ahead of time for the advice.

gamble77 · May 1, 2008

The V-wing idea is fantastic and will probably catch on one day but Cub just hadn't done enough R&D on the thing when it hit the market and they are lot of issues with it. The motor is proven, the drive train is solid, the deck is the thing to be conerned about. I would take a good look at exactly what he has done to the deck and how good of a welder he is! The only other thing the frame is tight on the machine because it's main intent was get in 36" gates, so it is a narrow machine, small wheels/tires, and all the controls are mounted between your legs. He does have a good price on them.

Other than that get your butt in some and see which ones you like! Deere's are new for this year (commercial machines anyway), and you can't go wrong with Scag or Grasshopper. Good luck and have fun shopping!!

MrMagoo · May 1, 2008

Ok I haven't figured out how to edit my first post but I can see the error of going tomato shopping and ZTR shopping in the same day. The second mower I looked at wasn't a "big boy". It was a Bad Boy. I think big boy is a type of tomato. Also, after posting quickly at work, I found a previous Bad Boy thread.

Thanks gamble 77 for your response. I did notice that the riding area seemed a little narrow as did the tires. The dealer told me that he had a trick to widen the tires. He welds two rims together and mounts a wider tire. It would cost me about $150 extra for that.

Does anyone else have some timeless advice? Any experience with Vanguard vs. Kohler engine?

Nasty135 · May 3, 2008

Magoo, Why would you want wider tires? Perhaps that will be putting more strain on the drive pumps... Also I know for a fact the wider the tire the more grass you rip out on turns, especially going around trees...until you learn a gentle three point turn you will be creating little bare spots here & there...
There is a definate learning curve when it comes to turning on slopes & such...
Bad Boy, Cub Cadet, both good units... Try them out then decide

I don't know zip about the V-wing thing

Happy shopping...

bontai_Joe · May 3, 2008

I'm assuming that since the Cub dealer you went to bought 300 of these Zero turn units he is a BIG dealer and familiar with a lot of different types of product. Even so, I gotta wonder about his idea of welding the deck solid solving a problem when a whole engineering team at MTD didn't do it that way..... I'm not familiar enough with this unit to say good or bad, just wanted to raise a simple caution flag on a problem solution that kinda sounds like 5 minutes of thought was spent on it.

MrMagoo · May 4, 2008

thanks for the replys nasty and Joe. the machine's "v wing" was built to fit through a 36 inch yard gate. so the body as well as the deck is designed for this purpose. the body is a little narrower than a comprable enforcer and so are the rear tires. All of the controls are between your legs to help save space.

the dealer told me that cub was having problems with the pulleys on the "v wing" tearing up so maybe they got recalled? He bought a bunch from other dealers and welded the deck solid making it lose the "v wing" function.

whats left is a commercial/nearly commercial model with a heavy deck, 23 hp Kolher command for $3599. That's very comparable to the price of a residential unit from a big box store. Of course, no warranty on these units from cub cadet. The dealer said theres a 2 year warranty on the engine and he'd warranty the whole unit for 90 days.

For about a thousand more I can get a badboy , a hustler fast track, a scag freedom z or entry units from several other brands. These units would have a new warranty and i'm sure cut my grass like a rabbit on crack.

what to do.... what to do...