morpheus said:
One problem I found with the ZTR is if your turf is not good and thick and you stop one wheel and spin the mower around, the tire that is not turning but is pivoting, will tear the grass.
This is not a shortcoming of the machine, but an operator technique issue. What people tend to do with HST front deck "tiller steer" machines, like my own F620, is "lock" the inside wheel when making a "zero turn".
Don't do this. What you actually need to do is reverse the inside tire while doing a tight turn, instead of holding it "braked" by the steering lever. This way you don't rip the grass. Think of pivoting on the centerline of the machine and you realize that the inside wheel needs to turn backwards.
Of course, it is best to avoid making these kinds of turns unless absolutely necessary.
Not all "ZTRs" are equal.
I guess everyone is assuming that when the OP means "ZTR" he means the front deck HSTs that you steer with levers that apply differential power/braking to the drive wheels. My BIL's Steiner with 72" front deck would be considered a zero turn machine, but has a steering wheel that turns the rear wheels. He can't apply torque to either drive wheel as needed like I can with my F620 in slippery conditions.
Also there are garden tractors with belly mowers and 4 wheel steer that I guess could be called ZTR. Never tried one of these, but the main reason I save so much time with the F620 over what I used previously is the ability to "sweep" the offset front deck under the spruce/pine/fir trees without damaging them or getting to cosy to the prickly bits.
The previous machine was a National 68" triplex gang reel mower, which cut wider and did a nice job, but couldn't cut in reverse, left dandelions standing, or it would gag on pine cones.
The only down side I can think of with HST tiller steer machines is it takes concentration to drive in a straight line, although I can drive it with one hand.
To answer the OP's question, it isn't so much the fact that you can turn the machine in its own length, an "almost zero-turn" would work for me, but it is more the quality of cut which is dictated more IMO by the deck design than anything else.
Some posters argue that they don't put a priority on saving time but enjoy the time spent sitting on their garden tractor cutting grass.
I enjoy the time spent as well, but what I don't like is wasting time and gas having to maneuver a cumbersome machine that requires a lot of driving over already cut areas just to turn around.
The overall time saved is variable depending on the condition of the terrain. I can't drive the F620 any faster than anything else on some parts of the yard due to lumpy ground. Where the smooth areas are though, I can really fly.
I guess I'd rather spend money on equipment that can do more than just fulfill an annoying obligation like cutting grass. But, I certainly don't fault anyone for having different opinions or priorities! I'm sure if I took a ZTR out and cut my grass, I'd like it a lot. I'd probably benefit a lot from it, since while it takes 1.5 hours to cut my grass, I don't have much grass to cut - just a lot of maneuvering around.
