Why zero-turn mowers?

[skidoo]

Useful thread but any chance of posting some pics of some of the machines mentioned here? They might help me make a choice about which machine.

I've been trying to manage our lawn areas (a couple of acres, some of it kinda rough) with my L3130 Kub with a 72" rfm. The Kubota rear tires are water filled to counterbalance for the front loader and I really need the loader for year round jobs so can't remove it and drain the tires. If the lawn is even a little wet, or if I take anything but very broad sweeping turns (with Ag tires), I dig ruts. I hate the thought of parking a rfm only a couple seasons old but I've no choice. I need to migrate to a machine that can do the job fast and neat and not leave tire tracks that have to be sand filled in places.

I purchased this X749 for mowing on the slopes and around trees. So far it is great maneuvering and is much more stable than my 2520 on the slopes. With AWD and 4WS traction is great! The AWD allows for different speeds to prevent tearing up the grass on turns. It is not zero turn, but close enough for me...

 

[inveresk]

Thanks for posting the shots of the JD, Skidoo. I was advised by one dealer that the lawn tractors are better on slopes than the ztr's. That's an issue for me but need to check out whether it's true.

And that's one beautiful view in the second shot you posted.

 

[PBinWA]

Thanks for posting the shots of the JD, Skidoo. I was advised by one dealer that the lawn tractors are better on slopes than the ztr's. That's an issue for me but need to check out whether it's true.

And that's one beautiful view in the second shot you posted.

It's true about hills, it takes some practice to get comfortable on hills. I have some steep parts where I still use my Craftsman GT5000 on (with my butt on the fender).

Some ZTR's are better on hills than others and I think some drivers are better on hills than others. If hills are a big issue then I wouldn't buy one without test driving it on the hills first.

There's a lot more technique involved in driving a ZTR.

 

[Dargo]

Thanks for posting the shots of the JD, Skidoo. I was advised by one dealer that the lawn tractors are better on slopes than the ztr's. That's an issue for me but need to check out whether it's true.

And that's one beautiful view in the second shot you posted.

I suppose it must really depend on the ZTR mower. By a long, long margin, my ZTR mowers are far more stable on hills and will mow hills not even remotely possible with a lawn tractor. To be honest, I would be very cautious dealing with a dealer who told you that. I can very easily prove him to be a fool or a liar.

 

[PBinWA]

I suppose it must really depend on the ZTR mower. By a long, long margin, my ZTR mowers are far more stable on hills and will mow hills not even remotely possible with a lawn tractor. To be honest, I would be very cautious dealing with a dealer who told you that. I can very easily prove him to be a fool or a liar.

Dargo, aren't all your ZTR mowers technically "Front mowers" with the deck out front? The weight distribution on a front mower is going to be much better than on a mid-deck ZTR. I know the first time I headed up a hill in my ZTR I started to wheelie a bit. I slid the seat forward and adjusted the air pressure based on some recommendations I got at lawnsite.com and now my mower is much more stable on hills. I still shift my body forward when going up a steep hill.

The "hillability" of ZTR's is contantly debated over at lawnsite.com. You can go over there if you want to hear both sides of the story. As usual, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I suppose it must really depend on the ZTR mower. By a long, long margin, my ZTR mowers are far more stable on hills and will mow hills not even remotely possible with a lawn tractor. To be honest, I would be very cautious dealing with a dealer who told you that. I can very easily prove him to be a fool or a liar.

With the cutter hanging way out front Id think greater than 20degree side slopes would present a significant problem. Are they balanced around the axle center?
larry

 

[wushaw]

The ZTR (Grasshopper 322d) in the background of this picture is very stable on hills, it has 24" tires aired to 9psi, I have gone up, down, sideways and turned around on the hillside which is actually the backside of one of my ponds.

It did take me awhile to get up the nerve take the Grasshopper on the dam and after going just down so much I had to try up then sideways and now I don't have any problems taking it whichever way I point it.....except close to the water...I have stuck it twice now getting too close to the water...

I could never go up safely with my RER Snapper and sideways was always a COG effort with my butt hanging off somewhere.

I do belive that the tire size and weight of a ZTR will have something to do with it's hillability use.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...1204335335-building-dump-trailer-dsc00594.jpg

 

[Dargo]

Dargo, aren't all your ZTR mowers technically "Front mowers" with the deck out front?

Yes, they all are. That is why I said I suppose it depends on the mower to some extent. However, I did demo a Dixie Chopper and it was a mid mount mower that had incredible stability as well. It is about 30" wider at the wheels than most lawn tractors and sits lower.

Our local school corporation has used front mount Grasshoppers to mow the "bowl" around my old high school for over a decade now. It is so steep that I vividly recall almost having to use my hands to help pull myself up the hill when I had to run up it for football practice. The Grasshoppers will not only mow up and down the hills, but they can stop, turn in circles, and go sideways on the hills. Unless you have wide set duals on a tractor, you'll be doing the tumble bug thing on those hills. When I first saw them using the Grasshoppers I only heard them referred to as "mountain goats" by the mowing crews.

I know that if I can't drive up the side of the dam to my lake with my Grasshoppers (when the grass is wet), I can turn around and back up them. But, other than trying the Dixie Chopper on the steep hills, I have not personally tried any other mid mount mowers on what I'd consider really steep hills. Still, when I can see that most are at least 24" wider at the wheels and sit lower than lawn tractors, I'd still have to believe that they'd be far more stable on the side of hills. But, as I said, as much as I've tried, I just couldn't get a mid mount to do what I need. Believe me, I tried. I even bought a new Ferris, only to put it in the lake two times and get frustrated at how much I left uncut in inside corners as compared to front mowers. I really wanted a mid mount to work this last time so I could save a bit of money. Fortunately the Ferris dealer was really great to work with and traded me out of it two weeks after my purchase.

 

[Dargo]

BTW, that mower pictured by Skidoo is about the coolest thing I've ever seen in a lawn tractor!! I really wish I hadn't seen those pictures. You know I am dying to have one of those things now.

 

[SPYDERLK]

The ZTR (Grasshopper 322d) in the background of this picture is very stable on hills, it has 24" tires aired to 9psi, I have gone up, down, sideways and turned around on the hillside which is actually the backside of one of my ponds.

It did take me awhile to get up the nerve take the Grasshopper on the dam and after going just down so much I had to try up then sideways and now I don't have any problems taking it whichever way I point it.....except close to the water...I have stuck it twice now getting too close to the water...

I could never go up safely with my RER Snapper and sideways was always a COG effort with my butt hanging off somewhere.

I do belive that the tire size and weight of a ZTR will have something to do with it's hillability use.

How steep is the slope on the back side of your pond? I am concerned about the surplus downhill wheel torque that would have to be maintained to prevent the ztr turning downhill if the ztr is forward balanced as they appear. If the topside wheel gets light there is nothing to react against to make uphill course correction to counter the front trying to swing downhill. A conventionally steered tractor does not have this problem since the wheels can turn uphill and with 4w assist will pull the front in that direction. The key issue is that the the ztr relies on differential wheel torque to steer, and hills limit the ability to apply this. Can they be steered straight course on a 30 degree cross slope like my BX1500 can? I can even drive at the edge of the Lake on such a slope.
larry