zero Turn help

[GaryM]

Last year I bought a Hustler with the electric flip up deck. That's a really nice featue for me as I try and keep it clean and sharp blades too. Makes it virtually painless to change blades.

Be sure to get a unit with a fabricated deck rather than stamped steel. In your price range that's not likely to be an issue though. My gun club has a Grasshopper and just bought a Scag as well. Both front mounted decks and they do ride better than my Hustler, but I didn't want to spend an extra couple of thousand.

I used to cut with a Deere CUT and 60" rear discharge LandPride on the three point. In a wide open area I think it's as fast as a zero turn, but as soon as you start cutting around stuff the zero turn shines.

Most of the commercial lawn cutters in my area use the mowers with the stand on platform in back. Maybe they know something we don't?

 

[coolreinfarm]

Last year I bought a Hustler with the electric flip up deck. That's a really nice featue for me as I try and keep it clean and sharp blades too. Makes it virtually painless to change blades.

Be sure to get a unit with a fabricated deck rather than stamped steel. In your price range that's not likely to be an issue though. My gun club has a Grasshopper and just bought a Scag as well. Both front mounted decks and they do ride better than my Hustler, but I didn't want to spend an extra couple of thousand.

I used to cut with a Deere CUT and 60" rear discharge LandPride on the three point. In a wide open area I think it's as fast as a zero turn, but as soon as you start cutting around stuff the zero turn shines.

Most of the commercial lawn cutters in my area use the mowers with the stand on platform in back. Maybe they know something we don't?

GaryM, I'm interested in the Hustler flip up deck, have you had any problems with it? I read about some problems with the mower belt coming off when the deck is raised but it seems Hustler came out with a fix for that problem. I'm getting too old to crawl under mowers and work on them. Does it mow good? The one I saw had the Kohler smart choke, does that work ok? Any answers you have would be greatly appreciated since the dealer won't tell you any problems they have only the positive comments.
Thanks

 

[RSKY]

My father-in-law is 90 years old. About five or six years ago he approached me asking about my zero turn. He was using a Sears tractor type to mow his four +/- acres. That would take him one long day because of all the trees, flowers, ponds, etc. he had to mow around. Then he would spend another day with a push mower getting what he couldn't with the tractor type. Third day would be with the weed eater doing all the trimming. Sometimes when it was hot it would take him four days to mow, trim, and weed eat the entire yard. He was exhausted all the time and talking about letting part of it grow up. He bought a Cub Cadet zero turn and finishes it all in one day now. There is no need for the push mower. Trimming with the weed eater is at a minimum.

And he has had both shoulders replaced.

Buy a name brand from a lawn and garden shop that has a maintenance department. Give a couple hundred extra if you have to. It will be worth it. As for the brand get whatever your neighbors have. It seems like in our area everybody is using Bad Boy because the largest dealer sells them. A few miles away in the next county everybody has a Gravely because that is what the local dealer sells. DON'T get a cheap Wal-Mart or other box store price leader, you will regret it.

We are mowing only our 1.1 acre lot with 45 different obstacles, house, shop, flower beds, patio, trees, etc., to mow around. With our 17-hp, 46" tractor type it took a minimum of 2.5 hours. With a 17-hp 40" ZTR it took 1.25-1.5 hours depending on how we striped it. With the Bad Boy, 24-hp, 54" deck it takes me about an hour and my wife less than an hour if she mows long ways. I only have to trim under the fences and around things once every couple weeks. I bought the Bad Boy because I was mowing three yards at the time and thought I would be mowing my mother's every week but at 92 she purchased a new tractor type and is still mowing 4-5 acres a week.

Do not get the widest deck available on a particular ZTR. The dealer's daughter took me aside (she and my youngest are friends) and told me this. The wider deck available on mine was a 60" and she said everybody who got one complained of scalping.

About a Zero Turn Mower. One thing that will surprise you is how much less gasoline you will buy. This Bad Boy with the Kawasaki engine can mow my yard four or five times before I decide to fill the tank. To get full use of the mower's abilities you will have to change your mowing patterns. Don't go around the outside of the yard mowing in ever decreasing squares until all you are doing is turning as you would with a tractor type. Pick one side to start and go in a straight line down the same side. The yard will look better and it will be faster.

You will enjoy your mowing time more and have more spare time to goof off or do other productive work with a ZTR.

RSKY

 

[Wakey]

I was in the same situation having sat on a 54" garden tractor, it was a homeowner model from Home Depot. I switched out most every part but the motor, some parts several times.

What I learned moving over to a Zero Turn (Deere 915B) If you don't get a flip up deck you will likely need a jack made for these mowers. Not just to change/sharpen blades but to clear the clippings from the deck. I tried everything from the ground and it was no Bueno!

I just got one of these Pro-Lift 5 lb. Lawn Mower Lift - For Life Out Here and it works like a champ! It still takes 15 minutes to clean out the deck but at least it is possible now.

Having said all of that, I hope your budget allows a flip up deck LOL

 

[tbzep]

Dealer satisfaction surveys rate Grasshopper #1 overall at 6.29 out of 7, with SCAG right behind at 6.21, then Gravely, Ferris, eXmark, and Toro within six hundredths of a point all between 6.08 and 6.02. After that you get into the 5's with Hustler, Bad Boy, Husqvarna, Dixie Chopper, Cub Cadet, Walker, etc. Local Grasshoppers were way above my budget and SCAG and Ferris dealers were too far away, so I settled into the Gravely, eXmark, Toro range. The local Toro dealer used to sell John Deere and his red paint cost as much as his old green paint. That left Gravely and eXmark with dealers 10 miles away in opposite directions. I really liked the Gravely dealer, so that was my choice even though I thought the eXmark was just as good. In other words, let the quality of the dealer be just as important in selection as the mower itself.

Consider a model with a suspension seat (or aftermarket add-on) or a suspended Ferris. Otherwise you won't be able to take advantage of fast mowing speeds. Fast mowing will treat your insides like a paint shaker. I love my Gravely, but I'd like to add a suspension seat to it in the near future.

 

[whitexc]

"I love my Gravely, but I'd like to add a suspension seat to it in the near future."

I did just that to my ZTHD52 this year and what a difference it makes. I shouldn't have waited five years to do it. I went with a Milsco V5300 high back seat. It has a great suspension system along with adjustable lumbar, backrest and armrests. I ended up getting it for $350 shipped which isn't bad when you look around. Spend a little more and get a lot more is pretty much how it goes with seats, until you get into air suspension because then the price jumps fast and I think that is overkill for most lawn care applications. If your lawn requires an air seat to tolerate mowing it.....spread some topsoil and do some grading/seeding!

 

[Navasot]

Check out a Proz554EFI... would fit great for what your looking at and bottom of your budget.. I got a 154LEFI base model commercial ProZ and I mow about 8 rough stick filled rutted up acres that I call a yard.. its does it with ease... hope you find what your looking for

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Check out a Proz554EFI... would fit great for what your looking at and bottom of your budget.. I got a 154LEFI base model commercial ProZ and I mow about 8 rough stick filled rutted up acres that I call a yard.. its does it with ease... hope you find what your looking for

View attachment 516596

Never seen one of those before. Who makes it? It certainly looks well built.

 

[NoTrespassing]

Hello, I really need some help.... I am 64 years old and I mow approx. 3 acres of grass once a week. I have been using a riding mower with a 54 inch cut width for the last ten years. it takes me about 3.5 to 4 hours to cut. My machine is getting tired and time for a new one. I understand a zero turn would just about cut my time in half. The problem is, the mower I buy will most likely be the last one I purchase soooo.. I am looking for recommendations, I want a commercial mower that will last for 15 to 20 years with good maintenance. Expecting to pay 8 to 10K. What should I be looking at? Thanks for any help!

Still love my Walker mower with grass handling. Front deck flips up for easy blade access. I bought mine used and it is now 17 years old with over 1000 hours.

Walker Mowers

Kevin

 

[Navasot]

Never seen one of those before. Who makes it? It certainly looks well built.

Pro Z is the new line of Cub Cadet Commercial.. fully new machines than what they were doing with Tank series..