zero turn mower

[merlebo02]

in the market for a new zero turn mower, maybe 60" deck.. Have a kubota dealership here in town and will be getting a kubota 7060 tractor as well so leaning towards the kubota mower good or bad move?? any first hand experience with the kubota mowers? Whats the general census on these mowers??

 

[southernAL]

My vote is gravely

 

[Wagtail]

Well, if you bought the 7060 from your local dealership I'd certainly go and ask them, especially when it comes to dealership service. If you didn't buy from that dealership, I'd still talk to them for the same reason... sure you didn't buy the 'big boy' from them, but now you've got a 'fleet' that needs servicing/parts.

As to the actual zed-turns out there, I can't say.

 

[check 6]

I have had a Kubota ZD 1800 for ten years and it still runs like new with only annual service and new blades once a year. I mow an acre at least weekly and share the mowing of an additional 17 acres periodically. I'm going to order a new one just because of the desired new features but this old one just keep working. The ZD 1800 has a 54 inch deck ( the largest I can use with the contour of my lot and was the entry level commercial when I bought it.

 

[check]

I have had a Kubota ZD 1800 for ten years and it still runs like new with only annual service and new blades once a year. I mow an acre at least weekly and share the mowing of an additional 17 acres periodically. I'm going to order a new one just because of the desired new features but this old one just keep working. The ZD 1800 has a 54 inch deck ( the largest I can use with the contour of my lot and was the entry level commercial when I bought it.

Too bad you don't live closer to Toronto, or I would buy it from you!

Nice handle. You are the relative, are you?

 

[GaryM]

Not a Kubota, but I recently bought a Hustler Raptor 54" with a Kohler 26 HP engine. My first ZT and I really like it. Best feature for me? Pull a pin, move a lever and press a switch so the deck rotates 90 degrees to a vertical position. Easy to change blades or wash out debris. I'm too old to get down on my knees to do that stuff anymore. Some dealers were willing to sell me a screw jack for their ZT models but this is better, at least for me.

 

[kthompson]

We have a very active Kubota dealership here in tractors and excavators. Do not see many Kubota mowers on trailers with hundred of landscaping businesses. Might be due to their price tag. Would suggest you look at the brands you see the pros using at least to compare to. Are you new to ZTR mower? If so they are different, any brand, and not for all lawns (on wet slopes they can be helpless). Not pro lawn care people we just do family property and we do run two in different brands and both have been great in their class. One a Bush Hog and one a Ferris. Tire size is important for ride.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Kubota 331. Top of the line ztr's.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I agree with kthompson that you should look around at what the lawn care companies are using in your area. Not all decks cut all grasses in all areas of the country equally well. Some seem to handle northern grasses better, while others seem to handle southern grasses better. Some handle wet conditions fine, while others seem to clog up and/or blow clumps when it's wet.

And noticing what brands the lawn companies are using may tell you which brand they find more reliable, or at least which dealer has the best service. Those guys can't afford to be down for repairs.

In my area, I see Scags by far the most often. Then it's probably Grasshopper and John Deere, followed by Toro, Gravely and a few Exmarks.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

One more thing. The new Kubota zero turn mowers released this year have a different deck on them. I'd sure want to see how those decks handle various conditions before I plopped down the big bucks for one of them.

They are also using low profile tires on big rims and, for the life of me, I can't figure out why. Seems like it would make the mower ride even rougher, and mowers don't ride very good even with regular profile tires on them. The low profile tires seems like form over function to me.

 

[ddbackhoe]

in the market for a new zero turn mower, maybe 60" deck.. Have a kubota dealership here in town and will be getting a kubota 7060 tractor as well so leaning towards the kubota mower good or bad move?? any first hand experience with the kubota mowers? Whats the general census on these mowers??

IMO, Kubota makes a nice mower, but so do quite a few others. I'm upgrading from a fastrack ztr. After doing some research and pondering, I went with a hydro walk behind instead of a ztr. A little less expensive, more versatile and (hopefully) I'll be able to avoid scuff marks. It was six months from the time I decided to get a new mower until a decision was made, my closest local guy sells Kubota, Ferris and Cub. He ordered my new Ferris (Kubota didn't make the configuration I wanted), hoping it'll be here this week. I used lawnsite.com, lawnforums.com and quite a few others for my research. Just google ztr vs. walk behind. :2cents:

they were mowing at the gas station last night, using a propane powered exmark ztr. I could barely hear that thing run, not sure why but it was quiet. That was something I had not thought of until then.

 

[check 6]

One more thing. The new Kubota zero turn mowers released this year have a different deck on them. I'd sure want to see how those decks handle various conditions before I plopped down the big bucks for one of them.

They are also using low profile tires on big rims and, for the life of me, I can't figure out why. Seems like it would make the mower ride even rougher, and mowers don't ride very good even with regular profile tires on them. The low profile tires seems like form over function to me.

I'm upgrading my 10 year old Kubota ZD 1800 to a new one and the dealer lent me one to try last weekend. Yes the deck is different, fabricated rather than stamped. It exhausted the grass well and the underside was still clean after mowing in some semi wet conditions. They changed the exhaust chute from metal to flexible plastic ( will probable have to be replaced in 5 years or so). As for the low profile tires I did not notice a rougher ride but that may be because of the incredibly comfortable and supportive new seat. That alone is a great selling point for this old and damaged back. They have changed the blade design slightly on the trailing edge and I like the cut and it improves exhausting the grass clippings. They have also made a opening panel to easily check and fill the mower deck transmission fluid and get at the grease fitting for the middle fully. This also is a great improvement in maintaining the mower. All in all I am very pleased and these changes warrant my upgrade. Staying with a diesel of course. For those that may be interested I cut one acre at least weekly and share in cutting another 17 acres that comprise a grass runway. My mower has the 54 inch deck as will the new one and that is due to avoiding scalping as my yard has lots of undulations.

 

[Clay45]

Great advice above. So much depends upon the size and condition of the property you intend to cut grass on. I cut approximately 5 of our 6.87 acres every week. Because it was and is still rough with some steep grades on one end of our property with tall weeds initially I acquired a new SCAG TigerCat with 52" Velocity Deck and 23hp Kawasaki FX691 engine. It has been fantastic. A lesser quality homeowner mower would have never made it nor be adequate now because of the rough and uneven ground. A wider deck would be nice in the flat, wide open spots but it would constantly be scalping in more spots and wouldn't go between the trees I barely go between now. A narrower deck would take a few more passes but is more convenient in tight spots.

Tne newer Ferris mowers in the same class but possessing independent 4-wheel suspensions and the newer Kubota zero-turns with the forward decks that tilt up are both something I would explore were I shopping today. Diesel engine versions as well.

Be sure you shop around and pick one that best fits your needs. None are perfect no matter what the salesman says. All commercial mowers require commercial maintenance. Its just how it is.

Kindest regards,

Clay

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Check, thanks for the great first-hand report. Glad to hear that the new Kubota is working well. I've been hoping this new one would turn out to be a real winner.

 

[MF283]

I love my JD's, years back i worked part time on another farm mowing grass & bush hogging fields, all with Kabota equipment.
They had a ZD Kabota with a 60" deck, that thing was the "cat's meow", from handling, cut & nothing slowed it down except for me.
The only reason i don't have one, $$$$, even though they are well worth it.

Ronnie

 

[shank102]

Gravely offers a 15% military discount so I went to the local dealer and liked the people so I bought from them.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Gravely offers a 15% military discount so I went to the local dealer and liked the people so I bought from them.

That's a cool marketing strategy. Good for Gravely.

 

[ddbackhoe]

My new Ferris didn't show this week. I got a ZT21 with 48" deck to play catch up with. It's an ok mower, but one I'm glad I didn't buy. Cut quality was so-so, slow going produced better cutting, but why spend money on a ztr to cut slow?

 

[xring100]

I have a new zd1211 its awesome the only thing it doesnt like to do it cut more than about 3-4" off of grass in a single pass at 10.5 mph A percentage of it seems to fold over and not get cut. Even cutting this much it discharges uniformly and doesnt clump. You will definitely get some windrows a couple feet wide but at this point your more brush hog than finish mower
If i slow down to 6 or 7 mph it cuts it great in the tall grass.

Under normal cutting its provides an excellent.
The 26" low profile tires have nearly the same amount of side wall as my old turd cadet with 18" rears. The mower with awesome suspension seat is far smoother than the residential cub. I think the weight and longer wheel base also a contributing factor.

 

[Carl_NH]

Since you are buying the tractor I would lean to getting the Kubota ZTR too (if they will make a good pkg price) and as others have said its the ride quality, suspension or suspension seat, that makes a big difference in brands.

I looked hard a Kubota but the $3K price delta vs the Ferris and our ground is rough so the suspension feature and then cost led me to the Ferris.