Mowing Zero turn mowing issues

[cj1]

Hi. I just bought a Kubota ZG23 zero turn mower. It is fast, well built, and mows nice, but I am having a couple problems. Is it possible to make a true zero turn on grass and not tear up the lawn? Also is it possible to make a real tight turn and not tear up the lawn? I live in northern IL. were contractors use zero turns all the time so I know they must work well. I just can't figure out the secret!

 

[rswyan]

Is it possible to make a true zero turn on grass and not tear up the lawn?

I would think not - in order to make a zero radius turn one wheel, the inner one, would have to remain stationary - and that will tear up your lawn.

My eldest son came by today to help out around the place. I had him mow the lawn around the house using our Simplicity CFC 18 ZTR. Was walking through the yard this evening with the wife .... and ran across the places where he tried to "zero turn" - they were the big brown spots of dirt where the grass was no more. He generally does a very good job of mowing ... but it's been awhile since he's done it.

Also is it possible to make a real tight turn and not tear up the lawn?

Usually, if I have to make extremely sharp turns I start the turn and then back up (turning the opposite direction) and take another bite - works for me and at least it keeps the number of big brown dirt spots in the lawn to minimum.

 

[cj1]

Perhaps I was hoping for too much from a zero turn?

Thank you for the reply.

 

[bearhawk]

zero turn?

Not Zero Burn

 

[Toolguy]

Try to make your turn in two steps. At the end or your row make a gradual 90 degree turn, stop and then make a gradual 90 degree turn in the opposite direction while backing up. You should now be lined up to go straight forward to begin cutting again. That way your rear wheels are moving either forward or reverse as they are pivoting. With a little practice you can do this very fast. The ability to reverse direction very quickly with a minimum of wasted, non-cutting travel is what gives ZTs the advantage over a tractor.

 

[Redneck_Randy]

It takes time to master a zero turn. I remeber when I first got my Dixon I had divits all over my yard. The trick is to always keep the inner wheel turning when making a turn. Zero turns will also leave peel out marks so to say on the lawn from take offs and reversing. Having the proper tires pressures will aslo cut down on the damage. I've had my Dixon now for over a year and I hardly ever skuff the yard with it anymore. You will learn to take long wide turns at full speed going in and out of trees like your on fire in time.

 

[Birdhunter1]

Hi. Iis it possible to make a real tight turn and not tear up the lawn?

Yes it is possible to make a zero turn, either try like already staed by making a three point turn about or when you get to teh end instead of turning with one wheel stopped and the other in a forward motion use both of them to back up in an arc and then go forward when you desire.
It takes some time to master it but mowing commercially with one and you'll get it figured out, it took me a little while and when I got the hang of it it was a breeze. Then I changed to a different mower, heavier, wider, bigger etc and had to learn over again almost.
Hills suck, one tire starts spinning and creates a streak while sliding.

 

[Dargo]

Although I've given up on trying to EVER teach my wife, it is definitely possible to make a zero turn quite easily without leaving any marks. It is a bit harder on a mid mount ZTR than a front mount ZTR, but the concept is the same. Basically, you must counter-rotate the drive wheels when you turn. After hundreds of demonstrations for my wife, she still stops one wheel and rotates the other, twisting a dead spot each time with the stopped wheel. (I have thousands of these spots from her )

I keep showing her that I can sit still and spin in circles extremely fast, throwing loose grass and leaves off the machine, and never leave a mark in the lawn. She still can't grasp the concept, but I'm certain you will be able to master the move.

 

[Bird]

Basically, you must counter-rotate the drive wheels when you turn. After hundreds of demonstrations for my wife, she still stops one wheel and rotates the other, twisting a dead spot each time with the stopped wheel.

Yep, and I still make the same mistake your wife does, but if you're thinking about it, you can turn without scuffing by having one wheel turning forward while the other is turning backwards.

Now if I could just remember to do that, I wouldn't have all those scuff marks in my yard.

 

[kmdigital]

This is true about turning in the middle of the lawn (keep both wheels turning), but pretty much impossible to do while trimming around square inside or outside corners, unless you take more time and jocky around the corner several times without turning as sharply and quickly. This could also be alleviated by swinging wide around the corners and then using a push mower to trim close. But I never use a push mower, and trim close with the ZTR and then use a string trimmer to get the edges. But over time it leaves some very bare spots in the yard because the inside mower wheel always spins at the exact same spot and actually digs a small depression in the dirt. Maybe it works better with a front mount ZTR, but I have only used a midmount mower, so this is what I am familiar with.