Buying Advice zero turn - or not?

[ray66v]

Mine goes 11 mph, and I can usually go that fast on probably 85% of my 4 acres.

My dad's goes 13 mph, and he does the same.

Yes, there are conditions, that do not permit that. But, they don't go that fast, so you can drive them to work.

 

[john40981]

another vote for 0turn. I have had a few lawn tractors over the last 30years but now have a bad boy zero turn and love it I can mow my 3 acres in half the time I did on the lawn tractor and is fun to do instead of a job that I put off doing. You will not be disappointed with a purchase of a quality zero turn mower. Your property looks very nice, good luck with your purchase.

 

[TSO]

Mine goes 11 mph, and I can usually go that fast on probably 85% of my 4 acres.

My dad's goes 13 mph, and he does the same.

Yes, there are conditions, that do not permit that. But, they don't go that fast, so you can drive them to work.

That's crazy ... I think mine goes 12, but if I can go top speed 25 percent of the time, I'm lucky. I maintain about 5 acres per week, headed to bumpy to go that fast, jars your kidneys.

and I should add, I have a suspension seat and front flex forks

 

[Gary Fowler]

good call. so which models are known for better seats? how about the ferris suspension? seem good but is that just in theory?. So hard to figure out what's what with all the brands available. L

My first Zero turn was a Craftsman ZTR 6000 with 52" deck with 26 HP B&S engine ($3000 +tax) and it cuts good but is rough as heck on the back when running on my former pasture yard. Last summer, I bought the Ferris IS 700Z with 52" deck and 23 HP FS 690 Kawasaki engine just because it has a suspension AND it works. I can run wide open on most of the yard without crippling my back. It has a good seat with arm rest (some don't have arm rest). I don't notice any difference in the 3 less horses in fact it cuts just as well at a faster speed than the 26 HP and uses far less gas. The tank holds 4 gallons and I can cut my 5-6 acres of yard on 3/4 of a tank while the Craftsman will require a refill of the 5 gallon tank before I finish.
All I have to do to justify my$6200 purchase of the Ferris is to roll out the Craftsman and run it for a few minutes. The larger tires on the Ferris + the coil springs/shock system is 1000% better on the back. Other than Simplicity/Ferris I don't know of any other mower with a suspension system that works and most or none have a suspension seat as standard equipment.
Rather than buy a more expensive mower and then plop another $500+ dollars on it for a suspension seat that only cushions the rider and not the machine, I highly recommend the Ferris. The suspension not only cushions the rider but the whole machine.

 

[Gary Fowler]

One thing I forgot to mention, from looking at your birds eye view, there doesn't seem to be a lot of trees or bushes to mow around except on two boundary lines so a zero turn mower may not save you a lot of time with regard to turning and mowing close around trees. They do usually go a bit faster than tractor type when you get the entry level commercial /commercial models. Box store models like my Craftsman usually have a top speed of about 5-6 MPH which is about the same as the tractor models (I have mowed with my brother in law who has a Craftsman 6500 tractor model and my Craftsman ZTR is the same speed) whereas larger zero turn kick it up close to 10 or more. My Ferris states top speed of 9.8 MPH which is really flying especially when mowing with some trees or shrubs close by. I personally like the zero turn as they are fun to operated but as others have said, save yourself from repetitive buying and avoid the box store mowers and bite the bullet for at minimum entry level commercial (Ferris IS 700 is entry commercial) which will last a life time under normal conditions with proper maintenance.

Also the box store ZT mowers wont hold on a slight hill and will drift down due to lack of traction. I put tractor lug tires on the Craftsman so I could make it bite into the turf to hold on a 8-12 degree slope that I have. The Ferris has no problem holding steady on these slopes with just the turf tires. One other issue with the box store mowers is the transaxle are not serviceable, you cant change the oil or fix any issues with them and IIRC the Sears service man said that each axle is $1500 to replace which is a lot of money for a $3000 mower. The Ferris will also climb a 20degree slope which I have at one point in my yard. My JD 332 would break traction before climbing that slope just like the Craftsman did till I put on the lug tires. Those lugs do dig up holes in the yard if you force the turn to much but otherwise work pretty well. They pull thru mud well too like I get into when mowing around some of my ponds when I get too close to the water.

 

[ray66v]

That's crazy ... I think mine goes 12, but if I can go top speed 25 percent of the time, I'm lucky. I maintain about 5 acres per week, headed to bumpy to go that fast, jars your kidneys. and I should add, I have a suspension seat and front flex forks

Sounds like you may need to do some work on your lawn. Why would it be a problem, if your grass is reasonably healthy, and reasonably smooth?

Keep in mind even if you don't have a real nice lawn, just like riding a dirt bike on a freshly plowed field, or a jet ski in the ocean, if you go fast enough, it stays up on top of the high spots, instead of dropping down into all the valleys. To put it another way, if you do it right, the ride will actually be smoother going faster, than it would be if you go slow.

Suspension seats also only work well, when adjusted properly.

Again, there is a reason why they are built to go that fast. People use them that way. Especially those who cut grass for a living.

 

[TSO]

Sounds like you may need to do some work on your lawn. Why would it be a problem, if your grass is reasonably healthy, and reasonably smooth?

Keep in mind even if you don't have a real nice lawn, just like riding a dirt bike on a freshly plowed field, or a jet ski in the ocean, if you go fast enough, it stays up on top of the high spots, instead of dropping down into all the valleys. To put it another way, if you do it right, the ride will actually be smoother going faster, than it would be if you go slow.

Suspension seats also only work well, when adjusted properly.

Again, there is a reason why they are built to go that fast. People use them that way. Especially those who cut grass for a living.

Agree with you that my lawn needs fixing, no argument there.

Disagree completely about "going faster makes the bumps smoother." If I hit some of my bumps at full speed, literally, I will get air with this 1300lb ZTR! Not only does it not feel all that great on my body ... I'm sure it's not great for the mower either.

I'm that saying that you are crazy by going that fast, I'm just saying that it would be crazy for my situation. On the areas where I can go full speed, it is really nice to do, saves a lot of time, and is very smooth.

 

[DK35vince]

and I should add, I have a suspension seat and front flex forks

Sorry to get off topic but I'm considering flex forks for my Super Z.
Do they help the ride any?

 

[ray66v]

Disagree completely about "going faster makes the bumps smoother." If I hit some of my bumps at full speed, literally, I will get air with this 1300lb ZTR! Not only does it not feel all that great on my body ... I'm sure it's not great for the mower either.

The problem is then, what you have for a lawn. No, of course you can't mow a mine field, or anything remotely resembling one, at full speed.

I mow my lawn, my neighbors lawn on occasion, and my fathers lawn on occasion. And, all three are 3-5 acres and can be mowed at full speed with little difficulty.

 

[xtn]

My 0-turn will haul some ***. But when the weeds get 18" tall and are growing thick, I've got to go about 1/4 speed max. But that's mostly in the lower 20% of my property where the moisture stays in the ground longer. The higher 20% can be mowed at full speed. The other 60% falls somewhere in between.

xtn