Zero turn recommendations for Southern Vermont

[Bullwinkle123]

See if one of these dealers is close to you, Dealer Locator | Spartan Mowers | Zero Turn Mowers

The SRT (Smart Ride Technology) line with the suspension seat is one of the smoothest riding zero turns out there.

Ah, nothing remotely close. What's the premium for suspension rides? My Kubota dealer, who carries exMark, says he doesn't even carry the S-series because "it's like riding a canoe on the lawn". Surprised me.

 

[turbotom1052]

Southern Vermont here too and am presently mowing my undulating lawn with Husqvarna garden tractor with a 48 inch fabricated mower deck. Even at 48 inches I often wish I had a smaller mower deck. Never mowed with a zero turn, but I do know that most of the modern ones exceed 48 inches.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

Southern Vermont here too and am presently mowing my undulating lawn with Husqvarna garden tractor with a 48 inch fabricated mower deck. Even at 48 inches I often wish I had a smaller mower deck. Never mowed with a zero turn, but I do know that most of the modern ones exceed 48 inches.

I have a lot of contours and corners to navigate, so having watched the lawn services use zero turns the last 11 years, it does seem the way to go for me.

So far it looks like my dealers-in-area brands are mostly Kubota (I'm looking at the Z421 with seat upgrade, but wondering if Z700 which includes seat upgrades in base might be better),
and eXmark (not sure what I'm looking at yet, Radius of some form I would guess). Using the eXmark dealer locator there are what appear to be two small dealers nearby, and my Kubota dealer also sells them but doesn't seem to have many in stock.

No scags nearby.

Re: deck size, yeah, I'll be heading out with my tape measure today. I don't know the width of the mowers the services have been using but definitely have a few choke points to measure. I'm guessing 52-54 inches is the sweet spot for me.

 

[Peter 315]

The wider the deck you can mow around obstacles better so the tires wont hit it,.........

 

[shooterdon]

Some on here have had positive results buying used commercial units. Knowing what to look for and, in my case, a lot of luck would need to be in the mix. Like a previous poster mentioned, why would a commercial company get rid of a unit that was trouble free?

In my analysis, (I have 1.5-2 acres), I figure a ZT will cut my grass in about an hour. I cut grass and mulch leaves 20 times a year. I am 70 years old. Buying a unit that will last 1000 hours (50 years) is silly.

Investing in a more comfortable ride makes sense.

No one has mentioned it and maybe they are crap....but I tested a Country Clipper with joy stick control and it was amazing. It also offers a tilt up deck to make blade maintenance easy and safe. When I am ready to upgrade from my rider I will have the dealer loan me a unit for testing.

 

[BigNuge]

I’m on season 4 with my entry level commercial Husqvarna M-ZT 52. I got the Kawasaki motor, 3200 series commercial hydros, and the seat is extremely comfortable (though comfort is quite subjective). Thing flies, cuts wet/damp grass great, easy to grease and maintain. I was just under $6k out there door on this machine (Seacoast NH).

 

[fried1765]

I hear good things about the Toro Titan. I think a Scag Patriot might be a good choice as well.

I am also in New England, and in a similar situation to the OP. I am looking for the best deal on a Scag Liberty Z (48")
I definitely would like a Scag, but have some time to keep looking, as my JD 42" rider still works fine.
I am thinking I might find a Scag Liberty Z on an end of season sale.

The 48" Scag is currently available (promotion thru 8/31?) for $4799 at the Guilford, NH. Tru Value (no tax).
I may actually decide to go for that!
I do believe that I will enjoy the zero turn ease of use!

The difficult part of the decision making, is that with my veteran discount, I can buy a JD/Cub Cadet/Husqvarna ZTR from Home Depot or Lowe's for $2,800,... including tax.
$2,000 less than the Scag Liberty Z!
The real question is how much ZTR mower quality do I actually need/want at nearly 80 years old?

 

[BoylermanCT]

There is a large Hustler dealer in NH, not sure if they are an option for you. No sales tax. I have a 60” X-One my dealer in CT let me borrow as a loaner while my ZT was in for warranty work. Never gave the X-One back. Mows at 11 mph at 6 acres an hour. Has an air ride seat which floats over any bumps, holes and ruts. I look forward to mowing my 5 acres each week.

 

[lman]

Some on here have had positive results buying used commercial units. Knowing what to look for and, in my case, a lot of luck would need to be in the mix. Like a previous poster mentioned, why would a commercial company get rid of a unit that was trouble free?

In my analysis, (I have 1.5-2 acres), I figure a ZT will cut my grass in about an hour. I cut grass and mulch leaves 20 times a year. I am 70 years old. Buying a unit that will last 1000 hours (50 years) is silly.

Investing in a more comfortable ride makes sense.

No one has mentioned it and maybe they are crap....but I tested a Country Clipper with joy stick control and it was amazing. It also offers a tilt up deck to make blade maintenance easy and safe. When I am ready to upgrade from my rider I will have the dealer loan me a unit for testing.

I've had a Country Clipper Charger with joystick and 60" deck for a couple of years. It's great around trees or shrubs with lower limbs. One arm is free to push limbs away.