Zero turn recommendations.

   / Zero turn recommendations. #1  

Lilguy

Silver Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2015
Messages
145
Location
Chicago, Illinois
Tractor
Kubota
At many’s suggestion Im going for a zero turn. 1 acre, garden islands, a small slope up frt. Found KUBOTA’s and JDs, looking for other.
figure 52 inch +/-. I have a tractor, to big to mow with, but nice for other tasks.

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   / Zero turn recommendations. #2  
There are tons of ZT options. Have you checked the local dealers in your area?

Im currently considering Kubota, eXmark, Cub Cadet and Bad Boy.

Mike
 
   / Zero turn recommendations. #3  
I just went through that process and i'm a world class buyers remorse person.

I bought a Gravely with a kawi motor and 52 inch deck.

Planted grass 3 weeks ago, has not rained a drop.

1 tip.....if you have never driven one, find an open area and set up some cones and practice.

IMHO, they take some getting used to!
 
   / Zero turn recommendations. #4  
Get a used Kubota ZD221 diesel with 54” deck. That way it’ll take same fuel as your SCUT.
Youll love it. Tough as nails. Cuts real good. Better than the new ones.
 
   / Zero turn recommendations. #5  
I am in the market for the same size machine. For me, this is a tough choice. I am unclear if the ZTR's you find at Home Depot / Lowe's are the SAME machine you can purchase at a "dealer" ? When I bought my JD ZTR425 (10+ years ago), there were many visible differences, so I ended up purchasing from a JD dealer. Today ? I cannot tell. My suspicion is that big box retailers *might* request builds using cheaper components that are impossible to determine when looking at the machines - you only learn this later if you need a repair and find out, "well you have the XXX-A model" carburetor.... etc.
Other than Big Box, I am limited to local brands sold. So my current choices, depending on how far away are JD, Cub Cadet, Scagg. They all appear very similar for each price step -difficult to pick a stand-out / best model. A local small engine mechanic did say the Kawasaki V-twins are the best engine. Otherwise ?
I will try to buy a high end residential / low end commercial grade in the hopes of greater long term reliability.
 
   / Zero turn recommendations. #6  
I just went through that process and i'm a world class buyers remorse person.

I bought a Gravely with a kawi motor and 52 inch deck.

Planted grass 3 weeks ago, has not rained a drop.

1 tip.....if you have never driven one, find an open area and set up some cones and practice.

IMHO, they take some getting used to!
Same here, just seeded 12,000 SF of new lawn area May 16 and no rain past or in the near future, and 90* temps here in NH - just hoping my well pump hangs in there!

Good point on practicing with the ZT, and do it on the driveway, and i usually do three point turns to minimize tearing up the turf.

As to which machine, all the main brands are good (Scag, Gravely, Exmark, Ferris, Kubota etc) and I concur you cant go wrong with a 52" deck and Kawi motor combination. The smaller 48" decks don't stick out very far on the left side making it hard to cut close to beds.
 
   / Zero turn recommendations. #8  
I went with a Ryobi 42 inch 48v ZT (ZT480e). It will do at least 2 acres. Haven't had much chance to use it since buying it because it plain quit raining here. Expect some today. I bought it to do the 1/2 acre or so of lawn here around the house but had hopes of it doing the trails down below. However, ZTs on hills, especially compound hills sloping 2 different directions, can be a problem. I ended up skidding down a compound hill into my neighbor's tall grass at one point in exploring going down the back hill to the trails. It'll climb like a goat but not do compound slopes. In looking at videos, it appears that the safest is to back down slopes where there's a fence or pond at the bottom.

For you, looks like your place is mostly flat though.

For my situation, I'll stay with the JD and its bush hog for the trails.
 
   / Zero turn recommendations. #9  
One of the top rated ZTs gasoline powered is the Toro Timecutter 14 hp at about $2,600. I'd think it ought to be fine for your smaller property.

I needed something to allow ME to do the grass when it gets really hot when my wife cannot do it. Used to do the 3 pieces with long rests between each piece in the heat but now am having troubles with overheated tops of my feet. Going gasless, ergo the Ryobi. Have also a very excellent Ryobi 40v self-propelled mower and 40v grass whip. Both these have gas-like mower.
 
   / Zero turn recommendations. #10  
Bad Boy has a pretty good product range at decent prices. If you have a dealer in your area check them out. I highly recommend seeking to use a demo unit to get a feel for how the model you're looking at will work on your property. Lots of things affect the cut quality, including grass type, terrain, bumpiness, hills, obstacles, etc.

Rob
 
 
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