Zero turn recommendations.

[fatjay]

My father has a cub cadet zero turn, and the movement is very jerky and the ride is terrible. I have a kubota zd21 diesel zero turn and the ride is very pleasant, movement is very smooth, and the engine is very quiet. My mower was also 5x more than his at new, and mine is 20 years old and his is 5, and while I can expect another 20 years out of his, I'm not sure he can expect another 5.

 

[Lilguy]

Two Kubotas, Z251KH-54, Z422KW-54
Both 54 inch first Residential. Second commercial. Is the $2600.00 difference necessary in my application.

 

[Username Taken]

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.

No, they're usually not the same. But they can be.

The manufacturer tries to accomodate their Dealers by making them a different kind of mower. Maybe more durable, maybe.... Something. But they have to separate themselves from the Big Box stores somehow.

You can't beat "Economies Of Scale". Can't do it. At least, not in this Century. Maybe back in Byzantine times.

So they have to try to keep the smaller dealers in business by offering a niche product.

The question then becomes, "Do I need to pay more?" That is the real question. At what point do you bang your head on diminishing returns? For a pro, keeping his mower running is not an option. It has to be done.

For the Homeowner, it's usually not as important. Plus, Pros don't always do the driving of their own equipment. They often turn loose kids that just got their license revoked or just like to bang into stuff. Most kids are TTD (testtodestruction) anyway.

I am not. If I pay $3k for a ZT, I'm gonna take care of it.

 

[MoKelly]

Two Kubotas, Z251KH-54, Z422KW-54
Both 54 inch first Residential. Second commercial. Is the $2600.00 difference necessary in my application.

For mowing one acre - I think the residential will be fine.

I have 1.25 acres at our city place to mow. I got a Raptor residential mower. I’ve used it for 6 years now. Takes me almost exactly one hour to mow. I get done and the gas tank is almost empty. No problems.

We mow around 10 acre at the farm. I have a commercial mower there. It’s 3x as nice as the Raptor but cost much more. We mow about 6 hours per week at the farm.

MoKelly

 

[ZTMAN]

I guess it depends on your budget. I have owned Gravely, JD and Scag zts.
All commercial models, all good mowers, but I prefer the Scags. Downsized from a Cheetah when I sold the home with 8 acres of grass, to a TCII to mow our current 1.4 acres.

Commercial mowers are overkill for that size of a lot in some peoples' opinion, but not mine.

I watch the neighbors bounce around like rag dolls and slide on hills. IMO width, weight and a suspension seat is of primo importance.

Demo the ones you are interested in. One will talk to you.

 

[Lilguy]

The 200 is new for 2020 a replacement for the 100 series. Any one have a 200? 400 series is mid level commercial.

 

[Hay Dude]

Two Kubotas, Z251KH-54, Z422KW-54
Both 54 inch first Residential. Second commercial. Is the $2600.00 difference necessary in my application.

Hard to say, but here’s some observation:
If you have HARD bumps, like tree roots, curbs, hard bumpy ground, etc. I would almost bet the commercial version has a thicker deck, with stronger welds and axles for the deck wheels which will absorb much more punishment. It’s weight will also keep it steadier for a nicer cut on rough ground. The mower gearboxes also may be more robust and the chassis frame of the tractor part as well.
if you have a soft, easy lawn with no rough spots and you take your time, residential version should be fine.
If you have bad ground and want to get done fast, commercial is going to hold up longer.

 

[N80]

A lot depends on your budget. I was sure I was going to go with a Kubota or a JD but the sticker shock turned me off of that. I got a Cub Cadet ZT2 54". Compared to similarly spec'd JDs and Kubotas it was as much as $1000 less expensive. It is a residential model. Kawasaki engine like many of the Kubotas and JDs. I've only just put 5 hours on it but so far so good. My mowing is about 4 acres. Some of it rough terrain.

I hear a lot of folks talking about ZTs that ride rough. I have nothing to compare it to but a couple of thoughts. First, it is certainly no worse than my 45hp tractor. Second, and this is important, check the air pressure in the rear tires. Mine, and many others I have heard, ship with 30 psi in the rears. They are made to run at 10. The dealers should be doing this but apparently they are not. When I changed my air pressure to 10 psi it made a huge difference in ride and traction.

Anyway, my ZT2 was about $4000. Still not cheap but less than the big name brands. As for movement and controls, it is quite smooth and precise. Not jerky at all. Took only about 10-15 minutes to get good at it. I can easily pull it onto my trailer and turn it around on the trailer.

 

[skipmarcy]

My Country Clipper came with a standard seat and the 4 coil springs for it to bounce on for a "suspension". The first 2 years weren't too bad with the proper air pressure in the tires but those springs lost their bounce and it was getting miserable - I weigh around 225 lbs.

I found a suspension kit made in Alabama for $159.94 and ordered one - best thing I ever did. My original seat was well-padded and in good shape and this suspension made all the difference. No more compressed spine pain !!

TracSeats.com TS-LOPRO.

 

[Lilguy]

There are no Diesels to be had and they are minimum 50% more than the gassers. No used local. Going to test beat a 400 series Kubota today, we will see.