Zero turn recommendations.

[Lilguy]

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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[Rdrcr]

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

 

[Frankenkubota]

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!

 

[Hay Dude]

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.

 

[Spike56]

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.

 

[Carl_NH]

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.

 

[Bearsixty7]

Dealer Locator | Spartan Mowers | Zero Turn Mowers

Find a Spartan Mower Dealer near you, made in Batesville, Arkansas offering an affordable, top of the line zero-turn mower.

spartanmowers.com

 

[RalphVa]

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.

 

[RalphVa]

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.

 

[BigBlue1]

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

 

[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.