Zero turn, small compact or an economy rider?

[Snowman9000]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( mowed the back yard in 20 minutes, (normally a 60 minute job), and that's at half throttle until I get used to the mower. )</font>

Congrats on your purchase. You better check the manual about break-in. I don't know, but diesels don't like to be lugged down. I suspect maybe you should be running it at full throttle now.

-Don

 

[cubrun]

Hi Calpyro,

I have a Toro ZTR like yours and I just purchased a sprayer similar to yours (Agri-fab, 15 gallon). I also wanted to mount the sprayer like you did and I was wondering if you would be kind enough to share the design for it?

Sincerely

John

 

[DAP]

Chris, NONE of the heavy duty JD mowers in the lawn class (LX, GT, etc.) have this 'notch'. Key start with choke lever, warm then full bore and off you go.

I believe the JD Garden class tractors are the same.

To muddle this whole notion, frank_15 above says the opposite. I can tell you this though, my LX288 with an 18hp Kawasaki Twin w/ hydro has no notch.

I suspect that if we stop comparing model numbers and start comparing engines we will get to the bottom of this.

Perhaps we both need to get out a little more! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Calpyro]

Sorry for the late reply, I simply made an angle iron frame and mounted it upon the steel engine guard with four angle iron upright supports. A piece of aluminum plate serves as the deck. I connected the electrical with two alligator clips to the battery. That's it. Took about an hour.

 

[Soundguy]

I don't have a JD.. too much money per inch of cut. I have a murray... and it has the notch. A B/S 'silver series' cast iron sleaved engine. 12.5 hp. It sees light duty, as I fenced real close around the house, and made most of it pasture.

Still.. the mower is about 7 years old now... yearly oil changes, air filter, and gas treatment + frequent blade sharpening / replacement has made this thing last.

Besides a battery and maintenance items.. this little machine has been great for a 'cheapy' ( I figure 700+tax for a new mower makes it a cheapy.. ). I'm convinced that most machinery if well cared for will last. My 21 " push mower is a no-name job.. I got it at a pic-n-sav store here in florida.. As far as i know they are out of business.. I got it.. oh.. 11 years ago. It's been through a few blades and a couple air filters.. and one wheel. Has a tad bit of surface rust on a couple spots where something dinged the deck.. otherwise the little B/S engine starts on the first pull every time.. all that and it only cost 89 bucks...

You just have to use machinery within its limits.

Where I live, most people have about 3ac lots.. my three closest neighbors are all on their second lawnmower since I've been there ( 4 years ). One guy had a big huskie and wore it slap out.. Now he just got a new cub cadet and a trail mower...takes him a couple hours easy to mow. The other neighbor had a sears.. it blew up.. he was mowing his lot and a vacant one next to him... seems like it took him about 6 hours to do it... now he's got a ztr... Other neighbor had a smaller jd mower.. it died.. and now he has a bigger one.. still takes these guys hours out there baking in the sun to mow. One guy had a tractor right when i moved in.. an older case.. compact.. nice looking unit.. 5' mower range or so.. he sold it and got a ztr.. again.. hours to mow.

I have to hide my laughing. These guys are just working these lawnmowers to death.. they need a tractor... With the money they are pumping into these mowers every few years, they could have a compact or sub compact tractor and mower that would last a couple decades. A BX series kubota or a tc18.. etc would be decently cheap along with a 5' finish mower.

Soundguy