Zero turn vs hst tractor reliability

[Sawyer Rob]

Zero turn vs hst tractor reliability​

I thought the question was about "reliability"?

Although I'd rather mow that with my front deck diesel powered Grasshopper, I think all out "long term" hydro "reliability" would go to a tractor...

This is one case, where bigger is better. (the hydro)

SR

 

[espacef1fan]

Great Scott! That's beautiful! Care to tell us roughly where you are?

I love pecan trees -- I have about a dozen 75-100 year old natives scattered around my pastures and hayfields. They're gorgeous, but their tendency to "self-prune" makes for interesting times when mowing tall grass around them.

I'm in the camp that says you'll appreciate a z-turn with that many trunks to navigate. Even a 60" will very likely be faster than a tractor for basic grass/weed mowing. Plus you can use it in your yards etc.

Thanks!!

I’m located in southeast Alabama.

Yeah the self pruning is annoying but the biggest game changer dealing with that has been the side by side I bought.

It used to take 2-3 hours pulling a wagon with a lawn tractor to clean sticks

Now it’s 45-60 minutes.

 

[rademamj1]

That is an incredibly beautiful orchard. Very well maintained, with none of the typical debris you find under the trees. If that was my orchard, I would not hesitate to mow that with a 72" Commercial Zeroturn mower. Three times faster mowing than a SCUT.

 

[4570Man]

A ZT would mow that pecan orchard A LOT faster. ZTs are all hydrostatic now; I think. Back in the 80s, I mowed with a cable steered Scag with a single drive/steering wheel underneath the seat. Think they all went hydro now. One reason why most need rather monstrous 22+ hp engines on them vs. probably an 18 hp would do otherwise. Can get one 14.5 hp 42 inch Toro.

Of coarse a 60” ZT traveling twice as fast is going to take more power than the old lawn tractor.

 

[JethroB]

OP, what type of grass do you have? And how smooth is the grove? Pictures can be deceiving.

I have a dozen very mature pecan trees (60-80 yo) with mostly Bahai grass underneath them. Bahai is really tough on lawnmowers including the better ZT’s. The fallen sticks and limbs too as you probably know.

 

[Darryle]

Buy the ZT and sell me the 1120 to offset the cost of the

 

[Diggin It]

Zero turn vs hst tractor reliability​

I thought the question was about "reliability"?

Although I'd rather mow that with my front deck diesel powered Grasshopper, I think all out "long term" hydro "reliability" would go to a tractor...

This is one case, where bigger is better. (the hydro)

SR

And what about maintenance and upkeep for someone who has never had one before? How different are they to service and keep running well? Returning to the notion that ZTRs are generally one trick ponies and you have another, different type of machine to maintain, is it better and more reliable for the OP to go with a wider finish mower, even if that means a bigger, newer tractor? Or even a SCUT/CUT with a belly mower which can have an FEL to pick up debris encountered while mowing?

 

[chim]

I only mow 3-1/2 acres with the L4240 and a 90" deck. Once a week is usually frequently enough. Right now every 4 or 5 days is more like it. It can take anywhere from a touch under an hour if rushing, to 1-1/2 hours when I'm out for a leisurely cruise. Plenty of things to mow around.

When I mowed on Tuesday it took me all of about 2 minutes with the string trimmer to get what the deck couldn't reach next to a post light. Note: I use the "scorched earth" policy around things like trees, sheds, the bridge etc. This is either by the occasional chemical mowing or running the string trimmer to bare earth around obstacles every few weeks to eliminate fussing with the mower.

 

[art]

Amazing as it it may sound we have a line of zero turns with full suspension which takes a lot of the bumps out. Something learned years ago large tires don't fall in small holes. With your current tractor it may seem very smooth to buying a economy zero turn with small tires.

 

[mikester]

Reliability depends on your brand and model.

10 years on my ZD326 with no problems. Neighbor bought a club cadet at half the price but it self destructed in 3 years and he bought a more expensive JD.

If your ground is rough a ZTR will shake out your kidney stones and a hydrostat tractor will make your life easier. The ZTR will cut your mow times by 60%.