WVBill
Veteran Member
I've been reading tractorbynet, lawnsite.com and various manufacturer's web sites for the past several weeks, learning all I can about my options for a ZTR to cut my 3.5 acres (less house and numerous flower beds & trees) in the Northern Shenandoah Valley where VA, WV and MD come together.
I narrowed my choices down to the following list. All have 50"-52" decks. (Although I'd have loved a 60" machine, I borrowed my neighbor's Toro and found that there are quite a few places in my yard where I couldn't get to and I figured the time I would have to spend coming back to those with a smaller mower would eat up any time advantage the larger deck would have given me.) The list, with my opinion on each:
Encore Z52 - Although it has commercial-quality independent pumps/motors and a heavy guage formed/welded 52" deck, the rest of the machine looked less substantial. 21HP Kawasaki engine. Quoted Price - $5,799. Eliminated due to price.
Exmark Lazer Z CT - Nice machine. Commercial-quality independent pumps/motors and a heavy guage formed/welded 52" deck. Overall, high quality. 19 HP Kawasaki Engine. Quoted Price - $5,889. Eliminated due to price.
Snapper Fastcut - Commercial-quality independent pumps/motors but a light duty stamped-steel deck which was only 50". 20HP B&S Vanguard Engine. Eliminated due to the stamped deck at only 50". Quoted Price - $4,499.
Simplicity Consumer Z - Commercial-quality independent pumps/motors but a light duty stamped-steel deck which was only 50". Independent front suspension would have been a plus in the rough areas of my yard. Quoted Price - $4,599. In the "final three" but eliminated due to the 50" deck. Had it been 52" vice 50" I'd have chosen this one.
Hustler FasTrak - Integrated IZT Pumps/Motors and a heavy guage formed/welded 52" deck. Good solid machine much smaller (both length and seating height) than the rest. 20 HP Honda Engine.
Quoted Price - $4,899. In the "final two" but eliminated primarily because of two factors I though would be significant drawbacks in mowing the rough areas of my yard: The wheel base is much shorter than the rest and I think a longer wheelbase will handle the bumps better, combined with the seat has no suspension (not even springs under it) - it relies on the fact it's made of a thick foam. This felt comfortable enough on my test drive but I worried about durability of it's cushieness (also, I'm a big guy so I'd really be compressing that foam on the bumps).
And the winner is:
Country Clipper JaZee - Integrated IZT Pumps/Motors and a heavy guage formed/welded 52" deck. 19 HP Kawasaki engine. The deck flips up for easy access to clean it and sharpen blades. I tried the Joystick control and found it to be very comfortable. Quoted Price - $4,599. I considered the JaZee Two but the only difference between it and the JaZee is that it has 20" v.s. 18" drive tires.
I pick it up this afternoon - I'll let you know how it mows.
I narrowed my choices down to the following list. All have 50"-52" decks. (Although I'd have loved a 60" machine, I borrowed my neighbor's Toro and found that there are quite a few places in my yard where I couldn't get to and I figured the time I would have to spend coming back to those with a smaller mower would eat up any time advantage the larger deck would have given me.) The list, with my opinion on each:
Encore Z52 - Although it has commercial-quality independent pumps/motors and a heavy guage formed/welded 52" deck, the rest of the machine looked less substantial. 21HP Kawasaki engine. Quoted Price - $5,799. Eliminated due to price.
Exmark Lazer Z CT - Nice machine. Commercial-quality independent pumps/motors and a heavy guage formed/welded 52" deck. Overall, high quality. 19 HP Kawasaki Engine. Quoted Price - $5,889. Eliminated due to price.
Snapper Fastcut - Commercial-quality independent pumps/motors but a light duty stamped-steel deck which was only 50". 20HP B&S Vanguard Engine. Eliminated due to the stamped deck at only 50". Quoted Price - $4,499.
Simplicity Consumer Z - Commercial-quality independent pumps/motors but a light duty stamped-steel deck which was only 50". Independent front suspension would have been a plus in the rough areas of my yard. Quoted Price - $4,599. In the "final three" but eliminated due to the 50" deck. Had it been 52" vice 50" I'd have chosen this one.
Hustler FasTrak - Integrated IZT Pumps/Motors and a heavy guage formed/welded 52" deck. Good solid machine much smaller (both length and seating height) than the rest. 20 HP Honda Engine.
Quoted Price - $4,899. In the "final two" but eliminated primarily because of two factors I though would be significant drawbacks in mowing the rough areas of my yard: The wheel base is much shorter than the rest and I think a longer wheelbase will handle the bumps better, combined with the seat has no suspension (not even springs under it) - it relies on the fact it's made of a thick foam. This felt comfortable enough on my test drive but I worried about durability of it's cushieness (also, I'm a big guy so I'd really be compressing that foam on the bumps).
And the winner is:
Country Clipper JaZee - Integrated IZT Pumps/Motors and a heavy guage formed/welded 52" deck. 19 HP Kawasaki engine. The deck flips up for easy access to clean it and sharpen blades. I tried the Joystick control and found it to be very comfortable. Quoted Price - $4,599. I considered the JaZee Two but the only difference between it and the JaZee is that it has 20" v.s. 18" drive tires.
I pick it up this afternoon - I'll let you know how it mows.
