ZTR recommendations?

[klm]

Bush Hog®

 

[Pks]

I recommend taking another look at that Walker deck. I haven't seen many decks that didn't drive the blades with a belt. There may be a shaft between the engine and the deck, but I'll bet there's still a belt on that deck driving the spindles.

 

[ipwanab]

I have a Scag turf tiger with about 175 hours. I am a residential home user. I cut about 4 acres. I use to use a Deere 790 with 6 ft rfm and it took about 4 hours
of bronco busting ride to cut my yard, using about (I am guessing) 3 gallons of fuel. The ZTR takes about 1 and 1/2 hours of spine numbing ,noisy ( I wear earplugs and worktunes)aggrivating ,gas hogging (tremendous fuel use),unpleasant cutting. When my wife first drove the unit she said " I sure hope you got extended warranty on this rough riding , noisy junk sob" Neither of us thought it would make it to the end of that summer. That said , I would panic without it, I can come home after work and if my kidneys are in good enough shape cut my grass before dark. I used to have to plan all day on the weekend
no way to do it on workday. It is a grass cutting demon, it will sail through tall wet grass (without balling up) better than the rfm did on the tractor. After using it all these hours with no problems, I am beginning to trust it's reliability. The awesome amount of clanging , banging , engine exhaust noise and a deck that sounds like an F16 taking off worried me at first but now I pay no attention. Just make ssure you use heaing protection. I would deinitely pony up for the better seat if buying again. Incidently these things will cut on a slope that would turn a tractor over with out slipping a tire.

 

[JeepOne]

Just got a new Kubota ZD326 and man is thing a grass eating monster. I have 30 degree slopes with 4 foot grass and it glides through that stuff without a wimper, like a hot knife through butter. I had it at half throttle because I'm not so sure of myself yet. Gotta get more practice with those levers as opposed to the JD lawn tractor steering wheel.

Anyway, I'm very impressed with this machine and man is it fast even on this VERY rough pasture. The noise is no more than the JD lawn tractor and it sips fuel.

Its a keeper guys!!

 

[Oleozz]

I recommend taking another look at that Walker deck. I haven't seen many decks that didn't drive the blades with a belt. There may be a shaft between the engine and the deck, but I'll bet there's still a belt on that deck driving the spindles.

I will take a look at the deck the next time I'm at my brother's house. He did buy the Walker.

 

[workinallthetime]

Just got a new Kubota ZD326 and man is thing a grass eating monster. I have 30 degree slopes with 4 foot grass and it glides through that stuff without a wimper, like a hot knife through butter. I had it at half throttle because I'm not so sure of myself yet. Gotta get more practice with those levers as opposed to the JD lawn tractor steering wheel.

Anyway, I'm very impressed with this machine and man is it fast even on this VERY rough pasture. The noise is no more than the JD lawn tractor and it sips fuel.

Its a keeper guys!!

check your tire pressure mine was at 20. drop it down to about 12 and you will notice the difference as someone here said. i did it and it gives you alot more traction without tearing up the yard as much

 

[JeepOne]

check your tire pressure mine was at 20. drop it down to about 12 and you will notice the difference as someone here said. i did it and it gives you alot more traction without tearing up the yard as much

Will do......thanks

I am absolutely amazed at the sticking power of this machine on a slope. I was looking at the Grasshoppers since I read that they stick to hills but I couldn't ask for more stability on a hill than what this Kubota gives me. I am impressed with this thing and, hey, its fun to drive.

 

[coobie]

Just got a new Kubota ZD326 and man is thing a grass eating monster. I have 30 degree slopes with 4 foot grass and it glides through that stuff without a wimper, like a hot knife through butter. I had it at half throttle because I'm not so sure of myself yet. Gotta get more practice with those levers as opposed to the JD lawn tractor steering wheel.

Anyway, I'm very impressed with this machine and man is it fast even on this VERY rough pasture. The noise is no more than the JD lawn tractor and it sips fuel.

Its a keeper guys!!

I bought the kubota 326 pro model 60 inch deck a few weeks ago.You a correct on your comments,I love mine.coobie

 

[workinallthetime]

ya i agree, i was really worried about that exact thing after reading some comments in other forums about ztr's and hills. I found my to plant firmly and mow great. K turns are the key along with the tire pressure to keep from rutting up a yard also if it you get stuck your stuck, at 1700 lbs its not something easy to push out. I have used a come a long once and my b3030 3 times to pull me out. the rain just wont quit around here and a ztr isnt the best choice for a wet lawn.

great mower i also have the 326 pro and it makes me alot of money and its so easy to change the blades on and clean the deck.

 

[HeyNow]

I have a Scag turf tiger with about 175 hours. I am a residential home user. I cut about 4 acres. I use to use a Deere 790 with 6 ft rfm and it took about 4 hours
of bronco busting ride to cut my yard, using about (I am guessing) 3 gallons of fuel. The ZTR takes about 1 and 1/2 hours of spine numbing ,noisy ( I wear earplugs and worktunes)aggrivating ,gas hogging (tremendous fuel use),unpleasant cutting. When my wife first drove the unit she said " I sure hope you got extended warranty on this rough riding , noisy junk sob" Neither of us thought it would make it to the end of that summer. That said , I would panic without it, I can come home after work and if my kidneys are in good enough shape cut my grass before dark. I used to have to plan all day on the weekend
no way to do it on workday. It is a grass cutting demon, it will sail through tall wet grass (without balling up) better than the rfm did on the tractor. After using it all these hours with no problems, I am beginning to trust it's reliability. The awesome amount of clanging , banging , engine exhaust noise and a deck that sounds like an F16 taking off worried me at first but now I pay no attention. Just make ssure you use heaing protection. I would deinitely pony up for the better seat if buying again. Incidently these things will cut on a slope that would turn a tractor over with out slipping a tire.

I bought a Scag Tiger Cub this spring and love the speed in which I can now cut my 3 acres. I did buy the suspension seat and am glad I did. Pricey, but well worth it. I also installed the striping kit. This thing is built like a tank.

 

[Pks]

Ipwanab,

If you get sick of the bone jarring ride of the Scag, try a Hustler Super Z with a 66 width. I tried both the Wildcat and Super Z 60in on the lawn at a local dealership. The Huster's ride was silky smooth compared to the Scag. I have a spine problem and that Scag felt like it was going to cause some problems. That was the chief reason I'm buying the Hustler.

I did note the tire pressures were about the same on the two machines. The Wildcat just bounced a lot more and those bounces were hard. I drove the same path with the Super Z and it didn't bounce. The front wheels stayed on the grass (not so with the Wildcat). It might be that the Scags have a weight bias that make them light in the front. It's a guess. But I do know the front wheels on the Wildcat came off the ground where as the Hustler's wheels did not.

I then demoed the Super Z at my house and again it was smooth. My wife had a great first experience with it too. I chose the Hustler Super Z.

Maybe you could arrainge a trade with your dealer or at least a test drive of a Hustler.

 

[art]

To talk of ride the tires air pressure is important the same as having a roperly adjusted suspension if so equipped as well as the quality of the seat!

 

[wushaw]

ya i agree, i was really worried about that exact thing after reading some comments in other forums about ztr's and hills. I found my to plant firmly and mow great. K turns are the key along with the tire pressure to keep from rutting up a yard also if it you get stuck your stuck, at 1700 lbs its not something easy to push out. I have used a come a long once and my b3030 3 times to pull me out. the rain just wont quit around here and a ztr isnt the best choice for a wet lawn.

great mower i also have the 326 pro and it makes me alot of money and its so easy to change the blades on and clean the deck.

I just had to laugh when I read this....I stuck my 322D Grasshopper when I got too close to my back pond edge last week....that's twice now that I've used my Jeep to pull a lawnmower or tractor away from the edge of the pond....I am waiting for the day I will be pulling something out of the pond itself

 

[Dargo]

I am waiting for the day I will be pulling something out of the pond itself

My wife has pictures of me doing exactly that.

 

[HeyNow]

I mow around a 3 acre pond with my Scag Tiger Cub. It's new, I'm new to ZTR's and have used it several times now. It was a little hairy at first, I just slowed down and stayed away from the edge of the pond. I also mow around the exit stream.

During a recent outing it happened....I felt the tires giving way and tried to do a 180 to get out of the soft spot. When I did I slide sideways headed for the stream bed, about a 3 foot drop off. I had my seat belt on and my ROPS up....as with many other "accidents" it always seems to happen in slow motion... I thought to myself..."well, let's see how good the ROPS and seat belt are going to work, because I KNEW I was headed for the stream bed sideways....Off I went....when I came to rest the mower deck saved me from turning over......

I popped the seat belt climbed out and then went and changed my underwear before getting my JD tractor and pulled it out. No damage cept my wife kept giving me that "look"...you all know the one....(what a dumb ar$$).

Go slow and expect the worst! Leason learned. I have had to pull my Tiger Cub off the soft bank around the pond several times. I just chuckle now....

 

[coobie]

I just had to laugh when I read this....I stuck my 322D Grasshopper when I got too close to my back pond edge last week....that's twice now that I've used my Jeep to pull a lawnmower or tractor away from the edge of the pond....I am waiting for the day I will be pulling something out of the pond itself

DITTO on this,When I had my ferris ZTR I also stuck it good by my pond,nothing the old dodge cummins diesel could not get out.LOL.I would hate to stick this new kubota 326 in the same spot.coobie

 

[firemanpat2910]

has anyone tried the older snapper zturn with the single joy stick control lever? my old boss had one and it was great, but I have not seen any more like it. He bought it new back in around 97 or 98. He has passed away since so I cant get the exact year or model # but I remember how easy it was to drive it and you only needed 1 hand

 

[workinallthetime]

even if the zd326 is heavier than the competition i think its a solid unit, and how much more does it weigh than another diesel zero? the guy at the dealer told me that the ferris was around 2000lbs for a diesel unit. I think the weight is as much a bad thing as it is a good thing. not good for wet soil / great for slopes due to heavy and low center of gravity. the ride really isnt that bad to me and i mow some pretty rough yards with it, with the adjustable tension on the seat and 10-12 lbs of air in the tires its really not that bad unless im mowing full bore and hit a section of lawn whoops. This is a commercial unit and not a residental mower. i think if i remember right the ferris uses a kubota diesel and so does the old toro.
happy mpwing all, it hasnt stoped raining for a month here

 

[Buster57]

"Incidently these things will cut on a slope that would turn a tractor over with out slipping a tire"

The JD-717A had real problems on a hill. I have never been on a Scag but I plan to see if it as good on a hill as you say it is.
I will try one out this Saturday.
Thanks.

 

[coobie]

even if the zd326 is heavier than the competition i think its a solid unit, and how much more does it weigh than another diesel zero? the guy at the dealer told me that the ferris was around 2000lbs for a diesel unit. I think the weight is as much a bad thing as it is a good thing. not good for wet soil / great for slopes due to heavy and low center of gravity. the ride really isnt that bad to me and i mow some pretty rough yards with it, with the adjustable tension on the seat and 10-12 lbs of air in the tires its really not that bad unless im mowing full bore and hit a section of lawn whoops. This is a commercial unit and not a residental mower. i think if i remember right the ferris uses a kubota diesel and so does the old toro.
happy mpwing all, it hasnt stoped raining for a month here

A comparable 2007 ferris ZTR I looked at had the 33 hp.Cat.diesel in it.What turned my away from the ferris was it was $3,000 bucks more the the kubota 326 pro