ZD 331 Kubota

[BCNU]

Has anyone priced one of the new ZD331 Kubota zero turn mowers? If so, what kind of price were you quoted? My local dealer has a customer appreciation day coming up and if I can make it I was going to see what kind of price he gives. I was hoping for a quote to compare it to.Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[workinallthetime]

i was told
zd-321 9800
zd326 10800
zd331 11800

he said the prices were the same as last year, which confused me considering the 300 series is new. im buying the 321 in a month with a 60" deck, ive always heard bad things about 72" decks where the land was not flat and smooth

hope that helps

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

he might be eating his works later. The ZD321 and new 326S are about the same as last year. The ZD326 and ZD331 are a fair amount more.

 

[BCNU]

Neil, what kind of prices are you seeing the ZD331 to be? List on a John Deere 997 which is the same horsepower as the ZD331 list at $15800. so I figure the Kubota would be close to that. I guess im looking at what the out the door price would be on a ZD331. I know it varies from region to region but was hopeing for a general idea.

 

[BleedGreen]

BCNU,

The Deere 997 with 60" 7-Iron II deck should sell for $13,200.00 - Neil should be able to help you with the pricing on the ZD331. Good luck with your purchase!

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

with a 72" deck, comfortably around $12,500, with a 60" around $12,000.

 

[Apples]

What is a ZD 331 with a 72" deck selling for?

 

[EddieWalker]

Why pay the extra for diesel in a mower? From everything that I was able to figure out, it's not worth it, nor is there any real advantage other then the "perceived" longevity of the engine. The diesel should last 2,000 hours, gasoline 1,000 hours and a water cooled gasoline engine somewhere in the middle at 1,500 hours.

For the money, I went with a water cooled Kawasaki gas engine. It came down to just a few brands, including the Kubota gas engine, but nothing really compared to the Scag. Spindle size and the attention to detail won me over.

My Scag is 60 inches wide and almot too wide for getting a good looking cut. My land isn't smooth enough for full speed and I do have some scalping problems with that sized deck. A wider deck would be even harder on uneven lawn or changes in slope.

I paid $8,200 for mine, delivered.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[WH401]

Why pay the extra for diesel in a mower? From everything that I was able to figure out, it's not worth it, nor is there any real advantage other then the "perceived" longevity of the engine. The diesel should last 2,000 hours, gasoline 1,000 hours and a water cooled gasoline engine somewhere in the middle at 1,500 hours.

For the money, I went with a water cooled Kawasaki gas engine. It came down to just a few brands, including the Kubota gas engine, but nothing really compared to the Scag. Spindle size and the attention to detail won me over.

My Scag is 60 inches wide and almot too wide for getting a good looking cut. My land isn't smooth enough for full speed and I do have some scalping problems with that sized deck. A wider deck would be even harder on uneven lawn or changes in slope.

I paid $8,200 for mine, delivered.

Good luck,
Eddie

If the difference between a diesel and a gas job was only 500 hours, they wouldn't offer a diesel in anything, it's much higher then that. These days though, the only thing going for the diesel in a zero turn is the increased life span. The new 29hp DFI Kawi's that are on the Scag's are pretty close in fuel efficiency to the Kubota diesel also offered in them. But on a zero turn, the machine itself will wear out before the diesel engine ever would.

 

[EddieWalker]

If the difference between a diesel and a gas job was only 500 hours, they wouldn't offer a diesel in anything, it's much higher then that.

I got my numbers from talking to both the Scag and Kubota dealers, as they were the only two offering a diesel in the zero turns that I looked at. They area also both Kubota Diesels, so I felt it was pretty interesting that they both had similar numbers. Obviously, I don't know this first hand, so this could be wrong, but when I asked why somebody would spend the money on a diesel zero turn over gas, the best reply that I could come up with was that they just wanted to deal with one fuel type. If you have several diesel tractors on your place, then it might make sense to buy a diesel zero turn. I couldn't justify the extra expense for the diesel engine. Especialy since I just mow my own place once a week for about 8 months out of they year. 8 months, is about 35 weeks and my mow times are about two hours, so 70 hours a year. That's twenty years of mowing for my gas engine, which is rated for 1,500 hours.

Again, the numbers do not add up for paying thousands of dollars more for a diesel mower.

Eddie

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

I'd personaly NEVER buy a gas mower. Kubota diesels typicaly last upwards of 5000 hours. Now the chasis of the ZTR's typicaly don't last that, but we do see Kubota ZD's crossing 3000 all the time. Thats double your typical Scag (or Ferris, that we sell). The fuel economey is also dramaticly better, as is the torque, noise, etc.

 

[coobie]

What is a ZD 331 with a 72" deck selling for?

I paid $10,700 last year for my ZD326 with 60 inch deck.I love the diesel engine,it sips fuel compared to my ZTR ferris 25 hp kohler gasser that I owned before the kubota.coobie

 

[Kays Supply]

There isn't one thing I dislike about my ZD326.

 

[Apples]

How well do your ZD's hold the hills?

 

[coobie]

How well do your ZD's hold the hills?

I mow on hills with my ZD,its holds very well.coobie

 

[WH401]

I personally would buy the mower in diesel if the option is available. Yes it may be more upfront, but the diesel will always out perform the gas engine in every aspect. To me if your going to drop 10k on a mower, then spend the extra 2,500 - 3k and get the diesel, it will be worth it in the end.

 

[om21braz]

How well do your ZD's hold the hills?

Good, as long as it is not wet. Make sure you have open area at the bottom of the hill before attempting - it's no fun sliding down into a fence or pond.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

10k on a mower, then spend the extra 2,500 - 3k and get the diesel, it will be worth it in the end.

Its typicaly only an extra $1000-1200. (In Kubota's line) It seems almost foolish to me to buy gas.

 

[EddieWalker]

Your prices must be allot better then what they wanted for the diesel in my area. For an extra $1,000 it makes more sense. Though for the basic home buyer and not a commercial buyer who runs his mower five days a week, how many hours a year do they put on them? If they are under 100 hours a year, it still doesn't make any sense to buy a machine that will last 30 to 50 years when the reality is the rest of the machine will be dead after ten to 20 years.

On the lawnsite forums, there was some talk about the Kubota's having some issues with their drive pumps. The Kubota dealer told me that wasn't true and to talk to his mechanic to see if they had any complaints or problems. Turns out that they did, but the mechanic said it wasn't a design issue or fault with Kubota, it was because they were using them to tow stuff with. He had one in the shop with a burned out pump and a two inch ball on the back of it. He said that they were towing something with it and that's what caused the problem.

I liked the Kubota allot, but kept going back to the Scag, which is what I ended up buying.

Eddie

 

[coobie]

Your prices must be allot better then what they wanted for the diesel in my area. For an extra $1,000 it makes more sense. Though for the basic home buyer and not a commercial buyer who runs his mower five days a week, how many hours a year do they put on them? If they are under 100 hours a year, it still doesn't make any sense to buy a machine that will last 30 to 50 years when the reality is the rest of the machine will be dead after ten to 20 years.

On the lawnsite forums, there was some talk about the Kubota's having some issues with their drive pumps. The Kubota dealer told me that wasn't true and to talk to his mechanic to see if they had any complaints or problems. Turns out that they did, but the mechanic said it wasn't a design issue or fault with Kubota, it was because they were using them to tow stuff with. He had one in the shop with a burned out pump and a two inch ball on the back of it. He said that they were towing something with it and that's what caused the problem.

I liked the Kubota allot, but kept going back to the Scag, which is what I ended up buying.

Eddie

Eddie I looked at the scag turf tiger 29Kaw.61 inch deck before I bought my Kubota ZD326 60 inch deck($10,700).The dealer wanted $11,000 for the scag,very nice mower IMHO.I bought the Kubota because of the diesel engine & the commerical deck.I also heard some of the earlier kubotas had drive pump problems,from what I learned kubota took care of this problem.coobie