Buying Advice Zero Turn Mowers

[George Roesner]

I need some help. I am looking at getting a new mower and I want something built to last and cuts grass evenly. I think a zero turn is what I want but I need help clarifying this: Are zero turn mowers terrible on grades?
Next question: What do I buy? I only have 2 acres to mow, quite a few hills.
Kubota, Husqvarna, Bad Boy, Toro, John Deere? Other? Any suggestions or feedback? What are your experiences with your zero turn? Good/bad?

 

[Bird]

I have my second Toro and I've been quite happy with both. The only reason I sold the first one was because I needed something that would go through 3' chain link fence gates, so now I have a smaller one. But my experience has been that they are pretty bad on slopes; too little traction. Otherwise they're great. I've no personal experience with the other brands, but part of the reason I bought Toro was to get the right size machine, part was the price, but mostly it's because I wanted to buy from a dealer (not a box store) that would be available for warranty service, if needed, and maintenance parts, if needed.

 

[PMA]

I have has 2 zero turns. The best thing since slice bread.

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[yanmars]

I do not have one but my uncle said he likes the same but advised of use on steep slopes, especially if wet.

 

[Biggreenavalanche]

Like PMA said, best thing since sliced bread...I have a ten year old x-mark, mow two acres(more or less) and will never go back to conventional, regardless of higher cost ! The only drawback is they suck in ANY mud...I'll live with it...

 

[nc redneck]

I have a John Deer 757 60 inch and a Kubota BX 2200. The Kubota is a Cadillac and 757 is by far second best. 757 has less hours rides rough burns fuel and can get stuck very easy. If you drive a 0 turn like you see on commercials the back tires will tear up your grass. The 757 feels a little more secure on slope because you sit much lower. Not sure this is fair comparison but I think both machines were around 10 K new. Hope this helps

 

[Rayrla]

Purchased an Ariens 52 inch gas powered zero turn mower from a dealer back in 2005 to replace a JD rear engine rider. Use mostly on flat ground but do have some sloping ditches that I cut. When wet if I am not careful, I slide to the bottom and bury the drive wheels. Need to get the tractor and pull it out. This has happened twice so far this year. Approaching 400 hrs with zero problems. Cut almost two acres. Boy are zero turns fun and fast. Would love to have a diesel JD, Kubota, or Hussler. Just cannot justify the additional cost. For two acres, my opinion is just about any dealer sold brand will provide many years of trouble free service if well maintained.

 

[Will_C]

Another zero turn fan. I have a Toro Z-master and have put 625 hours on it over the last 5 years with no problems. One thing I have noticed is heavier (mine weighs 1200lbs) machines are much more stable on slopes.

Will

 

[bh3zfc]

I have the grasshopper brand, it's great super wide and no problem with slopes.

 

[coobie]

I had a diesel Kubota model 326 pro ZTR built like a tank.I would also look at ferris ZTR if you have a lot of rough terrain.coobie.

 

[PSUTundra]

Another one with a ZTR and love it. I cut 3+ acres with many obstacles and cannot imagine how long it would take without it. The quality of cut is also top notch.

The downsides are: turf tires do not like the mud (but neither do lawn tractors with them), hills can be challenging, and initial cost is high.

I would not trade it for what I have to cut though.

 

[Creamer]

I have a ZTR 60" Deines. A low cost model that has served me very well in cutting the 3-4 acres that I mow with it. It is on its 15th year now and since it cost under $5k new, I am very happy. Cut quality is exceptional! The only things I have done to it is replace blades and tires and the battery. Not one problem with anything else on the mower and my kids have driven it plenty. I have slopes that I would not take my tractor on sideways that I can mow with it. I did mow once have a time where some muskrat damage caved in the low side of the mower and i rolled it into my pond but otherwise not an issue.

Since you do mention that you have many hills i would strongly recommend getting a model that has V-tread tires. The model I have does not have the size of tire in which they make V-treads.

The other thing I like about mine is that it is a front deck - not a mid deck. The mid-decks go faster and take up less space but the front decks get underneath overhanging branches better such as my lilac bush and make for easier deck maintenance. So if you are not squeezed for space get a front deck!

 

[Midniteoyl]

Have a Gizmow' mower that is pretty good on grades as its front wheels are not free castoring..


PSD Groundscare - Gizmow mowing grass lawns and banks - YouTube




You would have to find a used one as they are gone now.. BUT, Cub Cadet bought them out and the tech is in their new line of Z-Force S zero-turns..

Z-Force S Riders: Find Zero-Turn Mowers with Steering Wheels





EDIT: had to look it up.. The Gizmow 61" weighs 1600lbs!

 

[OrangeToys]

I own 4 scags and have driven several other brands and nothing beats my Scag mowers

 

[DmansPadge]

I have a Toro Z Master that weights 1000 lbs. My land is flat but I have a steep ditch that is almost 400' and it holds it very well. I've mowed that same ditch with garden tractors and my Kubota tractor and feel the safest on the Toro.

As for brands.. There are a lot of good ones out there. I would start with brands you have local to you and go from there. It's also good to note what the pros are using in your area as that brand is probably working out good for them.

 

[yelbike]

I have a john Deere z465. Great machine. The slopes is an operator problem I think. Firstly, stay away from slopes when its wet, but who mows in the rain anyway(but still be aware of morning dew and the like). Second thing I have discovered is its unnatural traction behavior. Only two wheel have traction, the two fronts are only casters so they provide no directional control. So if you start to loose traction don't pull back on the levers but rather accelerate the down hill wheel( its the only wheel with traction). Once you manage to figure that out you will do great on slopes(this comes from a prairie guy who only deals with ditches). I wouldn't worry too much about wheel spin damage on turns, again be reasonable stay away from wet grass. Any damage is unnoticeable after weeks worth of grass growth.
Although ztrs reduce mowing time, you may not notice a hugh difference since your only mowing 2 acres. With my mower you'd in about 45 minutes max, you may only save 20-30 minutes. On my 7 acres I figure my mowing goes from about 5.5 hrs to 3.5 hrs.
One last thing, my particular model doesn't have rops. If it were me, with slopes you have, I'd want that feature. But that's me.
Good luck in your hunt for the right machine for you.

 

[Monster5601]

I need some help. I am looking at getting a new mower and I want something built to last and cuts grass evenly. I think a zero turn is what I want but I need help clarifying this: Are zero turn mowers terrible on grades?
Next question: What do I buy? I only have 2 acres to mow, quite a few hills.
Kubota, Husqvarna, Bad Boy, Toro, John Deere? Other? Any suggestions or feedback? What are your experiences with your zero turn? Good/bad?

Like PMA said, best thing since sliced bread...I have a ten year old x-mark, mow two acres(more or less) and will never go back to conventional, regardless of higher cost ! The only drawback is they suck in ANY mud...I'll live with it...

I had the same decision to make two years ago when (one of many) my big box mower quit. I was willing to buy one more mower, it had to last forever (I'm near retirement age), had to cut three to four acres, my grass in the spring is usually wet so it had to manage wet grass. My tractor dealer suggested a ZD series mower. He send one out for me to try and the ZD323 stayed with one modification, he changed out the rear tires from turf to industrial. Since the rear tire switch, the ZD easily navigates muddy areas. And, the ZD reduced cutting time from three hours to around one and a half hours.

The ZD323 is a diesel, it uses around three quarts of fuel to mow. The old two cylinder air-cooled big box mower used about two gallons to mow the same area.

 

[rrrkkk]

I too have a zero turn Lazer Z eXmark the turf tires suck I have replaced them with carlisle bar tires. Makes a completely different machine. Hills need to get used to, but they are no problem after that. It cut my mowing time in half, from my cub Lo-Boy same size mower.

 

[Xfaxman]

I need some help. I am looking at getting a new mower and I want something built to last and cuts grass evenly. I think a zero turn is what I want but I need help clarifying this: Are zero turn mowers terrible on grades?
Next question: What do I buy? I only have 2 acres to mow, quite a few hills.
Kubota, Husqvarna, Bad Boy, Toro, John Deere? Other? Any suggestions or feedback? What are your experiences with your zero turn? Good/bad?

With hills I recommend a front deck 4WD mower.

Read this thread: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-lawn-garden/278809-kubota-f-series.html

Search eBay for Toro Groundsmaster. toro groundsmaster | eBay

and front deck mower. front deck mower | eBay

 

[linuxman51]

I've got a JD 717a. it's... old.. (well, ok, not in years, i think it's only 6, but it's "high mileage" at around 2400 hours or so) but fantastic. I bought it used last year from a landscape guy when we bought our new house, and it's absolutely a blast to cut with. I think I've put around 150 hours on it since I got it, and I'll need to get some new blades here real soon. I cut ~3 acres +- in about an hour and a half, in and around obstacles, etc. the cut is fantastic, the turf tires as others have said occasionally prove inadequate, but if you've got hard clay in the summer time it's fun to drift the lawnmower through the turns.

The way I use mine, if I got the paddle style tires my yard would be destroyed :-D I may put a set on my lawn tractor to make cutting the ditch easier though..