Best commercial zero turn?

[MoKelly]

The market for ZTR’s (new and used) around here is crazy.

I bought a Hustler Super Z diesel 5 years ago. It had 700+ hours when I sold it in June 2021. I got $1200 more than I paid.

I didn’t even list it other than putting up a card at the Hustler dealer where I originally bought the unit.

It sold 4 days later.

The good thing is I didn’t need that mower anymore. It was extra. If it needed to be replaced I’d of had to spend that extra profit plus some more so it wouldn’t have been as lucrative.

MoKelly

 

[DK35vince]

Yeah but it uses no fuel, so its free to run it all you want

The Gravely EV Runs up to 5 hours on 4 batteries, so commercial guys may require extra battery packs.
Over $15,000 dollars more than my 35 hp, 72" upper end commercial gas powered zero turn mower.
Takes me 4 1/2 gal of gas to mow my 8 acre lawn. (At $3.50/gallon and 25 mows per year= around $393 per year gas)
It would me take around 38 years to break even

 

[4570Man]

Yeah but it uses no fuel, so its free to run it all you want

It’s actually not free. Electric cost money. The batteries cost money too. My diesel ZT burns less than $2 per hour in fuel. So assuming the electric actually was free you’d break even in only 7500 hours.

 

[Hay Dude]

It’s actually not free. Electric cost money. The batteries cost money too. My diesel ZT burns less than $2 per hour in fuel. So assuming the electric actually was free you’d break even in only 7500 hours.

Sheesh...Its called sarcasm

 

[MoKelly]

Sheesh...Its called sarcasm

For what it’s worth, I got the sarcasm!!

 

[RalphVa]

Some would want the EZTR for zero emissions (at the point of use) and lower noise. However, think the noise level is not THAT much lower on the Ryobi eZTR I have.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

The Gravely EV Runs up to 5 hours on 4 batteries, so commercial guys may require extra battery packs.
Over $15,000 dollars more than my 35 hp, 72" upper end commercial gas powered zero turn mower.
Takes me 4 1/2 gal of gas to mow my 8 acre lawn. (At $3.50/gallon and 25 mows per year= around $393 per year gas)
It would me take around 38 years to break even

Lol, there you go using math and common sense.
Same reason I never bought a hybrid car.

 

[PuffyC]

The Gravely EV Runs up to 5 hours on 4 batteries, so commercial guys may require extra battery packs.
Over $15,000 dollars more than my 35 hp, 72" upper end commercial gas powered zero turn mower.
Takes me 4 1/2 gal of gas to mow my 8 acre lawn. (At $3.50/gallon and 25 mows per year= around $393 per year gas)
It would me take around 38 years to break even

Don’t forget all the oil changes, filters, fuel additives, belts, valve adjustments, spark plugs, etc. Or the gas cans and all the time spent keeping them filled up. And what do you think a gallon of gas will cost next year, or in 10 years? They’re paying almost $4.50 a gallon in Cali now, easy to see it doubling or more by then. Then there’s the time spent doing all that maintenance, and even if you do it yourself and don’t value your time, that’s time you could have spent doing something else. Then there’s all the added downtime too, and downtime is a killer. No doubt a $28,000 electric won’t save you money today but at scale and with proper forecasting it’s easy to see it’s way closer than most think. If I was a commercial mower, and some days it feels like I am, I’d be doing the math and giving it serious thought.

 

[Hay Dude]

Don’t forget all the oil changes, filters, fuel additives, belts, valve adjustments, spark plugs, etc. Or the gas cans and all the time spent keeping them filled up. And what do you think a gallon of gas will cost next year, or in 10 years? They’re paying almost $4.50 a gallon in Cali now, easy to see it doubling or more by then. Then there’s the time spent doing all that maintenance, and even if you do it yourself and don’t value your time, that’s time you could have spent doing something else. Then there’s all the added downtime too, and downtime is a killer. No doubt a $28,000 electric won’t save you money today but at scale and with proper forecasting it’s easy to see it’s way closer than most think. If I was a commercial mower, and some days it feels like I am, I’d be doing the math and giving it serious thought.

At this rate, probably $10/ gallon.
Completely intentional, cruel and unnecessary.
Once again, the poor and the working class get the shaft.

Spark plugs? How long does that take? 3 minutes an $5 dollars?
Ive never adjusted a valve in my life and I run 8 different motorized pieces of equipment

Come on, let’s not glaze over the fact that electric equipment WILL require maintenance and repairs. It’s not like zerk fitting will disappear. You think motors last forever and won’t break past the warranty? You think battery packs won’t fail after years of pounding on un-even lawns? There’s still bearings and belts on the decks.
It’s not a panacea.

 

[RjCorazza]

I just find the whole California thing ludicrous since they can't even keep the power on as it is.

 

[bigtiller]

I just find the whole California thing ludicrous since they can't even keep the power on as it is.

Neither can Texas.

 

[PuffyC]

Neither can Texas.

The Texas problem was a one time event caused by very unusual weather circumstances not seen in decades. Rolling blackouts there are virtually nonexistent. California's power problems and rolling blackouts are chronic. There's really no comparison whatsoever.

 

[Hay Dude]

Neither can Texas.

A once in a century storm is no comparison to everyday occurrence of rolling black outs.
Not even comparable.

 

[LD1]

I know this is an old thread, bit I'll add my 2 cents to the original question incase any future readers make it this far in this thread.

First....there is little difference between most of the big name commercial models. They all have pretty much the same engine and hydro options. Is unless you are fond of a particular color... Go in with an unbiased mindset and look at the ergonomics of the mower and see which one fits you best.

Regarding size....all depends on the lawns you mow. If you are mowing 2+ acre country lawns, the bigger 60"-72" machines are nice. If you are mowing 5000 sq ft town lawns those big mowers are cumbersome, more expensive, and sometimes just slower.

Style would be who is operating. If you are and owner operator, get a rider. If you are having employees work....stand-ons like scag v-ride or toro grandstand....and the walk behind models with sulkeys. Most mow companies use these because if you put employees on riders....they won't get off. They won't pick up trash, sticks, rocks, dog toys, etc. Which leads to less happy customers and higher maintenance costs (more frequent blade sharpening, changing, and less spindle life).

For engines, I much prefer the Kawasaki to any Kohler.

 

[bigtiller]

The Texas problem was a one time event caused by very unusual weather circumstances not seen in decades. Rolling blackouts there are virtually nonexistent. California's power problems and rolling blackouts are chronic. There's really no comparison whatsoever.

You go ahead and believe what you want, but if your Texas utility company's haven't insulated the natural gas well heads yet, they probably won't. So it will more than likely happen again. Maybe not this winter, but it's coming. It's called climate change.

 

[Hay Dude]

You go ahead and believe what you want, but if your Texas utility company's haven't insulated the natural gas well heads yet, they probably won't. So it will more than likely happen again. Maybe not this winter, but it's coming. It's called climate change.

At least TX can provide consistent power when the weather is anything but an epic 100 year disaster.
CA cant provide power consistently, even in perfect weather.

 

[K5lwq]

I am in TX and we lost power for less than 2 hours throughout the entire snow event. I figured we would lose it so I was prepared with the generator and plenty of fuel. Never even started it. It did impact most of the state but we were good here.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

You go ahead and believe what you want, but if your Texas utility company's haven't insulated the natural gas well heads yet, they probably won't. So it will more than likely happen again. Maybe not this winter, but it's coming. It's called climate change.

While you're at it, why don't you knock us for not having the proper snow/ice road clearing equipment?

Texas is horrible, don't ever move here.

LD1 is right, you're buying a motor and transmissions that are similar when compared to similarly priced models. Find a dealer that can get parts or better yet, stocks them. You can order parts from John Deere sitting at home in your underwear.