zero-turn mower, turning around w/o wrecking the grass

[5030]

Here's one...a Cub Cadet

Cub Cadet Pro Z 760 S Zero Turn Mower 60” | eBay

<p>2020 Cub Cadet Pro Z 760S in good condition. This was a fleet maintained unit that still has over a year of factory warranty remaining. If you mow a lot of slopes and hills, the steering wheel and control of the front wheels will handle them with ease. 31HP Kawasaki FX engine and 14cc Parker...

www.ebay.com

Pretty sure one of our members recently bought one of these

Looks like my wife's except she has a Kohler (I prefer the Kawolski myself) and hers is in much nicer condition and I didn't pay anywhere near that for hers. In fact I bought it used from my Kubota dealer (he sells CC too) and it was a lot less as in thousands less. Got it with 210 hours on the meter and he delivered it to the farm, fully serviced and greased.

inflation must be getting them as well.

 

[5030]

are there any limited slip axle set ups in the newer zero turn mowers to avoid skids? seems to me it would be a given, bet they show up in e mower technology

Counter productive (limited slip) and most ZTR's have individual drives for each rear wheel anyway. Far as E-mowers go, same deal except each rear wheel has it's own individual motor as well as the deck with 3 motors. I priced the E-go as well as the Ryobi mowers. Not gonna pay 6 grand for something made in China when there are so many domestic, made here conventional mowers available. Both are built in China btw.

 

[big bubba]

@ this life stage, i would never consider an e mower or any other le andscape equip. all of mine work too well.

 

[RoyJackson]

@ this life stage, i would never consider an e mower or any other le landscape equip. all of mine work too well.

I have, since I have several EGO tools including a self-propelled snow blower. But my Deere Z920 is long paid off...only has about 550 hours on it and "runs like a Deere"
Plus, I have over 2 acres of lawn and that's about the limit for a battery powered ZTR

For smaller lawns, typical in the suburbs, I think battery powered mowers (riding or walk-behind) make a lot more sense...no storing gasoline...quieter, I should think. Basically, very little maintenance

 

[big bubba]

overall the shift to e power is probably a good move to address our greenhouse problem. but long retired, i do not want to drop many more k to convert, esp since my commercial grade stuff has been well serviced & long paid off.

 

[shooterdon]

overall the shift to e power is probably a good move to address our greenhouse problem. but long retired, i do not want to drop many more k to convert, esp since my commercial grade stuff has been well serviced & long paid off.

I bought a new ZT and it will be my last mower. I do not care about the environmental impact of an engine I might run 20 hours a year. I have 12 hours on it so far this year. It will get used a few more times to mulch and move leaves.

Why would I want some Chinese junk that will need new batteries every 5-7 years, and what if the bean counters decide not to supply batteries after 10 years?

 

[5030]

overall the shift to e power is probably a good move to address our greenhouse problem. but long retired, i do not want to drop many more k to convert, esp since my commercial grade stuff has been well serviced & long paid off.

Didn't know we had a 'greenhouse' problem actually.

 

[oosik]

Short story. Wife bought me a brand new Harley Davidson for my 55th birthday. We rode over to visit and show the bike to her father. His lawn and ground was so very darn soft - almost got the bike stuck in his back yard. I could see why he mowed with a very light weight push mower.

I would have NEVER guessed this could be a problem. Our ground, around here in the summer, is almost as hard as concrete.

 

[Yander]

I don't mow when my yard is super soft, nor do I let my wife or MIL. Our mower is HEAVY probably around #1200 commercial Z. I don't want ruts. We have a lot of areas that lie low and retain water. I couldn't even find the weight of it online. It is a Bushhog HDZ-4 61".

I can generally do a real zero turn on it if I'm paying attention and slow down a little bit on the turns unless it is raining and or really wet. Pulling back slightly on the one stick while pushing forward on the the other. I sometimes don't pay close enough attention to what I'm doing and leave a little spot. It goes away in a day or two.

 

[LD1]

Well, doesn't the K or 3 point turn kill the old "zero turns cut your mowing time in half because you aren't spending time turning around." selling point??

That saying is definitely an "old" saying. Meaning back ~20 years ago when a 61" commercial ZTR was under $10k new and used ones in good shape could be had for $3k-$4k. And the other mowing options were riders. Either box store or something like x300 deere. Then yea.....it would cut mowing time in half. No only because of turns, but they could mow faster with good quality.

But now the market is flooded with ZTR mowers that are "homeowner" quality. Very small drive tires, ~5mph top speeds, Cheap feeling controls and feedback, crappy decks, not great cut quality, etc. So going from a GOOD rider to a cheap homeowner ZTR.....no....cutting mowing time in half dont hold true.

My FIL has a Bad-boy 26hp 61" cut. Supposed to compare to low-end commercial ZTR's. I have a 20year old scag wildcat. MUCH MUCH better quality.

I have a slight hill behind my 3-unit rental. His mower absolutely refuses to stick to that hill sideways. I have no issue whatsoever even in damp grass. Weight, balance, smaller tires, combination of all I dont know. And it tops out at 5mph whereas mine goes 10. He lives half a mile away so I ocassionaly have him mow and he just drives it up. So the painfully slow part sucks.

Regarding the standers....I personally hate them. They suck mowing under trees because standing on a mower you are taller than sitting on a rider. And you use your wrists to control, and no armrests. And yea, standing in general sucks.

My friend that owns a landscape business owns standers and riders. There are only TWO benefits to a stander as far as mowing and business is concerned.

1. They are cheaper
2. With employees....they are more likely to get off and move trash/debris rather than mow over or go around.