Zero Turn mower for moderate slopes?

[Jaybr]

Mowing season is here and we're in the new place with 15~ acres of grass. I'm using my Yanmar with a woods RD990 for most of it, but there are areas that are too tight, and the the sides of the long driveway that has somewhat of a ditch. There are also some sloped areas and a lot of pond bank that I'm just not comfortable running the big tractor on. We have a homeowner model Hustler, but purchased it to mow about an acre, and it's undersized for what we need here. Doing a lot of online research, I decided on a Cub Cadet Pro Z 972S, or 960S as they seem to be really good a holding slopes. Here's where the challenge comes in: My wife does most of the mowing around the house, which gets mowed more often than the pastures. Since she does a lot of the mowing, she gets a little say in the mower choice. Went over to the dealer Friday and looked over the Cub Cadet and she took it for a spin in the parking lot and she doesn't like the seat, feels too big to her. I suggested that I could get a cushion or something but she doesn't like that idea either. I know a seat may sound trivial, but in this case it's not. So now I'm shopping again for a mower (ZTR) and would like suggestions.

There are 3 dealers relatively close to me that I have good experiences with and between them they carry:
Cub Cadet
Toro
Grasshopper
Dixie Chopper
Hustler
Kubota
Wright

That's not to say that I won't consider another brand, but I'm comfortable with those dealers

 

[Notforhire]

Because of several health issues I stopped using non suspension ZT mowers. All I use now is Ferris. If you have no issues with ridged frames you will have more to choose from.
What I have discovered is that the 60+- width mowers work better on slopes than the 54in models.
I believe this is due to the rear wheels being spaced further apart, wider tires and slightly more weight.

IMO a suspension allows all four wheels to stay in constant contact with the ground. I think that helps with traction on side slopes too.
With a ZT when you loose rear wheel traction, you loose steering.

BTW my property is pretty rough.

 

[Runner]

I have a CC ZTXS5 54 and have been astounded at the stability, traction and maneuverability on fairly steep hills (25 degrees). What does she mean by "the seat is too big"? Can she not reach the pedals or??

On my CC the directional pedals are adjustable to some extent and of course the seat is also adjustable fore/aft. Steering wheel also adjustable - no way to make it fit?

I'm not trying to sell the CC, but for mowing a steep pond bank, I'd want all the directional control I could get and the front wheel (power) steering on the ProZ offers that in abundance.

 

[RayIN]

I have R1 drive tires on my 2002 Hustler FasTrack ZTR to improve traction on soft sod. I echo notforhire's comments, especially loosing traction also looses steering.
That is especially important around ponds, creeks, and large ditches.
I turned mine over sideways into a ditch about 10 years ago. I caught myself and the weight of the mower with my arms, had rotator-cuff surgery on one 2X, neither shoulder has been the same since.
When mowing across a steep slope you must make the mower "crab" by constantly steering uphill. This causes the lower wheel to provide all the traction, while the upper wheel is turning slower. This causes both wheels to leave marks and remove grass.
The only way to prevent this is to mow straight up and down slopes.
For fairly level smooth ground I love my mowers performance.

 

[Tractorable]

Sounds like you need a ZT for around the house and an offset flail mower for the ditches and pond banks.

A Ferris ZT with suspension is the way to go IMO. Lots of options for offset flails.

 

[Hay Dude]

Mowing season is here and we're in the new place with 15~ acres of grass. I'm using my Yanmar with a woods RD990 for most of it, but there are areas that are too tight, and the the sides of the long driveway that has somewhat of a ditch. There are also some sloped areas and a lot of pond bank that I'm just not comfortable running the big tractor on. We have a homeowner model Hustler, but purchased it to mow about an acre, and it's undersized for what we need here. Doing a lot of online research, I decided on a Cub Cadet Pro Z 972S, or 960S as they seem to be really good a holding slopes. Here's where the challenge comes in: My wife does most of the mowing around the house, which gets mowed more often than the pastures. Since she does a lot of the mowing, she gets a little say in the mower choice. Went over to the dealer Friday and looked over the Cub Cadet and she took it for a spin in the parking lot and she doesn't like the seat, feels too big to her. I suggested that I could get a cushion or something but she doesn't like that idea either. I know a seat may sound trivial, but in this case it's not. So now I'm shopping again for a mower (ZTR) and would like suggestions.

There are 3 dealers relatively close to me that I have good experiences with and between them they carry:
Cub Cadet
Toro
Grasshopper
Dixie Chopper
Hustler
Kubota
Wright

That's not to say that I won't consider another brand, but I'm comfortable with those dealers

You cant go wrong with any of those brands. I’m a professional mowing contractor and also mow a large steep banks around ponds and zero turns can get into trouble there. Traction is limited when you combine a slope and dampness. Both can be present around ponds. Have you seen the Altoz mowers?
Pretty interesting consideration if traction is needed.

Altoz Commercial-Grade Equipment | Altoz, Inc.

Experience the Altoz difference with commercial-grade equipment. Performance & engineering for residential, commercial & agriculture use.

altoz.com

 

[jyoutz]

Because of several health issues I stopped using non suspension ZT mowers. All I use now is Ferris. If you have no issues with ridged frames you will have more to choose from.
What I have discovered is that the 60+- width mowers work better on slopes than the 54in models.
I believe this is due to the rear wheels being spaced further apart, wider tires and slightly more weight.

IMO a suspension allows all four wheels to stay in constant contact with the ground. I think that helps with traction on side slopes too.
With a ZT when you loose rear wheel traction, you loose steering.

BTW my property is pretty rough.

And FYI, the new Stihl zero turns are just a repainted and rebadged Ferris mower, The benefit is that Stihl dealers are everywhere, but Ferris dealers seem to be limited in distribution.

 

[2manyrocks]

A seat cushion could slide out on a slope. I'd change the seat out for something you both like if the Cub otherwise suits you.

 

[Jaybr]

I have a CC ZTXS5 54 and have been astounded at the stability, traction and maneuverability on fairly steep hills (25 degrees). What does she mean by "the seat is too big"? Can she not reach the pedals o

"Too big" as in the seat cushions are wide and she's thin and she doesn't want to slide around on the seat, no issues reaching the pedals.

You cant go wrong with any of those brands. I’m a professional mowing contractor and also mow a large steep banks around ponds and zero turns can get into trouble there. Traction is limited when you combine a slope and dampness. Both can be present around ponds. Have you seen the Altoz mowers?
Pretty interesting consideration if traction is needed.

Altoz Commercial-Grade Equipment | Altoz, Inc.

Experience the Altoz difference with commercial-grade equipment. Performance & engineering for residential, commercial & agriculture use.

altoz.com

View attachment 3495717

That looks awesome, but I'd never sell her on the tracts and it's $10k more than the CC.

Sounds like you need a ZT for around the house and an offset flail mower for the ditches and pond banks.

A Ferris ZT with suspension is the way to go IMO. Lots of options for offset flails.

Thought about that but don't think I can get close enough to the pond with the tractor, and doesn't work on some of the slopes either.

I used my phone to try and measure some of the problem areas, there are some small areas with >30* slope. They aren't very big and I could go straight up and down with a ZTR, not enough room to maneuver the Yanmar there. There is also some steep narrow sections along the driveway that are ~25*, not exactly a ditch but more like they elevated the driveway in those sections.

Any experience with the Grasshopper front mount with Kubota gas engine? Seems like it would be great around pond but not sure about other areas. I know nothing about the kubota gas engine and seems odd that Kubota doesn't use it in their mowers.

The Wright XTR looks like it would be more stable than most with low center of gravity and wider rear tires.

 

[RayIN]

You cant go wrong with any of those brands. I’m a professional mowing contractor and also mow a large steep banks around ponds and zero turns can get into trouble there. Traction is limited when you combine a slope and dampness. Both can be present around ponds. Have you seen the Altoz mowers?
Pretty interesting consideration if traction is needed.

Altoz Commercial-Grade Equipment | Altoz, Inc.

Experience the Altoz difference with commercial-grade equipment. Performance & engineering for residential, commercial & agriculture use.

altoz.com

View attachment 3495717

Wow! That's a lot of mower for the money. Anyone priced a new commercial ZTR with same size motor and deck lately?

 

[greenie]

I have a 2015 Kubota ZD326 and I feel safe running laterally along steep banks that I used to hand mow because compact tractors (790 with a mid-mount mower) never felt safe. The center of gravity must be lower with the Kubota than with the compact tractor. Running downhill requires some caution as the rear wheels steer and brake but if operated too fast downhill the rear wheels become less effective as the weight shifts forward - especially when trying to brake. Mow slower if running downhill and it's fine.

 

[Rdrcr]

Slopes? Hills?
It’s had to beat a commercial Cub Cadet for both performance and safety.

I have a Cub Pro Z 560 S KW. The 4-wheel steering is fantastic on the steep hills and the suspension seat absorbs the bumps pretty well. Plus, these things are built like tanks!

My only complaint, which is typical for heavy commercial gasoline powered ZTR’s is fuel consumption. I use about a gallon plus per acre.

Mike

 

[Runner]

If I had the money, in this situation I would probably try to go for a 4WD version of either a JD or Kubota front mower. Just guessing but I would think they are maybe $10 grand more than the CC. I think Grasshopper also makes a 4WD front mower.

 

[2manyrocks]

If you look closely at manufacturer slope specs, many ZTR gas engines are only 15 degree rated, some 20 degrees because of oil lubrication.

 

[Hay Dude]

Wow! That's a lot of mower for the money. Anyone priced a new commercial ZTR with same size motor and deck lately?

A ZD-1211-72 is 20K+

 

[Hay Dude]

If I had the money, in this situation I would probably try to go for a 4WD version of either a JD or Kubota front mower. Just guessing but I would think they are maybe $10 grand more than the CC. I think Grasshopper also makes a 4WD front mower.

They are 1/2the speed of a zero turn

 

[Jaybr]

Wow! That's a lot of mower for the money. Anyone priced a new commercial ZTR with same size motor and deck lately?

The CC with 38.5hp Kawi, 73” deck, and 5400 transaxles will be $15,500 in June. They’re running 20% off sale.

 

[RayIN]

The CC with 38.5hp Kawi, 73” deck, and 5400 transaxles will be $15,500 in June. They’re running 20% off sale.

That's only $2.2K less than the Commercial tracked Altoz.

 

[RayIN]

A ZD-1211-72 is 20K+

The TRX is $17,999. I'd buy one if I hadn't just bought this 52HP tractor W/loader, bucket N forks.

 

[DK35vince]

That's only $2.2K less than the Commercial tracked Altoz.

Except that model has ZT4400 transmission, 29hp and 61" deck if I'm reading correctly.
To step up the 66" deck, 38.5HP and zt5400 transmission on the Altoz you need to move up to the TRX 766i starting at $24,999