Best commercial zero turn?

[Turbys_1700]

Golf courses run Toro and Jacobsen for a reason. I bought a HR511 wide area for 5k for the church with 3500 hours. We've spent probably 2K on repairs. I bought myself a Toro Groundsmaster for 3K. Both will be running when I am dead and gone.

 

[screamin400]

Second sentence of your original post.

Said I am unsure at this point. Never ever have I asked for business advice. I have done fine on my own.

 

[screamin400]

Took a quick peak at new and used Ferris today. The 2100 is a nice machine. I may go that route but want to compare to other brands first. The show should let me look at many at one time. Thanks for the help guys. Looks like I cannot go wrong with any upper end main brand.

 

[4570Man]

You would have to prove the frame,deck thing to me. The John Deere 7 iron deck is one of the best, if not the best in the industry. It is the only heavyweight(7g or 3/16) stamped steel deck that I know of.

The 7 iron decks are good. The other decks not so much. The local sportsman club has 2 JD zero turns with the second one nearing the OPs max budget new and they’re neither one built as heavy as my Dixie chopper frame or deck.

 

[4570Man]

Took a quick peak at new and used Ferris today. The 2100 is a nice machine. I may go that route but want to compare to other brands first. The show should let me look at many at one time. Thanks for the help guys. Looks like I cannot go wrong with any upper end main brand.

I think the Ferris financing is good. My buddy bought a 2100. He could have easily paid for it, but he said the cash price vs financing was $200 difference and he could make more than $200 with his money over the financing period. I thought about buying one as I make more than enough off one yard to make the monthly payment, but then I found a good deal on Grasshopper.

 

[LD1]

I would actually prefer a stamped deck.

BUT, it has to be done right. Im not talking about 16ga steel like MTD et al.

But 3/16 stamped steel deck......yea I'd take that over a 3/16" fabbed deck ANY day of the week. Contoured exactly how they want it, optimal airflow, no sharp corners, everything with a nice radius and no welding so not much stress points.....

Seems everyone is always quick to assume stamped deck = junk and fabbed deck = good.

Well if someone fabbed a deck out of the same 16ga (or less) material that MTD uses.....would that still be a good thing because its a "fabbed deck"?

Takes a huge press and lots of tonnage to stamp a 7ga steel deck for a commercial mower.
Not nearly as much press or tonnage for a MTD deck out of 16ga....

 

[Gary Fowler]

I would actually prefer a stamped deck.

BUT, it has to be done right. Im not talking about 16ga steel like MTD et al.

But 3/16 stamped steel deck......yea I'd take that over a 3/16" fabbed deck ANY day of the week. Contoured exactly how they want it, optimal airflow, no sharp corners, everything with a nice radius and no welding so not much stress points.....

Seems everyone is always quick to assume stamped deck = junk and fabbed deck = good.

Well if someone fabbed a deck out of the same 16ga (or less) material that MTD uses.....would that still be a good thing because its a "fabbed deck"?

Takes a huge press and lots of tonnage to stamp a 7ga steel deck for a commercial mower.
Not nearly as much press or tonnage for a MTD deck out of 16ga....

I agree. A stamped deck with all the air flow tunnels built in would be much superior to a flat top steel deck for cutting and clearing the debris. My Ferris fabbed deck with a flat top still works pretty good though with the flow channels that are installed underneath. I don't think it is 3/16" thick, maybe 1/8" but still thick enough that after me running into many immovable objects, there is no bends in it. The mower weighs over 1000# as it sets, so it is built plenty heavy, has cooling fans for each HydroGear 3400 series drive units and spin on oil filters for the hydraulic oil.

I bought it for the suspension though which works wonderfully on my rough former pasture yard. I haven't seen any other mower in the Ferris price range that has a suspension frame. If I added an air ride seat to it, I think I might just fall asleep at the controls it would be so comfortable!!!

 

[SCWOOD]

Which commercial zero turn has only one belt.I have seen top end Kubota have shaft drive,but they cost $14,000 +.

 

[LD1]

I have never seen one with only a single belt....unless something is shaft driven.

Fewest I have seen is 2.

One belt drives the hydros, another LONG belt goes from clutch and all deck spindles.

3 belts are also common. Still one for hydros. A smaller belt that goes from clutch to a double pulley on the deck. A third coming off that double pulley running all the spindles.

 

[LD1]

I have never seen one with only a single belt....unless something is shaft driven.

Fewest I have seen is 2.

One belt drives the hydros, another LONG belt goes from clutch and all deck spindles.

3 belts are also common. Still one for hydros. A smaller belt that goes from clutch to a double pulley on the deck. A third coming off that double pulley running all the spindles.

 

[NoTrespassing]

The Walker Advantage: Beautiful Cut

 

[mikester]

Which commercial zero turn has only one belt.I have seen top end Kubota have shaft drive,but they cost $14,000 +.

Kubota ZT's use single belts - at least the ZD series does/did. PTO shaft to gear box and center blade, single serpentine belt drives other two blades.

 

[aczlan]

I have never seen one with only a single belt....unless something is shaft driven.

Fewest I have seen is 2.

One belt drives the hydros, another LONG belt goes from clutch and all deck spindles.

3 belts are also common. Still one for hydros. A smaller belt that goes from clutch to a double pulley on the deck. A third coming off that double pulley running all the spindles.

If you can, avoid the ones that have one belt from the engine out, around all the spindles and back. We had that on some Husquvarna commercial zero turns that I worked on and they ate belts like nobodies buisness.
The system with one belt around the deck spindles and another running to the engine (like eXmark used), or shaft drive to the deck, then a belt around the spindles on the deck (like Kubota uses on their tractors) is a better system which burns through less belts.

Aaron Z

 

[screamin400]

I am fortunate to have a very very large Ferris/Kubota dealer within my area. He is getting me a price on a Ferris 2100 and the equivalent Kubota. The Ferris will be priced with the Kaw engine. Does anyone have any experience with this setup?

 

[LD1]

If you can, avoid the ones that have one belt from the engine out, around all the spindles and back. We had that on some Husquvarna commercial zero turns that I worked on and they ate belts like nobodies buisness.
The system with one belt around the deck spindles and another running to the engine (like eXmark used), or shaft drive to the deck, then a belt around the spindles on the deck (like Kubota uses on their tractors) is a better system which burns through less belts.

Aaron Z

MAybe....

My scag wildcat is a single belt from the clutch and around all the spindles. 178" or something like that.
Dad has a Bobcat that uses the double pulley and pair of belts.

Cant say I really have anymore belt replacements than him.

Not sure what scag's are like currently.....Mine is an OLD (maybe 20 years) wildcat. Old enough to still have the "A" deck and not the "V" deck

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I would actually prefer a stamped deck.

BUT, it has to be done right. Im not talking about 16ga steel like MTD et al.

But 3/16 stamped steel deck......yea I'd take that over a 3/16" fabbed deck ANY day of the week. Contoured exactly how they want it, optimal airflow, no sharp corners, everything with a nice radius and no welding so not much stress points.....

Seems everyone is always quick to assume stamped deck = junk and fabbed deck = good.

Well if someone fabbed a deck out of the same 16ga (or less) material that MTD uses.....would that still be a good thing because its a "fabbed deck"?

Takes a huge press and lots of tonnage to stamp a 7ga steel deck for a commercial mower.
Not nearly as much press or tonnage for a MTD deck out of 16ga....

Plus, the deere 7 iron deck is bolstered with a thick rectangular flatbar around the front perimeter now.

 

[4570Man]

The best setup is a double belt on the deck and shaft drive to the deck. I think Kubota is the only one that does that. I tend to break a lot of the belts that go from the deck to the engine, but if you only cut yard grass it’s probably a non issue. My mom is a real estate agent and I do a lot of 1 time cuts on overgrown lawns before the closing. I burn probably 3-5 belts a year at $30 each so it’s not a huge problem. I’ve never broken a belt on my double belt Kubota. Btw, there’s at least two meanings of double belts used in this thread.

 

[D2Cat]

Grasshopper has a PTO shaft coming to the deck and one belt for the blades. In ten years I have not replace one of those belts on three mowers. These are out front decks with power lift. Way out of OP's budget, unless pre-owned!

 

[kenmac]

I have never seen one with only a single belt....unless something is shaft driven.

Fewest I have seen is 2.

One belt drives the hydros, another LONG belt goes from clutch and all deck spindles.

3 belts are also common. Still one for hydros. A smaller belt that goes from clutch to a double pulley on the deck. A third coming off that double pulley running all the spindles.

my kubota zd has only one belt. It has a gear box that is shaft driven which turns the blade belt No electric clutch.
It also has heavy duty cast iron pulleys instead of aluminum pulleys

Not 14k but it's still out of his 7k price range

 

[LD1]

my kubota zd has only one belt. It has a gear box that is shaft driven which turns the blade belt No electric clutch.

Just like I said.