Buying a ZTR, what should I look for, or avoid?

[WinterDeere]

The John Deere 7 iron is a quality 7 gauge stamped deck.

Best of both words. Similar weight to a fab'd deck, but without the welded corners and crevaces that cause fab'd decks to collect grass and rust in the corners and welds.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Fabricated decks last much longer than stamped decks. No matter how careful you are you will hit things. Stamped decks tend to be on lighter, lesser machines. Believe me, you want a heavier machine. They ride better and last longer and have better traction.

Like the two posts following yours ... Apparently you are not familiar with the 7 Iron decks that John Deere puts on there commercial Z-turns ... Yes, there are more expensive Z-turns than my Z960M, 1,400 Lb - $17,000 one, but calling it a "lighter, lesser machines" is quite a stretch!

As far as I know John Deere is the only one who invested stamping equipment to press the one piece decks ...

I've accidentally snagged and BENT T-Posts with my "wimpy" deck!

 

[BufordBoone]

After a lot of research, I bought a 54" Kubota 422KW.

Main factors:
The Kubota dealer has treated me very well with service for my tractors - Good people
The transmission is a 3600 series
Excellent suspension seat

An equally priced and comparable Exmark had a 3100 transmission.

I'm amazed at the capability and convenience.

I called a friend that recommended I get a Zero Turn Mower and berated him for not pushing me into it sooner!

 

[BX23S-1]

After a lot of research, I bought a 54" Kubota 422KW.

Main factors:
The Kubota dealer has treated me very well with service for my tractors - Good people
The transmission is a 3600 series
Excellent suspension seat

An equally priced and comparable Exmark had a 3100 transmission.

I'm amazed at the capability and convenience.

I called a friend that recommended I get a Zero Turn Mower and berated him for not pushing me into it sooner!

I tried out this exact one. It rode horrible. First give away that the ride would suck, was the low profile sidewalls of the rear tires (STIFF, NO GIVE!). The seat wasn`t able to smooth out the ride either. Actually, the seat felt like sitting on a piece of plywood with a thin piece of vinyl stapled to it. I`m a Kubota fan at heart, i own Kubota tractors, but their zero turn mowers, just feel cheap and are the worst of the ZT`s for ride that i tested. And those god awful deck height adjustment turn knobs......ugh......NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Kubota did not get my money, this time, for their residential zero turn mowers. To be right out honest, they are over priced for what you`re getting, in my own opinion. Another thing that didn`t impress me with Kubota, was the rust showing up in various areas on BRAND NEW MACHINES! Alot of things are making me re-think staying with the brand as of lately for future purchases.

There is nothing wrong with the ZT3100 HydroGear transmissions either. There are tons of them out there that have run perfectly fine, IF, taken care of and serviced properly.

 

[WinterDeere]

First give away that the ride would suck, was the low profile sidewalls of the rear tires (STIFF, NO GIVE!).

It's a trade-off. Increasing ride comfort by providing higher profile tires always hurts cut quality, as the edges of the deck bob and dip with tire compression on the outer tire in a turn, made worse by weight shifting off the inner tire and allow the deck to come up on that side. Every 3/8 inch of tire compression on one side might be 3/4" of dip out at the edge of the deck, and if the opposite effect is happening on the other side of the machine, you suddenly have 1-1/2" height skips between rows at a turn.

This is why stiff tires and frames with better suspension seats is often preferred.

 

[BX23S-1]

It's a trade-off. Increasing ride comfort by providing higher profile tires always hurts cut quality, as the edges of the deck bob and dip with tire compression on the outer tire in a turn, made worse by weight shifting off the inner tire and allow the deck to come up on that side. Every 3/8 inch of tire compression on one side might be 3/4" of dip out at the edge of the deck, and if the opposite effect is happening on the other side of the machine, you suddenly have 1-1/2" height skips between rows at a turn.

This is why stiff tires and frames with better suspension seats is often preferred.

This is where the Toro "My Ride" eliminates everything about what you just said. The suspension is built within the platform of the seated area, not within the tires or a spring loaded seat, like all the other competitors out there. Hands down, Toro built the best riding machine on the market, for the price of your basic ZT mowers.

With a plated up spine, ride comfort has to come first, for me.
No other ZT on the market, in THIS price range, rode nearly as nice AND SMOOTH, as the Toro w/MyRide.


This was the older MyRide

This is the NEW and IMPROVED version (leaps and bounds far better than the previous years of MyRide)

 

[Gem99ultra]

I tried out this exact one. It rode horrible. First give away that the ride would suck, was the low profile sidewalls of the rear tires (STIFF, NO GIVE!). The seat wasn`t able to smooth out the ride either. Actually, the seat felt like sitting on a piece of plywood with a thin piece of vinyl stapled to it. I`m a Kubota fan at heart, i own Kubota tractors, but their zero turn mowers, just feel cheap and are the worst of the ZT`s for ride that i tested. And those god awful deck height adjustment turn knobs......ugh......NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Kubota did not get my money, this time, for their residential zero turn mowers. To be right out honest, they are over priced for what you`re getting, in my own opinion. Another thing that didn`t impress me with Kubota, was the rust showing up in various areas on BRAND NEW MACHINES! Alot of things are making me re-think staying with the brand as of lately for future purchases.

There is nothing wrong with the ZT3100 HydroGear transmissions either. There are tons of them out there that have run perfectly fine, IF, taken care of and serviced properly.

BX23S-1 gives good advice regarding the Kubota. I have a similar Kubota ZTR in the 48" size, which is identical pretty much to the 54". (I needed the 48" max size to mow between the many yard plants.) While my 2-year old Kubota Z412 runs flawlessly, I'm not exactly thrilled with the cut. From day one until this week, the cut is less that exciting. The finished product is not nice and smooth like my little Husqvarna R15, which is over 20 years old.
On a 1 - 10 scale, I'd rate the Kubota no higher than a 5.

 

[BufordBoone]

BX23S-1 gives good advice regarding the Kubota. I have a similar Kubota ZTR in the 48" size, which is identical pretty much to the 54". (I needed the 48" max size to mow between the many yard plants.) While my 2-year old Kubota Z412 runs flawlessly, I'm not exactly thrilled with the cut. From day one until this week, the cut is less that exciting. The finished product is not nice and smooth like my little Husqvarna R15, which is over 20 years old.
On a 1 - 10 scale, I'd rate the Kubota no higher than a 5.

With about 4 hours of mowing time now, I am very satisfied. To me the ride is good, and I cut some very rough areas...just to see.

If I had it to do over again, I think I'd make the same choice.