ExMark Zero turn mower or better

[wadeschields]

So my John Deere 140 has final beaten my spirit. What a great mower and it has served me well for 15 years. Handed down from my father. But 3 years at the new house (old farm house) with a rough 5 acres has really put a hurting on it. It has cost me about 1500 bucks a year in repairs and is in the shop too often. I never give up on vintage equipment but my neighbor let me borrow his ExMark mower and wow. It worked..... And worked nicely. He says that his buddy can get me a "deal" on one for 6800 bucks..... Ive done some internet searches and most "best of" list do not include mower that expensive. Husqvarna seems to be at the top of those lists and seem to be cheaper. Is it worth the money for a ExMark Pioneer mower and are they HEAVY DUTY? Cause I seem to be hard on mowers.

Thanks
Wade

 

[djdicetn]

So my John Deere 140 has final beaten my spirit. What a great mower and it has served me well for 15 years. Handed down from my father. But 3 years at the new house (old farm house) with a rough 5 acres has really put a hurting on it. It has cost me about 1500 bucks a year in repairs and is in the shop too often. I never give up on vintage equipment but my neighbor let me borrow his ExMark mower and wow. It worked..... And worked nicely. He says that his buddy can get me a "deal" on one for 6800 bucks..... Ive done some internet searches and most "best of" list do not include mower that expensive. Husqvarna seems to be at the top of those lists and seem to be cheaper. Is it worth the money for a ExMark Pioneer mower and are they HEAVY DUTY? Cause I seem to be hard on mowers.

Thanks
Wade

You need to do some more research(Google is your friend). The Pioneer is one of Ex-Mark's Residential ZTR's(I think the entry-level Residential is the Quest). For your purposes you may want to consider stepping up into the Lazer Z series of Ex-Marks, but be prepared.....they are indeed pricey. But just for a comparison, I paid $6,800 out-the-door for my 2012 Gravely 52" Pro-Turn XDZ100 Commercial ZTR last fall(but saved about $1K from the 2012 MSRP plus taxes...and the 2013 saw a $300 price increase for that model). There are a LOT of good high-end Residential ZTR's(Gravely ZT HD, Hustler FasTrak & FasTrak Super Duty, Kubota Commander, Husqvarna M-ZT 52, Toro Titan) that I would consider before getting the Pioneer(not saying the Pioneer isn't a good machine.....Ex-Mark don't make no junk) but with your needs and statement that you are hard on mowers you may want to compare some entry-level Commercial ZTR's like my Gravely(2013 MSRP for a 52" will run you about $7499). Hope you find this info useful.

P.S.
Since it's your money...if you will tell us what the maximum amount is that you are willing to spend, we can recommend some specific ZTR's for you to consider.

 

[DmansPadge]

Which Pioneer model are you looking at? There is a big difference between a 48" E-series and a 60" S-series.

 

[aczlan]

I have supported both in a commercial mowing operation (worked as for Trugreen Landcare and was the "de-facto mechanic" for my crew) and I would take a eXmark over a Huskvarna any day of the week. We had 60-72" Exmarks and Huskvarnas which had twin cylinder Kawasaki engines putting out 25-27HP.
3 biggies (for the models I was working with in 2007):
1. Deck belts: eXmark had a mule belt that ran from the engine to the deck, then a jackshaft which powered the deck spindles. If you got stupid about pushing it in deep grass, you burned up the $20-40 mule belt rather than the $50-70 deck belt. Huskvarna just had one $90-120 belt to run from the engine to the spindles on the deck.
2. Belt path: Huskvarnas had a tunnel that ran across the deck for the belt to run in. It had covers on the sides and the center was open on the top and the back. Loose grass would end up on top of the deck and get sucked into the tunnel, then get jammed there where it would heat up from friction. We had one that almost caught on fire from that.
3. Dampening on the "sticks": The 1 year old (~200 hours) Huskvarna mowers had less dampening to the control sticks than the 3 year old eXmarks (+1200 hours). That made the mowers more "skittish" when mowing which made it harder to keep in a straight line.

Aaron Z

 

[Carl_NH]

Wade,

I would agree with others the Pioneer is residential/commercial where as the Lazer E,S,X series is commercial in the line - go with commercial for longevity. Get a suspension seat too if you have any rough ground which it sounds like you do.

The others you should consider are as mentioned, Gravely XD, Ferris IS2000, Hustler, Skag , JD, Kubota ZD if you want a diesel, and pricing will range from $7K to $10K and more for diesel. Check the weight of the machine as one indicator - most will weigh in around 1100-1200 lbs for a commercial machine.

If you can hold off for a month or two you will get end of year deals too, and everyone has 0% 36/48 months. I got my Ferris in 2010 as a leftover 2009 for $7K - its the commercial IS2000 with Kawasaki 25HP FX series and with the suspension its a great mower.

Almost all the commercial machines will last a long time 15-20 years used residentially for 50 hours or so per year. As others said if its in the budget - spending a little more now will pay dividends long term.

Carl

 

[Biggreenavalanche]

I have a xmark 52"...have owned it since 2001, bought used from a friend in commercial mowing business...I mow about two acres...I get it serviced once a year...change/sharpen blades twice a year...I have replaced one spindle, only major part I've ever had go bad...would I buy/recommend X Mark ? D$mn right I would...there may be mowers of equal quality but IMHO there are none that exceed in quality...a bit pricy when purchased new but there are always deals and there are used available...

Good luck

Rich

 

[lilranch2001]

I have a 2001 eXmark Lazer Z.

In its life time I have replaced 2 mule belts, 1 deck belt, spark plugs once, and a fuel filter once.
I have around 1000 hours on it now,
I do the proper oil changes and greasing and maintain around 7 - 8 acres, and sometimes it has been known when I know I am going to sharpen or change blades, to use it as a bush hog on underbrush.

Anyone that wants to compare this workhorse is going to have to present a pretty tough competitor.

I feel it will serve me the rest of my life.

I paid 8 k for is so right now I feel like it has cost me less than a grand a year with belts and blades.

I have 2 neighbors who have bought eXmarks since, although not the grade of the "Z"

I asked the neighbor who bought his 3 years ago when his deere died if he ever regretted the eXmark purchase and he had an instantaneous "NO"