GRASSHOPPER brand zero turn mowers

[srs]

I was surfing for zero turn mowers and noticed that GRASSHOPPER makes two types of zero turn mowers. One is the standard zero turn and the other is a front cut zero turn with the mower setting way out front. II think some of the advantages of the front cut mower would be to cut under trees, bushes, fences, etc., plus the mower flips up for maintenance. Does anyone know if the ride is smoother, or other advantages/disadvantages of this front cut? There doesn't seem to be too many other brands out there that make a similar product, most zero turns are with the mower sorta underneath the operator's seat. Around my area you see mostly Exmark brand and not many Grasshoppers, how is their quality? Your thoughts?

 

[JLoaf]

I've mowed with a Grasshopper out-front deck and it rides considerably better than a Kubota ZD21. I like both mowers but ride quality goes to the longer mower. I think that just about any out-front deck mower will ride better than a mid mower with very few exceptions.

 

[jeffmazz]

SRS,

Grasshopper mowers are very high quality commercial mowers and, in my opinion, one of the best. I know several landscapers who use them exclusively and swear by them. My neighbor has an older front mount model (original 16 hp Kohler engine) with over 1800 hours and it has been trouble free.

I am in the market for a zero turn and I have researched all of the brands and decided on a Grasshopper front mount. Scag would be my second choice.

Good Luck in your search.

Jeff

 

[wushaw]

I have the 322D, it is a good mower everything is straight foward except when changing the oil I have to remove some sheet metal to keep from making a big mess.
I just wished they made a rear discharge deck with the Kubota diesel then it would be much better for my mowing needs.

 

[BTDT]

Wushaw, how hard would it be to get some pipe and extend to where you could drain without taking off sheetmetal? I have seen extentions added to briggs engines this way.

 

[Sledgie]

I've had a Grasshopper for 3 years. The advantages I see are the easy access to the deck for blade maintenance, and the ability to get close to trees. Time to mow my 3 acres with about 40 trees went from 3 hours on my Deere tractor mower (and then about an hour with the trimmer) to 1.25 hours with the Grasshopper and about 15 minutes with the trimmer. The biggest dis-advantage I see is that in dry windy conditions a lot of stuff gets thrown up right in front of you, swirls around and gets you pretty dirty. Safety glasses are a must running this mower.

 

[srs]

thanks to everyone for your replies. I really need to see if the front cut zero turn is better for me or the standard zero turn. With the standard zero turn there is much more of a selection out there to pick from. I don't have a need for cutting under bushes, trees, etc. but the flip up front mower deck is appealing, of course it always comes down to the dollar bill. Again thank you.

 

[Birdhunter1]

Grassshopper, Toro, John Deere and Bushhog are four brands I can think of that make offer deck mowers. If I were going to get a front deck I would rate them in the order I listed them, except with Toro and Grasshopper tied for the #1 spot.

I commercially mow and I have a Toro Z-Master mid mount zero-turn. I've used the Bushhog front deck but I didn't care for it too much, though I will say the control arms were in bad need of adjustment which is probably why I didn't like it as much. Toro has been in this business a long time and makes some good commercial stuff.

Grasshoppers have a good name and a good product. I don't know if Grasshopper makes it but I saw a crew of guys clearing a 6"-8" snow off of a parking lot with Grasshopper units with a blade on the front of them. Talk about getting with the program and getting work done!

The front deck mowers are much nicer for getting under stuff such as under pine trees or overhanging bushes. I can't comment on the ride they have too much because most of what I have mowed with them has been a nice graded soft lawn. My mid deck zero turns though have a good ride to them ad when my dad (59 years old) helps me he never complains about being bumped around too much. Regardless of what you get, they offer seats with suspension and I recommend them.

As for mid mount zero turn mowers, Ferris has a suspension on their front wheels, I have never used one but guys who I know that have have said good things about them. There is just something about the Ferris mowers I don't like, I don't know what it is but I just don't care for them. Scag, Exmark, Toro, Bobcat, Cub Cadet/Lesco, Hustler, Ferris, and Grasshopper all make several very well constructed commercial mid mount zero turns. Anything from these manufactureers with a Kawasaki, Honda, Kohler, or even the Cat deisel will be a good mower. Some of their models have a Briggs and Stratton Engine, I'd shy away from those engines and opt for one of the ones listed above.

 

[wushaw]

Wushaw, how hard would it be to get some pipe and extend to where you could drain without taking off sheetmetal? I have seen extentions added to briggs engines this way.

I thought of this also but it will not work. Trimming sheetmetal would work better. Then I only change the oil once a year and removing the sheet metal does give me a little better visual on checking other components for potential problems.

 

[Dargo]

I currently own two diesel powered front mount Grasshoppers. If you look, you will find a long thread where I was determined to buy a mid mount ZTR to go along with a front mount Grasshopper. By a extremely far margin, the Farris ZTR with 4 wheel independent suspension rode better than any other mid mount ZTR mower. At one point I had 4 different ZTR mowers at my property to demo. I'd say that for pure brute strength, the JD 777 was the strongest mower I had here. However, it was so strong and stiff that it literally blurred my vision when I hit bumps because it rode so rough. I too mowed commercially for a while, but no longer do so.

The bottom line was that after only one week I had to get rid of the Ferris mower. There were two main reasons. The first is that even with 4 wheel independent suspension, the front mount Grasshopper mowers rode much better. The other huge reason was that the front mount mowers are far superior in cutting inside corners. All mid mount mowers leave a large area uncut on inside corners and required considerable more trimming. Another major factor was that the mid mount ZTR mowers are not nearly as effective at mowing around my lake. With the front mount mowers, I have zero trimming around +1000 feet of lake shore line. I can actually put one corner of the front mount over the water without if falling in and get every single bit of grass. I managed to put the mid mount in the lake twice in that first mowing.

For me, I see the only advantage over the front mount for the mid mount is that they take up less room on the trailer. When talking to the companies what sell ZTR mowers, that is one of the largest single selling points of a mid mount over a front mount. It is extremely simple to stop all "blow out" from in front of a front mount mower. For over 9 years now I've just attached a small skirt of rubber to the leading edge of the front mount mowers. I've never had to replace one and I've never had any grass or dust come out the front ever.

I just looked in my file cabinet; I've purchased 8 new ZTR mowers in the last 12 years, so I've had plenty of each. Oh, one other thing, by far, the front mount Grasshopper ZTR is much more stable on steep hills. I call them my mountian goats on the side of hills. I wouldn't dare even try to take a mid mount where I take the front mounts. Simple physics pan out to prove that a shorter wheelbase mower is not as stable as a longer wheelbase mower on hills. It is physically impossible to flip a front mount mower over backwards while climbing a hill. I flipped a Scag over backwards the first try on a hill I mow every week with the front mount Grasshoppers. So, in 12 years of use and after spending nearly 90k on ZTR mowers, that is my take. Hope it helps.

 

[srs]

thanks to everyone for your responses.

 

[upgw]

OK, it's late on this thread but I'll jump in... I've mowed with my BX, my neighbor's big Scag, and another neighbor's older grasshopper... the Scag is a beast, it really is powerful and fast, but the ride is horrendous, due to the short wheelbase I guess. The grasshopper was surprisingly smooth, and I really liked the front mount deck for getting in and around things. This was an old 18HP 52 inch unit with a bazillion hours on it (no meter), but it's run through 3 engines. I have the smallest unit on my shopping list for the spring, I got a price of $7099 for the 16HP 44 inch front mount deck machine, which I suspect is full list, so I gotta shop more. I would only touch a Briggs engine if it was the Vanguard, made by Daihatsu (sp?) I think.. they are supposed to be quite good..

- Patrick

 

[karlg]

(Quote) of course it always comes down to the dollar bill.

Sorry I'm late on this, just noticed it.

If the dollar is the deciding factor, you will probably get a mid mount because as you say there are so many more choices and it seems all the front mounts are high dollar mowers. I think several companys make front mounts in their top end lines however. I know John Deere and ExMark make them and I think Dixon makes one.

I just bought a new mower and the top "must have" was it had to be a front mount deck. I wound up with a Grasshopper 620 which is a brand new model -I think it replaces the 618, It wasn't even on their Web site yet. It has a 54" deck with the electric control which will tip it up enough to clean it out and get at the blades easily. The only others I considered were John Deere (because of closer dealer) and ExMark.

The list on this mower was over $10,000 (unbelievable). I traded in a real nice little JD F525 and still gave over $6,000.

I wasn't afraid of the Grasshopper because I have a 721 with 61" deck that I bought 18 years ago! I have had almost no trouble with the 721 and it will go almose anywhere. It has hardly ever been used on a lawn, I am a farmer and it is used to mow road ditches with tall grass and weeds along with whatever happens to be growing in the farmyard. When I bought the 721 eighteen years ago the list on it was only $7000 and it's a LOT more mower.

I actually like the old 721 better than the new 620. The 721 has a Kubota liquid cooled 3 cylinder engine and the 620 has a Kohler.

Can't beat a Grasshopper in my book but they ARE expensive. My dealer is 70 miles away, but he's a good one.

 

[grasseatter23]

(Quote)

Can't beat a Grasshopper in my book but they ARE expensive. My dealer is 70 miles away, but he's a good one.

Grasshoppers may not be so cheap starting out. But in the long term then seem too be a bargin. Just what I have heard.

Another benefit about front mounts from grasshopper are the various attachments you can put on them. Snowblowers, dozers, arevators, sweepsters, and such and be quite handy.

 

[caseyhunt]

Interesting discussion — one thing I always think about with equipment like zero turn mowers is not just the initial price but also the ongoing costs of operation. Fuel usage over a season can add up, especially if you’re running a powerful commercial mower for large areas.
I’m curious if anyone has compared running costs of their mower year over year — not only thinking about power and maintenance, but how fuel consumption impacts total operating expenses. With rising fuel prices lately, that might even influence what model people choose.