Buying Advice Kubota ZD1211 or Exmark Lazer Z X series

[daugen]

Key being the hills. The Kubota will not side hilling as well

You bring up a great point and genuine issue if one has hills, which i used to all my life but now live in an exceptionally flat area.
no zero turn does hills well and if one has ever done an out of control spin down a wet slope in a zero turn, please raise your hand...
The answer is out there but it's seriously expensive. Kubota's out front mower has been made a long time, my older brother in Virginia has one over twenty years old,
many thousands of hours on it, and what saves him is it is all wheel drive. It handles hills very well. They cost now about 23 grand, maybe a little more.
Like buying a small tractor. But the quality is similar and it seemingly runs almost forever. Amortizing the cost of an expensive mower over twenty years
of realistic use starts to make the difference in annual cost of operation. I'm a retired finance guy so I look at annual cost of lawn maintenance. Plus I'm a motorhead so the
performance and feel of the machine is important.

Alternatively, you can buy a Bad Boy at Tractor supply for five grand and likely wear it out in three years, and then perhaps if start up costs are no longer an issue, get the mower of your dreams. Mine was that Kubota, or the JD equivalent. For ten grand less than the dream Kubota I could get a diesel JD garden tractor that mows like a dream. Cheapest entry in diesel with a steering wheel.

 

[Garrett Wiggins]

If your just a property owner wanting a commercial mower to cut your grass, I would suggest looking at a John Deere Z915E with 60inch cut deck. 7 Iron deck (7 gauge) and a commercial grade Kohler engine coming in at around 7,600$. I also believe I seen an offer the other day that you could get 0%60 months on that mower right now.

 

[weathda]

I just bought 14 acres that I'm currently bush-hogging. The ground is pasture, but mowable, so I've been in research mode for ZTs.

I test drove a ZD1211 few weeks ago. They are in a league of their own. I look at those as a tractor with a dedicated purpose. The one I test drove was very smooth, hydraulics were very quiet and sensitive to the touch. It's also huge. Don't forget you're also getting a hydraulic deck lift with that $2500. Most gassers don't offer this.

I also just test drove a Ferris 3200Z. The suspension is what sells me on this mower. I'm leaning toward the 72" with the 37 hp Vanguard EFI. Supposed to burn around 1.4 gph from what I've found. This is what I would get.

My dad has a 2000 60" Toro commercial with a Kohler EFI. He's never had any issues. He only has 1100 hours on it. My brother has a 2005 60" Toro with the carbed Kohler. His biggest complaint is the rough ride. He's pretty much sold me on getting something with a suspension. I haven't tried the MyRide.

I'd be interested to hear on what you settle on.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

As far as ride quality goes, it just doesn't get any better than the Ferris IS3200z. Watch these two short videos for a comparison:

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Here's the second video showing the Ferris:

 

[daugen]

the only challenge I had with my Ferris, and it was a huge one..., was the incredible amount of grease fittings on the independent suspension. My memory was that the rear wheels had four zerks apiece, all hidden deep inside, upper and lower control arms (?)with several you needed to take the wheel off to easily get to. Great design, very hard to maintain. Which is why buying a used Ferris is dicey unless you are really sure it was maintained well. I bought a used Ferris from a dealer/post municipality and it took me thousands of dollars worth of parts to replace and repair parts ruined by lack of grease.

So unless Ferris has gone to sealed bearings which i doubt, if you go Ferris you are getting a Mercedes ride but the maintenance comes with it. I absolutely loved my Ferris and had to give it up due to arthritis where I could not grip those steering sticks all day. A steering wheel works much better for me, but I'm the exception. Most people do just fine with normal zero turns. I personally found going straight on long runs was harder with a ZT than a steering wheel, but that may surely just be me.

 

[Garrett Wiggins]

That was a great demo showing how smooth they ride. Some companies make the suspension in the seats of the mowers. Although not as good as full wheel suspension but probably less maintance in the long run.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

That's the reason I won't buy a zero turn is because of the ride quality and the stability on hills. I prefer a garden tractor over zero turn.

I cut my grass a few times with a 42in toro, it about hopped me out of the seat more than once but **** zero turns are fast little suckers, I cut my yard in a lot less time than I did a 445 JD with 60in deck, it was so much easier to trim around stuff ext.

If I had flatter ground and more money I could save a ton of time cutting with a zero turn but I enjoyed the time on the garden tractor much better, I like a steering wheel much better also, it's just what I have always used.

So if I was buying I would get one with the best suspension and biggest tires. I would prefer gas over diesel but the diesel would most likely last longer.

I was curious about the new tires John Deere has out and I looked into it, found this video and my mouth started watering , I want a bagger pretty badly so I can feed the forages to my cattle without fencing in more ground. No idea what this beast costs but it looks really useful, sadly the suspension would be all in the seat and new tires. [NEW] 2016 John Deere Z960M Zero Turn Mower Review by Washington Tractor - YouTube

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

Altoz TRX - World's First Zero-Turn Track Mower - YouTube

 

[Garrett Wiggins]

I was curious about the new tires John Deere has out and I looked into it, found this video and my mouth started watering , I want a bagger pretty badly so I can feed the forages to my cattle without fencing in more ground. No idea what this beast costs but it looks really useful, sadly the suspension would be all in the seat and new tires. [NEW] 2016 John Deere Z960M Zero Turn Mower Review by Washington Tractor - YouTube

Those are called tweels they are about 865$ option from the factory and 1200$ from the dealership. The push behind those are 1) air less tires no flats and 2) they don't crab as you are cutting across a hill. I don't think they advertise and an improvement to the ride.