Kubota ZTR's ...ZD331

[plasmaguy]

I have my eyes on a ZD331 with a 60" deck, rear discharge.

The prices have been very close and got to looking on the net and called around and can drive 1.5 hours and save $1286.00 dollars.
I understand a dealer needing to earn a dollar but that's a lot of savings.

While on the topic of rear discharge decks are there any folks on here running a rear discharge deck?

Thanks,

Tom

 

[Monster5601]

You don't need ZD331 for a 60 inch deck (over kill big time), save some major money ($4K) and go with the ZD323. I have a side discharge but there are several with the rear discharge.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have a 60 inch deck and wouldn't want one any smaller. What's really nice is how it sticks out on the left side far enough to get up close to everything, like fence posts and trees. When looking, Kubota and Scag where the two that I liked the best, but I went with Scag because it was a little less money and there where some issues with the Kubota. When talking to the mechanic at Kubota, he blamed all the problems on owners towing things with their mower and showed me the one he was working on that had a 2 inch ball on the back of it. I don't know how big of a trailer that the ball was used to tow, but he said that you cannot tow anything with a zero turn and that is why they are having problems. Makes sense, but it still caused me to have some concerns seeing so many of them in the shop that I went with Scag.

Eddie

 

[plasmaguy]

Thanks guys!

Eddie, the towing thing with a ZTR puzzles the crap out of me too.

 

[powerstroke444e]

Did you end up getting one?

I have ZD331 with 72" deck and my dad also has a ZD28 with 72" and have zero issues with either.Dad mows around a pond and has a lot of slopes. My use is around farm out buildings and basic yard both machines are overkill for the amount we mow but I don't want to spend the whole day mowing.

Best thing I can say if finding a good dealer is more important than a few hundred dollars of savings. The dealer we deal with sells a lot of Kubota equipment and is very good.
If money was not an option I would have bought F series Kubota's but they are almost double the cost. Still would not trade for any other brand zero turn.

 

[plasmaguy]

Hello PW444e,

I did buy the ZD331 with the 60" RD deck. Great machine and with Kubota I know what I am getting. The $1286.00 savings was well worth the trip.

We have a F2400 and it is a good mower too. The 72" deck makes trimming an issue. I would love to get my hands on a F3680 but like you said the $$$ are great!

Thanks and safe mowing!

Tom

 

[powerstroke444e]

Glad to you got what you wanted. Sounds like you have a lot of grass to cut.

 

[TailDragon]

Will be interested in the performance of that rear discharge deck. When I bought my ZD331 (3+ years ago) my salesman said they had received some negative feedback, no particulars as to cutting height/frequency or grass type.
I got the 60 inch side discharge to see if the claims for better grass dispersal were true, Just leaves windrows to the side instead of the rear. Since I can not cut on a regular schedule the grass can get tall & thick before I cut it. Have not regretted the horsepower at all, have almost choked the mower with the discharge chute up( open field) going as slow as practical.
Yes I have a tractor & bush hog I have used when needed but always seem to find that one spot that is just small enough not to switch cutters.

 

[plasmaguy]

Will be interested in the performance of that rear discharge deck. When I bought my ZD331 (3+ years ago) my salesman said they had received some negative feedback, no particulars as to cutting height/frequency or grass type.
I got the 60 inch side discharge to see if the claims for better grass dispersal were true, Just leaves windrows to the side instead of the rear. Since I can not cut on a regular schedule the grass can get tall & thick before I cut it. Have not regretted the horsepower at all, have almost choked the mower with the discharge chute up( open field) going as slow as practical.
Yes I have a tractor & bush hog I have used when needed but always seem to find that one spot that is just small enough not to switch cutters.

I am pleased with the rear discharge deck. The clippings are evenly spread across the width of the cut. With a side cut the clippings are blown over onto the next cut so-to-speak.
I like being able to trim on either side of the deck. I had looked into the chute shutter thing that blanks of the chute but went with the RD.
The power is awesome. Thirty one HP and 60" is great. I paid $12,814.00 for this machine. I have always been a huge Kubota fan.

Tom

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I am pleased with the rear discharge deck. The clippings are evenly spread across the width of the cut. With a side cut the clippings are blown over onto the next cut so-to-speak.
I like being able to trim on either side of the deck.
My feelings exactly. I have had rear finish mower(s) with rear discharge decks pulled by tractors starting about 9 years ago. 4 years ago I bought a F2680 60" rear discharge and it was great. 3 years ago I bought a F3080 72" rear discharge and it to (is) great. Traded the F2680 to a new F3080 72" side discharge in Jan 2013 or there abouts and been cutting the same property with the 72" side discharge deck with a baffle kit (whatever that is that cost an extra $70?) that I was cutting with the 72" rear discharge deck. Wish I had gotten another rear discharge deck. The rear discharge deck spread the cut grass fairly evenly over the cut area with almost no higher/thicker areas of cut grass (weeds) and the side discharge deck rows it up some and more than some when I do 2 passes in the same direction and 3 or more passes running the same direction starts really piling it up but I don't mow every week or as often as my neighbors. I mow when it's obvious where I cut the last pass.
Don't know why all decks aren't rear discharge. Only down side to rear discharge that I have found in 9 years experience using 4 different ones is on the F the grass clippings gather on the machine on the under parts and after every 2 or 3 mowings I blow the cut collected clippings off with a 3' wand that I bought at Harbour Freight which attaches to my air hose, the same air hose that operates my air operated grease gun. The only people that I've found that have negative feelings about rear discharge decks are people that have not used them their selves for actual yard mowing for a season. One dealer said I had different grass than they had in their area and that was his objection to them. Again, after many years of actual hands on experience I prefer the rear discharge to the side discharge.
The side discharge also lets dust and clippings blow all over me when the wind is in the wrong/right direction which never happens with the rear discharge unless you cut dirt then back up into the blowing dirt, I just keep going forward and out run it with the rear discharge deck.
I do NOT get any rebate or commission for selling rear discharge decks.