Lawn Tractor vs Zero Turn

[jyoutz]

A big motor working easy is better than a little motor working hard.

Someone said the other day their shop said they never had parts for Kawasaki and didn't even know how to work on them - because they never HAD to work on them.

The Grasshopper mowers are known as excellent mowers and their Vanguard engines are well regarded. I follow a Grasshopper owners group because I've been considering a Grasshopper and don't see complaints about the Briggs Vanguard over there. But lack of having the choice has given me some pause about buying a Grasshopper. I had made the dealer an offer on a Grasshopper Stand On mower with the Vanguard and he came down a good bit. We were only $500 apart. I was surprised he could get that close but there was a couple new Stihl Z turns sitting there too. And when I found out Stihl was coming out with a Stand On with a Kawasaki I hesitated. I'm between a JD and a Grasshopper now.

Mine has the Vanguard motor. If you are going to be mowing rough ground, the 4 wheel suspension is a much appreciated feature on the Stihl.

 

[two_bit_score]

Mine has the Vanguard motor. If you are going to be mowing rough ground, the 4 wheel suspension is a much appreciated feature on the Stihl.

Do you have he RZ261? Or what model do you have?

 

[jyoutz]

Do you have he RZ261? Or what model do you have?

Yes that model

 

[Camofurever1]

Get the best of both worlds: Buy a cheaper ZTR and put a aftermarket suspension seat on it. My Deere 930M has a adjustable suspension seat on it. Love that seat.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Stihl mower is a Ferris

 

[drumminj]

Get the best of both worlds: Buy a cheaper ZTR and put a aftermarket suspension seat on it. My Deere 930M has a adjustable suspension seat on it. Love that seat.

Sounds good in theory, but suspension seats (if just buying the parts) seem to be $1k+. At least that was the answer I got (actually $1200) for the Cub Cadet I bought.

 

[DK35vince]

Stihl mower is a Ferris

I thought Stihl bought the rights to Simplicity

 

[Carl_NH]

Ferris was owned by B&S, then was sold to a venture cap firm and they make all the mowers Simplicity-Ferris-Stihl mowers.

Bottom line the basic machines are good ZT - $4-7K for residential units, but to get the best of the suspension system the commercial units are the one to buy, and those will be $7-15K range.

 

[jyoutz]

Stihl mower is a Ferris

Yes it is. But parts and service are widely available through Stihl dealers.

 

[two_bit_score]

Yes that model

Great! Maybe you would start a thread with a detailed review of the RZ261?

 

[Camofurever1]

Sounds good in theory, but suspension seats (if just buying the parts) seem to be $1k+. At least that was the answer I got (actually $1200) for the Cub Cadet I bought.

Nah, around $470 bucks. I would worry about the deck cutting level if the mower had four wheel suspension. Thats why they created the suspension seat for ZTRs.

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[Runner]

To O.P. - Please post up your evaluation/comments on your new machine after you have a chance to use it a little. I am very interested in the CC ZTXS series, especially regarding side-hill operation.

Also wondering about the Kawasaki/Kohler engine debate. I have had a JD lawn tractor with a Kawi engine since 1989 and never a problem, but no experience with Kohlers. Looks like the Kawi engine cost about $1200 more on the CC ZTXS series than the Kohler and I wonder if there could possibly be that much difference in quality, perfomance, etc.

Finally, I have some concerns about how all the gears, rods and bushings will hold up on the "steering wheel" type ZTR's over time.

Otherwise, the CC ZTXS sounds like it might be a good fit for my property so I am thinking seriously about one.

Thanks and wishing you best of luck with the new machine.

 

[drumminj]

To O.P. - Please post up your evaluation/comments on your new machine after you have a chance to use it a little. I am very interested in the CC ZTXS series, especially regarding side-hill operation.

Also wondering about the Kawasaki/Kohler engine debate. I have had a JD lawn tractor with a Kawi engine since 1989 and never a problem, but no experience with Kohlers. Looks like the Kawi engine cost about $1200 more on the CC ZTXS series than the Kohler and I wonder if there could possibly be that much difference in quality, perfomance, etc.

Finally, I have some concerns about how all the gears, rods and bushings will hold up on the "steering wheel" type ZTR's over time.

Otherwise, the CC ZTXS sounds like it might be a good fit for my property so I am thinking seriously about one.

Thanks and wishing you best of luck with the new machine.

Will definitely report back after more mowing time this spring.

I've not had a chance to use it too much -- it works, cuts grass, turns, etc. It's held all the slopes I've taken it on, but I chickened out on part of the slope behind my shop -- that's the steepest part. With more seat time I'll give it another go and see if I feel comfortable enough to give it a try/risk the unexpected trip into a 100 yr old white oak tree.

The only criticism I have at this point is the seat presence sensor is way too sensitive - it kicks off the PTO when I hit bumps in my yard. Need to either bypass it or find a way to make it less sensitive. Dealer I bought from wasn't much help there, but the local dealer/repair shop might be better -- need to check in with them.

BTW just did the "break-in" oil change. The setup is pretty nice overall -- easy to drain and get to the oil filter, other than it's designed more for a strap filter wrench than my channel-lock filter pliers. Made it work, but definitely buying another wrench to make it easier.

 

[Camofurever1]

To O.P. - Please post up your evaluation/comments on your new machine after you have a chance to use it a little. I am very interested in the CC ZTXS series, especially regarding side-hill operation.

Also wondering about the Kawasaki/Kohler engine debate. I have had a JD lawn tractor with a Kawi engine since 1989 and never a problem, but no experience with Kohlers. Looks like the Kawi engine cost about $1200 more on the CC ZTXS series than the Kohler and I wonder if there could possibly be that much difference in quality, perfomance, etc.

Finally, I have some concerns about how all the gears, rods and bushings will hold up on the "steering wheel" type ZTR's over time.

Otherwise, the CC ZTXS sounds like it might be a good fit for my property so I am thinking seriously about one.

Thanks and wishing you best of luck with the new machine.

Kawasaki engines, hands down. They are the best designed, best built commercial engines on the market. Kohler's heyday was back in the 60's -80's when everything was single cylinder, vertical pistons. I have an original 1968 14 HP single cylinder Kohler on my JD 140. Still starts and runs perfect. I have had several commercial JD ZTR's, all with Kawasaki's in them. They are virtually bullet proof. They are designed and manufactured to run a full 10 hour day, day in and day out, year in and year out. You get what you pay for.

I used to field repair commercial equipment for a few years. The equipment had Kohler, Honda or Kawasaki engines in them. I saw what Kohler had turned into. They seemed to strive to be in competition with B&S instead of competition with Kawasaki or Honda. We had a LOT of problems with the Kohler's on commercial equipment. Busted cranks, seized engines, oil starvation issues, valves dropped, cracked heads and the list goes on and on. We got to the point if a piece of equipment with a factory Kohler V twin had a seized engine from oil starvation or other major mechanical malfunction, we replaced it with a Honda V twin. Basically a drop in replacement. We would of liked to drop in Kawasakis, but more mods would have to be done to the equipment to accommodate A Kawasaki. Cost more money for a better engine, but we didn't have the quality, dependability and longevity issues with the Hondas or Kawasakis that we constantly had with the Kohler's. That's my $.02 on Kohler VS Kawasaki.

 

[RSKY]

Only suggestion I can make on your Kawasaki was made to me by a commercial mower who uses only Kawasakis when possible. If you are mowing ten to twelve hours a day get the bigger oil filter. It is the same diameter but an inch or two longer. Said it holds a cup or two more oil and helps with cooling. I cannot see how it would help that much but when I was mowing up to five yards a day I took his advice. Now that I'm back to just my one acre the mower barely gets warm anyway.

RSKY