So Confused and In Over My Head

[sten76]

I am new to this forum, so please bear with me.

I am in the market for a new mower, most likely a zero turn. I have about 3 acres of sloped yard to mow. I do not want to spend all day mowing it either. I have been looking into ZTRs with a 60 inch deck. Some models I am looking at:

Dixie Chopper Classic
Kubota-Diesel
Deere 520A
Exmark - not sure the model
Scag
and a few others

Price is somewhat of an issue, but I would pay more for a better cut and machine. I will not be using it commercially and only mowing my yard once or twice a week.

Any help would be great. The reason I am looking for some opinions is that there is a big difference in price, 10,000 vs. Deere ($7,000) and my question is will the $3,000 difference make that much of a difference in the cut and long term service.

Thanks for any guidance.

 

[Scooby074]

Depending on the ammouint of slope you have a ZTR may not be the best fit. THey can be a handful on slopes especially if the grass is damp.

Have you thought about a conventional mower with 4 wheel steer such as the Deere x324? THey can mow around a 9" circle. Plus they can have other uses besides mowing, such as plowing or tilling. And it will be cheaper than all but the cheapest ZTR. Just something to think about.

 

[coobie]

I am new to this forum, so please bear with me.

I am in the market for a new mower, most likely a zero turn. I have about 3 acres of sloped yard to mow. I do not want to spend all day mowing it either. I have been looking into ZTRs with a 60 inch deck. Some models I am looking at:

Dixie Chopper Classic
Kubota-Diesel
Deere 520A
Exmark - not sure the model
Scag
and a few others

Price is somewhat of an issue, but I would pay more for a better cut and machine. I will not be using it commercially and only mowing my yard once or twice a week.

Any help would be great. The reason I am looking for some opinions is that there is a big difference in price, 10,000 vs. Deere ($7,000) and my question is will the $3,000 difference make that much of a difference in the cut and long term service.

Thanks for any guidance.

I bought a(diesel)ZTR Kubota 326 pro 60 inch commerical mower and no regrets yet.I paid around $10,700 for my mower.I bought mine for home owner use for the long haul.coobie

 

[Nightrain1]

If you are looking for the most bang for your buck in the zero turn, check out a bad boy.

badboymowers.com/

There are many good brands out there and like coobie, I just bought a commercial model myself for home use. I got the 28 hp cat diesel engine and a 60 inch deck for 9800 out the door. They are built tough and my hope is, it last me a lifetime.

You might want to check out lawnsite.com, the site has alot of good info there.

 

[sten76]

Thanks for the replies. The Bad Boy looks interesting. Has anyone had much experience with these?

 

[Nightrain1]

TSC is selling the residential model and they offer, at least my local store, a 4 yr guarenteed extended contract. They are 60 inch cut and a 27 hp Briggs. They tell me it's their biggest seller. It's like 4995.00 if I remember correctly.

 

[bontai_Joe]

It was mentioned earlier, but it's worth mentioning again. I don't know what steepness your slopes are, but many zero-turns have caster wheels on the front and if either or both the rear wheels are belt driven (many home owner models are belt driven off the hydro pump) and you pop a belt, the machine will swivel downhill and best case, you have no steering. Worst case, you have no steering and no drive to slow you and you are on a runaway ride.

 

[DaddyRabbit]

Do yourself and avoid buying cheap. you always get what you pay for. Go check out the Ferris line up. The ride alone will sell itself.

I am new to this forum, so please bear with me.

I am in the market for a new mower, most likely a zero turn. I have about 3 acres of sloped yard to mow. I do not want to spend all day mowing it either. I have been looking into ZTRs with a 60 inch deck. Some models I am looking at:

Dixie Chopper Classic
Kubota-Diesel
Deere 520A
Exmark - not sure the model
Scag
and a few others

Price is somewhat of an issue, but I would pay more for a better cut and machine. I will not be using it commercially and only mowing my yard once or twice a week.

Any help would be great. The reason I am looking for some opinions is that there is a big difference in price, 10,000 vs. Deere ($7,000) and my question is will the $3,000 difference make that much of a difference in the cut and long term service.

Thanks for any guidance.

 

[beersngars]

Second the Ferris. I have used their 61" 25 hp model now for 7 seasons and have about 250 hours on it. No problems and most likley with a bit of care will last me the rest of my days.

 

[kthompson]

Will be the third one to mention the concern of the slope and if damp can be a real problem for a ZTR mower. My MIL side yard is about a 15 degree slope best guess and if wet, can not climb it nor steer on it. Your rear wheels are the steering and drive totally on a ZTR. When dry no problem on that slope.

Was using a CUT with 72 inch RFM (bush hog also) and bought a Bushhog 52 inch homeowner model with 20 or 25 Kohler engine for trim work. Ended up parking the tractor as the ZTR cut about 25% off of the mowing time. Have had it four years and it cuts about 3 1/2 acres almost ever week from about April to Oct with very very little problems. It is built as good as heavy as some commercial models. When I bought I looked at about every brand that has been mentioned so far. Not throwing off at any of them but when I saw the Bush Hog knew it was the one for me. One thing will mentioned that also caught me off guard, you will mow at full ground speed with a ZTR due to their design. Hard to run them say at half ground speed and the other thing is with that speed you will run right up and under tree limbs watching the ground, be sure if you have tree limbs any roll bar and seat height are not issues. Think Bush Hog may now have three lines of products but check out what is going on with Bush Hog before you buy them. Mine was like $4,400 when bought.

You may wish to look at used truly commercial mowers.