Swisher ZTR or another brand?

[Bunnyblaster]

My wife and I are selling one of our tractors and our mower in hopes to get a zero turn. I'm probably mowing a little over 2 acres right now with a 46 in Husqvarna lawn tractor. It takes a while. We have been looking at the Swisher 60 in model ZTR, and I like the price on it, but has anyone got any experience with it? Would it be better to drop another $1500 on a Gravely from a local dealer? The Swisher would come from Rural King.

I'd love to hear thoughts.

thanks

Aaron

 

[204saskman]

Im also looking at these but im looking at the 50" one. only reason im looking at the smaller one is cause then a person can go into smaller places. I think they are an ok machine, they have been making those trail mowers and finsihing mowers for years so they cant be that bad. And if a person thinks about it, how many hours do you actually put on a mower in a year. I think we put about 50 on our riding mower last year and 25 on our old tractor. And a zero turn will cut that time down in half imo.

 

[Bunnyblaster]

My biggest concern after reading around is the Briggs engine. I'd like to buy something and use it for 10 years or so. Has anyone ever used one of these in comparison to a Bad Boy or a Gravely? Just wondering how a $3600 Swisher from Rural King stacks up against a $5k Bad Boy or Gravely.

 

[Bunnyblaster]

I just read an article that stated the 14 gallon fuel tank on the Bad Boy will last a little over 4 hours. Is that true? Seems like it would be guzzling fuel at that rate doesn't it? My Husqvarna Kohler 20 hp will run about 4 hours on 2 or 3 gallons.

Do they really suck down gas that fast?

 

[DMW]

The Briggs ELS have gotten some bad reviews. Possibly the worst couple hundred bucks you'll ever save. The Kohler, Briggs Vanguard or Kawasaki are all better choices IMO. Comparing the Swisher with the Badboy, it's like apples to oranges. Compare frame strength, deck construction/thickness, hydros, speed...In the end it's all about how you feel while operating it. The Swisher was built to a price point, so was the Badboy.

Benjamin Franklin said it best in this quote, "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten".

 

[mustangsallysdad]

Based on my one experience with a Swisher 60" finish mower, I would NOT ever purchase another Swisher product...it seems as though every time I try to use it, something else is wrong or needs replaced. I'm not an abuser, either. The build and overall quality is very poor as is the customer service. As an example...electrical conduit used as wheel spacers on a machine that weighs nearly 400 lbs. and no bushings or bearings on the rear axle. It was a rattle trap within one season of mowing.

 

[Dargo]

Just wondering how a $3600 Swisher from Rural King stacks up against a $5k Bad Boy or Gravely.

Not very well at all. That's besides the fact that you'd have basically no service facility when you need repairs. After a year, you might get 1000 bucks out of the Swisher if you took care of it. It would likely be a rather expensive lesson IMHO.

 

[monk62553]

I've been using the 60" swisher for 3 seasons now, and have had nothing but problems with it, replacing belts every other mowing gets old real quick. I'm on my second set of deck spindles, and am always facing problems with the engine coming loose. Maybe i just have a lemon, but i know that i dont care for it at all.

 

[Bunnyblaster]

Thats good enough for me. Part of me doesn't mind the $5k price tag if it gets the job done, but another part of me (its very loud sometimes) says $5k is a lot of freakin money for something that cuts grass!

Outside of the Bad Boy, is there anything other comparable brands around $5k that anyone recommends?

thanks again.

 

[DmansPadge]

Thats good enough for me. Part of me doesn't mind the $5k price tag if it gets the job done, but another part of me (its very loud sometimes) says $5k is a lot of freakin money for something that cuts grass!

Outside of the Bad Boy, is there anything other comparable brands around $5k that anyone recommends?

thanks again.

Quite a few of the "big" brands offer more economical models geared towards homeowners who want commercial type mowers. The Exmark Quest, The Scag Freedom Z, and the Ferris IS500 are a few worth looking at. All are around the 5k price point I do believe.