What Makes a Z-Turn Better ?

alvanko · Oct 13, 2005

I understand that a Z-turn can cut down on the hand trimming . They claim to have a very fast ground speed and can cut "acres per hour". Just because it goes fast does it mean the quaility of cut is good too? I always felt a high blade speed with slow ground speed was good. Do the Z-turns have a higher tip speed or do they leave a poor cut at the high ground speed?
I am looking at possibly buying a Z-turn for my wife next year but we want a good quality cut. Any thoughts??

JJT · Oct 13, 2005

Mine has a blade tip speed of 18,000 feet per minute. My dealer said that's 3 times faster then most riders. Add the manueverability and speeds 2-3 times faster than the typical rider and your mow time goes way down. I went from 4 hours a week of mowing and trimming to under an hour of mowing, (and now my trimming is every other week for less than 20 minutes). My only regret - not buying it sooner. Fuel economy is another plus - I now have a no maint diesel that burns less than a gallon / week where the rider was 3 gallons+.

I have a Kubota ZD21 with a 60" pro deck. almost 100 hours in the past 2 years and I still love the machine.

Bird · Oct 13, 2005

I've hunted through the manual, brochures, and even on the Internet and have not found anything to tell me what the blade tip speed is on my little Toro ZTR. I know it's got to be there somewhere; I just haven't found it. However, it's supposed to run up to 6 mph and it seems to cut pretty well at full speed, although the manual does say to improve the quality of cut, go slower. And since the lawns I cut are small, I usually do go slow. So I can't say why it cuts so well; I just know it does. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

beagdog · Oct 13, 2005

Just traded a G1900 4ws with a 60" deck for a ZD21 with 60" deck. Only run it about 8 hours, but I'll never go back. The cut is unbelievable for the speed the machine can run.

One area I mow is about 2 1/2 acres, been mowing it with my L3010 and 6' finish mower, took about an hour and 10 minutes by the time I mowed the ditches. Mowed it last weekend with the ZD21 and took about 45 minutes, and I'm still learning on the slopes. I may sell the finish mower and never use it again.

In the 8 hours I've run it, I've used less than 1/2 gallon per hour of fuel. It'll get better when it gets broken in.

deereowner · Oct 13, 2005

I just got a Hustler FasTrak ZTM with a 20 horse engine and 52" cut. I was using a John Deere Lawn Tractor with 17 horse engine and 42" cut. My mowing time has gone from 1.5 hrs to about 50 minutes for 1.2 acres. And I am still learning how to best use the ZTM. And to make things even better, the quality of the cut is much better. The blade speed on the ZTM is about 18,000, and I don't know what the LT was, but this has a much cleaner cut.
It is also much more fun to cut with the ZTM. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif IMHO, it is worth the difference in price, since cutting grass is something that has to be done every week for 2/3 of the year where I live.
The only downside is that if you aren't careful, you can tear up the grass when you pivot. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif I am having to work on making turns that don't do that. But that is getting easier with practice.

jgh · Oct 17, 2005

20051017

My Exmark XP seems to show some tendency to scruffy cut (miss some things here and there) if I go too fast, probably since our terrain is bumpy and I bounce around at speed. Since I am still learning how to use it, my results may improve. It has a dump-from-the-seat leaf/grass pickup, very nice to use this leaf season! I would have considered a Kubota if they had offered that.

Our land is so irregular I can actually slow this 27 hp diesel down some times (which pulls down blade speed).

One other thing I have heard: the fast speeds of ZTR mowers are best achieved when mowing regularly (ie, little grass height to cut).

Jim

Jagmandave · Oct 24, 2005

My 3 acre property is rough, and the ZTR does it in half the time, but I do have to go over some small areas a second time, I figure it's because of the bouncing. But, my property is also hilly, and the ZTR is so much more stable that I can mow more safely too, a definite plus. Plus too and also, I've got a bunch of trees to mow around, and the tight turning radiuss makes that a snap. I also have to watch my turns in wet grass tho......

oliver28472 · Oct 25, 2005

If (when) I start looking, the seat is going to be one thing to look at. Whether or not it is suspension, etc. Also if the frame pivots, and I don't know enough to say whether that makes a difference but the seat does.

Sigarms · Oct 25, 2005

Forget the Blade speed and all that "other stuff".

It's a blast to ride, and you actually look forward to mowing the grass!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif (and after you get one, you may not want your wife to use it!).

FOURTEEN · Oct 27, 2005

( if the frame pivots, and I don't know enough to say whether that makes a difference )

 The solid frame works just fine on my Hustler FasTrac! Going over my uneven 'lawn', I don't notice whether four wheels or three wheels are on the ground at any one time!

It is less likely to scalp with the solid frame because the front of the deck is held high by whichever front wheel is on the higher ground. If the front frame pivots, it positions the front of the deck at a height only half way between the elevations of the two front wheels, making a scalp more likely.

With so much weight on the rear wheels there is no significant loss of traction when one of the front wheels is off the ground. 

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif