Buying Advice What Zero Turn?

[Steve18643]

Just bought a home in Western New Jersey. The home is on three flat acres. Three rail fencing surrounds all the acreage. The old owner had a zero turn that he took with him to Georgia. I have heard and read many recommendations and am torn between a diesel or gas commercial zero turn. Would greatly appreciate any input. Thank you to all members for your kindness and patience.

Steve18643

 

[Scooby074]

Budget?

Ztr's go from sub $3k up to $15k+

 

[Steve18643]

Thank you for the reply. I would like to stay around $6K. Used is fine. I have read a few threads about Craigs list and ebay. What ZTM do you like for us?

Thanks,

Steve 18643

 

[whistlepig]

We bought a Ferris IS700Z two months ago. Commercial grade. Spring over shocks all four corners. Very nice ride. Welded deck suspended by chains. Rough and tough deck. Very nice cut. It has a 27HP gas motor. Or you can bump up to a Caterpillar diesel if you want to pony up the money.

 

[Steve18643]

Thank you for the reply. Can we ask you what you paid? Are prices pretty uniform across the country?

Thank You,

Steve 18643

 

[whistlepig]

$6,800.

 

[Scooby074]

Do you have a preference for fuel type?

My Diesel Kubota ZD was within your budget (used). Its been a very good machine. Hardly uses any fuel at all.

 

[Steve18643]

Thank you. I will look at the Kubota ZD right now.

Thanks,

Steve 18643

 

[Alan L.]

I can't complain about Scag. Love it because we are cutting basically pasture grass and sometimes it is tall and thick and it cuts it and even looks good. I always use high lift blades.

 

[whistlepig]

If you are going 15K you can go a Ferris 72" with a Caterpillar diesel. Don't get me wrong. I have a Kubota tractor. Caterpillar and Ferris would be my choice if I had the funds.

 

[TSO]

For only 3 acres, you can find multiple units to choose from under $6k. You don't need diesel for that size. You'll only be putting 100 or so hrs per year, so a gas unit will be more than adequate.

52" works for 3 acres, of course 60" does too, but you definitely don't need 72" for 3 acres.

I have a Hustler Z Diesel commercial 66", & it's a great mower... but if i was only mowing 3 acres, I wouldn't have it. I would go with a less expensive gas model.

So, you'll have your pick of good commercial mowers. Gravely, bobcat, Hustler, Scag, Ferris, Exmark... to be honest, they're all very close. They will pretty much all use the same engines & the same hydro power units. Go sit on them and see which one fits you best. They really do all feel different. I like my Hustler and I think it's a fantastic mower... but I wouldn't hesitate to buy any of the big brands.

Just stay away from Husqvarna, Dixon, and the Big Box store mowers ... They aren't commercial quality.

Good luck!

 

[Texasmark]

The riding comfort can become a very big deal if you have a lot of mowing to do and especially if you run over irregular terrain. The older you get the more important this becomes. I have a DR and Hustler ZTs and Have gone through a lot of trial and error/expense to get it improved.

With all said and done if I were in the market for a new one I would be looking up a Ferris dealer and having a demo as to just how great is the ride. You might seriously consider that; I would. Course Ferris is said to be on the upper side of cost but you get what you pay for in these machines. I think they are all built for the long haul.

On gas vs diesel, I can buy farm diesel for 40 cents under road prices putting it in the area of the cost of gas.

All my mowers (7 at last count) have Briggs Stratton, Kohler, or Honda engines. I have had most of them over 7 years and have essentially had zero repairs (normal maint items only). Haven't replaced a belt on any of them and that is amazing considering the punishment I have put these mowers through. They are all very fuel efficient. All my farm tractors are diesel so I am fully aware of the advantages. However, for mowing the lawn, gas does just fine so you don't have to get hung up on diesel to get fuel/reliability advantages as I see it.

Only other thing I would suggest is that in the owner's manuals, all list full synthetic oil as an approved oil. Viscosity for all the mowers is 10W-30. I run all my mowers on it and unlike dino oil, I only change oil at the end of the season, not several times; don't have to as it resists breakdown from heat. I think it is THE oil for the hotter running air cooled engines.

Good luck,
Mark

 

[iptman]

I bought my Scag Tiger Cat with a 61" deck for $6k and it only had 92 hours. Its been great so far this season.. We have 2.5 acres to mow. You might want to think about what dealers are close to you. You'll also need a trailer to get it to the dealer for major service and minor service if you're not going to do it.

 

[MESSMAKER]

I just bought a ztr this spring after looking for a while. I found that their are lots of good choices and few really poor ones. Does not seem to be a price leader in my area. Pick the size deck and the size transmission, then pick the motor you want. They can all get pretty expensive. For three acres you should be looking at a low end commercial. Exmark,Scag,Grasshopper,Toro commercial,Snapper Pro,John Deere,Kubota,Hustler,Bad boy are all good. I think Dixon and Husqvarna are fine as long as you don't cheap out. I would stay away from Cub Cadet.Three people in my neighborhood have bought used commercial unit with a couple hundred hours on them for less than $4000. They are out there if you want to look.

 

[dntfxr]

I just got a Ferris is700 also. It is a really nice mower. If you have any bumps or rough terrain it really makes a difference having the suspension. I opted for the Vanguard big block engine, I highly recommend it. It is amazing how quickly the job gets done with a ztr even compared to a much larger tractor.

 

[dntfxr]

dbl post oops

 

[JJZ 109]

For three acres you should be looking at a low end commercial.

Just what I was thinking. For 2 acres I got a Ferris IS500Z 52 inch/27 HP. Mostly got it for the suspension, as the wife mows a lot and has had multiple neck surgeries.
After adding the governor's cut it was $5600.

 

[Carl_NH]

With 3 acres that's flat and if it's not uneven (meaning bumpy) all the major brands will be fine - Scag, Exmark, JOhn Deere, Kubota, Hustler Ferris will be fine - I would also look at obstructions - narrow areas and get a width that is a bit less. 52" is a good size for most lawns and it has enough deck sticking out to the left side to do some close cutting.

Personally and as others have stated Ferris was my choice for the rough areas I cut - the IS2000 52" with the independent suspension and a Kawasaki engine. The new IS2000 will run about $8K and you can get 0% on them too.

If you can find a 100-300 hour commercial unit for $4-6K that would also be an option.

 

[IXLR8]

If you go with a CAT diesel, see who is going to service the engine. At one point only a CAT dealer could service the engine, the mower dealer could not. I would think it would be hard to justify the extra cost of going diesel unless you were going to mow commercially.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

If you go with a CAT diesel, see who is going to service the engine. At one point only a CAT dealer could service the engine, the mower dealer could not. I would think it would be hard to justify the extra cost of going diesel unless you were going to mow commercially.

My Ferris dealer said he wouldn't sell me one with a CAT diesel in it because he couldn't work on the motor. He said he has to pull the motor out and ship it to a CAT service center/dealer for any work. And that was just a couple of months ago.

I agree with you on the cost of a diesel mower, but I'd still be tempted to buy one just because of how crappy our gasoline is these days with the ethanol in it. And you will get some of the extra cost of the diesel back when you sell it.