which has a more comfortable ride?

[trook]

I am considering trading in my JD X320 for a JD920 or other similar ztr. On a moderately bumpy lawn, which has a smoother and more comfortable ride at the same mph...the traditional style lawn/garden tractor or one of the ztr's?

 

[dbear]

If wheelbase, tire size, and ground speed are equal, I would think the ride would be too. However, and this is a huge however based upon personal experience, you will find that a ZTR, especially a commercial-grade unit like the 920, is capable of not just cutting, but of expertly manicuring your lawn at probably twice the speed of the X320. That's one of the main reasons for owning a Z (the other being manueverability). Many Z manufacturers offer suspension seats, at least as an option, for this very reason.

 

[trook]

Which one would be better on hills; the x320 or 920 ztr?

 

[beenthere]

That will depend on the hills....

 

[coobie]

I am considering trading in my JD X320 for a JD920 or other similar ztr. On a moderately bumpy lawn, which has a smoother and more comfortable ride at the same mph...the traditional style lawn/garden tractor or one of the ztr's?

If you want a smooth ride ZTR look at the Ferris ZTR mower,smoothest around IMHO.coobie

 

[trook]

That will depend on the hills....

Assuming they are both on the same hill:

20 degree hill
30 degree hill

 

[bontai_Joe]

30 degree hill? Unsafe in just about any machine! Unsafe because if you hit a moist patch of grass, you are going downhill out of control no matter which way you are traveling. Unsafe because the VERY likely possibility of roll over. Unsafe because brakes may not stop you. Your 20 degree example is on the hairy edge of doable in some machines, but you will find most operator manuals say to not operate on slopes over 15 degrees.

 

[tsteahr]

Assuming they are both on the same hill:

20 degree hill
30 degree hill

For that steep a hill a slope mower would be the safest option.

 

[stevem5215]

A dual wheel Steiner can do that slope. My 20 year old one goes up and down my 20 deg slope with ease.

Steve

 

[inveresk]

I bought a Gravely ZTR a couple years back and it's nowhere near as stable on slopes as my old Husqvarna lawn tractor. It's way faster and cuts really well but for the steep slopes on my property I generally revert to an old push mower.

The problem with the ztr is that the front wheels can't be steered. They freely rotate like the wheels on a shopping trolley. The result is that the front tends to slip downhill when cutting across anything remotely steep. I have to approach the slopes on my property accurately up or down the slope or I suffer from side slip. I also have to go pretty slow or wheelspin occurs.

I like the ztr but it has its limitations. I now use it mostly for the tighter areas, around and under trees and other obstacles where it's fast and very maneuverable. For the open areas, the 60" rfm on the back of the tractor does the best job in the shortest time.