ZD21 Zero Turn Mowers

[HappyOne]

Re: ZD Zero Turn Mowers

For those of you who have used a ZD. How is the ride in the rough stuff? Still waiting on them to come in locally so I have not been able to try one. Did ride a Ferris with full suspension. Nice ride, but a ZD18 can be had for the same money.

 

[WVBill]

Re: ZD Zero Turn Mowers

Sounds like there are several folks out there who are either looking for or recently bought a ZTR. How 'bout posting your thoughts / opinions of the various makes/models out there?

I'm realizing that my Craftsman Garden tractor/mower won't last forever and I want to be ready with a decision before it dies. Also, I'm realizing that I might be able to cut my 4 hour weekly mowings down to 2 or so.

So come on, what have you seen that you liked or didn't like?

One specific question: With the engine behind the operator and right on top of the rear wheels in some models, isn't there a tendency to unintentionally "do wheelies" in these things?

 

[equipman]

Re: ZD Zero Turn Mowers

WVBill
Speaking of the Kubota ZD's, they are great machines. We haven't seen problems occuring with them other than people don't check and clean the radiator screen often enough. With a temp gauge, you should be able to get a feel where the normal operating temp should be and clean the screen when it starts to change. With the decks on, you won't get wheelies, but take that deck off and look out. The "pro" deck with the swivel anti-scalp wheels is an improved deck, but no problems with the air tunnel deck either.
Lewis

 

[Dozernut]

Re: ZD Zero Turn Mowers

We have a ZD21 Kubota with a 60" welded deck and now have 25 hours on it. The CEO (wife) chose this mower to replace her aged ZTR Dixon. She loves it and I seldom get to operate it. It is smooth on the rough areas and mows at an astounding speed. The ZD21 mows incredibly well and does not clump the grass like the the Dixon does. I really like the swivel wheels on the leading edge of the mower deck, no more gouged lawn. The mower sips fuel and it sure is nice to fuel up out of the big diesel tank with the pump. An added bonus is that diesel for non-road use is about 50 cents cheaper per gallon than gas.
The bad points to the mower are few, but a five foot deck is too wide to mow ditches that we used to be able to do with ease with the 42" deck of the Dixon. It will not handle tall grass or weeds, which tends to pull down the motor and stall the unit. So that type of mowing is better left to the rotary brush mower. It is a very good mower and I would buy it again as it has cut our mowing time and it leaves a manicured looking lawn.

 

[littlediesel]

Re: ZD Zero Turn Mowers

JamesKubota,
The ride in the rough is better than most garden tractors. Kubota has used a premium suspension seat on the ZD series. I believe the thought process is that most commercal cutters could be on their mowers 8 hours per day.

Overall this is a great mower. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Jon

 

[HappyOne]

Re: ZD Zero Turn Mowers

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( It will not handle tall grass or weeds, which tends to pull down the motor and stall the unit. So that type of mowing is better left to the rotary brush mower. )</font>

Dozernut, can you elaborate on this point? When you say tall grass, are you talking about several weeks of growth on a lawn?

I have sections of my "extended lawn" that may get 8" or so before it hit it again. With the big kubota, I just drop down a gear and it cleans it up nicely (mowing to 4"). I expect to mow more often with a faster mower, but just want to get a clear picture of what you mean.

James

 

[Dozernut]

Re: ZD Zero Turn Mowers

We had a low section of lawn by the pond that was too wet to mow. The rain would just not stop. So it was three weeks before it dried out enough to get a mower in to mow it. This section had been seeded in Red Clover and it was thick and loving the moisture. The Red Clover was just too much for a finish mower, any finish mower. The ZD21 could not handle the thick clover so I had to use a rotary mower on the L4810 to do the initial cut. There is nothing wrong with the ZD21, just me! I was trying not to drop the backhoe on the tractor to put on the brush mower.
Why Red Clover, fast growing and good erosion control. A plus(?) is the deer, rabbits and wild turkey that we watch all the time, love it.

 

[MReeter]

Re: ZD Zero Turn Mowers

Does anyone know what the blade tip speed is on the Pro Decks? I can't find any numbers on the Kubota site.

A download just says "The best BTS in the business" but shows no numbers. I have an older brochure that lists the 60" stamped deck at 17,500 FPM and the 72" at 18,500 FPM..

I was just curious if these numbers are the same on the Pro Deck.....Many Thanks,Mike

 

[BHarrison]

Re: ZD Zero Turn Mowers

I just rolled 100hrs on my 01 ZD21, and I've loved every hour. The suspension seat is a god sent. The only thing bad I have to say revolves around Kubotas revisions on the unit, and turning their back on owners of the original ZDs.

As far as cutting through high grass, two days ago I cut through 2.5' high bahai down to 2" (2 passes) . If the clippings were not there, it would have looked a golf course.

Kubota makes great equipment. Great equipment. But as a company, ...I dont know. It's a darn good thing their product out weighs the bull sh** factor.

Sometimes I think about buying a B series Kubota, but with the new revisions on the ZD, mine has little market value on the street, but I know it'll do what I bought it to do for many, many years to come.

/Rant

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: ZD Zero Turn Mowers

Blade tip speed on Pro decks:

60" - 17500FPM
72" - 18500FPM

Taken from Kubota's newest literature on ZD Pro's