Zero turn mower advice

[Garson]

I drove a John Deere zero turn 4 years ago and decided zero turns were not for me. It was way too jumpy on the controls. but three years ago I bought a Toro Timecutter 5425 (4.5' cut) while it was still in the delivery crate. It was $5000 marked down a grand to $4000 in November. We don't mow grass in New Brunswick (Canada) then, thus the deal.

It handles like a dream and I'd buy it again in a minute even for more money after realizing how efficient a zero turn works. It mows my 3 acres in just over an hour and trims around 3 hedges, five buildings and 30 trees. My old Ford mower (4' cut) took 3 hours and then I had to trim for an hour after the mowing was done. The Toro turned a 4 hour job into an hour, basically. I often mow my neighbours lawns now because it is so much fun to drive.

On the con side, a suspension would be a great addition but would likely double the price.

 

[charles todd]

Put 750 hours on a 44" Snapper 350Z. Selling it, out grew it. Had HydraGear pumps and Parker drive motors, Kohler engine. Was taking wife 4+ hours to cut 4ish acres of lawn.

This season bought a Bad Boy MZ Magnum 54" from Tractor Supply Company for $3999.99 +T. So far it does everything my wife wants. Cut mowing down to about 2 hours 15min. Has HydraGear ZT2200 drives and Kohler KT740 25hp. Blades are in stock at TSC and at a local dealer that also sells Bad Boy.

There is a member from Pennsylvania on here that said it was a POS because of the ZT2200 drives and it would die an early life on his 2:1 yard slopes... I don't live in PA. My yard is FLAT. The Bad Boy FLAT out cuts FAST.

CT

 

[mahovy]

I couldn't tell you much about mowers except they all seem to use the same engines from kawasaki or kholer.

I just purchased a cub cadet ZTS2 60

Cub Cadet Ultima ZTS2 60 Zero-Turn Mower | Cub Cadet US

Find parts and product manuals for your ZTS2 60. Free shipping on parts orders over $45.

www.cubcadet.com

I only test drove a toro and the cub cadet but had to make a decision as I didn't have any mower for my acreage and mowing season was coming. The reason I chose the cub cadet was purely because of the wheel. I think the toro timecutter 60" is roughly the same price, they both seem very solid as far as frame. The wheel on the cub cadet along with the front wheel actually steering and not just free wheeling is pretty comfy. Just did my first mow today of roughly 2 acres and it was about 75 minutes, granted I dont know the best route yet and I have to edge a lot of fence posts. I'm sure as I get more confident ill be able to cut that down to sub 1hr.

I have the ZTS2 54", check the front spindles. I had the left one break off. The welding of the spindle to the wheel yoke wasn't completely welded. Needed to reweld the shaft to the wheel yoke. Have had it for 2 1/2 yrs. Warranty only is 2 yrs. Glad I could fix it without having to buy a new spindle assembly.

 

[Surshot]

I sold two 30” Snappers, too small, guy drove 100 miles just to look, bought both with Briggs engines. Have a Husky zero, 48” with 23 hp, works real well, Wife wanted a new Scag, got a 48” Liberty, replaced the wheels with no flats, made the new spindles on my lathe. My suggestion, is heavy mower deck, good seat with arm rests and if you get gas, only use non ethanol, buy where you can get work done…..do not forget the trailer you will need to move it. That new Scag takes a 5’ wide trailer. But I had to get a 6’ wide trailer to haul the wife’s XRV 4x4 anyway.

 

[Username Taken]

Hmmmm ... guess I have more research to do.

I didn't think that much about the suspension but if I had one complaint about the DZ21 it is that I am almost bounced out of it.

My field is just that .... was a cow pasture ... never been rolled.

If I ever finish the house and shop, I may take time to clean it up more but for now I am lucky to find time to mow it.

Thanks so very much for all the advice !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike

For as small as your 'lawn' is, I'd recommend a 54" cut in your choice of makes. There's nothing really wrong with buying from Big Box stores. What you lose in quality, you make up for in Economies of Scale. They buy THOUSANDS of them at a time.

Do some homework, read some reviews and go for it.

For your use, I'd recommend a gas engine. Of course, diesel is better and you should get a return on the extra money in about 50 or 60 years. Unless you're a pro, I'd walk away if all you're doing is 2-3 acres.

I also recommend the Kawasaki engine. Strongly recommend.

strongly

If you're not sure, Deere always makes pretty good stuff. They're proud of it but it's usually pretty good.

Mine's a Husky. It's 'okay'.

I have 5 acres with buildings and barns and tree stands all over it. PITA to cut. Takes me a solid half day and I'm tired when I'm done. I might look for a pull-behind finish mower.

 

[frankm215]

I second (or third) the suggestion to look into the Toro Titan with the MyRide suspension. I mow 2-3 acres easily without getting all beat up by bouncing off the seat or the mower telegraphing the ground ruts right through me!

PS. I purchased it from my local Toro dealer

 

[dh206]

I have 3.14 acres and an Ariens Ikon X-52 that I got about 4 years ago for about $3k. It's a great ZTR. It takes a bit longer in spring when it rains a lot and the lawn is sloppy mess and the grass is thick, but in general it's about 3 hours and one tank of gas to do the whole thing. In fall when it's a bit thinner and drier, it's about 2.5. I have 3 distinct areas and some tree obstacles to go around or it'd be faster.
Looks like Lowe's has the newer version of the same spec for $3800. You can get them serviced at any authorized dealer that services Gravely, which is what I do when I need to. It's a nice little mower with a 23HP engine. It's not as fancy as the commercial ones that have active shocks, but it's also lower to the ground which makes it easier to get under low limbs around various kinds of trees.

I had one issue where the primary hydraulics had an issue. It was covered under warranty. (mower just stopped and wouldn't go anywhere. It was a design defect.) I also bent the brake a bit so it wouldn't start (mower doesn't start without hand brake engaged), but that was an easy fix at the shop. I think it happened when it got jostled too hard on the trailer and one of the straps had slipped causing it to shift around on the trailer with the brake engaged.

Changing oil is a minor bit challenging, but not too bad (placement of the oil filter and draining the oil from the funky drain tube). changing the air filter is piece of cake.

It starts well except at the very beginning of the season after the tank has been drained and it's been sitting dry all winter. It can take some time to get it all primed so it starts up, but after that it starts easily through the whole cutting season.

 

[bill9068]

Last year I was in the market for a zero turn that didn’t break the bank. I happened to be looking on Facebook market place and found a guy selling used zero turns. After a text discussion I found out he got all the trade in mowers from the area dealers. This guy lived about 45 minutes away so I took a chance and drove over to look at his inventory. He had commercial and home mower’s but I found two I really liked with low hours. One was a Gravely 52” cut with a Kawasaki 23 hp motor with 38 hours, the other was a Country Clipper challenger mower with a Kawasaki 24 hp and 60” cut with 110 hours. I own two houses an hour apart so I decided to do some dealing for two mowers. I offered 5k for both and ended up at $5400.00. That was 2500 off what he originally wanted. Both are used today with no issues and run like new. Bargains are out there.

 

[lman]

Last year I was in the market for a zero turn that didn’t break the bank. I happened to be looking on Facebook market place and found a guy selling used zero turns. After a text discussion I found out he got all the trade in mowers from the area dealers. This guy lived about 45 minutes away so I took a chance and drove over to look at his inventory. He had commercial and home mower’s but I found two I really liked with low hours. One was a Gravely 52” cut with a Kawasaki 23 hp motor with 38 hours, the other was a Country Clipper challenger mower with a Kawasaki 24 hp and 60” cut with 110 hours. I own two houses an hour apart so I decided to do some dealing for two mowers. I offered 5k for both and ended up at $5400.00. That was 2500 off what he originally wanted. Both are used today with no issues and run like new. Bargains are out there.

I've got a Country Clipper charger. Are you used to the joystick yet?

 

[bill9068]

Mine use’s the hand bars, would have liked the joysticks. Did have the front step and grab bar for getting on and off. Overall a good solid mower with plenty of power.

 

[Shorteraaron]

I would look at dealers in your area and at semi commercial units as the decks are heavier metal and welded vs stamped. The hydraulic motors for drive also tend to be heavier duty. A lot of the dealers also can get you same as cash financing for 3 years. We ended up getting a husqvarna unit last year for around $5k. Get pricing on units and then do your research on what grades of components they are using.

 

[3gunr]

Look at the X Mark. It's made by Toro under the X Mark logo. The same mower but much cheaper. i have had one for 12 years with very little problems.

I think ex mark is more expensive than toro . Lots of commercial mowers around here use ex mark. My son has a toro titan with my ride and loves it, He mows some rough ground with it. I have a bad boy pup with a 30 hp kohler I have had it for 7 yrs With little trouble, And i mow a lot of grass.

 

[4jd318]

I have a grasshopper 325D $4800great machine. Uses no oil. Mow 2-3 acres per hour easy.

 

[4570Man]

do not forget the trailer you will need to move it. That new Scag takes a 5’ wide trailer. But I had to get a 6’ wide trailer to haul the wife’s XRV 4x4 anyway.

I’ve been using my 14k tilt deck to haul my mower. It needs an 80” trailer to load it and virtually no lawnmower trailer is that wide.

 

[Buggs67]

I got a Hustler SDX 54" because I was being loyal to my local Kioti dealer and it was a good value. I got a lemon and the dealer was useless and Hustler Corporate didn't really care. It's been in the shop 4 times and I just got it back. It's now 3 yrs old, 134 hrs and the warranty has expired.

It doesn't have a suspension but I added a suspension seat mount and that works. I could also add flex forks. I avoided Big Box mowers because manufacturer's make special models for them with cheaper components to allow them to be sold cheaper.

Test drive the mowers, and don't forget to try it with the mower deck engaged. My Hustler is so loud I wear ear plugs AND ear muffs. With just the engine running at full RPM it wasn't even hard on the ears.

 

[Jac65]

Nothing wrong with buying used equipment, there are some good deals to be had. What you want to look for in a used mower is the number of hours on the equipment and the maintenance intervals. I have a commercial gravely mower that I bought with about 950 hours on it and about 15 yrs old. the manufacturer recommend a major overhaul at about 2000 hours. like you I have about 3 acres to mow and it takes about 3 hours each cut. So if you do the math at 3 hours a cut and I average 28 cuts a year, so 3x28=84 hours a year. now if I need an overhaul at 2000 hours and there are already 950 hours on the mower, that means I have 1050 hours to mow until I need a rebuild. So 1050hrs / 84hrs per year =12.5. years of use until that overhaul window. It's a good general guide to help you figure out the overall value of your purchase. Good luck!

P.S. I would not go smaller than a 60" deck - and if you have uneven ground the independent front suspension is a nice upgrade.

 

[Number15]

Nothing wrong with buying used equipment, there are some good deals to be had. What you want to look for in a used mower is the number of hours on the equipment and the maintenance intervals. I have a commercial gravely mower that I bought with about 950 hours on it and about 15 yrs old. the manufacturer recommend a major overhaul at about 2000 hours. like you I have about 3 acres to mow and it takes about 3 hours each cut. So if you do the math at 3 hours a cut and I average 28 cuts a year, so 3x28=84 hours a year. now if I need an overhaul at 2000 hours and there are already 950 hours on the mower, that means I have 1050 hours to mow until I need a rebuild. So 1050hrs / 84hrs per year =12.5. years of use until that overhaul window. It's a good general guide to help you figure out the overall value of your purchase. Good luck!

P.S. I would not go smaller than a 60" deck - and if you have uneven ground the independent front suspension is a nice upgrade.

I agree, my Grasshopper was well maintained and used at a semi professional ball field in FL. It came with a 72" deck,sweeper and a huge buffalo blower (hurricane winds) thrown in the deal. Patience and good research and deals are to be had.

 

[MESSMAKER]

Lots of good mowers. Scag,Toro,Xmark,JD,Kubota,Grasshopper. You will be happy with any of them. Don't just focus on the engine. The hydro syastem is just as expensive. Make sure it is serviceable. Most are made by Hydro-Gear. The smallest I would consider is a 3200 series. The more weight the better. It means more steel. A suspension is fantastic but not readily available. Make sure you ,at least, get a suspension seat. It can be put on aftermarket, but can run over $500. I like Scag the best, but that is just one mans opinion. Nothing wrong with a used commercial or estate mower if you find what you want. I would not get one with more than 400-500 hours unless it is a fantastic deal.

 

[NoTrespassing]

I think I paid about $3K for my 2000 Walker GHS 9 years ago. It had about 1000 hours on it and it's still mowing. I only put about 20 hours per year on it. Walkers are very well designed machines that produce a beautiful cut. They run about $15K new.

 

[Notforhire]

I didn't think that much about the suspension but if I had one complaint about the DZ21 it is that I am almost bounced out of it.
My field is just that .... was a cow pasture ... never been rolled.
Mike

If your property was reasonably flat I would recommend getting any one of the quality rigid frame machines.
Since that isn't the case I would go with a suspension machine if possible.
My lawn was a cow field too!
I just installed a suspension seat on my rigid frame Ferris that I've had for 18 years. The seat helps some, but is no substitute for a model with an actual suspension.
I traded machines with my son for the last few seasons. He has a 5 YO Ferris with independent suspension. There is no comparison in the ride.
If not for the cost I would sell my old machine and buy a new IS machine tomorrow.
The way my back has been talking to me lately, I may end up getting one regardless.