Zero-turn or riding lawn mower reviews?
- Thread starter Dustin
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I own a comm'l lawn maintenance and bushhogging business. I've researched about every mower on the market. My number 1 and 2 choices are eXmark and Hustler.
Dixie Choppers are good cutting mowers, but they are not real good with slopes. So be sure to demo any and all mowers at your property to see what you like best. The only perfect mower is the one right for you.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/914/sort/1/cat/500/page/1
Dixie Choppers are good cutting mowers, but they are not real good with slopes. So be sure to demo any and all mowers at your property to see what you like best. The only perfect mower is the one right for you.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/914/sort/1/cat/500/page/1
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Dixie Choppers are good cutting mowers, but they are not real good with slopes. So be sure to demo any and all mowers at your property to see what you like best. The only perfect mower is the one right for you. )</font>
I'll second what 65hoss said. I was going to get the Dixie Chopper but found the hill issue a real problem when I had one for a demo. I ended up having to pass on it.
I'll second what 65hoss said. I was going to get the Dixie Chopper but found the hill issue a real problem when I had one for a demo. I ended up having to pass on it.
Gunfighter
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The two prong hitch and PTO on the Steiner an Ventrac tractors are
exactly the same. Any impalement that fits on Steiner will fit the Ventrac.
I have a Steiner turf tractor with Steiner mower & leaf blower but my
snow blower is a Ventrac...
Both Steiner an Ventrac offer articulating tractor but as of this time only
Steiner has a front drive / rear steer turf tractor...
For maneuverability the front drive tractors come between the articulating
and the zero turn machines.
I have a Kubota diesel in my Steiner, when cold it's a little bit harder starting
then my John Deere. That's about all I know about Kubota, don't know how it
compares to a Kubota F series mower...
Richard
West Michigan...
exactly the same. Any impalement that fits on Steiner will fit the Ventrac.
I have a Steiner turf tractor with Steiner mower & leaf blower but my
snow blower is a Ventrac...
Both Steiner an Ventrac offer articulating tractor but as of this time only
Steiner has a front drive / rear steer turf tractor...
For maneuverability the front drive tractors come between the articulating
and the zero turn machines.
I have a Kubota diesel in my Steiner, when cold it's a little bit harder starting
then my John Deere. That's about all I know about Kubota, don't know how it
compares to a Kubota F series mower...
Richard
West Michigan...
marrt
Platinum Member
Check out Ferris. Having demoed A LOT of ZTR's, they are the only was to go (in my opinion) if ride is a concern, you want to mow reasonably fast (e.g., 5+ MPH) and your yard is a little rough. The 3000 series is a great value in my opinion. Otherwise, SCAG, Exmark, Hustler, Kubota etc... are all very good. Check out lawnsite.com. Lot's of pros love Exmark (owned by Toro).
sweettractors
Advertiser
<font color="blue"> I was hoping somone with a ZTR would respond with what they thought the features and benefits were to look for. I'm just starting looking into these and really don't have much of a clue yet. </font>
We handle the "Dixon" ZTR Complete line and Email: glsweet@scrtc.com or Call my Son, Greg at 270-524-0384 or 270-528-1442-mon-fri-8-5 and sat-8-12 for explaniations about various features and pricing.--Ken Sweet
We handle the "Dixon" ZTR Complete line and Email: glsweet@scrtc.com or Call my Son, Greg at 270-524-0384 or 270-528-1442-mon-fri-8-5 and sat-8-12 for explaniations about various features and pricing.--Ken Sweet
OP
Dustin
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- Kubota M5700, Cockshutt 30, John Deere L110, Kubota ZD25
Thanks so much to everyone who replied. I've narrowed my choice down to a few brands, and now it's just time to let the grass grow and get some demo's on the property! Thanks again to everyone!!
OP
Dustin
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- Kubota M5700, Cockshutt 30, John Deere L110, Kubota ZD25
Well, we reviewed everything and made a purchase. Today was the first day mowing, and the machine does a nice job. We were looking for a deck between 50" and 60" and an engine of 25HP or more. Diesel was a preference. After hearing about certain manufacturers engines requiring a rebuild after 2500 hours, we wanted more life from a Diesel or a high-end gas. Here's our review:
- The Hustler with the Caterpillar diesel engine was the nicest ZTR we tested, but at $16,000 it was also the most expensive by a large margin. Very nice and innovative parking brake integrated into the steering controls. The mower deck was nearly whisper quiet, all things considered, however, the hydraulic drive units squeeled like we couldn't believe (not that sound is an indication or durability or quality). Anyone have any experience with this?
- The Ferris was dissapointing. The suspension didn't seem to make any difference in the ride, the bounce, or the quality of the cut. Furthermore, the Kawasaki 26HP engine had a difficult time getting the mower deck started. (anyone with this care to comment? Was there something wrong?). The hydraulic drive motors were also very noisy. The Cat diesel was very loud compared to a similiar engine in the Hustler. The optional seat on the Ferris is really fantastic!
- The Gravely 60" Dihatsu diesel with the hydraulic deck was poor design, and we didn't even consider it further.
- The Scag seemed like a no-frills functional piece of equipment, but the belts seemed small, and the engine choices were limited.
- The Exmark 60" looked to be a good machine at a good price, but we wanted something a little more durable. The deck seemed thin, and we had worries about the Kawasaki engine having a difficult time like the Ferris, so we did not lawn-test this machine.
- The Kubota 25HP 60" diesel had a hydraulic deck which was a nice feature. The diesel engine seem crude and rough compared to the Caterpillar diesel's, but once up to speed operates fine. The deck seems to do well. It has the direct driveshaft power to the transmission which might be good for reliability. It has a rough ride which I don't care for, and the controls are a bit touchy and don't really work in reverse too easily. The parking brake is overly difficult to engage. Nothing special about the seat.
- No Dixie Chopper dealer close to us.
- No Bad Boy dealer close to us.
- Not interested in John Deere.
So, which one did we purcahse? Well, though it was an argument down to the end with the "financial purse strings", we ended up purchasing the Kubota. I had my heart set on the Ferris but the lack of performance with the Kawasaki engine and the lack of performance from the suspension, coupled with the females being nearly unable to lift the deck with the awkward foot pedal sealed the deal. THe Kubota also had a nice feature where you can jack up the front with an integrated mechanism to get under the deck. Though there are drawbacks to the Kubota, it seems to be the best compromise.
If you have any comments, I'd love to hear them!
- The Hustler with the Caterpillar diesel engine was the nicest ZTR we tested, but at $16,000 it was also the most expensive by a large margin. Very nice and innovative parking brake integrated into the steering controls. The mower deck was nearly whisper quiet, all things considered, however, the hydraulic drive units squeeled like we couldn't believe (not that sound is an indication or durability or quality). Anyone have any experience with this?
- The Ferris was dissapointing. The suspension didn't seem to make any difference in the ride, the bounce, or the quality of the cut. Furthermore, the Kawasaki 26HP engine had a difficult time getting the mower deck started. (anyone with this care to comment? Was there something wrong?). The hydraulic drive motors were also very noisy. The Cat diesel was very loud compared to a similiar engine in the Hustler. The optional seat on the Ferris is really fantastic!
- The Gravely 60" Dihatsu diesel with the hydraulic deck was poor design, and we didn't even consider it further.
- The Scag seemed like a no-frills functional piece of equipment, but the belts seemed small, and the engine choices were limited.
- The Exmark 60" looked to be a good machine at a good price, but we wanted something a little more durable. The deck seemed thin, and we had worries about the Kawasaki engine having a difficult time like the Ferris, so we did not lawn-test this machine.
- The Kubota 25HP 60" diesel had a hydraulic deck which was a nice feature. The diesel engine seem crude and rough compared to the Caterpillar diesel's, but once up to speed operates fine. The deck seems to do well. It has the direct driveshaft power to the transmission which might be good for reliability. It has a rough ride which I don't care for, and the controls are a bit touchy and don't really work in reverse too easily. The parking brake is overly difficult to engage. Nothing special about the seat.
- No Dixie Chopper dealer close to us.
- No Bad Boy dealer close to us.
- Not interested in John Deere.
So, which one did we purcahse? Well, though it was an argument down to the end with the "financial purse strings", we ended up purchasing the Kubota. I had my heart set on the Ferris but the lack of performance with the Kawasaki engine and the lack of performance from the suspension, coupled with the females being nearly unable to lift the deck with the awkward foot pedal sealed the deal. THe Kubota also had a nice feature where you can jack up the front with an integrated mechanism to get under the deck. Though there are drawbacks to the Kubota, it seems to be the best compromise.
If you have any comments, I'd love to hear them!
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orangebluegreen
Gold Member
Great review. I like the way you think. Wonder if I’ll have the same opinions of the Ferris. I did get to see the BadBoy, looks like ride would be like all the rest, there’s not much different there between any of them, but accessibility to everything with fuel tanks that swivel out was first rate. BadBoy really did their homework as far as keeping it simple and easy to work on.
Dargo
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It is really interesting that you commented about the Kawasaki powered Ferris mower having a hard time starting the deck. I actually took my IS3000 back the first day because I killed the engine 20 times straight at full throttle while trying to engauge the blades!
The dealer brought it back and told me it was fixed that afternoon. No difference. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif I called Ferris direct and they told me that their "super heavy duty" spindles were so tight until they broke in that I'd have to apply a little choke when starting the blades. Sure enough that worked every time. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I don't know what the bottom line there is, but I did find it odd that I had to choke the engine every time I started the blades.
Oh well, I only kept it for a week anyway. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif The eXmark did not have the same problem starting the blades with the same Kawasaki engine. Maybe they were telling me the truth at Ferris; I dunno.
I think you'll be very happy with your Kubota. For the dollar spent, I don't see any other ZTR that is diesel powered that competes with the Zubota. I also did think the Cat diesel seemed smoother at lower RPM's. However, I don't know if it really was, or if I just thought that having a Cat diesel in a ZTR was so cool. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Anyway, like you, the $ hit for the Cat was way out of line. Good luck!
The dealer brought it back and told me it was fixed that afternoon. No difference. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif I called Ferris direct and they told me that their "super heavy duty" spindles were so tight until they broke in that I'd have to apply a little choke when starting the blades. Sure enough that worked every time. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I don't know what the bottom line there is, but I did find it odd that I had to choke the engine every time I started the blades.
Oh well, I only kept it for a week anyway. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif The eXmark did not have the same problem starting the blades with the same Kawasaki engine. Maybe they were telling me the truth at Ferris; I dunno.
I think you'll be very happy with your Kubota. For the dollar spent, I don't see any other ZTR that is diesel powered that competes with the Zubota. I also did think the Cat diesel seemed smoother at lower RPM's. However, I don't know if it really was, or if I just thought that having a Cat diesel in a ZTR was so cool. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Anyway, like you, the $ hit for the Cat was way out of line. Good luck!