ZTR comparison - Husq vs Scat & Exmark

[Gem99ultra]

Anyone have any occasion to compare Husqvarna's ZTR with Scat and/or Exmark?

 

[txdon]

Anyone have any occasion to compare Husqvarna's ZTR with Scat and/or Exmark?

No but I compared Exmark, John Deere, Hustler, Kubota, and Dixie Chopper and Hustler won out.

 

[lilranch2001]

No. but I have had my eXmark for 16 years and mow 8-9 acres each week with it
Wouldn't ever consider ever getting rid of it
Also had two adjoining neighbors buy one after watching how mine has performed al these years

 

[4570Man]

I've loosely compared most major brands. If I buy a new ZTR it'll be a Ferris IS2100. Although probably not the most bang for your buck IMO the suspension is well worth it. My second choice which I could only afford used would be a pre emissions diesel Kubota.

 

[Gem99ultra]

No but I compared Exmark, John Deere, Hustler, Kubota, and Dixie Chopper and Hustler won out.

Good info; Thanks. I was surprised by your findings but will expand my comparison for sure.

Although the Husqvarna appears cheaper than the other 'quality' brands, I do find it lacks some features as well.

 

[JMER817]

I was leaning towards the husqvarna ZTR which seemed like the best bang for the buck. Found a review online which the owner felt that it was a little light in the rear making turning without spinning the tires difficult. Could be the operator? I saw a lawn contractor using one and stopped to ask him how he liked it. He was under repairing the stabilizer bar for the second time within 200 hours. He said don't buy one , they are junk. So take that for whatever it's worth.

 

[Gem99ultra]

That's not the kind of problems that I'd like to be buying into. While I am pretty much a Husqvarna fan, I was looking over their ZTRs yesterday. The little 30 inch model is clearly a light-weight residential 2-3 year mower. By the time you get up to their big hefty models you're into the well known commercial mower price range.

I did read up a bit on the Hustler. The first sight I bumped into had about 2 pages of dissatisfied buyers. Reviews: Hustler Zero Turn Mowers Then the older reviews had nothing but good things to say about them. hmmm - it's a case where the more I read, the more confused I get. Hustler did have a demonstration video comparing their ZTR to tractor type mowers... no comparison with those! ZTR is definitely the way to go with slopes and tight turns.

Not to be a commercial for Scat, but I did hire out a 'yard man' to cut the dam banks on two ponds here on my place. The banks are so steep that one can not walk across them. Normally, I spend 2 days whacking away at them with a weed eater.

The guy put his big Scat mowers on them and cut them in short order. He not only was cutting 2' high weeds, but was hauling butt the whole time. Sure was impressive, but I'm aware that he was probably using a $12K or higher machine. I'm not in the market for a $12K mower

 

[K man]

Well I own a RZ 4824 Husqvarna zero turn and love it. This is my 3rd season and the only complaint I had was the engine purging this year while idling till I change the fuel to a higher octane 91 and has been purring ever since. Other than that this machine does not rip up the grass when turning and I mow some steep hills and the machine is pretty stable but I still lean towards the incline. Give me another couple of years and we will see how I feel about my RZ.

 

[rgr33]

I bought an exmark in 2008, I use it in the yard, and the barnyard and orchard area, which is a fairly rough .never had a problem of any kind, starts easily, and is easy to work on when servicing, changing belts etc
Which ever way you decide to go, I wouldn't advise getting a box store model, or one that is on the small side, durability might be a problem.

 

[tk tom]

I'm impressed with the husky PZ ztr. Solid feel and great cut. Takes a lot to get the deck to bounce, it stays put. I leaned on a Deere 7-iron on the showroom floor and the deck shifted, lifted the opposite side up about 2" - I did not like that at all. For a deck with a step welded to it to stand on it shouldn't budge just leaning in it with one foot. I've seen a bunch of scags with frames cracked in the same place. Can't say anything about exmark they've all seemed really good. That's the brunt of the z's around here.

 

[2ndhalf]

Anyone have any occasion to compare Husqvarna's ZTR with Scat and/or Exmark?

3 mowers that are near commercial quality some would argue they are but they really are not full commercial quality. They are all around the $5k price point.
For a good near commercial quality mower check out:
The Gravely ZT HD .. I have one
Gravely ZT HD Lawn Mower | Zero Turn Mowers | Gravely

or Toro has one that is pretty good "Titan"
https://www.toro.com/en/homeowner/riding-mowers/titan-zx5400-74862

Lastly Hustler makes a near commercial quality mower Hustler Raptor SD
Raptor(R) SD | Hustler Zero-Turn Riding Mowers - Residential

 

[BoylermanCT]

My local dealer sells Husky and Hustler. I went in ready to buy a Husqvarna MZ52 and he talked me out of it in favor of a cheaper Hustler. Said quality was missing on the Husky mowers, and warranty work was often denied. I talked to his assemblers and his mechanics, and they all said Hustler was the better company. I also visited a Husky - Scag dealer, and he said the same thing about Husky. He dropped Husky and now sells only Stihl and Scag.

Of the 3 you are looking at, I would lean towards Scag. All the commercial guys around me go with them.

 

[2ndhalf]

My local dealer sells Husky and Hustler. I went in ready to buy a Husqvarna MZ52 and he talked me out of it in favor of a cheaper Hustler. Said quality was missing on the Husky mowers, and warranty work was often denied. I talked to his assemblers and his mechanics, and they all said Hustler was the better company. I also visited a Husky - Scag dealer, and he said the same thing about Husky. He dropped Husky and now sells only Stihl and Scag.

Of the 3 you are looking at, I would lean towards Scag. All the commercial guys around me go with them.

Did you get the Hustler if so which is it? I had a Hustler Mini Z for 6 years... liked it but it was only the 19hp so was a little underpowered.

 

[travlitt]

I'm impressed with the husky PZ ztr. Solid feel and great cut. Takes a lot to get the deck to bounce, it stays put. I leaned on a Deere 7-iron on the showroom floor and the deck shifted, lifted the opposite side up about 2" - I did not like that at all. For a deck with a step welded to it to stand on it shouldn't budge just leaning in it with one foot. I've seen a bunch of scags with frames cracked in the same place. Can't say anything about exmark they've all seemed really good. That's the brunt of the z's around here.

tk tom, where are you seeing the frames cracked on the scag and which model or are all of them cracked?

 

[BoylermanCT]

Did you get the Hustler if so which is it? I had a Hustler Mini Z for 6 years... liked it but it was only the 19hp so was a little underpowered.

I went with the Hustler Raptor SD. My budget was $4000-$4500. The Fastrak was the next step up at $5700. Nice mower for sure, but too steep for my wallet! My goal was to cut my mowing time in half, and the Raptor SD took me from 4 hours on my Craftsman lawn tractor to 2 hours.

 

[Clay45]

There are a number of good, really good zero-turn mowers available these days. While SCAG is a top choice I too would consider a Ferris with the 4-wheel independent suspension if looking today. Exmark, Kubota, and John Deere all offer solid equipment. I'm a firm believer in buying new, taking care of it myself, shopping around and making the best deal I can. Then live with my choice; make it work.

 

[tk tom]

tk tom, where are you seeing the frames cracked on the scag and which model or are all of them cracked?

It was on Turf Tigers. Left hand side about halfway back. Haven't seen one in a while, and this was approx. 6 years ago on machines that were between 500-1000hrs at the time and likely 5-10 years old.