ZTR purchase/second thoughts

[dirty hoe]

Anyone ever think about selling zero turn and going back to a regular style lawn mower?I like the maneuverability and quickness of the zero turn.But I like the way my old tractor cut the lawn.I have 4 acres of yard - No hills or trees.Any 2nd thoughts?

 

[gwjd]

if you run like 3/4 speed with high lift blades and keep them sharp the cut quality improves

 

[BotaBX24er]

I upgraded from a 42" tractor style to a 50" ztr. Cut my mowing time in half. However, with my 42" tractor style, I was able to use it for clearing underbrush, but quickly found out that the ztr didn't like that very much. I will most likely get a mmm for my bx24 but for right now I will be content with the time saved for mowing since I only cleared underbrush 2 times a year.

 

[Wacky]

I am in the process of selling my Gravely 148Z and buying a GC or BX to replace it with. I dont like the way it handles on steep ground like I have. I have to admit it is fast and leaves a great cut. Hope the one I buy with a MMM does the same..... minus the pucker factor on the hills:laughing:!!

 

[fredhargis]

My previous property was completely in the woods, and I bought a Dixon ztr to save time. But that's about the only reason I'd recommend to have a ZTR...when there are a lot of things to steer around. We've moved and my current property has very few trees, so I switched to a b2920 with a MMM to cut it. The seller wanted me to buy his 60" Grasshopper with the house, but I had decided not to to have another ztr.

 

[LBrown59]

A tractor will do 2 3 4 or more different task faster than a Z T R will.

 

[mow4fun]

I had a Simplicity Citation ZTR for few years, great cut, fast, and loved the controls. However, I do have slopes and it just got old after a while having to do the slopes with a trimming mower. If you have the right deck and blades then you can't beat the ZTR cut on flat property even if you have a lot of trees.

On the other hand, having the tractor has one main advantage for me, when I had the ZTR then I was the only driver and no one else was able to handle it in the family. Now it is different story with the tractor and get many more usages from it.

 

[davatk]

Anyone ever think about selling zero turn and going back to a regular style lawn mower?I like the maneuverability and quickness of the zero turn.But I like the way my old tractor cut the lawn.I have 4 acres of yard - No hills or trees.Any 2nd thoughts?

I just got a B series with a 60" MMM, but to be honest always wondered about a ZT for my yard. Anyhow, after using the new tractor and the 60" MMM I am convinced I made the right decision. Being the the tractor has HST and you are able to go into reverse so quickly (with the deck still running) you can get really close to stuff, and turn around on a dime.

My 2 cents.

 

[donn12]

If you have a commercial Ztr the cut should be much better (and faster). Try adjusting the pitch of the deck 1/4" lower in front and make sure tire pressure is all the same.

 

[Alan L.]

My Scag Wildcat ZTR will mow circles around the old RFM I used to have on my B2710, and prettier too. Plus, it doesn't bog down in thick grass as much as the tractor did. Go figure. No comparison for me. A tractor is a tractor that can also mow, a commercial ZTR is the best mower in my experience at least. Just not sure how a mid mount could match the cut quality for a particular speed, because it just won't have the blade tip speed a ZTR gets. Maybe it depends on the finish mower and the ZTR that are being compared.

 

[Grateful11]

ZTR's work fine for some people but if you have banks, slopes, hills, etc. I'd
stay away from them. We like the comfortable ride of our JD X720 and the
cut quality is excellent. It may not have the tip speed of a commercial mower
but it's plenty high enough to give us top notch cut. I see lots people with
flat lawns but obviously not very smooth bouncing on ZTR's like mad. If
I were to buy one it would have to have a suspension like a Ferris.

 

[RickB]

Anyone ever think about selling zero turn and going back to a regular style lawn mower?

Not even a ghost of a chance.

 

[628pm]

I have both, for mowing the yard the ZT is great (3 acres). I also use the ZT on another property I have that has hills, can use the ZT on the side of the hill that I would never use the B2620 on. But with that said, I use the B2620 alot around both sites, so I couldn't do without either at this time.

Bill

 

[Snowman9000]

Anyone ever think about selling zero turn and going back to a regular style lawn mower?I like the maneuverability and quickness of the zero turn.But I like the way my old tractor cut the lawn.I have 4 acres of yard - No hills or trees.Any 2nd thoughts?

I bought a nice Toro light commercial model 52" ZTR mower a few years ago. After 3 years or so I sold it and bought a 62" JD GT and I enjoy mowing much more with it. It rides better, it's quieter, it's more relaxing to mow because it doesn't need two hands at all times, and I got more covered with dust on the ZTR. I do not have a million things to trim around so with the extra 10" the mowing time did not hardly change.

Even if it did take longer, I'd rather have the comfort than the speed. If I was mowing for a living it would be a different story.

 

[Ken45101]

We feel that the ZT we bought last summer does a much better job than the mmm on the small tractor. My wife says the yard never looked as good.

For our situation, I spent too much time turning the tractor around, but then it was a bit big for our yard which has to be mowed in five different sections. Since we bought the ZT, we enlarged the yard!

We do have one hillside that was a bear to cut with either unit. This year, I'm ignoring it. It's out of sight from the house (too steep to see). I may cut it a couple of times during the year.

However, I do have to admit that I've never had the deck off of the tractor in the ten years I've had it (e.g. I've never sharpened the blades!)

Ken

 

[mow4fun]

I have the fine cut deck with mulch kit and the first 2 cust I did this season were not great. I then rebalanced the deck and adjusted it per manual, adjusted tire pressure according to manual, I now get much better cut and close to what I was getting with the ZTR. Deep deck, good balance, and sharp blades are key.

 

[Wesdor]

I hear what you are saying about hills. In my situation, I try to go UP the steep hills and NEVER go down them. You are correct on the pucker factor going down!

However, I wouldn't think about going back to a regular mower - the ZTR saves lots of time. In my case, I do have a regular garden tractor and bagger that can get into the areas too steep for the ZTR.

Bottom line for me is safety - don't try taking any machine on hills that are too steep for it.

Good thoughts on the ZTR pros and cons.

 

[Will_C]

If I could only have one machine, it would cetainly be a tractor-although several buddies use a ZTR and an ATV with a snowplow for their chores. I had a BX 2200 for 9 years and it did everything I asked of it, including doing a nice job mowing with the 60"MMM-better than I expected.

I bought a Toro commercial ZTR with a 52" deck two years ago- and for my mowing, there is no comparision. My time mowing my Mother's house went from an hour and half with the BX and a 21" push mower for trimming to an hour- with no trim mowing. The cut quality is better as well.

I also mow around 5 acres where I plan to build a home soon. The ZTR mows that in around 2.5 hours-ther are some rough sections. I sometimes use a 60" RFM behind my B2620 on that property-the same mowing takes a little over 3 hours with that set up.

Bottom line, if a ZTR will work on your property, and you can afford one-there is no substitute.

Will

 

[rglaser]

We have a Kubota zero-turn (ZD323) for mowing our 3.5-4 acre yard. It is flat so I can go pretty quick but some spots get pretty bumpy and I feel like I am tearing up the equipment so I slow down on these spots. My biggest complaints have to do with the steering method. It is sometimes annoying to have to use both hands all the time. It makes it difficult to scratch an itch, take a drink, remove the june bug that landed on my forehead, or anything else without stopping. The other thing which is getting better as I get used to it is that I initially had difficulty staying straight on the long runs. The tire lines in the yard looked like a drunk driver was doing the mowing but that is getting better with more experience. Definately requires more concentration than a steering wheel controlled mower. I think the ZTR is a better solution than having a MMM on our B2630 would be. But not as good as an F series would have been. Just my 2 cents...

-Rob

 

[jpaeye]

No way I would ever go back to a garden tractor from a ZTR. Have owned a TORO commercial 23 HP 52" deck in past to cut 3/4 acre yard. Overkill, yes, but I could cut it in 15 minutes and play ball with the kids. For me, it is all about the time savings. My experience is that the ZTRs also leave a better cut.

We recently moved to a home with 8.5 acres, about 7 of which is grass. I stepped up to a 36 HP diesel Dixie Chopper with a 74" deck. This thing is a tank, blows grass clippings and leaves 10-20 feet with X-blades installed, and never bogs down in heavy grass and leaves. It also does this for the most part at 15 MPH, except on the bumpy parts. No way a CUT could match the performance of this beast. I have a New Holland TC33D mainly for moving dirt, mulch, and snow, tilling, and blowing leaves in the Fall. The Goossen blower I have for the tractor acted up in the Fall and this ZTR did just as good a job (maybe better with the added maneuverability) than the tractor. I cut my 7 acres in about 50-60 minutes, again leaving me with time to spend with the kids. A CUT just would not be as maneuverable as my DC ZTR is, so again it would add time. The stance of the DC is so wide that it is very stable around the hills and pond on our property. I would never go back.