Zero turn mower thoughts

[Tx Bohemian]

So for the last month I've been having lawnmower issues, been getting a lot of suggestions from here!
Thanks fellas!!

Either I've been attempting to find parts (bagger) or having mechanical issues (hydro-lock, running bad, cutting bad) so the wife and I discussed it and came to the conclusion (or she did, probably to keep me from cussing about it) that I need a good new mower, and a Zero turn, with a bagger.
Right now I got 2- 42" cut craftsmans (not zeroturn) and a Swisher 60" toe-behind (yea, I ever heard of this either until I bought one off Craigslist).

My thought is I'll use the new one on the yard (3/4 acre) as it'll have the bagger for the "sandbur" infestation and keep the better craftsman (LT1000, manual shift) for the remaining lot (2 acre). The LT1000 does good pulling the Swisher tow-behind.

My question to ya'll is, what are ya'lls thoughts on Zero Turn mowers?
If you have one, what kind and how good does it do?
If it needed replacement, would you get the same, or something totally different?
Or what have you heard about different brands, good, bad, ugly, etc...?

This will probably turn out to be a discussion similar to "what type of oil do you use!" as a quick online search reveals MANY, MANY options.

[Reb]

I'll be the first to kick the hornets nest.

You really can't go wrong with a Zero Turn compared to a rider. They suck on wet ground and can be sketchy on hills. Regardless, the fast growth in the Z-turn market has a lot of companies entering the residential mowing world.

We see zero turn mowers stealing market share from riding mower every year. There are tons of brands out there, some cheap, some pricey, some are junk, some are good quality.

I'm trying my best not to be bias as an engineer for John Deere mowers, but from doing competitive tear downs, Toro is probably the best on the residential side for quality. Cub Cadet is the lowest
(Below $4000 market range)

I've never messed with Bad Boys, Gravely's, or Snappers - So I can't comment on them.

John Deere Z300's have some issues, but are also a good residential starter Zero turn. (Built in Greeneville TN) - but i'm not preaching on them.... no bias...

[Gavin_Sons]

My dad bought a snapper pro earlier this year and it is an awesome machine. It cuts the grass better at full speed than my husky does at barley creeping. I think i'll buy a snapper when mine finally dies. Buddy has a commercial john deer that he likes. I kinda like the Country Clippers just because of their pilot steer. 
More than likely i'll end up with the Snapper.

[michaelyoung254]

I have to agree with Reb on this one.

They absolutely SUCK on wet ground! I have a Kubota ZG-20 which is a GREAT mower overall, but once you get into anything wet, and especially soft and wet, it will go wherever it wants to go. I've had plenty of riding mowers over the years, and the zero-turn is by far the worst about getting stuck. Even in places that a regular mower would go right through without any problems.

If you don't have any areas where the ground may be soft or wet, you'll love it, but if you do, you may not care much for it.

[vanavyman]

I’ve owned a few lawn tractors. Ok performance but pretty boring. Picked up one of the Z3.. zero turn John Deere mowers and what a difference, easy to get on and off. Found them fun to drive, just needs to go faster. Now wish I’d soent a little more and gotten a faster one.
Dan

[old2soon]

   Contractor that cuts my neighbor ladies lawn has I believe 6' Dixie Chopper. Sorry I don't know the model#. My Church has a 5' Cub Cadet I believe powered by a Kawasaki V-twin that cuts better W F O than it duz at slower speeds. Again-don't know the model# but we-the Church-have had it awhile. Our local hardware store carries a brand I've Never heard of-World Lawn! 1 don't even Know where they are made. The used to have Husqvarna mowers. RIDE SAFE.

[hubcapsc]

We have a 15 yo  "almost zero" turn mower... a Husqvarna Rider, made
in Sweden. Here it is with the mower part swung up for blade changing...



I've always thought Dixie Choppers were awesome looking zero turns,
they don't have "residential grade" mowers, though... I was at a buddies house
a few days ago who was using his Dixie Chopper, and also at Home Depot
in the last couple of days and I looked at the ones there. The screaming
heavy-duty-ness of the Dixie Chopper was very apparent...



I didn't know about zero turns and getting stuck on wet ground...

-Mike

[JimmyG]

(Gavin:   I kinda like the Country Clippers just because of their pilot steer).

Love mine, so easy to use compared to them two row boat handles on conventional zero turns.  Like flying a stick by wire, it's so easy.  At first I was not sure, after one lawn, I am sold.  Had it two years now and it is a hoss when it comes to cutting at full speed.

[Leathel]

I have a Husqvarna Rider Bio 13 at my workshop, its old and dropped a valve seat (exhaust to close to the head and Long grass wasn't a good mix) I borrowed a couple of different center deck mowers while mine was out of action....hated them compared to my mower

 I repowered mine with a bigger OHV motor and shifted the exhaust and I love it....the old 12.5hp wasn't enough for long grass (My workshop lawns get neglected at times) but the 16hp laps it up even though its a mulch mower (no catcher & no throwing grass for miles)

down side of a front deck is there is less weight on the drive wheels so if you have steeper properties its not the best.... sloppy soft ground its not so sweet too

Plus side of mine is its hydro drive is so easy to control the speed and forward to reverse is seamless but I guess most newer mowers have that now??

[f6john]

I have a 61” Scag zero turn with a fuel injected Kohler, 27 hp. I got the Turf Tiger model which has the horizontal shaft engine which transfers power off the back of the motor to a shaft which attaches to a right angle gearbox that has a pulley that drives the blades. It has greasable bearings everywhere, especially important for the blade bearings. Nothing but good things to say about Scag and the FI Kohler. Had the mower for 3 years, mowing about 3 acres. I will probably buy again it I ever wear this one out, not likely.

[ptgb]

Toro MX5060 here. Have had it about 6 or 7 years. Just oil/filter changes and blades. Has never let me down and cuts great. Because of its reliability, I am completely sold on the Kawasaki engines (this one has a 23hp)

I did a ton of research and for the consumer grade stuff, you can't beat the Toro.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

We mow two acres, minus shop, house and small pond. Our 23 HP zero turn mower cut our mowing time in half compared to an equal HP traditional rider.

And, because of the speed, it's almost fun.

As mentioned hills suck, I slid ours into the road, under the barbwire and/or into the cattails numerous times until I put aggressive tread rear tires on it instead of turf tires. Now our hills aren't much of a problem although it will take a "divot out of the yard" occasionally. Who cares if I get off the damn thing in half the time.

[Binkie]

I have a Ferris 61” IS3100Z  zero turn with a big block 32hp engine. It has 4 wheel independent suspension and rides amazing. I mow 10 acres with it and I’m not beat to death. And this thing flat out does like 12-15mph which makes mowing my horse pasture less time consuming and fun. They aren’t cheap but if you want the best....go buy a Ferris.

[Jess Tolbirt]

I have a yazoo kees zero turn and i mow 2 acres in 40 minutes..its a 48 inch cut, if you have to go through gates dont get larger tan 48 unless its a double gate

[shape]

I have experience with Ferris mowers (from work), & they have been excellent. Ferris is what I see around the most in my area that business use. Dont know if they have a home owner line. We had a Dixie Chopper where I work and it wasn't the most dependable.  But that was about 10 years ago.

[fudgie]

Dad has a Grasshopper diesel, 65" deck I believe. Love it. low center of gravity so hills are no prob. But he paid more for it then I did my truck.

[Black Dog]

I'm just getting the hang of my new Gravely ZTX-52 (25 HP Kohler), after retiring my 14 year old Simplicity Broadmore (44 inch deck, and 16 HP Kohler).  The Simplicity is/was a great tractor/mower, but was getting a bit long in the tooth (gave it to my son, to use at his new home).

As usual, I researched a lot before my purchase, and really liked the Gravely...  Built like a tank, has a manufactured 52" deck (rather than stamped), and has reduced my cutting time by 1/3.  I have 2 acres (minus the house, 12'X16' shed, and driveway).  Used to take about 1 1/2 hours to cut, non stop, but I can do it in an hour now, and I'm still learning the ins and outs of a ZT     My oldest son makes it look easy, as he worked at golf courses for his summers in college, using the big industrial ZT mowers there.

As others have mentioned, things can get a bit squirrely on hills,  especially going down hill (ended up in the weeds a couple of times) .   I never cut the grass when it is wet, as cleaning the deck is a bitch! 

IMHO, the cut quality is very good, but not as pretty as the Simplicity (The Simplicity left nice stripes, because of the deck roller, not found on the Gravely)…  And once I become more used to the controls (and speed), I will probably have more good things to say about the Gravely.


Another plus for the Gravely, is the OTD price...  Almost $1000 less than the '18 model of the same Simplicity I retired  

Black Dog

[Oss]

enjoyed reading this thread I have a question
1st the story. it is brief

My yard is small, and my 15 yr old Toro deck has disintegrated to the point that duct tape will no longer help it keep its shape  It was noisy, but always started 1st time, never did maintenance other than once spark plug changed and blade sharpened back in 2010.  But always cleaned the bottom of the deck after each mowing.

So I got a new Toro self propelled (front drive 21") mower
252 incl tax from Lowes  Thought that was a great price,

After assembling it I mowed the lawn yesterday before the rain started (again) and it did a good job mulching and cutting.  Have any of you ever applied rustoleum to the underside of the deck to prevent corrosion before the 1st spring cuttings  or any other spray or brush on? and did it work over time

[Ramie]

I've had a Dixon for a number of years and love it.  Dixon was bought out by Husqvarna a couple years ago and my son has a smaller 30" and loves it.  If the ground is wet you just need to slow down your turns and they work fine.

[Jess from VA]

You can paint your deck (underside) if you want to, but the thing to do is clean it out from time to time, with the hose or the blower or both.  (like before you put it away)

[DIGGER]

I have a 60” cut Hustler that is 8 yrs old and doing great.   Heavy duty construction and metal.    Deck is guaranteed for life.   If bades are sharp will cut going fast.  Kinda bouncy when going fast but its a “I Recommend”.

[Tx Bohemian]

enjoyed reading this thread I have a question

Me too! I've enjoyed all of the comments and suggestions.
Once again the members here have come through for me!!

My yard is small, and my 15 yr old Toro deck has disintegrated to the point that duct tape will no longer help it keep its shape  It was noisy, but always started 1st time, never did maintenance other than once spark plug changed and blade sharpened back in 2010.  But always cleaned the bottom of the deck after each mowing.

A BLADE SHARPEN--BACK IN 2010!!!

HOLY SH!T!!!
I've got to sharpen mine after every couple of mowings!!
And after a couple of sharpenings it's time to replace them!!!  (I should buy stock in blade manufacturing cos)
My place has sandy soil complete with gopher mounds and in the back lot (and half of the yard) is nothing but weeds!

So I got a new Toro self propelled (front drive 21") mower
252 incl tax from Lowes  Thought that was a great price,

After assembling it I mowed the lawn yesterday before the rain started (again) and it did a good job mulching and cutting.  Have any of you ever applied rustoleum to the underside of the deck to prevent corrosion before the 1st spring cuttings  or any other spray or brush on? and did it work over time

All of my mower decks have no coating on them (bare metal), not sure if they ever did.
And imagining what is happening under the deck with the blades spinning chunking grass clippings, dirt, sand, etc... I wonder if anything would survive without being blasted off!
Would be a neat experiment with the Rustoleum.

[Jopson]

Dad has a Grasshopper diesel, 65" deck I believe. Love it. low center of gravity so hills are no prob. But he paid more for it then I did my truck.

We run a diesel Grasshopper mower, seems to be more robustly engineered like a piece of farm machinery than a residential mower. But you’re correct, they’re spendy, at least the diesels are.
If you’re only mowing a small yard, probably not worth the money, but we mow 4 large yards and all the landscaping at the Dairy with it so it was a worthwhile investment and has lasted much longer than the previous 3 ride-on garden tractors we bought.

[Steel cowboy]

I just picked up a 3 year old Gravely with a 54 inch deck and 160 hrs on it. After 2 John Deere tractors that had their transmissions go bad and decks rotting out, I started looking for a zero turn mower. I asked professional landscapers and Gravely got a good review. It has a fabricated deck not one of those stamped decks, it came with three blades and three spares. I've owned it about month now and I went from a little over an hour of cutting time down to 25 minutes. I like the forward visibility too, as stated earlier you can't turn it too fast on wet grass, it makes a mess.