OT: Zero Turn advise

Money Pit

Member
been trying some options for quicker lawn mowing. got a finish mower to use behind the naa thinking it would go quick. surprise was I can get it done in about the same time using the smaller lawn tractor with a smaller deck. seems I lose more time swingine the naa mower to get everything cut. just not nimble enough end up recutting a lot of areas. not enough wide open sections to make it worth it. made me think a zero turn would make for less wasted time. would like to get the best checkbook says no. been checking out used ones

opnions wanted on brands. Dixon. gravely. toro. simplicity. others? things to look for? look out for?

thanks as always.
 
Got a used Lesco Z Two 60" (commercial zero turn) and cut our mowing time down from a couple of days to just a few hours. It is amazing how much time they save. I ended up selling the 6' finish mower I used to pull behind the N.

DO NOT buy a box store mower. They are pure junk. If you can't afford a new commercial mower, look for a used one on Craigslist. It will probably need some work, but parts are always available for them and you'll be money (and time) ahead in the long run.
 
i have a cub cadet that i use to cut my grass(weeds). works for me, but a commercial one would be way better. mine is 8 yr old and never had any problems, except when my wife hit a large rock and i had to replace the mowing deck!
 
You were fortunate you could replace the deck. John Deere, on my 185, said the deck was obsolete. Everything else was fine, the Hydrostat, even the headlights worked. I use the 'lawn tractor' now to pull a trailer. I finally got 'smart' and bought a 'bad boy' zero turn that is built more stout than ANY other I've looked at. 1/4" deck means that I'll never need to replace it.
 
I don't know how many acres you mow nor how much time you have to do so, but the trade off between mowing quality, mowing time, and cost will likely point you in the right direction. We moved to a rural, suburban location 14 years ago; I splurged on a commercial mower, a Walker made in Ft. Collins, CO. I wanted to keep my lawn looking good but didn't want to be a slave to it every week during the growing season. With a 62" front, side discharge deck, a 20hp Kohler twin engine, and zero turn hydrostatic drive, it has proven itself many times over. I would also second the comment made about box store mowers. They are built to a price point and you get what you pay for. Understand that a JD purchased from Lowes or HD is not the same quality as a JD mower purchased from an ag dealer.

Our platted lot is 3 acres, about 27 trees to mow under and around, and wetter than normal as the water migrates to the pond that sits below the yard. I can mow it in 2 1/4 hours. In addition to this lawn, I mow the road ditch, a walking path around a 20 acre parcel, back sides on two dams and a couple of picnic spots. The ztr feature eliminates those large graceful turns required with other mowers; the ground speed is faster than most belly mowers; the front deck allows me to mow under bushes without getting my face in the way. With the seat directly over the drive tires, I have more traction than a belly mower design and can often get into my yard a day or two ahead of the neighbors with belly mowers after a rain. Mowing quality is excellent as long as I keep the blades sharp, and it is one of the better 'striping' mowers on the market which I like. The seat height is lower than any other mower that I've seen allowing me to mow under lower overhanging branches and providing a lower center of gravity. With less tip over risk, I'm comfortable mowing the back sides of my dam. The deck tilts up for easy access to the 3 blades and the belt turning those blades can be replaced without a major mechanical teardown.

The Walker has just over 1,000 hours on it; I've replaced belts once, battery once, on my 2nd set of blades, and just replaced a throttle cable. Other than that, I've changed oil, filter, and given it plenty of grease in all 18 zerks. No cracked deck, no broken wheel spindles, and little oil consumption. I would buy another in a heart beat but don't think I'll need to. By the time this one gives out, I'll be too old to climb on to it or stay in the seat! One last comment regarding directional controls which is a big difference with other ztr brands. The Walker has finger tip control, and only 2 or 3 fingers at that. My hand rests on my leg and steering is done with the first 2 fingers. Ground speed is set with the cruise control lever; no need to keep my other hand on it once set. So, I can wave at my neighbors while mowing but they can't wave back because their machines require two hands for operation. I can even drink a cold bravo if I chose to drink and drive!
 
I've used Woods and Grasshopper zero turn mowers for years,I like the deck out front more than the mid mounts,I would stick with a Kohler engine if possible,you will cut your mowing time about in half with any zero turn you purchase.
 
ive watched guys work these zero turns around the area, while they are capable of mowing faster than the typical lawn rider, that depends on the ground they are running on, most lawns around here are not table top smooth , and to crank up the speed they need to be, otherwise the operator will just bounce around as will the mower and the lawn will look like a drunk got at it with a weed eater , if the lawn isnt smooth there is little time saved over a conventional mower
 

I have a gravely Z260 60" deck with a 25HP kawasaki its been pertneer trouble free for 15 years, I would highly recommend a kawasaki engine. I may not buy another Gravely. The reason I went with the Gravely is it had a suspension seat and hydraulic deck lift for less money. I have never been 100% satisfied with the cut mainly because I demo a Toro the toro would cut circles around it with a 19HP engine. I thought the mowers were all the same the toro at that time had a faster blade tip speed.

I went a few weeks ago to trade are buy a new Bota diesel mower I asked how much and the guy said 15K.... I went back to the house and jumped on my old Gravely it runs like a million bucks :D

It cut my mowing time in haft along with the fuel bill also... I do all the trim work around the house with a old rider because a 60" deck on a ZERO turn will not nice finish work as good as the old rider... I have a long raised drive and a hill beside the shop the Gravely does a nasty job on those hills...

The bad,,, a zero turn will beat you to death (mowing wide arse open at 9MPH has nuttin to do with it :roll: ) He He...
 
My son has a John Deere 900 series commercial mower,
Great machine, not a toy, large low profile rear tires, so it rides as good as one of these mowers is going to ride,
Note to the wise, negotiate the best seat available when purchasing the machine,

These machines mow fast, once you get use to it you will like it, his is build like a tank,
No problems with it,
On a John Deere, the yellow deck is a lawn mower, the green deck is a commercial mower!!!!!!!!!!
 
I always thought I would like the deck out front, easy to mow under bushes,
But my friend said you got more dust and dirt from a front deck mower and it was longer, so not as maneuverable,

I do not know as I never used one, but would sure like to try one someday over my old lawn tractor mower,
 
I will agree with you! Bought a 930m last summer and cut our mowing time in less than half. Your right it's a tank but it will sure mow fast!
 
Exactly the reason my yard does not qualify for a zero turn..AND several yrs ago had a guy cutting my yard and he had a zt as all lawn business folks do ---when lawn was dry or sorta dry and he cut it, it stirred up dust like a hurricane---everything would be covered with dust..high rpms on the blade is how they can travel fast-while at the same time stirring up a dust storm..No ZT for me...
 
I've thought about getting a used ZTR here recently as I've started my own lawn business but out in our area the lawns are pretty rough terrain and I've wondered how they would handle that. Also, a lot of the grass that I cut is way over grown and I've wondered how they would handle the high grass.

Of the ZTRs you all have tried, has it handled over grown grass very well? If you've used it on that.
 
I bought a used Toro commercial ZTR mower with a vacuum
powered, dump from the seat bagger unit and front weights
for $1400 several years ago.
I sold my finish mower as soon as I learned how to use it!

It cut my mowing time to less than half and I don't have to
mow at full speed to do that. The maneuverability is the key.
No backing up to go around trees, bushes, house corners, etc.

If you run it at full speed it can be a rough ride, that's for sure.
But you don't have to run it at full speed to save time and money.
If you mow hills, you may want a steering kit for the front
caster wheels. Basically foot pedals you use to hold them straight.

Mine has a Kawasaki 23HP engine in it, 52 inch deck.
I'm going to need to re-ring that engine soon or replace it.
Hour meter quit at about 1350 hours but I don't know how
many years before I bought it that the hour meter quit. :shock:
 
Money Pit,I got my first Dixon ZTR 42" mower back in 1974 and really liked it,used it for 15 years.Just replaced some belts and blades over the years,no major problems.Got a Dixon 502 50" in 1989 and up graded to a Dixon 6022 60" in 1995 and still use it some today,all have been great mowers.Last year got a hair and bought a new 60" 26 HP Kohler Bad Boy cause the old Dixon was getting old.Looked a lot of ZTR mowers out there on the market.I was impressed with the Bad Boy the most heavy built machine and easy to get at as for as maintenance belts,blades oil changes,electric lift deck.It mows great and plenty of power to cut tall stuff.ps I hope it is never a Money Pit! lol
 
Buy the best you can afford, meaning do not do what I did with my last zero turn. I went to Home Depot, and bought a homeowner grade Toro with a junk Kohler Courage engine. Run far from a Kohler Courage. After about 5 years, the mower was absolute junk engine and all. I went to a Gravely with a Kawasaki engine, and am very happy with it. Not a full commercial, but close as the only difference was seat, no ROPS, and slightly smaller tires, but same deck, and engine as the commercial mowers, just $1000 less money. I highly recommend the Kawasaki commercial engine. Take me about 3 hours to mow, and my yard is what used to be a cow pasture, so it is not smooth, and a bumpy ride, but none of the big box store mowers will hold up for me.
 
Not sure where you are - these are kind of regional. They are built here in Kansas. I have two. The one that I use most is a 60 inch cut and is a 1983 model. The thing still functions like new after all of these years.
Deines mowers
 
I had a Country Clipper. 25hp, 60" deck with joystick control. Tried out ALL other brands with twin stick controls. Joystick won hands down. Mowed 3.3 acres in 1hr 45 mins. Try one out before you buy anything else. Built like a tank!
 
thanks to everyone for the input. this gang is just great! relly helps with the shared expirince saves me some time. and points out stuff I wouldn't have thought of. until maybe too late.
 
Been reading this thread with interest, as I have a decision to make. I bought a ten-year-old commercial Toro ZTR150 52" at auction some 5-6 years ago, and after putting maybe $800 of parts in it (clutch and a couple spindles), it's been a great mower. It supposedly retailed for $10 grand new.

However, the Kohler Command 20 is tired and smokey now (requires oil after every mowing), and toward the end of last season, the hydraulics developed a bad leak, to the point where it dumps the full tank of hydro oil before I can finish cutting the yard. So it's been laid up since last year (I have a Kubota rider I've been using since, but it takes 50-70% longer to mow with it).

I really don't have bandwidth to rebuild the engine (work schedule is unreal this year), and it looks like a new replacement will run $1500-2000. Depending on what I find with the hydraulics, I could be looking at a $2500-4000 bill to get it going again, which is well on the way to being able to replace with a new "semi-commercial" unit (looks like $4-5K to get something reasonably well-built).

I won't make a decision until I at least find out what the hydraulic issue is, but any thoughts and suggestions from you all would be welcome. It's mighty tempting to just buy a new unit and move on - I'm at a point where my time is precious, and paying extra to avoid another project has some value.

es
 
(quoted from post at 08:55:40 04/29/16) thanks to everyone for the input. this gang is just great! relly helps with the shared expirince saves me some time. and points out stuff I wouldn't have thought of. until maybe too late.

i'll second this. i have a lot of areas i can't mow tih the N, plenty of stuff planted in lawn that has to be mowed around. i was leaning toward getting a ZTR to replace Ol' Smoky - my 25 year old craftsman riding mower with a 17.5 intek engine with a blown head gasket (the original engine died when one of the rod bolts worked its way out, but still lasted way longer than this piece of...).

but my lawn isn't smooth in most spots, and is very dusty when the weather's dry. gonna rethink this and tear into Ol' Smoky and fix him, i think.
 
(quoted from post at 07:39:58 04/28/16) been trying some options for quicker lawn mowing. got a finish mower to use behind the naa thinking it would go quick. surprise was I can get it done in about the same time using the smaller lawn tractor with a smaller deck. seems I lose more time swingine the naa mower to get everything cut. just not nimble enough end up recutting a lot of areas. not enough wide open sections to make it worth it. made me think a zero turn would make for less wasted time. would like to get the best checkbook says no. been checking out used ones

opnions wanted on brands. Dixon. gravely. toro. simplicity. others? things to look for? look out for?

thanks as always.

Anything with independent wheel motors and a diesel engine.

TOH
 
I have an old cub cadet 126 gear drive (when they made them like a little tractor) and you can't beat it and makes zeros look like junk. Wish they still made them like that, I had the largest mowing company in town when no one wanted to do it and I had another 126 that was the work horse that put me through college. The zeros are ok if you want to have the yard look ok but if you want it to look like a manicured lawn get an old cub cadet or an old John Deere(those made in the 70's) refurbish it (you can get all of the parts) and make a picture perfect yard. Zeros are ok for mowing large pasture areas fast and that is the key --- fast. When MTD took over the lawn mowers (Cub Cadets, John Deere, etc) they have accountants running things - only look at the bottom line and don't look at practicality and don't make them to last either - more corporate greed and planned obsolescence.
 
You want a commercial built unit for large yards. Commercial Dixions are good. The residential Dixions are junk.

I know a guy with three residential Toro's. One only a year old. I have already had to patch the deck. The deck is very weak on the Toro.


Stay away from anything that says CRAFTSMAN.

exmark is a good heavy machine.
 

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