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Any one have a bad boy zero turn

T

travelman50

Member
Thinking about getting one from TSC. I would like first hand info befor I spend $5000. on one. Gronnd isnt flat but the old MTD didnt have a problem with it either just getting old and wore out like me. Thanks in advance
 
I can't say that I've seen a bad boy. I have a woods mower that has a front mounted deck. It gets better traction on our hill than a mid mounted deck mower does. The reason I know this is because I borrowed a larger mid mount mower to mow my lawn in thoughts of maybe buying it from the dealer. It was a used one. I got absolutely no traction on our hill and doing a 180° turn it would just sit and spin with the turf tires. I'll go with a front mounted deck and with lug tires any day.
 
Buy a Ferris, with 4w independant suspension. rides like a dream and better traction than others. You can go hog wild and even get it equiped with a CAT diesel. Google Ferris Mowers. Their built rite here in Upstate NY.
Loren, the Acg.
 
Ever been to their plant Loren? My buddy is the Ferris king in Auburn, where I used to work. He arranged a tour for himself and me a few years back. Really neat how they made use of that "old" school.
Then I went on up to Holland Patent and bought a locally made pressure washer! It was a good trip.
Bob
 
I asked the same questions a few years ago. Might be able to find the discussion in the archives. It has come up a few times and general discussion is relatively positive with the downside that they are sold by TSC.

I stop and look at the display at my TSC and it has to have the heaviest looking deck I have seen.

I am still looking for the best deal and nursing my Cub Cadet along.

Kirk
 
Better to spend that kind of money on a name brand,grasshopper,deere etc.Those off brands that tsc sells will loose about half there value with one mowing.Tsc might not be selling them next year.Parts would have to be special ordered to,so it might be down for a week if something happened.
 
Check Amazon; bought a 60 inch Swisher about 6 years ago for less than 4,000 bucks delivered to my driveway; love it...........
 
I had to go small for my Indy yard. I bought the Snapper 33 inch, as opposed to the Toro, because it was a foot shorter in length. HUGE dissapointment in the quality with the blade box raising hooks installed backwards and with it not charging when I first got it. The 2 headlights stuck out too far and got nailed by the corner of the mini-barn. Cut quality is just fair.
 
Bad Boy has a lawsuit pending against them at the moment in SC. lady get off of it and it then promptly ran her over. Something about them not having a safety cutoff going to the engine when you dismount.
 
I must say I am a dyed in the wool red tractor fan. However, in the lawn mower line go get the biggest john Deere you can afford. Do not buy at the box stores -- get a true jd. It will cost you up front--but in the long run you will be ahead.
 
Add a little to your budget and get a real professional mower. I looked at the TSC mowers, not in the same class as Hustler, which I bought. Another best brand is the Scag. I looked at Deere, Grasshopper, Dixie, etc. etc. Hustler and Scag are the top of the line. Tom
 
That's right, I had forgotten about that. We used to make regular trips into Syracuse to the various distributors for loads of machinery. I recall going on out to the Oneida/Vernon area and picking up feed carts, etc.
 
My advice, if you are buying a zero turn, buy a true commercial model.

I have a 72" Ferris gas model. Very well built. One reason I bought the Ferris it has 4 wheel independent suspension. I can run a full 12mph cutting grass. Having severely broke my tailbone a few years back, I need all the cushion I can.

There are other commercial mowers, Scag is good, Toro, etc.

I have heard nothing but horror stories from people that buy a smaller zero turn and expect to mow more than a postage stamp lawn. Blown pumps or hydraulic motors cost big money fast.

You didnt say how much you would be mowing, that makes a big difference in what to look for.

Rick
 
In central Indiana, the commercial guys run Dixie Chopper which is built near Greencastle, Indiana. They have their commercial line and have brought back the consumer line which starts at 42 inch. A neighbor had a 1988 model he had to junk last year. That machine had heavy use for 25 years. Very rugged and very fast. The cop in Clermont clocked him at 17mph on the street once!!
 
Mine likes to spin on wet grass and can be a little hard to steer until you are used to it. Have problem with the safety switchs holding position, would not crank, finally got annoyed enough to just hang my push button starter on it. Has more deck rock in the dips and valleys than I like. I mow about 100x200' and do some edging on the 4 acre lawn, which I mow with Case 430 and 6' back mower. Best thing i did was put sunken wall around well and fire pit so edge of mower can pass over without getting too close. Gonnna do the same thing to th trees this summer. If I was doing all 4 acres I'd buy a Scag.
 
Not sure how set you are on new, but you may be able to get a good deal from a local commercial guy who is turning over his fleet. Obviously you'll want one that's not beat to death - maybe focus on a small operation where the owner ran the equipment.

Several years ago I was able to get a great deal (free)on a commercial walk behind from a guy I knew. It needed some minor work to get it operational and overall cost me about $400 and some of my time. But I didn't just fix it either - I replaced a lot of wear items that may or may not have needed it, etc. so I would have something reliable. I mow a few acres of hills and trees with it - been great.

Good luck.

Tony
 
A friend has one he has had for 3 or 4 years. He brought it TSC. His wife runs its and mowers about a 4 acre yard with it. Their yard always looks good and he seems happy with it. Although he is a engineer and likes to work on things. But I don't know if hes had to work on that much.
 
Had to verify beforeI posted, but my little brother had one, bought at a local dealer, not TSC. But anyways, it gave hime quite a few problems, mostly minor things like bolts breaking, belts wearing too fast, etc. Finally dealer agreed to take it back with like 14 hours on it, gave him another one, and it has been fine with about 9 hours on it. He also had a Husqevarna with was a pile of junk from day one. One transmission went out with an hour, deck mounts kept breaking, several other problems. Ive got a Cub Cadet Commercial that Ive had since 06, and other than belts wearing, and a battery and those goofy gauge wheels on the deck, Ive had 0 problems with it.
 
I have a 2007 Bad Boy model ZT. 26 HP Briggs, 60" cut. Bought it new at TSC. Mow my very hilly 2 acre lawn and around every barn(4) and building every week. I also mow the very rough edges of a half mile driveway.

I have changed the oil and fiter every year.

I have never had it repaired in any way. Never been off the farm since I bought it. Only sharpened the blades a couple times. Original battery, original tires. Cuts great. Love the electric mowing height adjustment. The deck is very heavy duty, and that impressed me.

Mows around trees very easily, and I have lots of trees.

But, It is a zero turn mower and they ride rough. Oh my achn' back. I am going to install a spring ride seat this year.
 
Buddy has one with a 60" deck.. He loves it. I mowed his place with it when he messed up his back. I liked it. Does ride rough and took me awhile to get used to turning and going without ripping up the grass..
 
A fella I work with wants one of those real bad. But he doesnt have $5000 to get it.
He says they are the heaviest duty zero turn for the money.
 
Before I bought my Kubota Zero-Turn, I checked out many machines. I liked the Bad Boy but didn't like the fact that the spindles were not greasable.
 
I have a 50" Cub Cadet and a 48" Husqevarna.
No problems with either one but I like the Cub Cadet better because the front axle pivots the
Husqevarna does not the Cub Cadet is better on uneven ground. The Husqevarna will spin easy with front wheels attached to the frame and no pivoting.
 
So what is your point?? I got a letter very similar to that when I was a General Contractor. Two man crew, me and my first cousin. We didn't have paperwork showing that we were properly trained to operate man lifts, and to erect Bill Jacks, plus a leadcord infraction. $750.00 a pop. BS in my opinion. We disputed it and got it reduced to $250 total. A workers portable radio chord could have trigered the citation.
Loren, the Acg.
 
I purch a Bad Boy Pup, in May 2010,it is a 48" w/23 HP B&S. I am satisfied with it, but I have no experience with other brands.

My reason for purchasing a Bad Boy was it appeared to be built of heavier materials than most.

The only problem was an idler pulley bearing failure. Purch bearing, removed rivets and used mach screws to replace rivets, then find TSC has replacement pulleys at near the same cost of the bearing.
 
I was in the market for a Ferris 2 years ago..I called a few dealers around and one dealer said he was out of ferris but he had 2 Snapper Pro's he would deal on. They are made in the same plant that the Ferris is. I checked it out and everything checked out as I was told. The Snapper Pro I bought does not have a front axle that swivels like the Ferris, keeping all 4 wheels on the ground..do you need to keep all 4 wheels on the ground? I don't think so..the front wheels only swivel around and don't steer..no need to have them both on the ground..if I am in an area that isn't flat and it performs like a 3 wheeler..who cares? I haven't had any issues with it...wide open and with the sticks full forward, it will not leave 1 blade of grass uncut..it runs about 8MPH. I have the smallest model with a 48" mower 27 HP...really heavy deck and spindles..to take the blades off, I use a 15/16 wrench..really heavy duty. This unit cut my time in 1/2 from my Farmall A with 60" Woods belly mount. Now if you go any less..like a normal Snapper, Husquvarna, Ariens, John Deere, Simplicity, Toro, ...many many brand names are all made by MTD....and my thoughts on MTD can't be posted here because the post will go POOF!! Whatever you buy, make sure you know who makes it!! Check to see what brand and model of hydrostatic drives are used and research that..most use hydro-gear..check out the link I am posting and read up on that..very pricey to replace if needed so know what you are getting!
Hydro Gear
 
I have a Hustler and can count a total of 5 owned by 4 families within 1/4 mile on my road. My brother and one neighbor has probably owned 8 between them in the last 6 years. Mine is a Super Z has over 600 hours. I have replace idler pulley bearings and that is all.
 
I bought mine from TSC for $4000. It was the previous years model & they could not get new models til they sold out of last years models, so they wanted to get rid of this one. Hurt my wallet but a real deal. Made my life a lot easier. However, ANY slope is too much! Had to use a 2x4 couple times when I got against my brick wall to pry it down to level ground. Buddy had to use his 4wd p-up to pull his up when in went down against his house. Can mow all my yard except strip as wide as the mower against that wall. Still, its worth it. Just resist the temptation to mow that little strip & life is much easier with the BB. If in doubt about the slope in your yard, hire someone to mow it & watch how they do. Cheap lesson.
 
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