Zero turns

[bottomdweller]

Looking for one for next spring, I have about two acres to mow, which mowers do you think rank up towards the top as far as dependability, comfort, and price? thanks.

[lawdog]

I have a Dixon Ram 50 and its a good machine. Hasn't given me any problems. One thing on the zero turns you have to be real aware of though is turning too sharp. I still tear up some grass everytime I mow if I'm in the slightest hurrry. I really don't like that part of a Zero Turn mower...

[Eric Wettschreck]

I have an Ariens 1540. Anything you have in the cupholder will be foam in the first 2 seconds the ride is so rough. Belts are also hard to find. Having said all that, it mows real nice. I mow about 2 acres with some trees and I can knock it out in aboot 2 hours.

[clam up]

I picked up a Cub RZT42 earlier this year. I'm happy with it so far, although I have some hilly terrain in my yard and it took some thought to mow without tearing up the yard. I managed to get the dealer to throw an upgraded seat on there though as the original was junk. 1.5 acres in about 1.5hrs.

[Down2Earth]

If money isn't the object I would first go with a Woods. Second I would go with an Exmark laser, toro Zmaster, John Deere Ztrack. I would stay away from anything you can buy at home depot if dependability is an issue. The Dixon Mowers are also very low quality. They use a cone shaped rubber pice on each lever to engage the drive wheels. As time goes by the rubber cones wear out at different intervals. Soon to drive in a straight line the 2 handles don't line up anymore. They have cheap decks, spindles, and bearings in the deck. They usually have cheaper made frames also. I'm not saying they don't do an ok job when they are working, but if you want something to last with a lawn mower you usually get what you pay for.

[lawdog]

I don't think Dixon has used the cones for several years, at least not on the higher end residential/commercial units. When I bought a weed sprayer the guy asked if it was an older Dixon with the cones then he wouldn't want me pulling anything.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Quote:

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Looking for one for next spring, I have about two acres to mow, which mowers do you think rank up towards the top as far as dependability, comfort, and price? thanks.

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Bottom - here's how I would look at it from a private (non-commercial) point of view, from my 19 years experience in this field.

I've personally run Snapper commercial units, Toro, John Deere, Ferris, Kubota and Exmark. I've run those units because there's dealers in my area.

This is the number one choice when it comes to my preference. Most commercial guys may buy on price alone, but with myself, I prefer dealer accesability my number one reason.

If you're someone that's handy and comfortable with tearing down a piece of equipment, fixing it yourself, then this probably isn't as much of a concern.

If that's not a concern, then I would go for comfort, as with only doing your own property, you're probably not as concerned about productivity as one is that's doing commercial mowing.

By FAR the best mower on the market as far as comfort is the Ferris with indepedent suspension, whether the smaller models (1000 series) with just 2 wheel suspension, or the higher models (2,3,4,5000 series) with 4 wheel independent suspension. Obviously, if you have independent suspension it's going to be more comfortable than a fixed framed unit.

Kubota has a front axle that floats, so that helps somewhat. Hustler has front forks that 'flex'. I've never been on a Hustler, so I can't say how well those work. Most other models will either have a suspension seat that's standard, or at least an option, but none of these compare to the I.S. of the Ferris.

As far as cut quality, the industry had pretty much been set on Exmark for years. However, as with most things in a free market, other companies have to improve their quality or end up losing market share.

As far as your own property, truthfully, you're probably not going to notice much of a difference from one brand of ZTR to another. In fact, you could take a mower that makes our property look like dump, and raise / lower the deck 1/4-1/2" one direction or the other, and your property will have never looked as good.

I try not to raise or lower the height of cut on my mower too much, or you end up cutting 1/2 of a yard before you remember, and at that point it's too late, especially if you're a 1/2" short. Anyways, whichever mower you decide on, if it doesn't look that great the first time or two, try raising the deck 1/4".

Usually what happens is the deck isn't exactly set up the same height as what the 'dial' or setting on the deck says you're cutting at. For example, I used to have 3 mowers, and all 3 had different settings to cut at 3". One was at 3", one was at 3.25, and one was at 3.75, and only then would they all cut approximately the same height.

If you're looking new, personally I'd stay away from anything that's homeowner-ish, and you can look at them and know what I'm talking about.

If I were in the private sector, I'd have no fears about purchasing something used from a commercial outfit. You can usually look at a piece of machinery and know if it's been completely used and abused or not.

If it's something used, a good high end ZTR with 1000 hours or so on it will go for about $4,000-5,000. I know that last year a Ferris ZTR with the 4 wheel IS that I traded in sold for $4,500. It had 6xx hours on it. Something like that would last a homeowner for the rest of the life of that house, with zero repair costs.

Figure you're going to cut your 2 acres in about an hour. Even at 2 hours, that's only 40 hours / year. Most commercial units are used 40 hours / week, and if the unit is traded, it's traded every 2-3 years. Normally you'll have about 600 hours / year, maybe up to 1000.

This means at your 40 hours / year, that you'd have to mow 50 years to equal the life expectancy of that mower at about 3000 hours, 6000 if you were to buy a diesel.

If you wanted to save some money, and not care about walking, I'd look into a commercial walk behind unit. Truthfully there's not much of a market for used ones, so when they're sold / traded, they go for pretty cheap, usually around $1000-1500.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Quote:

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I have a Dixon Ram 50 and its a good machine. Hasn't given me any problems. One thing on the zero turns you have to be real aware of though is turning too sharp. I still tear up some grass everytime I mow if I'm in the slightest hurrry. I really don't like that part of a Zero Turn mower...

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lawdog -

Do you just let the inside wheel stop dead when you turn?? Or do you do a 3 point turn??

[ScoutII]

EverRide has a zero-turn. The deck is well built, cuts clean, and lifetime deck shell warranty. This is a well built mower with a full suspenion seat and C-channel frame. If it isn't out of your price range you might find it to be a quality mower. I believe they sell for around $8,000 in a 60".

[bottomdweller]

Thanks everybody for the input. Lawnmwnman2, great read.

[luckey]

This spring I bought a Sears Craftsman ZTS 7500 24HP 50" deck for around $3000. I sat on and played with a number of models before selecting this one. You probable want to get one that feels comfortable to you. A few things I liked about the Craftsman are. 1. Comfortable seat. 2. Arm rests. 3. Adjustable control levers. 4. Solid feel to the control levers. (on some models the levers seem to be quite flimsy. 5. Independent front alex. (allows for smoother ride. 6. Electronic deck height adjustment. (Fun to play with but I don't think I use it much but it makes for less cluttered foot area.

I cut about 1.5 acres in about 1.5 hours. Like others said It's a blast cutting but there are some draw backs. You must go up and down on a hill and you will tear up some lawn if you are in a hurry. But it usually grows back. lol

Good luck on your search.

[Shack]

Do not forget about Simplicity!

I have owned one now for over a year and love it!

[griz29]

I just bought a John Deere Z track from home depot got a great buy on it and would do it again the only major diference in the home depot model is it comes with a briggs instead of a Kawasaki - My brother in law and father in law both run the Hustlers Awsome machine great speed well built life time deck and Honda motor but about double what I paid. If my lawn was as big as my father in laws then I could justify spending the extra money, I just wanted a machine that could cut better than a regualar rider and go around the obsticles in the lawn before I would spend an hour or better pushing or 45 min on the old yard man now it takes 15-20 mins and no weed whip. If your going to buy one make sure it has dual hydros and a good deck engagement system.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Bottom and others.....

Yes, most of the commercial grade mowers are the same once you get rid of the color schemes.

The reasons you'll see a certain brand on a trailer as opposed to others are most likely dealers.

Obviously in this market (Minnesota) Toro has a hold because they're here, hometown. Exmark nationwide has a hold because they have the highest marks in the past as far as cut quality.

You'll see John Deere because guys bleed green.

I'm just generalizing here, so please don't be offended anyone.

If you're going to buy used / from a big box store / NOT from the dealer, take this winter and scope out the dealers in your area. Feel them out as far as the salesmen go. Talk to the shop foreman if you can, tell him you're thinking about a certain mower.

Once you get whatever brand you buy, parts and service are your number one priority, IF you need them. You don't want to have to drop it off at a small engine place where it's going to take 4 weeks for the guy to trouble shoot the mower, order the part, and get the machine fixed.

NOT that all small engine places are like that.

If you're not worried about that, OR check out a local dealer and ask them if they've got commercial cutters that will mow your yard when your machine is in the shop.

[Shack]

LM2,

Good points!

The biggest reason I went with simplicity is because Marvs True value and repair shop (big shop) is only minutes away! Also if you are nice and bought machine there, they will pick it up with a little BSing with them. That goes a long way with me. Not to mention Simplicity has the best cut out there right now . Just had to poke that in there!