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Zero Turn Mowers- Good, Bad, Expensive....

I hate mowing. Like, id rather get a prostate exam instead of mowing. 15 years ago I had an old ford rider. Looked neat, never worked. It would ALWAYS breakdown while mowing. One night after work while mowing, it quit. Right in the front yard. I told the wife that was it and the next day on my route I stopped in the deere store and bought a new rider. It had hydro and power steering. Nice mower. Used it about 100 hours and my shop burned down. Lost everything including the mower. So I went back to the deere store, this time spending AMFAMs money and was told that the rider I had was more expensive now and I would be better off with a zero turn. So I bought a 655(I think). 24 hp, 6some" deck and the moto "its not how fast you mow, its how well you mow fast". That was in '14. I have done nothing but haul ass and mow with it. Change the oil once a year, swap out a sharpened set of blades and beat on it. Beat on it, as fast as it will go, ALL.THE.TIME. I couldn't recommend one more highly. ymmv :laughing:

Used to take 2 hours to mow the lot here, now I can do it in 45 minutes. About the same at home 2-2.5 hours and reduced it 40 minutes. Get that time back in your life and buy a good zero turn. You won't regret it.
 
Almost 15 years ago I bought a 72" X-Mark commercial zero turn. Went in half on it with my good buddy who lives next door. We mow about 7 acres combined. We put about as many hours a year on as a mowing crew would in a week. Last year was the first time it gave us any trouble, had to replace PTO clutch.
 
Austin said:
I cut 3.5 acres .... house came with an entry level Dixie Chopper.... it didn't cut that great and was weak. Judging by the burnouts in the shop the idiot PO abused it. Replaced it with a 60" diesel powered Grasshopper. I cut the grass in about 1.5 hrs and get nearly 3 cuts from a 5 gallon tank. I love it.
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Paragon said:
I have a diesel kubota zd60 down at the farm. 20yo versions run about $5k best I can tell. With Oregon gator blades I cut a shitload of grass in an hour. It cuts everything while hauling ass
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My experience is with these 2....kubota has a sweet crank feature that raised canted the front wheels to clean the deck...fabicated deck....that thing would haul and never bog down.....my only complaint was it was very deck heavy if sidehilling...

The grasshopper is cool, sips fuel like a prius and rides well. Just has a bigger footprint and tail swing.
 
rugger said:
I bought a Hustler with the Kawasaki engine. I believe that it's a 60" welded deck. It has been nearly flawless. Well, that is before the deck almost fell off. Nut and bolt every fastener on whatever you get. Nearly everything on mine was loose. I'm not sure who assembles them, but they have no idea what they are doing.
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Time to check my deck bolts.. 🤣
 
xr-nut said:
I hate mowing. Like, id rather get a prostate exam instead of mowing. 15 years ago I had an old ford rider. Looked neat, never worked. It would ALWAYS breakdown while mowing. One night after work while mowing, it quit. Right in the front yard. I told the wife that was it and the next day on my route I stopped in the deere store and bought a new rider. It had hydro and power steering. Nice mower. Used it about 100 hours and my shop burned down. Lost everything including the mower. So I went back to the deere store, this time spending AMFAMs money and was told that the rider I had was more expensive now and I would be better off with a zero turn. So I bought a 655(I think). 24 hp, 6some" deck and the moto "its not how fast you mow, its how well you mow fast". That was in '14. I have done nothing but haul ass and mow with it. Change the oil once a year, swap out a sharpened set of blades and beat on it. Beat on it, as fast as it will go, ALL.THE.TIME. I couldn't recommend one more highly. ymmv :laughing:

Used to take 2 hours to mow the lot here, now I can do it in 45 minutes. About the same at home 2-2.5 hours and reduced it 40 minutes. Get that time back in your life and buy a good zero turn. You won't regret it.
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I used to get paid by the hour to mow....a giant property took my all of 35-40 hours.....owner got a new kubota i mentioned above.......dropped me to 25-28 hours....sucked for my paycheck....but he found other things for me to do
 
I cut @ 1.6 acres and used Homeowner grade JD 42" rider from lowes for 5 years. Wore that out and picked up a Toro 50" ZTM with a kawasaki engine last spring and reduced cutting time from almost 3 hours to just under an hour with a much better finished product.

Link to my junk (picked it up for 2900 on sale) 50" TimeCutter® Zero Turn Lawn Mower | Toro
 
Commercial Grasshopper, exmark, ferris are all top of the line and $$$$, but as people have already posted they just keep running.

I have a bunch of bushes to get under and small fence line to cut under as well as a creek with grass to the edge which is one of the main reasons I went grasshopper, I can just shove the deck under those bushes and right up to the creek and not worry about trimming

IMG_6242.jpg


Bonus with these, the deck folds up and it's really easy to sharpen the blades. Grasshoppers are really mini tractors, the deck is driven from a PTO and can easily come off for a power snow blower, aerarator all kind$ of attachment$

If you don't need that kind of deck, Ferris was my top of my list as well.

You get what you pay for ....
 
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Austin said:
Commercial Grasshopper, exmark, ferris are all top of the line and $$$$, but as people have already posted they just keep running.

I have a bunch of bushed to get under and small fence line to cut under as well as a creek with grass to the edge which is one of the main reasons I went grasshopper, I can just shove the deck under those bushes and right up to the creek and not worry about trimming

IMG_6242.jpg


Bonus with these, the deck folds up and it's really easy to sharpen the blades. Grasshoppers are really mini tractors, the deck is driven from a PTO and can easily come off for a power snow blower, aerarator all kind$ of attachment$

If you don't need that kind of deck, Ferris was my top of my list as well.

You get what you pay for ....
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Damn show off. 😆
 
bgaidan said:
Google earth says I mow roughly 4 acres at the new place, minus the houses, barn, shop and driveway. I'd guess it's really 3 acres, and that's also around a shit ton of trees, landscaping, fences, and other obstacles. I have a 60" cub cadet ZT (actually two of them) and it takes me just over 2 hours to mow.....and another two hours to trim. :laughing: After having a ZT for the last few years, I wouldn't dream of doing it with a rider.
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plant more trees
then you don't have to mow that useless expanse of grass
 
[486] said:
plant more trees
then you don't have to mow that useless expanse of grass
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I can mow a big open field faster than I can mow a big field with 20 trees to dodge.

Only pic I have handy and doesn't do it justice.....there are 15-20 fruit trees off to the right. And then the field way off in the background, I mow with the bush hog and it has another 20+ trees to dance around.
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I have an old-ass grasshopper. I've poured way more money and time into it than it's worth, and it's still kind of a pain in the ass. What can I say--I'm garbage at troubleshooting small engines, and my 22hp Harbor Freight that I cobbled on there isn't a fan of running smoothly. I've considered dropping $2k to re-power it again with a fuel-injected engine, and maybe be done screwing with it. But, like I said in the other thread--I really want an electric zero turn. Never worry about gas, air filter, carb, grass clippings in the engine shroud, none of that.

Unfortunately, that costs a whole lot of money for a very cheaply-built mower. So, does new and cheaply made trump 1997 and heavy duty?? These are the deep questions that I spend my brainpower on.
 
Scag Freedom Z 52" here. Bought new in 2007 for $5K. I have almost 5 acres and probably mow ~2.5 - 3 of that with probably 75 trees of various types and sizes and flower beds. This is an entry level commercial/pro-sumer level of mower. It has a 26 HP Briggs, which apparently is not the best type of engine, but I haven't had any issues with the machine over the last 13 yrs. That said, I only have about ~300 hrs on it. Typically mowing times are short (takes me about an hour to cut), so you don't rack up hours very quickly and so even a used commercial mower can make sense since you aren't at risk to completely wear it out unless it is already at end-of-life.

As mentioned, nine has been trouble-free with minimal maintenance. The only thing I dislike about the machine is that I get fairly dirty mowing since you are sitting right over the deck. I don't really have an official "lawn", it's a mix of Bahia, weeds, sand and leaves, so if the wind is blowing you can get pretty dusted. My previous mower was a 61" Scag zero turn tricycle style with the deck out front. With that mower, it was easier to get under low hanging bushes/trees and you were further away from the deck so you didn't get as dirty. Probably a non-issue for folks with real grass, but just wanted to mention it.
 
giles45shop said:
Scag Freedom Z 52" here. Bought new in 2007 for $5K. I have almost 5 acres and probably mow ~2.5 - 3 of that with probably 75 trees of various types and sizes and flower beds. This is an entry level commercial/pro-sumer level of mower. It has a 26 HP Briggs, which apparently is not the best type of engine, but I haven't had any issues with the machine over the last 13 yrs. That said, I only have about ~300 hrs on it. Typically mowing times are short (takes me about an hour to cut), so you don't rack up hours very quickly and so even a used commercial mower can make sense since you aren't at risk to completely wear it out unless it is already at end-of-life.

As mentioned, nine has been trouble-free with minimal maintenance. The only thing I dislike about the machine is that I get fairly dirty mowing since you are sitting right over the deck. I don't really have an official "lawn", it's a mix of Bahia, weeds, sand and leaves, so if the wind is blowing you can get pretty dusted. My previous mower was a 61" Scag zero turn tricycle style with the deck out front. With that mower, it was easier to get under low hanging bushes/trees and you were further away from the deck so you didn't get as dirty. Probably a non-issue for folks with real grass, but just wanted to mention it.
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mother in law has a similar scag machine.
kawasaki failed at 1600 hours.
hydro pump spit a bearing out the bottom at about 1700.

kaw got replaced by a vanguard.
hydro pumps cost a whopping $100 to rebuild both of them with new bearings/wear plates.
 
OutlawRider said:
We got a Ferris. Love it. Suspension at the wheels and at the seat. Not cushy by any means but miles ahead of anything rigid. We mow a lot of acres
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I’ve been considering a Ferris when my JD wears out. Interested to hear your opinion. Has it been a quality mower? I mow a lot of acreage too and my ground is rough. My JD rides like hell but it takes a beating with no problems so far.
 
rockota said:
if you don't get something like this... and mount a weapon... then you're "just mowing lawn." :flipoff2:
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Our city bought one of those to the tune of about $20k.. Huge waste of money.
 
Curbkrawler said:
I’ve been considering a Ferris when my JD wears out. Interested to hear your opinion. Has it been a quality mower? I mow a lot of acreage too and my ground is rough. My JD rides like hell but it takes a beating with no problems so far.
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We used to use and still use a traditional mower to trim around houses usually if two are mowing (I help my parents mow rental property when I can). Mom can not drive a traditional mower at all due to injuries (hit by drunk driver). She loves to get out and drive that thing and is the only way she will mow. So to say it makes a difference, well it does. This is not only nicer lawns that are taken care of, it also includes some larger empty lots that we only mow with the deck on the highest setting. Our traditional mower we still use is an older JD so we like our JD as well.
In a few years time, we will kill a craftsman mower (take that for what you will). It didn’t take long to rack up a couple thousand hours on them. This does it much faster so the hours stay lower. It also has the larger oil capacity Kohler motor and we specifically got the smaller deck (54” I think) as it wouldn’t fit some places if any bigger.
There is one thing I would like to try out and that is one with tracks. I have seen a few and would be really nice because some areas stay wet longer than others and we have to worry about tracking some of the nicer yards (aka my parents).
 
OutlawRider said:
We used to use and still use a traditional mower to trim around houses usually if two are mowing (I help my parents mow rental property when I can). Mom can not drive a traditional mower at all due to injuries (hit by drunk driver). She loves to get out and drive that thing and is the only way she will mow. So to say it makes a difference, well it does. This is not only nicer lawns that are taken care of, it also includes some larger empty lots that we only mow with the deck on the highest setting. Our traditional mower we still use is an older JD so we like our JD as well.
In a few years time, we will kill a craftsman mower (take that for what you will). It didn’t take long to rack up a couple thousand hours on them. This does it much faster so the hours stay lower. It also has the larger oil capacity Kohler motor and we specifically got the smaller deck (54” I think) as it wouldn’t fit some places if any bigger.
There is one thing I would like to try out and that is one with tracks. I have seen a few and would be really nice because some areas stay wet longer than others and we have to worry about tracking some of the nicer yards (aka my parents).
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Awesome. Glad to hear the ride is that much better. First ZT I ever used was a buddy’s worn out diesel Kubota and I couldn’t stand up straight after I’d get off it. The suspension seat on my JD makes all the difference in the world. Mine is an R model with the comfort/convenience package and 72” deck. I LOVE the hydraulic deck feature and that will be very hard to give up.

A friend has a tracked Altoz TRX 766i and that thing is bad ass. I had never seen nor heard of one before he got his. Can’t say I really have the need for one bc my JD goes everywhere I need it to on turf tires (well except for the edge of my pond) but that Altoz is freaking sweet.
 
Curbkrawler said:
Awesome. Glad to hear the ride is that much better. First ZT I ever used was a buddy’s worn out diesel Kubota and I couldn’t stand up straight after I’d get off it. The suspension seat on my JD makes all the difference in the world. Mine is an R model with the comfort/convenience package and 72” deck. I LOVE the hydraulic deck feature and that will be very hard to give up.

A friend has a tracked Altoz TRX 766i and that thing is bad ass. I had never seen nor heard of one before he got his. Can’t say I really have the need for one bc my JD goes everywhere I need it to on turf tires (well except for the edge of my pond) but that Altoz is freaking sweet.
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I’ve seen tracks on JD and Ferris locally.
Also, on the note of ride, it can still get rough, even with suspension. And mom does mow slower. But I leave that sucker wide open. Even get a little drifting action in the corners sometimes and smile like a 12 y/o kid the whole time.
 
I would say get a mower that you can get parts for close by.

Doing that I narrowed my choices to Grasshopper, Hustler and John Deere.

I got a Hustler Raptor SD 60” with a Kohler 26hp it was 1 year old and had 100 and some hours on it. I got it for less than half of new price and have been happy with it. I went from taking over 3hrs with a Snapper 1642 Forrest Gump mower to 40 minutes.

If I got another I would almost rather get a smaller deck, 54 or something. This thing is so big I cant mow my ditch without digging into the dirt. I would also get rear discharge.
 
72” scag saber tooth tiger here. Turbo diesel. Bought it with dead motor. Rebuilt it and then had to replace the deck. Big mower that hauls
 
Good input. The Grasshopper I can 'have' is sitting on blocks. All the parts are 'there' but it has been apart for a bit. I am thinking long term that is a nice project but need something now.

I figure if I get something I like I can always just ditch the rebuild on that. The machine I have now is prob worth $3-400. My buddy with the Cub says he wishes he went better. Wanted to stop and look tonight at the dealer, but got caught up at work and had trap league. Maybe I will take ride on Sat and see what I see. Really just don't want to dedicate 3+ hrs a week and have it look like shit.
 
Juztyn00 said:
Our city bought one of those to the tune of about $20k.. Huge waste of money.
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I can see it being worth it if you were mowing a swamp. College I went to had a bunch of places they'd bury the mowers. When you saw the little carry deck crane driving down the street knew it was on its way to rescue the mower. :laughing:

Fuck having tracks if you don't need them though.
 
arse_sidewards said:
I can see it being worth it if you were mowing a swamp. College I went to had a bunch of places they'd bury the mowers. When you saw the little carry deck crane driving down the street knew it was on its way to rescue the mower. :laughing:

Fuck having tracks if you don't need them though.
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I work at a bunch of lanfill sites and they've all been demo'ing them and putting them in their budgets. Most are getting the remote operated ones so the operator can sit in the truck at the bottom of the slope and run it. :laughing: They do work well on the stupid steep slopes though.

The alternative is using the big 6 wheel tractors with a bush hog....which generally results in them shaving the tops of the cutoff berms down, which makes them fail and overtop with water, causing cascading failures down the the whole slope of a cap.
 
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