Zero turnmowers

[bootlen]

Looking for info...good, bad, indifferent. Also looking for feedback on mfrs...Arien, Deere, etc.

What say ye?

[whec720]

Excellent zero turns......I own one.

http://www.hustlerturf.com/

[madhat]

Everytime I see one of those at a store, I just stand there and drool over it.

They probably just find my lifeless body behind a push mower

I came across this web site, that zero turn owners may want to look at. www.countryztr.com

[maintenanceguy]

I know you're probably not looking for commercial stuff but I've got a ferris and it's spectacular.

Cuts perfectly at what feels like 50 mph. Spring suspension, runs full speed into 12" high grass without a whimper. Built like a tank.

Like I said, probably more than you'd want to spend to cut a lawn but I've got a lot of lawn. The home owner z-turns all look like Tonka toys to me now.

The only objection is that the drive belt I just put on was $123.00 and was 173-3/4" long (I think that's what the parts guy said) so I couldn't even find a generic substitute.

[I_bend_metal]

I'm rolling a Cub Cadet......

42" deck, 17HP Kohler motor.....

3 years old now.....love it.....

its a

[woodsman]

My father bought one of these last year:

http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCa...l?link=ztr_cat

Says he loves it, has about 4 acres that he mows, not sure of the hp but has a 54" deck. Says he can mow at full speed (8 mph), cut his mowing time in half.


I have a Wheel Horse 312-8 with a 42" deck. Doesn't cut near as well as my pop's Deere.

[yellowirenut]

its been a few years seance i had to mow my parents yard...they had one. but when looking for a new one make sure the front casters are beefy...eyeball different brands and u will see small bearings and pressed metal. those will fail early. the casters take a beating Look for large bearings and thick forged steal

[sline-dawg]

No doubt len..... you need this one....http://dixiechopper.com/

[HeyBob]

I have an ExMark LazerZ HP. Cuts grass at 15 MPH, rides like a truck! I have a 72" mower behind my 45 HP Ford Tractor and the 18 HP 48" ExMark literally runs circles around it, no pun intended.

You need serious ear protection, having the engine behind you is extremely loud.

I paid $5,400.00 for mine 8 years ago, if I had bought anything less then, I would be due for a new one now! Do the math, spend the cash.

[jrbenny]

Yes to Bob's post. You should go big and commercial. Otherwise, you'll be buying another resi ztr in 5 to 8 years.

I bought a used residential Toro ZTR that was model before they went to bolted frames. I'm quite happy with it, but you can't them anymore. Bolted frames suck.

[Dowadudda]

I have been up and down and all around about buying a zero turn versus a rider and what not.

I have a very thick lush 1 1/2 acre lawn, which I have worked my a$$ off for, and I am a large proponent for mulching, and cutting often. Water, cutting often with sharp blades and mulching will get you to a golf course type lawn with little fertilizer or weed killer.

In order to stay on that regimen and not have clumps, no rider will do it well and as often as I need it done as fast. I bought a Craftsmen Garden Tractor 24 horsepower, 48" deck, 3700 RPM blades. Made for Mulching deck, and even going slow and not tall or wet grass, she was not handling the material well at all. I was very disappointed as I had researched the heck out of this, and was let down by the performance.

Zero turns blades are spinning at over 6000 rpms, and higher. They can mince the material better. Zero turn maneuverability is far superior. Ect ect.

Well, in the summer I work a lot. And this summer I thought I'd be down and home more due to the slow economy her and I was just about to buy a zero turn, but we got so busy at work, more busy than in past years, Go Figure.

So, I just hired it out. 45 bucks a mow. It takes these 3 guys to mow, which cuts it twice, they cut one way, then the next, (best cut for lawn health), weed whack and blow, in 30 minutes. No need to worry about getting behind on the grass, or rain or what ever.

I'd hire it out any day now.

[Heavyevans]

When I started shopping for a new mower a few years ago, I talked to the grounds crews of customers I called on. The majority recommended Toro.

The next decision was the deck width and then the deck placement for my application. IMO your terrain determines whether you want the deck under you or out in front of you.

[mbhydro]

I do like Dow and use a lawn care company. They can worry about repairs and replacement of the mowers.

If you do buy one just remember to measure any gates you want to bring it through. The lawncare guys I use can't bring theirs through my side gate and have to use a lawn mower for the back yard. YOu can see the difference between the front and back as the zturn has a bigger deck so the swaths are less.

As to buying one are you near a lawncare equiptment distributer? Usually here in the spring they have a sale of the mowers that come off lease from the golf courses and city parks. They are in good shape but are two or three years old.