Zero turn mowers

[sandman7925]

I have a Scag and a Kubota, among other grass cutting implements, dealing with a lot of grass across a property or two.

The Scag Cheetah is a hell of a machine. Mine has the fuel injected engine. It is my favorite of the bunch. The Kubota is a fine machine.

My lawn guy had a Gravely and a lot of experience on other machines. I asked him to use my Scag when he cut here to keep it run. When he bought another machine, he also bought a Scag based on his experience cutting our property with my mower. He said the speed and comfort was worth it.

I have zero ego tied up in my lawn equipment. They all came with the properties. My experience with repairs/maintenance has been that they are reasonable and typical for both the Scag and Kubota.

I have a cheetah with the 38.5hp kawi. Love that thing.

 

[Doctor481]

I have an older 61* Scag with a Kohler 27 hp with about 1500 hours on it. Overall it’s been a good commercial rated machine, I’m cutting about 5 1/2 acres.
If I was in the market for a replacement I would look at Scag and Kubota.
If I was to go to cutting 1 acre, I would have to look at a smaller high end homeowner unit based on initial cost alone.

 

[Labeeman]

I have a Hustler Raptor. American made and well supported. More mower than I need, but makes it oh so nice when it’s time to cut some grass. They offer 0 percent interest on financing. It has a Kawasaki engine. On a cheaper note we have a low end John Deere zero turn at the farm and truth be told it has performed above expectations. We have different kids cutting at different times and they have tried to kill it, but it still keeps mowing. It’s going on 3 years now and has tons of cut grass under its belt so this is definitely something you may want to look at.

 

[rocko]

My Hustler Raptor has been trouble free for 7-8 years now.

 

[hunter5567]

Get a welded deck vs a stamped shell deck. Big Dog mowers are just red Hustlers and made by them to be sold in non-hustler dealerships. The Alpha model is the same as the Hustler Raptor.
I have an Alpha and an Alpha MP, which is the same as the Raptor XD. I have a total of 1600hrs on both machines and have cut up to 2 acres at a time with them. I like them because I can change out the deck and drive belts myself and not have to wait on the dealership to get to it in 3-4 weeks. Both of mine have the Kawasaki 21.5hp engines with a 42" deck, which is the largest I can use to be able to get through the gates to the back yard. I did replace the spindles on the Alpha after 700 hours even though they were still working. I did it since I knew they could possibly go out and I cut commercially. On any of them, just keep the oil changed, air filters cleaned/replaced, and blades sharpened and replaced. I did change out the deck pulleys on the Alpha at 700 hours as well. It's still going strong with over 1000hrs on it. All the newer Hustler/Big Dog mowers have foot height adjustment on the decks now and you can vary cutting height in 1/4" increments. You can get Sheffield financing on any mower at 0% financing. I have worn out the seats on them in 2 years and just got replacement seats at Tractor Supply for a lot less than factory seats.

 

[Paintball]

My dad has a Hustler Raptor 42" cut with Kawasaki engine. It was completely flooded in 2016, but I flushed the engine and changed out filters and safety switches and it has been cutting like a champ.

I purchased a Dixon Ram 50 in 2005 and I am still cutting with it today. Unfortunately Husqvarna bought out Dixon and discontinued the line. Parts are no longer made for the Dixon mowers. I will be buying a new ZTR once the Dixon is no longer maintainable. There are a lot of choices in ZTR's now days and they mostly depend on your budget. Find which ones fit into that group and then get the best you can afford.

 

[buttanic]

Now you have to finance a lawn mower, crazy times.

 

[shrxfn]

Now you have to finance a lawn mower, crazy times.

I was looking to replace my Bad Boy and upgrade and they now start at 8K or so almost like buying a car nowadays.

 

[Sig220]

I have 2 Zero turn mowers.

The oldest is a Husqvarna RZ5424.......54" deck and a 24 HP Kohler. The newer one is a JD Z535M with a 48" deck.

Both will cut grass faster then a cat can...well you get the point. I change oil each season and make sure the blades are sharpened. The JD is a heavier mower and feels solid like a tank. I have 2 separate lots that I cut that total up to about 1.5 acres. Takes about 45 minutes to cut each with a Z-turn and 1.5 hours with a lawn tractor.

 

[Emperor]

Asking people which brand they like is almost always like asking them to re-enforce their decisions to buy the brand they have now. So I won't even tell you which one I have (it's a red one BTW ), but what I will tell you about purchasing one is to make sure that the brand you choose has a reliable parts distributor for the brand near your house unless you order online in advance of scheduled maintenance. Definitely sucks when you have to take a road trip to get the right oil filter for your particular model because the "proprietary brand" dealership (by your house), closed up. That is why you see sellers (like Home Depot), selling multiple brands now.

Unless you are going into the commercial lawn business, you don't need an over-powered one; or an $8,000 one. I have just under 2 acres of grass and my compact type model for around $4000 handles it with ease.

Also, the welded deck is an essential!

 

[flyboy]

Asking people which brand they like is almost always like asking them to re-enforce their decisions to buy the brand they have now. So I won't even tell you which one I have (it's a red one BTW ), but what I will tell you about purchasing one is to make sure that the brand you choose has a reliable parts distributor for the brand near your house unless you order online in advance of scheduled maintenance. Definitely sucks when you have to take a road trip to get the right oil filter for your particular model because the "proprietary brand" dealership (by your house), closed up. That is why you see sellers (like Home Depot), selling multiple brands now.

Unless you are going into the commercial lawn business, you don't need an over-powered one; or an $8,000 one. I have just under 2 acres of grass and my compact type model for around $4000 handles it with ease.

Also, the welded deck is an essential!

Very true. I dont have a zero turn but bought a lawn tractor at Lowes and when I needed parts such as belts and filters for it, they dont keep any of that in stock at their stores. I had to order and buy the replacements online.

 

[mforsta]

purchasing one is to make sure that the brand you choose has a reliable parts distributor for the brand near your house unless you order online in advance of scheduled maintenance.

Unless you are going into the commercial lawn business, you don't need an over-powered one; or an $8,000 one. I have just under 2 acres of grass and my compact type model for around $4000 handles it with ease.

Also, the welded deck is an essential!

I plan on buying from a "local" dealer who also provide service and parts if or when needed.

I have a "green lawn tractor" now, it has served us well but is just getting long in the tooth and worn out. I am looking at a compact residential zero turn. The yard lady (wife) is asking for a zero turn so it won't take a long to cut the grass.

 

[pangris1]

Size matters. We're dealing with lots of grass. I'm sure Emperor is correct re: cost range for 2 ac or less.

 

[WhereIsIt?]

I was 12 when my dad replaced our riding mower with a dixon zero turn... I can't comment on reliability. I can say it was great at popping wheelies, could spin in circles and power slides. Had plenty of room for my younger siblings to sit on the front and spin them in circles till they couldn't take it anymore. Engine in the back with a really light front end made jumps pretty tricky. Did really well going through muddy grass, tearing it up, making it worse then what it was and my dad wondering wtf I was doing.

It did cut grass.

 

[riverrat66]

As far as service and sales I highly recommend Ramero's on hwy 190 in Albany La. They have the best service that I've found. Many times I have called with a problem and their mechanic tells me what to check over the phone. Free. If the problem persist I will then bring it to them and they fix it quick. That's why I have bought several pieces of equipment from them over the years. And they take tradeins if you bought the machine from them.

 

[JB-Glock21]

I plan on buying from a "local" dealer who also provide service and parts if or when needed.

I have a "green lawn tractor" now, it has served us well but is just getting long in the tooth and worn out. I am looking at a compact residential zero turn. The yard lady (wife) is asking for a zero turn so it won't take a long to cut the grass.

Been dealing with Dave's Equipment for over 40 years, bought a Dixon 1996 - Toro 2014 (lost to 2016 flood) - Toro 2017.

Talk to Steve, absolute Top Shelf Dealer - Parts - Service - Accessories - Tips & Instructions.

Mowing an acre, the Toro is more than adequate.

My wife loves it, we have a lot of trees to mow around and it only takes about an hour or so to cut an acre.

And it does a very nice cut, better than my neighbor's more expensive Gravely, or other's SCAG...also an acre each.

Dave's Equipment, Inc.
210 Benton St.
Denham Springs, LA
225 665.5156

Steve also has other brands in stock.

Cheers!

 

[buttanic]

I agree Zero turns speedup the big grass cutting job but I also see people who could easily cut their yard with a self propelled walk behind mower or conventional lawn tractor on zero turns. Since the commercial guy have gone to them they have become a status symbol in subdivisions like the F 250 dooly diesel pickup of years past when everyone wanted to play 18 wheeler driver to go 5 miles with no load or no trailer.

 

[dantheman]

I agree Zero turns speedup the big grass cutting job but I also see people who could easily cut their yard with a self propelled walk behind mower or conventional lawn tractor on zero turns. Since the commercial guy have gone to them they have become a status symbol in subdivisions like the F 250 dooly diesel pickup of years past when everyone wanted to play 18 wheeler driver to go 5 miles with no load or no trailer.

Some of us are getting older and would rather just get the job done and get out of the heat . I put in many years behind a self propelled walk behind and those days are over except for one spot in my back yard that isn't safe for a rider .

 

[thperez1972]

I agree Zero turns speedup the big grass cutting job but I also see people who could easily cut their yard with a self propelled walk behind mower or conventional lawn tractor on zero turns. Since the commercial guy have gone to them they have become a status symbol in subdivisions like the F 250 dooly diesel pickup of years past when everyone wanted to play 18 wheeler driver to go 5 miles with no load or no trailer.

I don't believe Ford offers an F250 dually.

 

[flyboy]

I dont own a zero turn but have used my brother's a few times. It makes short work of mowing my lawn but with the amount of grass I have to mow, I can not justify the expense of a zero turn and I can get by easy with a lawn tractor at a little bit more cutting time but at much lesser expense invested.