Talk to me about zero turn mowers

I believe Wright stand on mowers are some of the best made mowers. Especially the 60” mowers. I also like Dixie Choppers and they reopened manufacturing. Ferris commercial is very nice.

I have John Deere 648R stand on mower. It does well for me and is better than a sit down if you have trees and landscaping to mow around. Downside is they are heavy due to robust metal deck and frame which is on a short wheel base. Width and length being short tends to make them spin going up hills. Nobody wants spin marks in a nice lawn. Add that standing up changes weight distribution. John Deere sit down mowers are very nice in the 700 and 900 series.

How much you are willing to spend is key to recommendations. If you are willing to go as high as $6000 you will get something that will last a very long time with little preventative maintenance. I recommend not buying a Lowe’s or HD zero turn unless you must. They may not hold up to weekly use on that much land before being a problem. MTD makes many of the well known brands but at reduced quality. If you go that route buy an extended warranty.
 
amnesia said:
Mowing in a tractor sucks and I’m in a cab with AC and music so that says a lot.
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I don’t mind running the brush hog so much. A pair of noise cancelling headphones cuts out most of the diesel and mower noise. Pair them to the Bluetooth on my phone and stream music from my Subsonic server or whatever.
 
We have a Bobcat that is going on 20 years old and still runs like it's new. My 12 year old can operate it with no problems.
 
I wanted to add that, on really steep hill (and I have one particular one in mind), I only mow them when they are dry and free of dew and even then I mow straight down it...slowly. It’s like topping the first climb on the old Thunder Road at Carowinds, once I start down the steep part there’s no turning back (and no turning period).
 
noway2 said:
I don’t mind running the brush hog so much. A pair of noise cancelling headphones cuts out most of the diesel and mower noise. Pair them to the Bluetooth on my phone and stream music from my Subsonic server or whatever.
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Yeah I don’t mind running the brush hog either. It’s having to mow with a finish mower on a big tractor that’s the problem for me.
 
I’ve been using my commercial JD 777 Z-turn hard for @ 8 years. It’s a beast, does a great finish job and is an excellent brush hog. Hills are no problem on dry ground, if I’m driving sideways or down them. Driving uphill will easily cause it to wheelie.
 
Pink_Vapor said:
I’ve been using my commercial JD 777 Z-turn hard for @ 8 years. It’s a beast, does a great finish job and is an excellent brush hog. Hills are no problem on dry ground, if I’m driving sideways or down them. Driving uphill will easily cause it to wheelie.
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You are right about the brush hog. Man it will take out saplings and tall junk pretty easy. At the end of the season I have my blades either sharpened or replaced depending on if I’ve taken a chunk out of the blades from the shenanigans I put it through.
 
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cold1 said:
I'm the dissenter, get a SCUT with a 3 PTH finish mower and front end loader. You will find more uses for the tractor than just mowing.
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A mower can't do what a tractor can, and a tractor can't do what a mower can. Tractors are for tractoring. Mowers are for mowing.
 
Worth it. Been very pleased with my 61” bobcat. Simple to maintain and few small parts i have bought over the years were reasonable.
 
amnesia said:
Gravely- I abuse mine and it still is kicking
ZTHD-60
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We have the ZT-50 and it gets hard use. It's a finish mower but we use it mostly in pasture. Had it for about 5-6 years now. Engine, deck and drive train are holding up well but I've had issues with the choke linkage and I'm going to have to replace the ignition switch but overall it's taken a lot of abuse on uneven terrain and 5 ft high grass, getting stopped cold by stumps, rocks, and old fencing, etc. Gets used probably 6-8 hours each week in the spring and summer, sometimes more.
 
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If you are mowing large open areas personally I don't think zero turns are worth the difference in price. Where they shine is in areas with lots of obstacles, then they are gold.
 
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I'm happy with my Husqvarna ZT. My only complaint is tire spin on wet hilly areas, but I'll resolve that with ATV tires at some point.
 
GoWolfpack said:
A mower can't do what a tractor can, and a tractor can't do what a mower can. Tractors are for tractoring. Mowers are for mowing.
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I guess we will have to differ on that. when I mow with my old garden tractors, they do a good job. When I work the garden with them, they handle that well too. When I hook the trailers up to move them around, they handle that too.WHen I have to scrape the drive way or cut a ditch in or spread a load of gravel, they handle that with ease.

IMO, the tractor is the more versatile choice. For a few dollars more than the ZT you have tool that was built to handle much more than just cutting the grass. They are much more robust and literally built like a tank. The modern SCUTs have been built with comfort in mind.

You may have to spend a little more time in the seat when mowing, but I love tractor time anyway. It's great therapy.
 
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Is there a ZT with a deck less than 48"?
 
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kcult said:
Is there a ZT with a deck less than 48"?
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Yes, Toro has a 42, and Poulan Pro/ Husqvarna has a 46. I have the Poulan 46, and been using it weekly for 3 years now with no issues.

Sent from my LM-Q710.FG using Tapatalk
 
rantingredneck said:
I'm happy with my Husqvarna ZT. My only complaint is tire spin on wet hilly areas, but I'll resolve that with ATV tires at some point.
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My first zero turn was a Husqvarna. It was nice but the rear tires were horrible. If the ground was wet with dew or rain it would slide some on slopes. I currently run two John Deere's (Z425 and Z525e) and bought a Hustler 60" on clearance at Lowes a few weeks ago that I have yet to use. No need for now as the John Deere's keep chugging along.
 
Stick Man said:
Yes, Toro has a 42, and Poulan Pro/ Husqvarna has a 46. I have the Poulan 46, and been using it weekly for 3 years now with no issues.

Sent from my LM-Q710.FG using Tapatalk
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Is the deck wider than 48" on the Poulan 46? The door opening in my shed is 48" wide, so the deck can't be either than that.
 
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kcult said:
Is the deck wider than 48" on the Poulan 46? The door opening in my shed is 48" wide, so the deck can't be either than that.
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I'm not exactly sure. I'll measure when I get home today and let you know.

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cold1 said:
I guess we will have to differ on that. when I mow with my old garden tractors, they do a good job. When I work the garden with them, they handle that well too. When I hook the trailers up to move them around, they handle that too.WHen I have to scrape the drive way or cut a ditch in or spread a load of gravel, they handle that with ease.

IMO, the tractor is the more versatile choice. For a few dollars more than the ZT you have tool that was built to handle much more than just cutting the grass. They are much more robust and literally built like a tank. The modern SCUTs have been built with comfort in mind.

You may have to spend a little more time in the seat when mowing, but I love tractor time anyway. It's great therapy.
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I have a Kubota L3700SU and a 72 inch finish mower what I cut before took me 7-8 hours every weekend now its 3-3.5 hours with the 60 inch cut zero turn I can cut the grass in in 2 nights after I get home from work instead of loosing a day every weekend I use the tractor tilling the garden and maintaining the driveway and once in a while I need the bush hog now lets look at the cost of my tractor and just the finish mower just priced it on Kubota my tractor today would be $27,000 the $1500 for a 72 inch finish mower That's $28,000 to cut grass I bought the biggest gas Zero turn commercial mower that Kubota had and it was $11,000 and cuts the grass in 1/2 the time
 
vaskeet said:
I have a Kubota L3700SU and a 72 inch finish mower what I cut before took me 7-8 hours every weekend now its 3-3.5 hours with the 60 inch cut zero turn I can cut the grass in in 2 nights after I get home from work instead of loosing a day every weekend I use the tractor tilling the garden and maintaining the driveway and once in a while I need the bush hog now lets look at the cost of my tractor and just the finish mower just priced it on Kubota my tractor today would be $27,000 the $1500 for a 72 inch finish mower That's $28,000 to cut grass I bought the biggest gas Zero turn commercial mower that Kubota had and it was $11,000 and cuts the grass in 1/2 the time
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Wasn't there a blue squiggly line under that when you typed it? That's the longest run-on sentence I've seen on the forum this year.
 
I have a POS Ariens 42" 17.5HP Briggs powered ZT. Literally bought it broken (belt jammed up) for $500. I've probably put another $500 worth of parts into it over the course of 10 years. It has convinced me that zero turns are the only way to cut grass.
I tried to get one of those closeout Hustler Raptors at Lowes the past 2 autumns but the word is out on those half-price steals. I will more than likely buy another Ariens since Lowe's started carrying them, and I know they're part of the Gravely family (and still family owned USA made). They have made big improvements over the last 10 years for sure.

The biggest thing about a ZT is the pumps, they are the heart of the machine other than the deck, and almost all of the $3000-up mowers have upgraded better-than-residential-grade pumps.
I have * NEVER * changed the hydraulic oil in the pumps, but I keep everything else maintained and lubed. They're supposedly sealed for life but I have seen people service them on YT.
 
vaskeet said:
I have a Kubota L3700SU and a 72 inch finish mower what I cut before took me 7-8 hours every weekend now its 3-3.5 hours with the 60 inch cut zero turn I can cut the grass in in 2 nights after I get home from work instead of loosing a day every weekend I use the tractor tilling the garden and maintaining the driveway and once in a while I need the bush hog now lets look at the cost of my tractor and just the finish mower just priced it on Kubota my tractor today would be $27,000 the $1500 for a 72 inch finish mower That's $28,000 to cut grass I bought the biggest gas Zero turn commercial mower that Kubota had and it was $11,000 and cuts the grass in 1/2 the time
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Why did it take so long to cut the grass with it?
 
Diablos said:
$28,000 and you'd only use it to cut grass, come on now. what you meant was $11k and it only cuts grass.
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No I use it in the garden and also to take care of the gravel driveway and the tiller and box blade add another $3000.00 now that I have the zero turn the tractor gets less than 2o hours use a year before the ZTR it got about 250 hours a year
 
kcult said:
Is there a ZT with a deck less than 48"?
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Neighbor down the street bought a cute little Gravely 32" a couple years ago. It's commercial quality with a Kawasaki motor. Basically built the same as the much larger mowers but can fit through a 36" gate which is what he wanted. He can still cut grass in half the time as his old snapper.
 
Still waiting for a commercial zero turn that powers the wheels as well as the deck by hydraulics, no more greasing shafts and changing belts all the time.
 
vaskeet said:
On my Toro the wheel are hydraulic and the deck is belt
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Same with my Scag as well as all others that I am aware of, my quest is to do away with the belts, shafts and run the entire machine from a single pump and numerous control valves.
 
OldNascar said:
Same with my Scag as well as all others that I am aware of, my quest is to do away with the belts, shafts and run the entire machine from a single pump and numerous control valves.
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the Kubota ZD uses a tractor style pto and shafts to the deck I think it also has a single pump driving the wheel motors
 
OldNascar said:
A Scag Turf Tiger will run with any when it comes to steep slopes. The below seat gastank assures that but be warned there are slopes that are better avoided with any mower especially when wet. Also nothing on the market is built tougher or more durable than a Scag.
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^^^^ This.

I’ve owned a Scag Turf Tiger with 61” deck for almost 20 years, and routinely mow the 45 degree slopes around my range with it.

Sideways or bottom to top and back, it does great either way.

I expect to use it for another 20 years.
 
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OldNascar said:
Still waiting for a commercial zero turn that powers the wheels as well as the deck by hydraulics, no more greasing shafts and changing belts all the time.
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Doubt that will happen. Hydraulics are only 60% efficient and build up a lot of heat that has to he dissipated. the hydrostatic system running your drive wheels are about 80% efficient and build a lot of heat that has to be dissipated. Shafts and belts are more efficient and dont suffer from the heat build up and damage like fluid systems do.
 
vaskeet said:
I cut 11 acres and if it went faster it looked like I used the bush hog
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Just curious, do you think the rough cut was due to the mower, tractor, or both. Would a better finish mower allow you to have mowed faster? Was the blade speed too low? I am trying to understand how a ZT let's people cut their time in half.
 
cold1 said:
Just curious, do you think the rough cut was due to the mower, tractor, or both. Would a better finish mower allow you to have mowed faster? Was the blade speed too low? I am trying to understand how a ZT let's people cut their time in half.
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Kinda a combo of things from what I have seen. Blade tip speed which allows for faster ground speed, manverablity to turn back quicker are two biggest. The faster ground speed offered in many but you need a decently smooth yard or field to take advantage of it.
 
cold1 said:
Just curious, do you think the rough cut was due to the mower, tractor, or both. Would a better finish mower allow you to have mowed faster? Was the blade speed too low? I am trying to understand how a ZT let's people cut their time in half.
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In my case the time was cut due to mower speed and maneuverability. Tractors are slow and not easy on grass if you try to rush. They dont turn well, especially if going around things like trees. I have a tractor that I use for all kinds of work from working the garden to carrying my tool box but it can’t replace the zero turn for mowing.
 
cold1 said:
Doubt that will happen. Hydraulics are only 60% efficient and build up a lot of heat that has to he dissipated. the hydrostatic system running your drive wheels are about 80% efficient and build a lot of heat that has to be dissipated. Shafts and belts are more efficient and dont suffer from the heat build up and damage like fluid systems do.
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Too old in years to build one myself but maintaining a hydraulic system as one unit beats all the various belt and pulley setups, pto shafts and joints and right angle transmissions that it takes to power the deck. A drive motor for each shaft, a couple runs of hose and actuation valve is all that’s needed to combine with a existing hydraulic system. Add snap couplings to the deck drive and power snow blowers and the like. If Scag or a comparable company builds one I know where my money goes.
 
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