0 turn mowers

[walter o]

Just had the pleasure 0f operating my sons o turn mower . It proved that i am an uncoordinated old man with 2 left hands . that thing is as hard to control as a full auto.The trees even tried to move out of my way but i got them . It was like riding the roller coaster ,think got some whiplash of the neck .BUT i did gain much respect for the people that use them to cut lawns
I was able to keep the son in the house after i was done so that could not see the disaster his yard was ,i think i will be asked again

 

[Execpro]

I have felt your pain/embarrassment.
Had one for about an hour. Useless on hills or any slight incline. Also don't go near a split rail fence or a tree! Those post are easily broken and a tree can break the mower. Traded it for a zero turn with a steering wheel (Xmark), but they go around in circles really
well!

 

[KalamazooKid]

Definitely a learning curve to driving one! But after 7-8 years I’m pretty dang good on it now! [emoji23]

 

[Cdog]

They take some getting used to.

Best to start off in an area without any obstacles.

I have close to 5 acres to mow. The 60" belly deck on my tractor will handle it. Trouble is, I can't take the beating from the terrain and rough riding tractor.

I have a 61" Ferris with four independent shocks. It cuts great, rides like a dream, and did take lots of practice to build my confidence.

You know if a youngster can drive it, you can too!

 

[CB3]

I fired my lawn service for using one on my four small, interconnected lawns. Driver would lock one wheel and spin in the same place every week. Each lawn got about a square foot of dirt with all the grass ripped out. In a hurry to make money, but they lost mine.

 

[Wdbutcher97]

I've owned one for 3 years now. I really like mine, but like others said you need to be careful on hills and slopes. They tend to nose dive down hills and pick up speed as they do it. I hear that the zero turn mowers with the steering wheels don't have this problem. I think my zero turn is kind of fun to run, but that zero turning while mowing can do some serious damage to a lawn too if you're not careful. Like anything else, practice makes perfect.

 

[paplinker]

Our local vet died a couple weeks ago from a zero turn tipping over on him on a wet slope. Was very sad. I didn't realize that they could tip over. I used to mow that area when I was a boy.

Jersey Shore man killed in lawnmower rollover | Local | northcentralpa.com

 

[LittleCooner]

Converted this year and I love mine, it does take some getting use to and then the trick, drive one handed so you can have a cold beverage. I finally learned how to preform that one.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

When I bought my Cub Cadet RTV 42" wide mower, I first went to the 200'x300' open area in the back yard. I did my best imitation of the landscapers at work. It took maybe 20 minutes to master turning tight without ripping out the grass! In that first session I was mowing within a couple inches of trees and big rocks.

I had been mowing with a full sized Cub Lo-boy with a 60" (5') deck. Reduced my mow time by 75%, my gas usage by 50% and my trimming by 75%.

What zero turns don't do is anything soggy or steep edges and a double whammy on ditches!

Ivan

 

[mckenney99]

Hint - if you feel a sneezing fit coming on . . . STOP. Zero turn mowers and chain link fence or wire fence do not play well together.

 

[Boox]

Got mine a year ago, 54" cub. Have 4 acres so it was, I thought, a good idea...hmmmm broke a headlight out in the first 10 minutes but, it got better and was only 12.00. Now I cut the grass in 1/2 the time of my toro wheel horse with a 48' deck, use less gas and trim closer to the trees and fences. Very happy, now.

 

[bgrafsr]

Was looking at several zero turn mowers, including X-Mark and Cub Cadet. Besides worrying about learning to use the levers, I also had much difficulty getting on and off of them due to health conditions. We ended up buying a 54" Cub Cadet with the steering wheel and, other than a very rough ride, I'm happy. Still have some difficulty getting off of the mower, but it's much easier than doing that with the lever zero turns.


As far as the lawn being very rough and jarring the old kidneys and back, we are thinking of having it disced up this fall to smooth it out. We have roughly 2.4 acres.

 

[prairieviper]

We have a Bad Boy zero turn and it's cut mowing time in half. Our main yard is about an acre with lots of trees, flower beds, a couple of backyard ponds and some out buildings. That said, zero turns are helpless on hillsides, steep banks and wet ground. I use a John Deere utility tractor and rotary cutter to mow down by our farm pond, the pasture and steep or hilly areas. Our total area for weekly mowing is about five acres.

As an aside, one of our neighbors has slid a zero turn into his farm pond twice and had to get one of his farm tractors to pull it out. Zero turns are nice but you have to be aware of their limitations and like most machinery, they can be dangerous.

 

[Hairtrigger]

I have a friend that has a John Deere lawn tractor with 4 wheel steering. Anytime he hears someone talk about buying a zero turn he invites them to try his JD. I am surprised how many of those do not buy a zero turn

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

I lost an old friend either to a heart attack/stroke while driving a zero turn or to the mower tipping over on him. Never heard a final decision on his death.

I have a small yard and as long as the mower will last, I'm gonna use it. The trimming is what beats me up.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

 

[tops]

I saw a program on TV and a man was teaching a woman to drive a zero turn. He told her it was just like pushing a shopping cart. I had never thought of it that way but it is. Larry

 

[coltle6920]

Don't mean to thread drift but I wish they made zero turn cars. Getting tired of watching idiots drive up on the sidewalks to make a u-turn on my street.

 

[Eric300]

Once you learn how to properly operate a zero turn mower, you'll never go back to a conventional garden tractor type mower. Nothing cuts better or faster than a good quality commercial grade zero turn. Uphill, downhill, off camber, around trees, etc.....easy peasy. I can even operate mine one handed and still cut straight lines and make turns with no problem.

 

[slickracer]

I'm old school, give me a hydro garden tractor any day of the week.

 

[goatsnguns]

I have had my 48" Husqvarna for about 3 years now and I love it, The best thing I can recommend is to replace the drive tires with AG tread type tires, they really don't tear up the lawn and give much more control on slopes or wet grass. I use mine around the house and on a few small pastures, it has cut my mowing time in half. I don't even think about steering it now it is just second nature to me. I have mine set to cut at 3" and it misses most of the rocks. I was looking at the independent suspension Ferris but a little too rich for my blood.