WANTED: Mower Advice

[Bekeart]

Buying another house with SEVEN ACERS to be mowed.

Want to buy a PROPER mowing machine.

I have zero experience with zero turn machines.

SWMBO suggests Red Belly and bush hog.

Want more modern suggestions.

Zero Turn vs Tractor with steering wheel

Clarification only part (apx 6 acres) will be bush hogged.
Some will be mowed as LAWN.

SWMBO says: with the receipt of seven acres, she will learn how to drive zero turn.

Reminded me of "give me forty acres and I'll turn this rig around"

Bekeat

 

[Truckman]

I recommend a fellow named Antonio...He shows up promptly every two weeks, manicures the lawn, gets a handshake, a check, a few bottles of water and hasn't asked for a raise in the 6 years I've known him...He may ask for some gas money to Kentucky however......Ben

 

[Model52guy]

I mow about an acre with trees to maneuver around. I resisted buying a zero turn for a while. I think it was 2010 I finally. Bought one and wondered why I didnt get one before. It cut my mowing time in half and did a better job. I have a 54" deck cub cadet with a Kawasaki 23HP engine. As I work on mowers for a lot of my neighbors I would recommend whatever you get, get the Kawasaki engine. In the past 5 years or so, I've seen 4 kohler engines with cracked crankcases.

 

[doublesharp]

I'd get a 61" Hustler/Big Dog zero turn. Very intuitive to operate, made in USA, many dealers and a great mower. I've heard salesmen say that a ztr is steered just like pushing a grocery cart. I've been operating ztrs over 20 years and it is easy - just don't be stupid on steep hill sides or near deep water.

Many deals this time of year on used equip. That's the way I'd try to go first - Craigslist and Facebook market place are good places to look as well as end of season equipment auctions. A good used commercial machine brings 4-$6K in my area and routinely will go 1500-2000 hours with regular maint/oil changes. Kawasaki has been the leader in mower engines for years and that's what I like but I've had good Kohler & Briggs engines, too.

Many good brands. zero turns were figured out a long time ago so now model year changes are mainly graphics and paint. Exmark, Bob-Cat, Ferris, Bad Boy, John Deere, Grasshopper all make fine mowers - parts on JD and Grasshopper tend to be more expensive.

If it's ground without many obstacles and not a knee high weed mow I can do about 3 acres an hour. Raise your mower deck to transport position and it will go thru knee high weeds ok. You'll cut your mowing time in half over a tractor and bush hog.

I use mine to tow lawn trailers and have dragged big tree limbs with it.

 

[Jim R]

I don't know which one to buy but I know which one not to buy, The Bad Boy Zero turn. Our club bought one after one of our board members did a 4 month search and he assured us that it was the best one available. He was wrong. We have a $18,000.00 lemon. We spend more on new belts than we do on fuel.

 

[Breakaway500]

I have 3.5 acres of field...that I mow to a length of 4". I use to use a Kubota L4200 tractor and 6 foot cutter box. It took about 7 hrs. I now use a 6 foot John Deere Zero turn 997 mower and it takes 3.5hrs. My JD zero turn has had no issues in 8 years and I mow the fields about 12 times a year,depending on rainfall.

 

[s&wchad]

I asked about zero-turn mowers a few months back and received a lot of good advice.

Link: Zero Turn Lawn Mowers

I'm still happy with my Bobcat and the dealership. I would've looked closer at the Kubota, if the local dealer was more responsive.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I owned 6.25 acers and mowed 3+ with International Cub Lo-Boy mowers for years. It took about 4 hours in August and 6.5 hours in May!. The last 2 years we lived there I bought a Cub ZTR 42" with 23 HP Kawasaki gas engine ($3500). It would take 2.0 hours in August, and 2.5 in May. This version has the twin push steering which is a No-No if you have or had carpel tunnel.

Pluses:
Time savings, at least 50%
Fuel savings, at least 30%
Lawn looked like a golf course!

Minuses:
Cost, $1000 over similar size (slower) lawn tractor
Can't plow garden or push snow!
Little traction on big hill and ditches.

When I sold our country place, I offered the zero turn to a friend from church. She went to the back yard and mower about a half acre. She started with "Round and Round" like with he little tractor, then did back and forth, then did diagonal (like a ball diamond) Took maybe 5 -10 minutes the figure how to go straight and about 6 corners to do good 90 degree turns. Then she started going faster, and faster! and hooping and laughing! Last thing I let her do was: First mow around a phone pole, when she got that down I had her mow around a grove of 4 apple trees.

She got off with a huge smile on her face Looked me in the eye and said "No Thank You!" So I sold to a guy in the next town for twice as much. Come 2 years later she bought a bigger zero turn for herself.

My brother has a 60 inch Kubota and a friend has a 72inch X-mark turbo diesel ($26,000)! They make the 42 and 48 inch models that have steering wheels. My Son-In-Law has a 32" with push steering so he can commercial mow back yard with fence gates. If you go to a real dealer and not Lowe's or Home Depot, they can get just about anything you want! But that was pre covid, Now they can put you on a waiting/wish list that may take years to fulfill.

Ivan

ETA: My F-I-L has a 48" Bobcat brand , mows 6.6 acres and has not had any serious issues in 10-12 years. He's 87 last January and the push steering has not bothered his wrists! He is known to mow a neighbor or two's lawns just because!

 

[Mike0251]

Scag Turf Tiger here. 5 acres. Got tired of fooling around with all the other stuff out there. Bought it 10 years ago, kept inside building, replaced one blade drive belt at 9 years and standard oil changes and cutting blades. Best thing I ever did and worth every penny! I actually enjoy cutting grass on this.

 

[kraynky]

I got my first ZTR mower in 2017. Did a lot of looking and pricing and settled on a Bad Boy 60" ZT Elite. Now in my 5th year without any problems. I mow about 3 acres mostly crabgrass & weeds. LOL! It sure wasn't $18,000 bucks either! More like mid $4000'ish.

I like the Made in USA and the sturdy build of all components. It has cut my mowing time in about 1/2 or less compared to the 18 year old 46" Yard Man I bought new in '94. Had a 46" Husqvarna for a few short years in between. I was a good mower, but slow.

I keep a 32" JD lawn tractor for trimming the tight spots (lots of trees in my yard).

 

[SMSgt]

For mowing only, a zero turn. For heavier, yard work, etc., the tractor.

 

[walkin jack]

It should be easy to figure out. Just ask yourself what you want to do with it. If all you want to use it for is mowing grass on fairly flat smooth ground the 0-turn but if you want to use it for other chores like mowing rough ground, hauling dirt, trash, tree debris, pulling up small stumps or most anything you can think of that would require a small tractor I recommend you get a lawn tractor.

I recently faced the same decision and got right the first time. I got the lawn tractor and I got a good one. You don't want to go cheap on: Shoes, booze, fire arms and....Lawn tractors. I got the Cub Cadet Enduro X1. It is one rugged machine.

 

[djohns6]

I don't know which one to buy but I know which one not to buy, The Bad Boy Zero turn. Our club bought one after one of our board members did a 4 month search and he assured us that it was the best one available. He was wrong. We have a $18,000.00 lemon. We spend more on new belts than we do on fuel.

And I've been running my Bad Boy for three years and have never changed a belt . Just gas and oil . Funny how that works .

 

[doublesharp]

It should be easy to figure out. Just ask yourself what you want to do with it. If all you want to use it for is mowing grass on fairly flat smooth ground the 0-turn but if you want to use it for other chores like mowing rough ground, hauling dirt, trash, tree debris, pulling up small stumps or most anything you can think of that would require a small tractor I recommend you get a lawn tractor.

Ford vs Chevrolet...

A commercial ztr will blow away a lawn tractor in anything you mentioned. Want to move snow fast - ez with a front blade.

I've towed boats, lawn equipment trailers, drug tree trunks that were too heavy to get on a trailer, bush hogged thick weeds- Bet your lawn tractor won't do this.

 

[Shooting Padre]

First, call Bob's Lawn Service. Then call the liquor store. Enjoy the fruits of the second step while watching the first.

 

[GaryS]

My guy is Rich, but he's beyond showing up to mow himself. He has several crews that work for him. He also does aerating, hydroseeding, landscape design, etc...

I recommend a fellow named Antonio...He shows up promptly every two weeks, manicures the lawn, gets a handshake, a check, a few bottles of water and hasn't asked for a raise in the 6 years I've known him...He may ask for some gas money to Kentucky however......Ben

 

[walkin jack]

Ford vs Chevrolet...

A commercial ztr will blow away a lawn tractor in anything you mentioned. Want to move snow fast - ez with a front blade.

I've towed boats, lawn equipment trailers, drug tree trunks that were too heavy to get on a trailer, bush hogged thick weeds- Bet your lawn tractor won't do this.



https://i.ibb.co/M80qNjL
/DSCF5068.jpg

I bet it will. Go ahead, ask me how I know.

 

[Eupher]

I got my first ZTR mower in 2017. Did a lot of looking and pricing and settled on a Bad Boy 60" ZT Elite. Now in my 5th year without any problems. I mow about 3 acres mostly crabgrass & weeds. LOL! It sure wasn't $18,000 bucks either! More like mid $4000'ish.

I like the Made in USA and the sturdy build of all components. It has cut my mowing time in about 1/2 or less compared to the 18 year old 46" Yard Man I bought new in '94. Had a 46" Husqvarna for a few short years in between. I was a good mower, but slow.

I keep a 32" JD lawn tractor for trimming the tight spots (lots of trees in my yard).

Ditto, except mine is 54". Bought it to handle 2.5 acres (very few trees), but am now down to 0.5 acres (more trees). Good, solid deck. Have done nothing to this mower other than engine and transaxle oil and filter changes and a couple spark plugs in the Kawasaki 730cc engine. Belts are fine even in its 5th season. My only complaint with the Bad Boy is it's very sensitive to deck height adjustments, meaning that the tires (at 12 psi) need to be checked pretty much every time you use it. Otherwise you get cuts at different levels.

Another aspect of self-propelled mowers of all types -- spindle bearing wear. So-called "permanently sealed bearings" in spindles are a joke. The bearings are meant to wear out and when they do, you need to rebuild the spindles -- or fork out major bucks for replacement spindles. Harbor Freight has a very usable press for pressing in bearings.

My Bad Boy has NOT yet gotten to that point, but then again I have only 75 hours on it. I had a Toro some years ago whose spindles crapped out, but I was mowing 3+ acres about twice a week. I don't recommend any Toro zero turn, or any other zero turn with a stamped deck. They rot out from rust too quickly.

 

[BAM-BAM]

I have a fairly flat lot at the lake....... just over an acre. Roughly 100 to 140 wide about 350-400 deep.

Flat by the lake; gentle (<20 degree) slope then flat by the road. Half a dozen free standing trees and a small grove.... tall grasses and Rose-of-Sharon along the property lines.

I just got a 42" Ariens ZT (owned by Gravely). Takes me about an hour to do my acre.... but the 42" allows me to get into some tighter spaces..and trim around some tall grasses along the property lines; which I'd otherwise have to do with a push mower or weedwhacker. So for me the 42" is a good trade off in size.

Last summer my buddy with a commercial 60" ZTM" cut it in about 20 minutes.....OK he's a pro....... but then I had to trim.

So there is a tradeoff on size.... also folks tell me the ZT is scary on hills with wet grass.

Someone wisely advised me .... make sure you can get local servicing. Makes life easier if you do have any issues.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Don't but whay you want, buy what your wife wants. After all she is going to be the one using it. When I bought my wife her new Stihl weed eater from the John Deere store, I made them throw in a pink John Deere baseball cap. It's the little things that count.