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Thread: Suggestions for zero turn mower.

  1. #21
    Boolit Master Handloader109's Avatar
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    The main thing on any mower is avoid the cheap decks. Residential under 4k mowers have mainly stamped steel, i.e. thin sheet metal decks that deteriorate rapidly. 5,000 hour engine is worthless is the deck rusts out in you in 5 years.
    Most good models have good welded deck. The main issue now is supply and fast increasing prices. That good 4 or 5k mower is now 5 or 6k or more. I want a new one also, but most probably put off till next year.

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  2. #22
    Boolit Bub
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    Thanks to all with your replies! Good information given. In response to dverna questions: lawn is roughly an acre and a half, mostly flat terrain with half in trees. Would like a mower to last for 20 years or better. Budget is around $4500 or so. I agree with buying a mower with service nearby. That is why I first looked at Toro and Ariens/Gravely (dealerships in area). Still need to look at another dealership that carries Bad Boy. I am surprised with all the choices out there! I agree with thin metal decks. Bought a DR brush cutter three years ago. Bought the 42" finish mower attachment. Works good, but the finish deck is 14 gauge or so. Will not last in the long run.
    Last edited by Paf; 08-07-2022 at 11:29 AM. Reason: Spelling errors

  3. #23
    Boolit Master


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    I mow 3 acres with a Hustler Raptor 54" that would be considered a homeowner grade and have no problems with the mower. Not sure of the hours but I bought it used and have had it about two years now. I replaced the belts and one noisy spindle when I got it and have done nothing else but oil changes. In the summer I have to mow about every 5 days. If I wait a week it's too tall and I have to slow down too much, So I have used it quite a bit. It takes me about 2 1/2 to three hours to cut it all. I have the Kawasaki motor. My neighbor had the same mower with a Kohler motor and it toasted. Drained the oil and had plastic in it. Stay away from Kohler motors no matter what you buy.

  4. #24
    Boolit Grand Master
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    I just bought a Ferris. Pricey. I have 21 acre farm and lots of mowing. It handles it well.

  5. #25
    Boolit Master
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    Bought a Ferris 54" about 5 years ago, no problems or complaints. Theadvoce about nearby dealer support is right on unless you have the skills to do full maintenance. Bought it for a 3 +/- acre yard in WI and brought it with me to KY, only mow about 2+ acres here, takes a little over an hour. Only problem here is dealer is over an hour away, versus the 15 minutes when I lived in WI. `Motor on mine is a B&S 27 hp.

  6. #26
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    I can tell you if you have much over 2 acres stay away from John Deere Zero Turns .. way too much maintenance and parts replacements
    A JD Z445 21 HP and I have spent enough in the last 5 years to buy another mower. Its an actual JD not a Home depot/Lowes MTD licensed knockoff.
    Used a friends Kubota with a 21 HP Kohler.,. Massive improvement over my JD .. Better build and more cutting power
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  7. #27
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Paf View Post
    Thanks to all with your replies! Good information given. In response to dverna questions: lawn is roughly an acre and a half, mostly flat terrain with half in trees. Would like a mower to last for 20 years or better. Budget is around $4500 or so. I agree with buying a mower with service nearby. That is why I first looked at Toro and Ariens/Gravely (dealerships in area). Still need to look at another dealership that carries Bad Boy. I am surprised with all the choices out there! I agree with thin metal decks. Bought a DR brush cutter three years ago. Bought the 42" finish mower attachment. Works good, but the finish deck is 14 gauge or so. Will not last in the long run.
    Any decent brand/model will serve you well in that price range. Test drive if you can. Agree with others who said a good dealer is worth a few bucks more.

    BTW, nearly bought a Country Clipper. They have models with a joy stick you operate with one hand, leaving the other hand free to swat bugs....don’t laugh!! My fiancé LOVED that CC when she test drove it.

    But in the same price range the Bad Boy gave us a front suspension and a 7 ga deck. Plus the BB dealer is our tractor dealer and he is fantastic wrt service and support. He personally came over at 9:00 one night to help me out and he lives 50 mikes away.
    Don Verna


  8. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by Farmall-130 View Post
    My son recently bought a Bad Boy mower, 24 HP. I looked at it & the manuals very closely. As a retired hydraulics engineer, I’m impressed at their design. Each wheel has it’s own hydrostatic transmission, boost pump, cross port reliefs, charge oil filter & relatively large oil reservoir. Maintenance was thought out to make it easier. Appears to be Sauer Danfoss components; they’re well know in the ag industry for hydrostatic drives.
    That's good to know. I'm thinking of one for next year. They seem to be popular in this neck of Mississippi.
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  9. #29
    Boolit Master pmer's Avatar
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    My main mower is a Toro Groundsmaster 322 D. It has almost 3000 hours and still works pretty good. It's a 3 cylinder diesel with a front mounted deck. I think they came out in the early to mid 1980s. I bought mine about 9 years ago at a auction for 2200.00 and it needed the glow plug circuit repaired. It recently had issues cutting out or losing power but tracked it to a flakey safety switch. I've been working on it more in the last few years but I don't think its that bad for what could be a 40 year old mower. It has the 88'' Tri Flex deck and it takes about 2 hours to do the yard.

    I was looking at zero turns last year and was interested in Scag. They use the same spindle and bearing setup in all of their decks. But I have to admit the old Toro with a Hydro petal and power steering with an actual steering wheel is pretty nice. It has ROPS with a roof too.

    IMO if you want a 20 year mower you'll probably have to spend more than 4500.00. I'd hate to guess what a new replacement for mine would cost.
    Oh great, another thread that makes me spend money.

  10. #30
    Boolit Master


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    With only an acre a 42 to 54 inch cut will most likely get you done in an hour or less, especially once you get used to it and are comfortable with getting up closer to things. You really should be fine to stay in the residential mower category as long as you pick something with a welded deck. That should easily fit in to your price range mentioned. A lot of good mowers mentioned on here but, way overkill for your needs.

  11. #31
    Boolit Master
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    We have 2 zero turns.
    Our first is a Deere and the other a Scag Turf Tiger 2. The Deere is more comfortable to operate, but the Scag is built like a tank. When it is time to mow, we get on the Scag.

  12. #32
    Boolit Buddy
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    I have a cub cadet Z-turn with a steering wheel(I mow big hills) and I mow around 4 acres and I can do it in around 3 hours

  13. #33
    Boolit Master

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    One more recommendation, check out a few local yard services and find out what mowers they use. The longer they have been in business the more you can expect them to be using reliable equipment.
    Spell check doesn't work in Chrome, so if something is spelled wrong, it's just a typo that I missed.

  14. #34
    Boolit Master

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    Years ago I bought a Husqvarna zero turn. Worst money I ever spent. Had it a month and the welds on the control arms gave out. Dealer didn't want to honor the warrantee, said the company didn't back him up.
    Spindles & bearings always wearing out. I finally got some stress proof steel and machined my own that would hold up. The electric clutch blew a couple of times at $ 200 a clip. All the belts are odd ball sizes and cost 3 times what a standard belt would cost. Only the dealer stocks them. Finally at about 900 hours the hydraulics puked. Been sitting in the weeds ever since.
    Came across an old IH 154 tractor made in 1970. Had to do some work on it, but a 50+ year old machine out performs that Husky any day. It doesn't maneuver as good as a zero turn, but it gets the job done.
    I hear good things about Ferris, might go for one in the future.

  15. #35
    Boolit Master

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    just my to cents I think Ferris is the most heavy built on the market. I believe they have the highest resale value as well. Engines are Kawi, Koehler, or Cat. I think Briggs & Stratten sold them off as B&S can't make an engine for that job. They will build you a cutter deck for a discontinued model as well. I worked there welding for several years. These are not cheap stamped out throw away machines.

  16. #36
    Boolit Master
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    "Country Clipper" with joystick steering and the stand up deck. Mine has a Kohler engine and is a 42" cut. Exactly what I need because of a couple of narrow places that need mowed. Models are available with 50" cut and up. Mine is 6 years old. Maybe older. Regularly mow about 2 acres. Never had any problems.

  17. #37
    Boolit Grand Master

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  18. #38
    Boolit Master


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    Ferris ISX 800, 26 HP, FT730 Kawasaki, 61" deck with independent front suspension. This is the second year for mine. Beats Scag, Grasshopper, Kubota, Toro and Husqvarna hands down. I tested every brand I could get my hands on that my friends and acquaintances owned, actually cut yards with all of them. Ferris, not cheap, but built like a brick privy.
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  19. #39
    Boolit Master


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    15 year old Kabota Deisel zero steer my son uses at the farm he works at. Cannot hear when the deck kicks in no rise in sound at all. Works great change oil when due, sharpen blade once a month and good to go.

    Cost back then $23,500 Has pretty much paid for itself now. Mows acres every week

  20. #40
    Boolit Grand Master
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    It is astounding. After the OP tells us what his needs are and his budget, there are still recommendations for commercial level mowers.

    To the OP, do not listen to people who want to spend your money. I have a Dillon 1050 and would not recommend it to a person who shoots less than 5k rounds a year.

    Go to a good dealer, or three, and let them guide you. Most will let you test drive their products. If one dealer tells you a $4k ZT will fit your needs and the next one says you need to spend $10k, ask what the heck $6k more gets you. If three dealers recommend a $4-5k ZT then pick the one that seems to fit you best, and has the features you want.

    BTW, in the vast majority of cases, the Hydro's and gas engines of every ZT come from 2-3 suppliers. Those are the costly bits and pieces to replace when they fail. There is maybe a $500-600 difference between a Kawasaki and higher end Kohler engine. Quite a bit of difference in price between the lower end and higher end transmissions.

    You will use your ZT about per cut. Keep that in mind.

    One last piece of advice my dealer shared with me. Cut your grass no lower than 3" high. You will have fewer weeds, a healthier lawn, retain more moisture and save money. You should not cut more than 1/3 of the height of the grass. With a 2" deck setting you should cut when the grass is 3" tall. With a 3" deck setting you should cut when the grass is 4.5" tall. With the higher setting you reduce the number of cuts. Say your grass grows 1" per week. Over a 12 week period, with the lower setting you will cut the grass 12 times. With the higher setting you will cut it 8 times. So you end up using 2/3 the time, and fuel. And you extend your service life from say 24 years to 36 years. A commercial mower is silly for guys like you and me.
    Don Verna


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