need it for a 4-5 acre yard with rough terrain so prefer commercial grade. Don’t know much about the other brands besides Deere. 54-60 inch preferred. Anyone have input?
OT: Recommendation for zero turn mower
- Thread starter waterboy31484
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The best one on the market is a Scag turf tiger. I would get the 61" for that amount of land though. I also have one of the new spartansanf it is pretty good too. But if I could get a turf tiger I wouldn't get anything else.
But get something with the Kohler motor on it. Kawasaki's aren't that good IMO. Fuel injection is also better as they are cheaper on gas and have a bit more power.
But get something with the Kohler motor on it. Kawasaki's aren't that good IMO. Fuel injection is also better as they are cheaper on gas and have a bit more power.
the ground speed on a lot of zero turns is so fast if the ground is bumpy/ruff it will beat you to death. I’m light-155 Lbs-and it would bounce me so bad the safety device attached to the seat would shut the mower off/on and sounded like it was missing lol
I had a Hustler and if their PR is correct they built the first zero turn in the early 60’s
I had a Hustler and if their PR is correct they built the first zero turn in the early 60’s
If it’s a rough land and you don’t like your back to be sore try a stand up Scag. It won’t bounce you around to bad and you can mow hills and things a little easier. I started off with a Dixie and have the Scag Turf Tiger along with a few stand up Scags. The tiger is really nice just bounces you around a bit.
Did I just open a mowing thread on a sports website? Man football can’t get here soon enough
Get your lazy *** a Honda push mower and get after it. 
I mow 12 acres with a Ferris 61 inch. They have shocks which they have patented. Ask Jason Huber who is on this site and owns Central Equipment. Best mower on the market.
I mow 8-10 acres with a 60 inch Hustler. Commercial grade, Super Z. I like it very much. Had a 60 inch commercial grade Graveley before, had several problems with it. Would recommend at least 60 inch and commercial grade. If you haven''t priced them be prepared for sticker shock!!!!
Don’t ever buy anything from John Deere, mine has been an absolute disaster!!!!!!!
A lot of high end golf courses use a robot mower like the tennis courts use. Those run like 50k.
My lawn looks awfully good and the Toro has been ultra reliable. I maintain it religiously. I was at the dealer recently and they had a model that sells for $42k...quite a machine. Scag would be my next choice. Honestly, I chose Toro because of the reputation of the local dealer...local John Deere dealer is trash
Is it hilly? If so I'd get one with a steering wheel, zero turn commercial. Min of a 60" deck.
Much much more stable on steep grades.
Lot of good mowers out their.
I have relatives that use bad boys with 72" decks and never had a problem out of em.
I have some cousins that commercial mow for a living and have switched over to the new cub cadet mowers. Those are some seriously heavy duty mowers.
All these mowers people are recommending are over 10k in price so keep that in mind.
I had a neighbor once who had a 20’ x 20’ piece of black plastic that he continuously moved around his yard as needed. Told me he had bigger piece if he ever needed it.
Told me it was good for the environment. I just figured he was lazy.
Told me it was good for the environment. I just figured he was lazy.
I had a Cub 54inch and had nothing but trouble.from it. The deck was hard to keep clean from the get go. It was rough riding too. It had a Kohler on it. I've heard the Kawasaki engines are better but I've never had one. Had to replace the card as soon as the 2nd season started. Of course the carb is only warrantied for 60 days or so. Whatever you get use non-ethonol fuel. Ethanol is a carb killer
Appreciate all the input guys. Ended up getting a 61 in Scag Patriot which is a little step down from the turf tiger but I think it will get what I need done. And I didn’t wanna pay for a mower more expensive than my 05 f150. About to upgrade that seriously though.
I have a eXmark lazer z and highly recommended that mower, had it for a decade and not a single problem. Kawasaki motor has been flawless, everybody knows that Japanese small engines are the best. I see mowing operations all the time and a very large majority of them have their trailers loaded up with eXmark mowers with STIHL weed eaters/blowers.
The minority have scag second, Ferris a distant third and then everybody else that couldn’t afford the first three. I have owned a scag as well, good mower just more maintenance than the eXmark.
The minority have scag second, Ferris a distant third and then everybody else that couldn’t afford the first three. I have owned a scag as well, good mower just more maintenance than the eXmark.
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I can’t believe that no body even mentioned a 42” cut Murray.
Save yourself a lot of time and money, go to Walmart and pick up a Murray. Around 900 bucks!
You can thank me later .
Save yourself a lot of time and money, go to Walmart and pick up a Murray. Around 900 bucks!
You can thank me later .
There are 3 parts you have to focus on with a zero turn: engine, transmission, and deck. These are the things that break down the most by far. The thing is that most manufacturers use the same parts. For example the Cub Cadet ZT1 and Hustler Raptor use exact same Kohler or Kawasaki engines.....as well as the same Hydro Gear ZT2200 and 2800 transmissions. The decks are often different.....but most share similar designs.
So, often discussion among brands is inflated.
I recently had a talk with a long time mechanic at Central Ky Equipment. He mentioned to focus on the engine and whether or not the transmission is serviceable......then treat/maintain it well.
As far as engine brands, he said the following:
-Kawasaki - best residential engine line, good mid-grade, good commercial
-Briggs - good residential, good mid-grade, so-so commercial
-Kohler - lesser residential, so-so mid-grade, good commercial
He said, as of right now....if you getting a lower cost (~$3000-3500) zero turn the Cub Cadet with Kawasaki was easily the best choice. Once you get $4000-4500 and above, things change because manufacturers will alter things for durability, etc. Then, the commercial grades get really good.
So, often discussion among brands is inflated.
I recently had a talk with a long time mechanic at Central Ky Equipment. He mentioned to focus on the engine and whether or not the transmission is serviceable......then treat/maintain it well.
As far as engine brands, he said the following:
-Kawasaki - best residential engine line, good mid-grade, good commercial
-Briggs - good residential, good mid-grade, so-so commercial
-Kohler - lesser residential, so-so mid-grade, good commercial
He said, as of right now....if you getting a lower cost (~$3000-3500) zero turn the Cub Cadet with Kawasaki was easily the best choice. Once you get $4000-4500 and above, things change because manufacturers will alter things for durability, etc. Then, the commercial grades get really good.
So Ive sold commercial zero turns since the fall of 1996 and know a little bit about them. There are now over 80 brands of commercial zero turn mowers and they all share similar engines and transmissions from other suppliers. All of those suppliers have low grade engines / transmissions to the higher end commercial grade engines and transmissions. I don't have a favorite engine supplier, but Kawasaki carbureted FX series engines are what we primarily sell on the hundreds of Exmark Lazers we sell every year. That engine has shown to hold up to very difficult commercial mowing at the horse farms that surround Central Kentucky. I like the Kohler 25-29 Horsepower Kohler Command Commercial Grade engines, but they've had numerous issues the past 5-6 years on the larger Big Block Kohlers, specifically with fuel injection because of nylon cams and heat issues in the heads. The Briggs Vanguard Big Block engines are fantastic and the Oil Guard mentioned above in a comment has a dry sump system like a race car and only needs the engine oil to be changed every 500 hours.
Both Parker and Hydro Gear make good transmissions and normally the mower manufacture has paired the correct transmission to the weight and demands of what the mower has been used for although some manufactures will use a litter transmission to get price points down. Better brands like Exmark, Ferris, Scag, and others don't typically do that because their customers care more about quality and downtime than saving a few dollars. All in all, I sell 6 brands of great commercial mower brands but there are alot out there. One of the biggest things I would make sure is that your dealer is setup and able to take care of you after the sell. Most unfortunately aren't because of the high cost of techs and having parts in stock and sitting on shelves. Im happy to answer any questions for anyone if they have any more. I'm not a smart guy by any means, but I know the outdoor power business fairly well. If you want to see the brands we sell, you can see more at www.CentralEquipment.com.
Both Parker and Hydro Gear make good transmissions and normally the mower manufacture has paired the correct transmission to the weight and demands of what the mower has been used for although some manufactures will use a litter transmission to get price points down. Better brands like Exmark, Ferris, Scag, and others don't typically do that because their customers care more about quality and downtime than saving a few dollars. All in all, I sell 6 brands of great commercial mower brands but there are alot out there. One of the biggest things I would make sure is that your dealer is setup and able to take care of you after the sell. Most unfortunately aren't because of the high cost of techs and having parts in stock and sitting on shelves. Im happy to answer any questions for anyone if they have any more. I'm not a smart guy by any means, but I know the outdoor power business fairly well. If you want to see the brands we sell, you can see more at www.CentralEquipment.com.