Zero Turn Mowers - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

nate300d · #1 08-27-2013, 03:23 PM

Looking for experienced based opinions on zero turn mowers. I currently have a John Deere SST18 with about 400 hours on it. It has been a great mower and taken a hell of a lot of strenuous use. My 2 acres yard is on very hard clay. Rolling the yard is more like taking the roller out for a bumpy ride. In addition my house in built on a steep slope so part of the yard is sloped is steep. The only reason I am looking for something else is that I would like to reduce my mowing time and before long I better plan on mowing my parent's place next to me as well as my own yard.

pawoSD · #2 08-27-2013, 03:33 PM

Solution Found!

Skid Row Joe · #3 08-27-2013, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nate300d

Looking for experienced based opinions on zero turn mowers. I currently have a John Deere SST18 with about 400 hours on it. It has been a great mower and taken a hell of a lot of strenuous use. My 2 acres yard is on very hard clay. Rolling the yard is more like taking the roller out for a bumpy ride. In addition my house in built on a steep slope so part of the yard is sloped is steep. The only reason I am looking for something else is that I would like to reduce my mowing time and before long I better plan on mowing my parent's place next to me as well as my own yard.

How much do you want to to spend on one?

nate300d · #4 08-27-2013, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

Solution Found!

Actually, I have a lot of area for that type of application.

nate300d · #5 08-27-2013, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

How much do you want to to spend on one?

Tax and all I would like to keep it between $8-9K for a new unit.

Skid Row Joe · #6 08-27-2013, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nate300d

Tax and all I would like to keep it between $8-9K for a new unit.

A gently used 60"/61" cut Hustler or Scag (if you don't mind doing the toil of shopping the Net) are the two brands I would be focused on in that price range. New ones are in the $13K +/- range.

The reason why is that they're identified in forum after forum by the mechanics who fix 'em as being the two brands @ the top of the heap in rugged durability. Your 2 acres + would seem to indicate you need something bada** to do the job.

Personally, if I were getting one for postage stamp sized lawn mowing of 1/2 acre and less, I'd be looking at something the size of a Toro Grandstand 30", 36" cut or so 'standing-up' mower. It just appeals to me in size and I'm not one that likes to sit down when mowing. .02......

Dubyagee · #7 08-27-2013, 06:25 PM

I like John Deere's 777 Ztrak. 27hp Kawasaki powered and super fast blade tip speed. 72" deck. Can be bought used for 4 to 6K

nate300d · #8 08-27-2013, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

Personally, if I were getting one for postage stamp sized lawn mowing of 1/2 acre and less, I'd be looking at something the size of a Toro Grandstand 30", 36" cut or so 'standing-up' mower. It just appeals to me in size and I'm not one that likes to sit down when mowing. .02......

Use a stand up on my yard for 5 minutes and you will be 6 inches shorter.

I have heard of hustler, but not ever seen one. All of the mowing services around here use Grasshopper or Exmark. I suspect the fact of there being a local dealer for both has a lot to do with that.

One make that I just saw ls week was Bad Boy. Built like a W126 of mowers. They pack a lot of power per deck width. Their smallest is a 44" deck with 22HP. Construction is appealing, but I know of no one using one.

Skid Row Joe · #9 08-28-2013, 01:22 AM

Spend some time on You Tube in this zero-turn category of mowers. Although there's no way to do research there, it will get you acquainted with some brands.

Keep in mind that whatever you buy, you will need service on it from time to time. Where are you going to have to take it for service, and how will they treat you?

Lawn services are not necessarily going to use the best brands, but they still need to get the jobs done. I've seen some raggedya** units running year after year by lower-end lawn services, but you never see the serviceability end of what they're running. I suspect that some of the dime store and big box carried brands may not be as rugged as what you need for over 2 acres.

Shopping from the standpoint of servicing whatever brand you buy is where I'd start.

spdrun · #10 08-28-2013, 02:48 AM

Looking at the Wiki, Grasshopper appears all American-made, no Chinese garbage.

ImBroke · #11 08-28-2013, 05:54 AM

Bad Boys have lots of angles on their decks, where grass can accumulate and start rusting out the deck. They look bad ass, but it would appear that the decks would be rusting out before the mower is ready to quit. You can get an entry Cub Cadet for about 4k. Hustlers are awesome.

rocky raccoon · #12 08-28-2013, 07:12 AM

A zero turn mower has one. You say your lot has a steep slope. A zero-turn mower is heavily rear weight biased and is vulnerable to overturning when mowing uphill on a steep slope. That is why I passed up on one in favor of a 48" Husqvarna.

If you feel you must have a zero turn, get the roll bar for it. There have been many injured by injudicious use of that type of mower.

TimFreeh · #13 08-28-2013, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spdrun

Looking at the Wiki, Grasshopper appears all American-made, no Chinese garbage.

I cut about 3.5 acres with a Grasshopper 722D and I've been very impressed with the build quality. When you hit something with the Grasshopper you're going to break whatever you hit and not the mower. This may or may not be a good thing depending on your environment.

One other factor to consider is the style of the deck. The 700 series Grasshopper line has a floating mower deck that sits out in front of the operator. This can come in really handy when you're mowing under fences and around low hanging trees since you can position the cutting deck under obstacles. Later versions of the out-front deck will actually pivot 90 degrees up to make cleaning and blade sharpening very easy. The downside is that the out front deck throws up a lot of dust and takes up more room in your storage shed.

My mower uses a Kubota 722 diesel and the fuel consumption is outstanding, I've been averaging 8 hours of mowing time on around 5 gallons of fuel.

New versions of my mower are in the 13-14K range, I bought mine used with 750 hours for less than half that amount, I've now at 870 hours and the only mechanical issue I've had with mine is the mower deck belt broke.

Lots of commercial operators use Grasshoppers and many have multi-thousand hours on the clocks and still are used daily. Highly recommended in my book.

Air&Road · #14 08-28-2013, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimFreeh

I cut about 3.5 acres with a Grasshopper 722D and I've been very impressed with the build quality. When you hit something with the Grasshopper you're going to break whatever you hit and not the mower. This may or may not be a good thing depending on your environment.

One other factor to consider is the style of the deck. The 700 series Grasshopper line has a floating mower deck that sits out in front of the operator. This can come in really handy when you're mowing under fences and around low hanging trees since you can position the cutting deck under obstacles. Later versions of the out-front deck will actually pivot 90 degrees up to make cleaning and blade sharpening very easy. The downside is that the out front deck throws up a lot of dust and takes up more room in your storage shed.

My mower uses a Kubota 722 diesel and the fuel consumption is outstanding, I've been averaging 8 hours of mowing time on around 5 gallons of fuel.

New versions of my mower are in the 13-14K range, I bought mine used with 750 hours for less than half that amount, I've now at 870 hours and the only mechanical issue I've had with mine is the mower deck belt broke.

Lots of commercial operators use Grasshoppers and many have multi-thousand hours on the clocks and still are used daily. Highly recommended in my book.

I can ditto everything Tim said. I recently got a Grasshopper 725K2 which is very similar to Tim's 722D except it doesn't have that sweet liquid cooled diesel, but it does have a grass collector with a dump from seat hopper.

The models that Tim and I have are called front mount as Tim pointed out that the deck is out front. This means that the majority of the weight is balanced over the driving wheels with casters at the front of the deck and out back. I don't mow on anything very steep, but I THINK that this configuration would be much better on hills IF you mow up and down the hill, not along the hill with the machine tilted sideways.

If you're not interested in a grass collection system, there is an ample supply of these machines on the used market. Try tractorhouse.com and choose other equipment. These machines are very easy to maintain and repair, so buying used is a viable option IMHO.

I ran a Bad Boy for about 8 years and have not yet sold it. It is an OUTSTANDINGLY well built machine, but a little clunky handling. The spindles are taller on it than most other decks I've seen which allows it to process a lot of heavy, wet grass. I have NOT seen any problems with grass catching in corners and rusting it out. Their decks are fabricated from 1/4" plate, so it would take a LONG time for one to rust through. There are rounded fairings around the blades, so I'm not sure where there can be any corners.

I also ran a Dixon and a Cub Cadet ZForce for many years before the Bad Boy. Dixon makes very good stuff, although slightly lighter duty than some of the others. Stay away from residential grade Cub Cadet stuff. The TANK series, however, is still sure enough Commercial grade equipment.

The two things mentioned by the OP that got my attention were "steep hills" and "rugged terrain." Rugged terrain would really be dealt with by a front mount deck like the grasshopper(they also make mid mounts so don't let me confuse you.) The steep hills are a red flag. If you are mowing really steep, a ZTR might not work for you. Since steep is a relative term, maybe it would work for you. I would suggest going to a commercial mower supplier, and getting them to let you demo one. They quite commonly do this. It would be very important that you actually use the machine on those hills, especially under the wettest conditions in which you mow, to see if it is going to get the job done and be safe.

Good luck with your decision.

BTW, Grasshopper makes some smaller, less expensive versions of their front mount mowers. They would give you the same advantage, just a narrower cut, more like 48".

Hope this helps.
Larry

SwampYankee · #15 08-28-2013, 08:56 AM

If you buy any commercial ZTM for residential use you'll be in good shape. I've seen every make and model come through and guys run them all long and hard but they maintain them well (I don't see the low end guys, though, where service intervals may be longer or ignored), when a new one shows up on the trailer it's replacing one that's been coming here for a good long time. I've got a 48" Bobcat that's over 25 yo. and was a hand-me-down from the LCO that maintains our business' lawn. Although it is on its second engine after the Kawi puked a rod through the side of the block, it did have many thousands of hours on it.

If the local Grasshopper and/or Exmark dealer has a good reputation, that might be the place to start.

Just avoid the big box versions. Despite some claims to the contrary, there is little in common between the "real" branded one and the big box version other than the sheetmetal, stickers and a partial model number. There's a reason they're cheaper at the box and the independent authorized dealers will tell you to bring it back to where you bought it if it needs service.

I agree with rocky's comment about roll-over risk when mowing steep slopes. Even when careful, accidents can happen. Go for a rollbar or retrofit one.