Best Zero Turn Mower

[WHwest8597 85]

Looking for some feedback on zero turn mowers.  Mowing 1.5 acres that has some gente slops.

 

Looking for quality, something easy to work on.

 

I heard Woods are good ones. However, the are built by outside contract.

 

I also have heard Grasshopper is a quality machine.

[Digger 66 3,478]

I have an Ariens that was handed down from my dad when he passed away .

I think it's an early 80's .

He cut his acre and a half with it until 2010 

Now I cut my little 60 X 130 ft lot with it .

I love it .

[953 nut 55,189]

We needed a new rider for my church and after researching the options out there we bought the Toro TimeCutter 50" with a Kohler V Twin engine. Due to tight confines of headstones and trees in the cemetery and other areas we couldn't use a bigger mower. The biggest selling feature for me is the steering system with a steering wheel rather then swing arms. We have several steep slopes and the steering wheel has a more natural feel for the operator and if things go bad a swing arm setup could aggravate the situation but the steering wheel operation seems comfortable. We mow about six acres and what took a day or more with the 48" JD rider is less than a day now. Both drive wheels are powered and stop with hydraulics rather than a differential so it is much safer on damp areas and steep grades too.

[SPINJIM 1,981]

I've had a Gravely ZT54 with the Kawasaki 23hp for five years, and have been very happy with it.   Most of the pro lawn services around here use X-Mark because it has a low center of gravity, and that makes it safer on slopes.    If the X-marks are too expensive, the Toro ZTs are part of the same company now, just a little lighter duty.   I'd avoid the Grasshopper; it's very sensitive and jumpy.   I found it harder to control in tight spaces compared to others.   I volunteered to do a comparison of brands for my church (same as 953 nut), and we decided on the X-Mark with the new Kohler Command with fuel injection, and it's been great.   The engine is at least as important as the mower.   If you can find a brand of mower you like, with the Kohler Command or a Kawasaki engine, go for it.   Avoid the Kohler Courage that's on some of the cheaper models;  it's made in China and has some plastic internals.  Good luck.

    Jim

 

[RandyLittrell 3,877]

We have a cub cadet zero turn thats going on 14 or 15 years old. It was Dads and he had a couple of acres to mow with lots of fence post and my son beat the hell out of it! Other than a couple of things we have had to fix on the deck, its really taking a beatin and kept of mowing. Ours had the welded frame but stamped deck, I would do the fabricated deck if I had to do it over. 

 

 

 

 

Randy

Edited May 26, 2018 by RandyLittrell

[SPINJIM 1,981]

I definitely agree that the fabricated / welded deck will hold up better than the stamped deck.

[rjg854 11,360]

I happen to have a 42" bad boy zero turn w/ a welded deck, it has a very nice cut to it and for my 1/2 acre, it's a great little mower.  Simple in design, and ruggedly built. The mower is about 7 years old now and holding up great.

 

Edited May 27, 2018 by rjg854
added picture

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,496]

On 5/26/2018 at 7:07 AM, SPINJIM said:

I definitely agree that the fabricated / welded deck will hold up better than the stamped deck.

That depends.  I have a 2002 John Deere 717 that has the 7 Iron deck.  It's stamped, but it's stamped 7 gauge metal.  Manufacturers will use welded, fabricated decks because they do not have the capability to stamped thicker material.  John Deere does.  A stamped deck that uses 7 gauge metal will outlast a fabricated deck for a few reasons, one being there are no welded seams to catch moisture and grass that will corrode the welded seam.  Another thing, all fabricated decks use 7 gauge metal only on the sides and usually use 10 gauge metal for the top plate.

 

What I would suggest is to avoid residential zero turns and go commercial where you will have the more material in the decks, faster blade tip speed, heavier frames, commercial engines, dual commercial grade hydro motors, thicker blades, etc.  About the only residential zero turn I would look at will be Hustler or any one that has those features listed above.

[Sarge 3,463]

I just got to watch/look over a Bush Hog pro model that uses the KT745 engine, commercial grade pumps and overall has a pretty nice build quality - the thing is a monster. Otherwise, I still prefer the Grasshoppers over most brands except maybe the higher grade Kubota lines. Only issue, of course, is their price tag...

 

Sarge

[Tractor boy 239]

Or you could go scag? I drive one of their tigers or the cheetah models for work 

[JC 1965 1,530]

What about Hustler ? I've heard several people say they like them and the price is right.   

[CasualObserver 3,408]

Are you looking primarily for something new or used?  If new, dealer maintenance availability will be a big plus to comply with most manufacturer warranty coverage. It also depends on whether you want to buck up and pay for commercial, light commercial or consumer grade. I haven't seen anyone around me (in any grade) using Grasshopper or Woods that didn't come from a secondary market to begin with.

 

Around me, most homeowners use similar light commercial or consumer grade models... For the most part it's generally divided into local dealer brands... some Deere, some Gravely, some Husqvarna and some Ariens from the local big box stores. I haven't seen anybody in my area uses any of the Toro Timecutter models, although they too are available at the big box stores. They must sell somewhere though.    We had a Hustler dealer locally that didn't last long and there's not many around. There's also a local guy with Bad Boy mowers... but I think he just sits on them due to poor advertising, and not being able to beat TSC's prices.

 

I've been happy for 7 years with my Gravely ZT-48 for my 1.4 acre yard. I have often wished I'd paid the extra $400 at the time to step up to the ZTHD-48 version though. The ZT series (consumer grade) only has a single pump driving the two wheel motors, whereas the ZTHD series (light commercial grade) supposedly had individual pumps/motors for each drive wheel. Budget limits at the time kept me where I was, but now if I could go back I would.  When I replace it, that will be a checkbox on the list. The single pump driving two motors can give a jerky or uneven response occasionally, which is less than desirable when cutting delicate spots. I've often wished I had been able to add a bagging kit as well... that will too be on the list as it would be much more convenient that my traditional tow behind sweeper

 

Good luck with your search, if you are buying new, be sure to ask to demo the unit you want to buy... it's the only way to really get a feel for how it will perform for you.

 

[DennisThornton 4,769]

At least look at this:

https://altoz.com/

[RandyLittrell 3,877]

This isn't a zero turn but If I had a bunch to mow and had a fat wallet, this would be the beast to have. 

 

 

 

 

 

It has 4 wheel steering and four wheel drive as well as heat and A/C!!!!

Edited June 3, 2018 by RandyLittrell