Zero turn mower suggestions?

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WoodiE

WoodiE

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Lexington, KY
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I have just less then a 1/2 acre of land, our front yard is completely flat and the backyard has a slight down hill slope away from the house with about 7-8 trees.

I'm looking to purchase a zero turn mower and am curious if anyone has heard of the brands I'm looking at this moment or has any other suggestions.

Right now on my list is:

  • Hustler Sport
  • Exmark Quest-E
  • Bob-Cat RZ
  • Gravely ZT
  • Bad Boy MZ
All five brands are a 42" deck. All five have various pluses and minuses that I've found so far, the one that's my least favorite at the moment is the Exmark... which is funny because when I first started looking was my favorite.


Any suggestions?
 
Gravely has been around for decades and has made some serious lawn and garden tractors and roto tillers. That would be my choice 100%.
All the others have names I've never heard of.
If Troy Bilt from New York is still in business, that would be my second choice.
 
My brother has a hustler that he uses for business and he loves it, 3 years of abuse and never had a problem.

Curios why you want to spend that much to cut a half acre? IMO zero turns are nice for very large flat property but for something like you described a nice lawn tractor would be a lot easier and a lot cheaper! I have a little over an acre and I regret getting the zero turn, it sucks on un level surfaces, had to buy a push mower to get close to my ditch where my old lawn tractor would get so close I almost didn't need a trimmer! Those front caster wheels will always want to go down hill and these things get stuck very easy!
 
Last year I used a Craftsman 52" or 54" deck, it cut the yard in no time but it also scalped it in a number of places, that and getting in and around some trees was either a pain or impossible.

I'm thinking a zero turn and smaller mowing deck will maneuver better in the back yard. I've been unimpressed with the lower end "tractor mowers" found at the box stores like Lowes and Home Depot. Virtually all of them are actually made by MTD, use lower end engines and all are stamped mowing decks.

I currently mow the yard with a Craftsman Professional push mower with a 21" deck, even with it being front self propelled it's certainly not a fast task mowing the entire yard.
 
WoodiE said:
I'm thinking a zero turn and smaller mowing deck will maneuver better in the back yard.
Click to expand...


With a zero turn it's not the deck that you need to measure, it's the rear wheel track! I went from a 42" tractor to a 42" zero turn and the zero turn doesn't fit a couple of places that the tractor would. The rear axle on a zero turn is wider to help give it traction to turn. If you have never used one take time to learn how to make those "zero turns" or you will tear up the grass or run into something....Thats experience talking LOL
 
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2revo1maxx said:
Anything....with a fabricated deck and Kawasaki engine.:D
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From my list that would be a Hustler Sport or Bad Boy.

SMaxxin said:
With a zero turn it's not the deck that you need to measure, it's the rear wheel track! I went from a 42" tractor to a 42" zero turn and the zero turn doesn't fit a couple of places that the tractor would
Click to expand...

I was at a home and garden show last weekend and one of the salesmen said something similar to that as well, but in regards to the deck being wider so that you get a better trip around things.
 
Most of the pros that I know use the Hustlers. I've also heard good thing about the Gravely's.
 
My dad has a Gravely and also loves his, then again he's also using one of their commercial line mowers as he's got about 5-6 acres to cut. The Gravely in my price range would probably be the ZT which has a stamped deck (not to keen about) and I can't find anything about how their frames are made.

Hustler so far, for price and features seem to be the best bet at the moment. Curious now though if there's any benefit of getting a commercial walk behind with say a 30-40" deck. To many choices, haha
 
The Gravely or the Bob Cat if it's actually made by Bob Cat for the reasons Rolex already metioned. They've both been making equipment for years and years. Unfortunately, it seems on the smaller or lower end ZT mowers they always cut corners somewhere, such as the stamped deck on the Gravely. Then again, the deck shouldn't ever be bearing much load, so it might be alright. My parents have a larger Craftsman ZT mower that has some nice features. Didn't take me but a few minutes to get used to it, then again, I ran heavy equipment for years. It cuts out a LOT of trim work, and it really leaves the yard with a nice even beautiful cut. Worth every penny IMHO. Good luck on whatever you go with Woody.
 
my idea. what i think is that you need to check out the dealer that will be doing work that you can't.
 
Ah, forgot all about Toro. I've had over half a dozen riders through the years and the rear engine Toro needed ZERO maintenance for the 2 years I had it. It was parked in the back yard connected to a lawn trailer and when I got home from work the trailer was there and the Toro was gone.

Check with Lloyd. I know he's familiar with the big $3500 Craftsman.
 
Without actually seeing what you are cutting,I would tend to agree with Smaxxin. You are correct on the box store tractors though. Look at a Kubota or I really like the Cub Cadet I'm using now. The steering turns nearly 90* so you can get near trees without much hassle. I'm not so impressed with the John Deer my mother-in-law has.

For zero turn,stay away from Dixon. They are the equivalent of the box store tractors. A couple of other brands out there are Grasshopper and Dixie Chopper.
 
I had a Husqvarna ZTR a few years ago at my old properly before I moved and no longer needed something that size, it was very reliable and efficient for the time I had it. 2 years/2 acres, it held its resale value well also.
 
Forgot to update... I ended up going with a Hustler Sport 42" model at first. Got it home and then called the place I purchased it at to see if I could take it back. Returned the 42" mower and replaced it with the 48" version of the Hustler Sport.

100% honest, I love cutting grass now. This thing is so quick, the cut so nice, and such a fun ride. I find myself looking at the grass hoping it's grown enough for me to cut grass again. I'm going to be in trouble when it gets warmer and the grass starts dying. haha


-Michael
 
WoodiE said:
I'm going to be in trouble when it gets warmer and the grass starts dying
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Now that you own the house you have to go all in! Buy sprinklers and feed your lawn! Last fall I spread short Rye grass on my lawn, I had a thick green lawn all winter!


This pics was taken in January, the area around the shed is a little rough from construction but look at the grass around it!

shop.gif
 
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Nice! I'll stop by Southern States this weekend to see how well Rye grass grows up here in KY. Nice shed too, I'm hoping to add one in my back yard someday as well.
 
WoodiE said:
Forgot to update... I ended up going with a Hustler Sport 42" model at first. Got it home and then called the place I purchased it at to see if I could take it back. Returned the 42" mower and replaced it with the 48" version of the Hustler Sport.

100% honest, I love cutting grass now. This thing is so quick, the cut so nice, and such a fun ride. I find myself looking at the grass hoping it's grown enough for me to cut grass again. I'm going to be in trouble when it gets warmer and the grass starts dying. haha


-Michael
Click to expand...

Supercharge that bitch and add a wheelie bar!
 
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