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Zero turn advice?!

Deadfox

Deadfox

Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2018
Messages
72
So I trust y’all more than I trust a lot of folks. That being said I need one help picking a zero turn. I’ll be mowing about three to three and a half acres of fairly even terrain. What’s y’alls experiences and what do you recommend? Thanks in advance for any help
 
Deadfox said:
So I trust y’all more than I trust a lot of folks. That being said I need one help picking a zero turn. I’ll be mowing about three to three and a half acres of fairly even terrain. What’s y’alls experiences and what do you recommend? Thanks in advance for any help
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Hustler all the way... Love mine

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I have a commercial John Deere Z930 to cut my 4-4.5 acres. Been about 5 seasons now and no issues. It does a great job. I also have a Husqvarna Z248F residential model to keep at property I have 100 miles away. While the mower works good, it is Night and Day between residential and commercial. Let me know if I can answer any other questions.
 
Been mowing with a Exmark Lazer Z for 15 years. Just replaced the mule belt in the fall. Other than oil change, air filter, and changing the deck bearings once it’s been a dandy. It may self destruct tomorrow.
 
I'm a big fan of exmark, but they are pricey. Scag makes a fine machine for the money, but you better like a grease gun. Really my biggest complaint with Scag besides the weight of the machine is that you still have to grease the spindle bearings. Most all the other machines use sealed bearings so there's no need to grease them. I also own a Spartan. At first I didn't like it at all. The price was right, but it was extremely sloppy in the steering controls. I took it apart and redneck engineered it over the winter. It's actually a usable machine now and rather nice. It's by far the smoothest riding mower I've ever been on. Also the factory deck adjustment on the Spartan is garbage. They make an aftermarket that uses a pin instead of the dial, which is much better. If you know what you getting into the Spartan maybe worth the money you'll save if you willing to tweak a few things. But if you're looking for something great right out the door on go with either Scag or Exmark. Whoever you choose, if it's in the budget, make sure you get a commercial model. The homeowner models just don't stand up to the abuse like the commercial machines do.
 
Purchased a Hustler Super Z and have been very pleased. Have used Scag, John Deere, Husky, BobCat and Dixie Chopper. All commercial grades and I still preferred the Hustler. Haven't regretted decision after using for 13yrs.

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Find your local dealer Ferris, Toro, Hustler, etc. look who had the best warranty and service. All these mowers have their pros and cons residential. On a entry grade commercial mower you won’t go wrong for how much you have to mow with worry free mowing with the warranty and will last with care.
 
I went from a John Deere garden tractor to a Grasshopper for a few years. I've since gone back to a John Deere garden tractor. I fell into the zero turn craze but after a few years realized that it was just much more enjoyable to mow with a garden tractor. Plus, a garden tractor has so many more uses. What ever you get, make sure you have good dealer support near you. That's sometimes more important that the brand you buy.
 
I will echo the good dealer, Before I bought my John Deere my research led to to exmark. I really liked the product from what I researched but did not have confidence in the dealer near me. So I went with JD and more importantly A dealer I had confidence.
 
Exmark but I'm a little biased. They make em right down the road from my house. I know a lot of the guys that work there and even they claim they're good mowers. For home use, one of the guys says you'll never wear em out. I guess I should add this disclaimer: I have a John Deere. I think I'd look more for the longevity/quality of the engine (Kohler, Kawasaki, etc.) and deck (stamped vs. welded), hydrostatic pump longevity, as well as amounts of lubrication points and/or bearing quality since each company makes varying qualities of models. Plus any accessories you may need or like should be taken into consideration too.
 
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Scag or Hustler would get my vote, IF you have a good local dealer. Otherwise, go with a machine from the best local dealer. I would also get a commercial machine for that size property.
 
I have a John deere Z535R it cut my mowing time in half. Whatever you do, don't go to the box stores. Their zero turns are cheap. Go to the dealers they have the high end quality products.
 
Scag. 3 lawn companies owned by McComb firemen and we all run them. Between us we run 7 of them.
 
If you yard is kinda bumpy check out Ferris. Those shocks are sweet. But definitely agree with a good dealer. I had a JD for a while. But my yard is all slanted. I was tearing it up from sliding and sold it when the economy went South. I went to a tractor. I'm a fan of Kawasaki motors, and Parker hydraulic pumps. Not sure who's running what these days. But I think any of the big names mentioned here will provide years of trouble free service. That's where dealership comes into play. Support and parts should you need them. IMO.
 
ricky racer said:
I went from a John Deere garden tractor to a Grasshopper for a few years. I've since gone back to a John Deere garden tractor. I fell into the zero turn craze but after a few years realized that it was just much more enjoyable to mow with a garden tractor. Plus, a garden tractor has so many more uses. What ever you get, make sure you have good dealer support near you. That's sometimes more important that the brand you buy.
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I use a zero turn husqvarna, but like Ricky racer pointed out a garden tractor has many more uses. So if you are just mowing they are great. The minute you want to haul with a trailer or or something else that is where the problem lies.
 
I’ve had several Ferris mowers without a single complaint. Currently have a Bad Boy and it has been a good machine too.
 
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