Opinions about New ZTRs

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racer12306

racer12306

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I'm buying a house with 1.3 acres and will be looking for a new zero turn next year. I've started looking stuff up and getting a feel for the market. I'll be borrowing my Dad's 38" ZTR this year so by the end of this year, for a deal, or next spring I'll be ready to buy.

Looks like the premium is the Ferris for it's suspension and overall quality but I haven't called someone to ask the price. The Hustler's look pretty good too, the FasTrack SD is probably the one I'd look at closer.

Ideally I'd like to be in the $5000 area, but from looking at a few brands it seems that I might want to be a little flexible up to $7000ish for a quality mower that is going to last a really long time.

I'm thinking a 54+" deck and it has to be able to pull a cart (I've learned not all can).

Thoughts?
 
I use a self propelled mower to get some exercise. I have 26 acres much of it woods. I have a used Husqvarna riding mower if I am in a hurry or do some mowing by the pond.

No one needs a $5000 to $7000 mower of any kind to mow the grass on a 1.3 acre property.
 
I mowed my 2 acre lot for 12 years with a $1050 MTD. 42" cut. Took about 1:45. A $5000 ZTR can do the job with better quality, but not 5X better.
 
With all due respect, that's not what I'm looking for.

I'm looking for opinions on mowers, not opinions on whether or not my fat butt should be push mowing my property.
 
We run a few acres with our 54 inch Craftsman. Well under 2k and it'll easily pull a trailer or other stuff.

A ZTR is a dedicated lawn mower. If you need versatility it is not a good choice...
 
If you do get a zero turn which is the creme-dela-creme of lawn mowers, be sure to look at Bad Boy if there's a dealer near you. I say dealer because Tractor Supply or any big box store is not the place to buy a mower. The ZT Eite at $5k is killer and people love them around here. The contractor that mows my neighbor's yard got an Outlaw last year and he said it cuts better than his Exmark. Will give you a lot more machine for the same money as a Hustler or Ferris, both of which are high quality brands. With only 1.3 acres I'd say a garden tractor will give you more flexibility. Ariens and Husky get good feedback where I live, and most don't like the Cub Cadet at all for some reason. $3k will get you a top grade residential tractor that you can use for other things. Your lawn is quite reasonably sized so you don't "need" a top of the line zero turn, but it sure would be great to have!
 
I have a John Deere 757 that I've had for about 5 or 6 years now. My only regret is that I didn't move up to a zero turn sooner.

I paid $3000 for mine at our local John Deere dealer-it's a former commercial unit that was traded in on a newer model. Even though it had around 1300 hours on it when I purchased it, the life span is 2000+ hours, so I have a lot of years of service life still left. The dealership went through it and make sure everything was working as it should before I purchased it.

I have no issues pulling a trailer, sprayer or other non-pto powered implement. I wouldn't want to use it with a ground engaging implement like a tiller, but for other things it does quite well. It's also never going to be suitable for winter work, but I have a real tractor for that.

Mine has the 60 inch deck with Mulch On Demand, so when I get close to the house I don't blow clippings all over the patio or gazebo. It's also great for mulching leaves in the fall and in the spring. With sharp blades I have no problem in wet or tall grass, and when I'm not mulching it spreads the clippings very nicely. It's also fast-ground speed is 10+ MPH and it's made to mow at full speed. The combination of ground speed and blade speed (mine runs somewhere around 17,000 tip speed) mean that you can get a clean cut while moving at full speed. I do the 3 acres of finish mowing that the house and shop sit on in just over an hour.

I don't know anything about the residential quality zero turns, but if you're considering a commercial unit I have no problem recommending a used commercial model assuming you either know how to judge the condition or have a dealer who can. I prefer John Deere since I have a dealer close by that always has any part that I need.

So far since I've owned my 757 the only thing I've done is normal maintenance, which is extremely easy to do.
 
Head over to lawnsite.com, lots of good info there and people that use these things daily to give you input.

I may be in the same boat soon so report back on what you get once you've done your research.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
IEven though it had around 1300 hours on it when I purchased it, the life span is 2000+ hours, so I have a lot of years of service life still left.


1300 hours before what? The engine is due to be overhauled? Id suspect that hours dont have much of a bearing on the chassis and other equipment since it would be so terrain/dust/weather dependent.

Sounds like a good deal.
 
Bought a SCAG Tiger Cat about 4 years ago to mow 5 acres..no regrets. Its a beast.
 
I'm mowing 1-1.5 acres with a toro timecutter SS5000. Its not a commercial ztr. Its a 21hp kawasaki. The hydros are not supposed to be serviceability I.E fluid changes ( i'm going to check and see if thats really so). Anyway i've had it 3 years and i only have 38 hrs on it. It mows so much faster than a tractor type. With 1.3 acres i'm not sure you need commercial but it you want to , i'm sure it will out last you.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
IEven though it had around 1300 hours on it when I purchased it, the life span is 2000+ hours, so I have a lot of years of service life still left.


1300 hours before what? The engine is due to be overhauled? Id suspect that hours dont have much of a bearing on the chassis and other equipment since it would be so terrain/dust/weather dependent.

Sounds like a good deal.


The total number of hours on the hour meter when I purchased it was around 1300 (I don't remember the exact number). No "before what", it's just the number of hours that were on it when I purchased it.

Hours are one indicator-if it would have had 1300 hours and been neglected then I would have passed. However it was well maintained and checked by the dealer, so I had no issues purchasing it with that number of hours.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
IEven though it had around 1300 hours on it when I purchased it, the life span is 2000+ hours, so I have a lot of years of service life still left.


1300 hours before what? The engine is due to be overhauled? Id suspect that hours dont have much of a bearing on the chassis and other equipment since it would be so terrain/dust/weather dependent.

Sounds like a good deal.


The total number of hours on the hour meter when I purchased it was around 1300 (I don't remember the exact number). No "before what", it's just the number of hours that were on it when I purchased it.

Hours are one indicator-if it would have had 1300 hours and been neglected then I would have passed. However it was well maintained and checked by the dealer, so I had no issues purchasing it with that number of hours.


Right but you said 2000+ hours. Was that arbitrary, or was that based upon an MTBF or other statistical measure? Just wondering.
 
Originally Posted By: Joe_Power
Hustler Fast Trak Super Z. You can thank me later...


My dad has the hustler , he likes it.
 
Bought a Scag Freedom Z with 26-hp Briggs ELS in 2007. Best $5,000 I ever spent. Cut my mowing time on my 2.5 acres from 4 hours with a Craftsman lawn tractor to 2 hours with the Scag.
 
Just about all the basics have been covered above. The recommendation to visit Lawnsite.com is spot on.

Study what the pros are using in your area. That will reveal what brand in your area is the best value and most important, has the best service support. If the main drive belt or any other part breaks, it's nice to be able to get parts and/or service locally so you can get back in action quickly. The pros can't afford to mess with machines that will cost them time and money, period.

No single brand is the best. In our area, Scag and Exmark dominate 80% of the market in an area saturated with some of the largest John Deere dealers in the region. In spite of this, you rarely see John Deere ZTRs used professionally. JD has been playing catch up in the pro market for years and they just don't get everything quite right to compete with the big boys.

Good luck. ZTRs are a blast to run. They are fast and one with decent offset can eliminate the need for a trim mower.
 
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