- Joined
- Aug 4, 2020
- Messages
- 557
I've been doing some homework and am in the process of going through every manufacturer's entire fleet of mowers. I'm probably halfway through sorting through all of them and want to narrow down my candidates to less than 5 to go physically test out. I'm trying to identify the best bang for the buck, while keeping quality before price. I don't really have a budget. My guess is that I'll land somewhere between $3,200-$5,500. A $7,000-$8,000 price tag does sound outlandish and I know I can buy a rock solid commercial unit for that, so I guess that is the ceiling. I will be mowing a single acre. It does get thick and wet in the spring, and gets very sandy & dry in the fall. No big hills or other oddities. I've essentially been borrowing/renting a zero-turn from my buddy who has a Hustler 52" deck and ZT-2200s (6mph), and that unit typically takes me 3 hours to mow in the spring and 1.5 hours in the fall (I have lots of fencing/cross-fencing and a few obstacles to navigate around). I don't plan on actually buying one until at least spring 2021, but I do understand year-end clearance (now) is the time to buy. To be clear, I AM open to input and suggestions, and welcome any criticism or concept questions even if outside my criteria. I will update this thread over the next week with some choices and eliminations, but I think I have my criteria figured out:
Bonus features that are a want but not a need (meaning I would actually pay for these add-ons if available):
That said, my front-runners so far are:
Ferris, Kubota, John Deere, Toro, Simplicity.
These were all due to either not offering Kawasaki, not offering a package fitting within at least half of my guidelines, or being overpriced for the same package I can get elsewhere. I do understand Deere relabels engines under their own name and does offer Kawasaki engines, but they were way overpriced. But again, I can be talked into anything if the reasoning is sound.
I haven't looked at Big Dog, Bad Boy, and many others yet. Those will be covered asap.
So what do you guys suggest. Am I overlooking anything? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Here's that new Raptor pic as promised:
- Kawasaki engine - good luck trying to convince me otherwise, but it's not set in stone.
- 52"-60" non-stamped deck - I may be talked into a 48" if the price is just irresistible, but ideally want a 54" width.
- Serviceable Hydros - this is probably the most important criteria, I'm thinking ZT-2800/3100 or better.
- Time spent - I don't want to downgrade from what I'm using now (52" width @ 6mph). This contradicts the 48" mention above, but if the price is right...
Bonus features that are a want but not a need (meaning I would actually pay for these add-ons if available):
- Hour meter - helps for OCI purposes
- Fuel gauge - some mowers don't have a way to check other than lifting the seat
- Deck hose attachment - I'd like to be able to easily clean the deck between manual hard scrapings. I know Deere offers this, not sure about others.
That said, my front-runners so far are:
- 2021 Hustler Raptor XD (these look so good, on the eyes and on the spec sheet) - 54" deck, Kawi FR691, ZT-2800s, hour meter. And those new Big Bite tires.... Go look at this thing. It really looks incredible. Just don't go directly to Hustler's website, as they haven't added the 2021 models yet. Better yet, I'll upload a pic below.
- 2021 Gravely ZT HD - 52" deck, Kawi FR691, ZT-3100s.
- Spartan RZ-PRO - 54" deck, Kawi FR691, Parker HTEs. Just not sure about the company, considering I've never heard of them until yesterday (and they're local!).
Ferris, Kubota, John Deere, Toro, Simplicity.
These were all due to either not offering Kawasaki, not offering a package fitting within at least half of my guidelines, or being overpriced for the same package I can get elsewhere. I do understand Deere relabels engines under their own name and does offer Kawasaki engines, but they were way overpriced. But again, I can be talked into anything if the reasoning is sound.
I haven't looked at Big Dog, Bad Boy, and many others yet. Those will be covered asap.
So what do you guys suggest. Am I overlooking anything? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Here's that new Raptor pic as promised: