School me on Zero Turns, please

[dalola]

Lot's of quality machines out there, each with their own unique attributes. Make sure you shop the commercial grade machines, more money up front, pays off in the long term.

I have a Yazoo/Kees Max2, 61" 25HP Kaw. Beast of a mower, built like a tank, Pushing 700 hrs, still running original belts. The big Kaw's are great engines, but they are thirty for sure, be ready for that. I finish mow ~4 acres, twin 5 gal saddle tanks, gets me 2 rounds.

Test drive every model you can before deciding, some should really stand out. (PS > Y/K is no longer.....Husqvarna bought them out several years ago, then discontinued the line. Too bad, old company that build great products, way better then anything the parent company builds.)

 

[conropl]

...Test drive every model you can before deciding, some should really stand out...

That's the best advice yet. I probably would have bought cheaper if I had not tested out several.



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[sdk1968]

^^^ great advice on test drives because ANY good high $$ mower salesman will have several types to test drive.

& there is no substitute for cubic inches in zero turns!

that & separate pumps for wheel motors are the real things to look for.

im only running a 60" deck to mow about 5 acres of rolling & slopes at my place & my Hustler still has a 37hp Kawi on it that as mentioned is a thirsty devil.

 

[Flintlock42003]

"Almost no slopes" that's good, Z's have no brakes per say, and reversing the drive on a slightly damp slope will not stop a 8-900 pound machine from continuing to travel forward. Got mine struck many times, traded it for a Kubota BX25D & MMM, no problems now.


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[Daren Todd]

Neighbor and I both bought zero turns this year. I bought the Kubota z121s with 48" deck. Neighbor bought the bad boy with 48" deck. Both cost around the same. Both have the same engine. Only real difference is the deck raise and height set adjustment.

Both yards are really flat. He did get his stuck though. Got a little close to the ditch and slide it off into it Had to get his son over with his truck to pull him out

If the grounds a little wet, the turf tires get almost no traction. So that is one thing to take into consideration as well. Soft ground, you can expect to get stuck.

 

[MikeBo]

Lots of good responses, but wanted to give you my experience. I have wasted a lot of money and would love to help someone else.
- I have 3.5 acres with approximately 25 trees on it.
- I like my yard particularly the front to look like a golf course
- originally I bought a B3350 with a 60 mid mount mower ( mowing time 3 hours). I would not waste $3,000+ on a mmm again. At best it does an adequate job. (Love the tractor couldn't live without it). I thought I would get one machine to do it all..
- bought a Ferris 700 with 50 inch deck, 23 horse Kawasaki carbureted engine. Cut quality vastly improved, trimming reduced, ride much smoother, fuel consumption high..mowing time cut to 1:45. 23 horse bogged with thick grass and would have to slow down.
- Traded Ferris 700 for a Ferris 2100 - 60 inch deck, 28hp fuel injected, Ferris adjustable suspension has my wife mowing on my extremely rough yard. Mowing time is now 55 minutes! This mower mows at 13 mph, this engine maintains blade speed in thick grass. Yes it was $8,400 but worth every dime. I could have saved a lot of money and got the right mower the first time.

The 52 inch deck on the 700 doesn't extend beyond the wheels, the 2100 60' lets me mow under cedar trees and fences reducing trimming...big time saver. My neighbor has an Exmark, wonderful machine and I mowed my yard with it a few times, however the lack of suspension requires a much longer mow time, it will literally jar your teeth out.

 

[Jimc3165]

This mower mows at 13 mph, this engine maintains blade speed in thick grass. Yes it was $8,400 but worth every dime. I could have saved a lot of money and got the right mower the first time.

My neighbor has an Exmark, wonderful machine and I mowed my yard with it a few times, however the lack of suspension requires a much longer mow time, it will literally jar your teeth out.

My yard was mostly Bahia and Bermuda, tough grass. I never has to slow down and the full suspension made that possible because my yard was also very rough.

 

[sdk1968]

"Almost no slopes" that's good, Z's have no brakes per say, and reversing the drive on a slightly damp slope will not stop a 8-900 pound machine from continuing to travel forward.

that totally depends on the Brand you buy.

Hustlers have actual drum brakes.

Altoz do as well.

so do SPARTANs.......

what you usually see is that "home" or small zero's dont have brakes.

most of your better industrial/commercial units all have brakes that work.

the big Kubota diesel zero is a fantastic machine for mowing flat to moderate slopes... but the brakes SUCK! & if you lose a wheel motor or pump? you aint stopping till you hit something.

If you get the right zero for your situation.... you will have independent, working brakes!

as mentioned it does take a good set of brakes to stop a 12-1400lb machine. (mine is 1288lbs)

 

[Treckerzeug]

Hi,

Do these professional zero turns have extra brakes on the front wheels?
On the rears going downhill, they don t help a lot as the weight is transferred to the front.
I ve put rough quad tyres on mine, that makes a difference from night to day,
Going downhill, sideways anything you want,
Just take care when turning, the inner back wheel might tear up your lawn,
By the way mine is a small 42" z 19 husqvarna with a very economical b&s engine.
1 acre, less two houses driveway and so on.
Rgds

Robert

 

[chknscratch]

Well, I pulled the trigger on the ExMark Radius X Series 60" today and got to cut about 1.5 acres this evening. I was smiling the entire time! It cut beautiful, even though my grass was way beyond a reasonable length. I was blow away with the comfort of the seat when I hit some horrible holes, some expected, some not. Before I drove on it, I was questioning if it was rational to spend that kind of money on a mower. But after I cut what little I have with it, I feel very good about the decision. Now the wife asked if I posted a Kubota on Craigslist, so we still got some things to sort out.

 

[mattwithcats]

The 17.5 to 25 horsepower lawn mowers usually use a PH4967 oil filter, that's two inches long...
A PH3614 is three and a half, and hold four more ounces of oil,
A PH3600 is nearly five, and hold about eight more ounces of oil...

I run a AutoZone STP blue can, S3600, on my little Craftsman LT2000...

 

[sdk1968]

Hi,

Do these professional zero turns have extra brakes on the front wheels?
On the rears going downhill, they don t help a lot as the weight is transferred to the front.
I ve put rough quad tyres on mine, that makes a difference from night to day,
Going downhill, sideways anything you want,
Just take care when turning, the inner back wheel might tear up your lawn,
By the way mine is a small 42" z 19 husqvarna with a very economical b&s engine.
1 acre, less two houses driveway and so on.
Rgds

Robert

Robert,

ive not seen one with brakes on the front wheels... most of your bigger zeros have floating front wheels.. they absorb the bumps good that way.. but would be useless for stopping you.

that said there very well could be a Zero with front brakes... ive just not seen it yet.

one of the other things on Zero's & steep slopes/hills...... common sense is still the rule.

most of my hills/slopes my front wheels dont even touch the ground, im balancing from the weight distribution of the mower.

not sure it goes in this thread so i'll hold it unless someone asks for it,

my old Zero was a Hustler ATZ (that stands for All Terrain Zero) its made for hills & comes with bar lug tires, full roll cage, longer frame & a set of counterweights... it would do up to 20* slopes/banks with no problem in any direction. But it was a little slower geared at only 10mph.

thing about mowing fast: if you have a golf course yard? SURE! mow it fast!

if you have a rough yard or uneven? you are very unlikely to mow any faster than about 7mph & still stay seated without breaking your back.

Zero's are fantastic for this because you can go fast where its smooth & go slower where its rough.

my newer Hustler Super Z HD will MOW at 16mph... but unless you have that golf course type yard? Your back will never survive it.

My old Kubota tractor with the Woods on the back actually RIDES BETTER on those big turf tires than my zero does.. but its is just much slower.

im not a Yard Nazi like some guys, to me its grass & it needs mowed...

but those guys on the lawnsite still taught me a lot on how to be better at mowing my little farm lot & get the most out of what ive got.

 

[virginiavenom]

SCAG Cheetah 72" with the old kawasaki 34 horse. couple hundred hours on it. bought it in 2010. been great, only regret is not having fuel injection. otherwise has been flawless. and I abuse it. push things with it, mow thick tall pasture etc. love the suspension seat. when mowing a dried out pasture that doesn't have to be pretty I through on some old blades and put her in high gear. nothing beats seat time like mowing at 16 mph on the open pasture. then I swap the nice blades on it and run in low for where I want that nice carpet area striped out nicely. at first I hated the idea of a 10k mower. but I've already watched my neighbor go through 2 different ZTRs and he is now having problems on his 3rd one in basically the same amount of time. 2 of them were green, one red. spend the money. 60" is about perfect for most situations. I opted for the 72 because of the wide open areas I typically mow. if my scag died tomorrow I'd take it down to my scag dealer and buy a new cheetah or Tiger cat in 60" with a fuel injected engine, side discharge with operator controlled discharge chute and the clamshell bagger system and tiger stripe kit. personal opinion. another elderly neighbor had enough of the green breaking and went with me to go shopping, got her a nice Ferris with the full suspension. she loves it.

 

[conropl]

Well, I pulled the trigger on the ExMark Radius X Series 60" today and got to cut about 1.5 acres this evening. I was smiling the entire time! It cut beautiful, even though my grass was way beyond a reasonable length. I was blow away with the comfort of the seat when I hit some horrible holes, some expected, some not. Before I drove on it, I was questioning if it was rational to spend that kind of money on a mower. But after I cut what little I have with it, I feel very good about the decision. Now the wife asked if I posted a Kubota on Craigslist, so we still got some things to sort out.

Congratulations. That is the same route I went earlier this year and have not regretted it. I also bought a new Kubota tractor, and the only thing I put down as a complaint on their survey was the seat... I suggested they figure out how to make a seat like the X-Mark Radius X or the Z. Love that seat.

Enjoy your new mower.[emoji3]

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[Jbird]

I went with a ZD326 Kubota Diesle on the advise of my nephew, he had a lawn care business with 4 zero turn mowers, 2 Xmarks 1 kubota and I forget the 4th, he recommended the kubota, when all the others were in the shop the kubota was still running, when he got out of the business , he still got a good price for his kubota with over 2000 hours. I've had mine for 6 years, 560 hours and just regular maintenance. Rough ground, 4 plus acres and hills.