Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Buying a 42 inch cut Zero Turn Mower ( Which One is the Best)

I've got the 50" Hustler Fastrak and I really like it.

I've bought a used ExMark from a guy that works for me, no issues with it, new will cost a pretty penny though.

My college buddy is an engineer for Hustler. He also worked for a couple other of the players in that market. He really talks highly of Hustler.

I have had a Hustler for 9 years and have had no issues with it. I would definitely check them out before buying.

Local dealer support is a plus.
Any machine I've been around sooner, or later, needs repairs.

What about a Bad Boy Mower? Anyone tried this brand ?

Anybody got one of these? I understand that they are very popular in Europe.

I had a budget of under $5k and went with a Husqvarna MZ5225ZT. For the $4,500 sticker price I couldn't find anything that was comparable. I got a welded 50" deck, commercial 3400 Hydrogear pumps, 22" tires and the same frame as their commercial PZT lineup. Mine was an even better deal than the current model becuase it was a one year run of the 3400 series pumps.

If you have an acre or less to mow, I would think any $3,000 mower should last you many years. My yard is around 2 acres and pretty rough in spots with some hills and slopes so I wanted something that was going to last. Whoever said pick your color in that price range is right....they are all pretty much Legos with different colors. Do you research and learn about different pumps, motors and decks and pick the best bang for your buck that you can find. Keep in mind that many of these have 0% financing for 48 months which may help you get a little better mower if you are willing to make payments. I also got an extended engine warranty with mine by running Opti oil....basically Opti will double the manufactureres engine warranty if you use their oil. It's pricey but for the amount of hours I run, I usually only change it once a year anyway.

You have me on ignore?

I get that alot.

Not in your price range, but I ran a Walker mower in my business years ago. Once I was contracted to cut 3-4' high meadow grass. I lifted the rear hopper gate and that thing shot a 25' rooster tail of cut grass out the back. It was impressive what you could cut with one. They have an auxilary fan that really moves the clippings, wet or otherwise.
I sold that mower with only 100 hours on it for $4300, so not to far off your budget, but that's then and not now.

Like this one. That's a good deal right there...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2001-Walker-Mower-MCGHS-/141234449802

My Cub Cadet was one of the best things I ever bought. I think mine was a 54" and it had a Kawasaki engine that just ran like a top. My only complaint was that the seat was rather uncomfortable.

Went from 3 hours of mowing time, to 1.25 hours; that was money well spent.

I have a John Deere 42" Z225 and love it. No problems at all. Had to get a 42 as I have a bunch of trees that just happen to be about 44"-48" apart.

Do yourself a favor & buy a used pro model instead of a box store one. Last year I bought a husqvarna 5426 from Lowes, I got it home & made 2 laps around my yard before I hit an old piece of steel & the one of the pulleys disintegrated. Took it back to lowes & told them what happened, they kept it 2 months before I got it back. Cost $110 to fix it. I made 1 more lap around my yard & hit a small stick, belts & metal parts went flying everywhere. I loaded the thing up & took it back to Lowes, told them it was junk & I wanted my money back. Manager refused saying I'd had it too long, I said that's because you took 2 months to fix it the first breakdown, he still refused. I drove the POS into the store & left it parked in front of the service counter & took a bunch of pictures, told the manager "it's yours now" as he stood there watching. The mower had 1.4 hours on it and I had yet to make 3 laps around my yard with it. That night I e-mailed lowes corporate & told the story, attaching the receipt to the email. The next morning I got a call from Lowes saying they were refunding my money. Good customer service from lowes, bad service from their local manager.

Stay away from consumer grade zero turn mowers, buy a used pro model.

I guess I'm doing it wrong or labor is really cheap here. For the price you pay for a good non box store ZTR I can pay a local guy (non illegal) to mow my yard for 6-7 years and not have to pay maintenace, gas, etc....

Now you're talking!