Anyone got them? Any advice?

The old Craftsman lawn tractor (which I only use for cutting grass) is almost on it's last legs. I have a ton of bushes, trees and irregular shapes to mow around. all of our lawn is close to being level ground too. From what I've read so far, "zero turn" mowers are just the ticket. But - nothing beats talking to an actual owner or user.

I ran a lot of them while working landscaping through high school and college (and a bit thereafter).

Toro makes a very good one.

And, yeah, they are slicker'n snot on a doorknob.

SCAG makes one of the best.

http://www.scag.com/index.html

Yep, SCAG is excellent as well.

Trying to remember the others that I ran, and SCAG was one of them.

I've used one at work a bit and really like them. I am considering one for myself but can't decide if it is really worth the extra money over a traditional tractor type mower.

Just looking at Home Depot the other day I noticed 2 mowers, both had the same motor, same 42" cut. But the Zero turn was $2,500, the tracor, $1,500.

I have the Cub Cadet 50" with 22hp twin cylinder Kawasaki liquid cooled engine. My only complaint is the seat, which could be more comfortable, other than that, I think it's the best value in its class.

I went from 2.5 hours of mowing to 1 hour and 10 minutes. I love this thing!!

If you can afford it, Walker mowers are considered among the best with landscapers/lawn maintenance folks.



Casey

I have a 62" ExMark, what used to take me about 6 hours, I now get done in less then an hour. Best investment I have made for the house.

I use a Kubota ZD21. It is a 21hp diesel with a 60" deck. That thing will flat mow some grass. It is not the smoothest thing to drive, all the suspension is in the tires and seat. There are others out there that have suspension .

I can't see where a zero turn would help me much. We have a lot of edges etc also.

I had an Sears and now J Deere 125 auto. I can't see enjoying the spinning around.

Save your money.

Had the same Cub Cadet 50" Zero Turn w/ 22hp Kawasaki for nearly 3 years now and its the only way to go imo. Mowing 1.5 acres in about 30 mins and spending time doing things with my family instead of riding a tractor mower 3x as long.

Standard maintenance at regular intervals like oil/filter changes, checking fluids, blade sharpening, deck washing, etc. has resulted in no necessary repairs to date.

The zero turns may not be the best for mowing uneven ground, but otherwise they are the way to go. My current mower is too good to abandon, but when it is time for a new mower it will be zero turn.

There are really three levels of zero turn mowers. First is the very expensive professional quality-like Scag. Then you have estate mowers that have many commercial features, but are much cheaper (smaller and narrower decks) but still high quality. Finally, there are the homeowner models like the Toro and Cub Cadet. They are much cheaper and are a good deal for average size yards. They have much simpler hydraulics and usually have stamped decks instead of fabricated.

SCAG is recommended highly by a friend of mine in Wichita who mows lawns commercially. This guy isn't a college dropout or something. He's got a PhD in Entomology and runs tree trimming, pesticide, mowing/trimming and snow removal services.

http://www.galttech.com/research/household-DIY-tools/best-zero-turn-radius-lawn-mowers.php

I've got a Swisher trimmer but not a ZTR. (I've got a John Deere.) Swisher is made near here and a good company, IMO.

I know I havent seen all the zero-turn mowers on the market today, but the Bunton is the best I have ever seen. Built like a tank, you can stand on one side of the mower deck and it doesnt sag! Ours has a Kawasaki motor and runs great. They are pricey!

got a cub cadet enforcer. half the time on both lawns i mow. would buy another. no repairs on first years use. does burn gas for all that speed . am able to do quite a hilly lawn even when not recommended, just have to get used to how to mow a side hill. I love mine and the time savings. 4 1/2 hours to under 2.

I have a grasshopper and have used it for 5 years. I mow 1.75 acres with hills. If I could do it over, I probably would buy a larger tractor style mower. A few observations:

I like the mower, but it will tear up the yard if it is wet.

There is no hitch pin on mine, so you have nothing to tow, thatch and pick up limbs with. I use my 4-wheeler

You sit very upright and on uneven ground or even bending around tree limbs can be tough on a back.

The ZT mowers in the big retail outlets only have 1 transmission and only turn 1 tire. Make sure you test drive both for teh difference.

Repairs are very expensive.

With 5 years and close to 300 hours on the nower, there is little sign of wear.

I do like the cut

I owned a Bunton and sold it so I could buy a Kubota Diesel. The Bunton is a great mower but I have off road diesel for the tractor so I wanted a Kubota. No other reason.

I had a finish mower for the tractor. The zero turn mower cuts grass at least half the time of the tractor. I would not go any other route, personally.

Dixie Chopper. Best one in this area of the US.

John deere commercial 7 iron F680. Great mower, my wife does all our mowing and loves this thing. Plenty of power and a good bagging system.

I've owned two. Best thing since sliced bread and canned beer.Choose a brand you can get service and parts for near you. Choose your deck width wisely as bigger is not always better...

Yep, once you use one anything else is second rate.

In high school/college I worked for a large farmer, one of my jobs during the summer when we weren't in the fields was to mow around the outbuildings/grain bins at the various farms. He had a 60" Grasshopper. That was a mowing machine. Put a lot of hours on it, I ran it for 8 years, and not sure how old it was when I started, and it never had an issue that I didn't cause due to improper care.

Dad got sick of the Craftsman lawn tractors and their wearing out every couple years and bought a Marty-J by Deines.




Its a commercial duty mower, built for using repair parts rather than throwing away the thing, bearings rather than bushings, etc. When I was a kid it took me 4 hours to mow the yard with the 32" Snapper. With this he can have it done in just over an hour, and he mows quite a bit more ground now than I did then. He could buy a pair of Craftsman tractors for what he paid for the Marty-J used, but it is still going strong and will continue to.

I have a Kubota ZD21 with 61" cut. The diesel is great and it is fast. I mow about 2.5 of our 5 acres. I mow T post, stumps, and bricks. I do go through a couple sets of blades a year.
The big disadvantage to the mower and all Z turns will tear up sod on a tight turn, you have to be careful. I am starting on my 6th year and beside blades and oil and filter changes the only repair that I have had is bearings on one of the blade hubs. Seems if I had greased them they would probably be ok.
I had a Snapper Z turn before that and it was a junky toy.
Butch

Wouldn't a freakin' goat do this with far less noise and maintenance?

Mine comes with a beer holder.....

Thanks for all the replies!

What do you folks think the longevity differences would be between the "light duty", the "mid-level" models, and the "commercial units?

Is it worth spending more for longevity?