I'm in the market for a new lawnmower for spring. I have a 2004 Cub Cadet 2186 lawn tractor that I have worn the deck out on so that is just going to be my snow blowing rig from now on.

I'm pretty set on going with a zero turn to cut the mowing time down. I mow 3.5 - 4 acres or so. I want a quality mower that will last so the box store mowers are not an option.

I would like to buy commercial and be done with it but don't want to break the bank either. $4 - $5k would be my max.

Lets hear some opinions on the best zero turn mowers out there.

I bought a Gravely 60" last year. Fits your parameters, price and made in USA. Tough as a cockroach.

You have a regular riding mower similar to what I have. They are not all that slow if you can make some long runs.

What with my only one acre of grass i would be worn out at my age if I had a zero turn that I had to walk behind like I see some of the pros use.

Here is one that seems to be zero turn with a seat.

Buy what you can get parts or service for locally...

Look for a commercial (read heavy gauge) framed unit. Kawasaki makes a great commercial motor. Some of the toro units are pretty darn good... Your budget has you right in the middle of the market so if you have some wiggle room in the end you can buy up and certainly get a good bit more....

W

If I can find the right quality mower I imagine I could wiggle a little bit.

Interesting! Never heard of them before but they look pretty nice. What model did you get?

Check out eXmark or Scagg,That's what commercial landscapers use around here.I bought a used 1-2 year old eXmark that had just come off a commercial lease on ebay a few years ago for 1/4 the price of new.
Joe

Scagg is the best but not cheap to purchase

Roundup?

Don't know about their zero-turns but IIRC Cub Cadet is now owned/produced by MTD, so be careful -- you'll pay more at a boutique dealer but you'll be getting Yard Machines quality.

ExMark, Scagg, Dixie Chopper, are all great zero turn commercial options. Ariens as well.

I have a farmer buddy that got a nice zero turn mower. I ask him how he liked it. He said that he used it once and gave it to his wife. I asked why. He said, hell man, you can't even drink a beer while running that thing.

4-5 acres of grass probably wants a little more than an ordinary lawn mower.....check out the proline from TORO.....and find a deck of at least 52 inches

Here's a 60" model with 25 horse

You won't find a new true commercial grade mower for $5k.....I looked at everything (Toro, Gravely, Skag, eXmark, Dixie Chopper, Grasshopper, Hustler, Bad Boy, Kubota) 2 years ago.....I spent many hours reading and researching on the professional lawn/landscape forums and then compared all the major brands down to the component level, my decision came down to Bad Boy or Hustler......I bought a new diesel powered Hustler. The Bad Boy is a lot of mower for the money, and I might have gone that way if I wanted gasoline power, but the Hustler has better steering and was just a better mower for me.

The Skag is/was nice, and a lot of the pros use them, but, after comparing hydraulic pumps, cylinders, engines, etc, the Skag is/was very overpriced for what you get.

That is why my very next purchase will be one of those beer holder hats that have the straws running down to your mouth!

If I couldn't drink beer while mowing, my grass would be 9 feet tall!

Way over 5k for that rig.....

That is excellent info!

are you from Tomah?

Fixed.

Hard to mow grass with whorsepower like that!

SOLD!!

Bought a used Deines/Marty J 60" commercial unit several years ago. A little bigger and not quite as handy as those Hustlers, Dixie Chopper types, but it's been a tank. No way I'd go back to the tractor type.

Gravely ZT HD.

Down here where lawn maintenance is a 364 day a year industry, you see Gravely, Exmark, Dixie Chopper, Scag and some JD's on the trailers.

'Zero turn' didn't work for me. I mowed for an hour and ended up 3-miles away.

That's only a 21 whorse anyway, and yes, I counted them....several times...

This machine has great reviews on it.

Good brands, & a good plan. Ferris & Great Dane might be other good options.

Buy 'em by the pound: more steel = better.

FC

I bought a Kubota 61" cut, diesel powered because I use off road diesel for the tractor but I paid as much for it as I did a 2BR brick home in 1966.......$10K. We cut at least 6-8 acres and it's a stud!

About 150 miles south.

That's my mower - in the picture above.

I bought the Toro a couple of years back. We have a lot of trees, shrub beds and all the other pissy little angles and sidewalks that can make mowing a big chore. I also mow horse pasture outside the lawn areas.

It used to take me about 4 1/2 hours to 5 hours to do the lawn with a Sears traditional style ride mower - I can do the same job now in an hour - if I rush, and about 1 hour and 45 minutes if I want to do a really good job. The best zero-turns can make that much difference!

I also bought an aftermarket suspension seat - the best money I've ever spent. The pounding used to cause my bad back a lot of grief - for days after I mowed. Now I'm only in pain a day or so. Think about getting one. It might even help prevent a good back from going bad - for all I know.

I mulch all of the time - as the soil up here needs the humus. If you mulch - get a big engine. Mulching takes power.

I prefer the smaller 48 inch deck - better if you have lot's of obstacles to go around. I ended up buying their commercial unit. I hit lots of things - and I'm glad I got one rated for commercial use - if you keep things a long time - it's money well spent.

Take a good look at the Toro.

I love mine!

We have a lot of heavy, thick Bahia (wild grass). This thing goes through some stuff that my 23 hp Diesel Kubota belly mower bogs down in.

Lots of good semi-commercial ZT's out there. I can't say I looked at all of them, but of the ones I did, the Gravely had the heaviest built decks for the money. I like stuff built like a brick shyt house.

We have two Toro zero turns with 60" decks and 28 hp Kaw. engines and they are beasts great ride and easy to maintain. We mow about 40 acres weekly around our four locations so they really get a work out I cant recomend them enough . We also purchased a Big Dog zero turn this year to help with smaller areas I belive its a 42" deck with 27 hp Kaw. Its not bad but gets squirly on steep slopes the larger Toros get a much better grip. The Toros were around eight grand each and the Big Dog under four grand.

If you want to mow fast get a dixie chopper with the 74 inch deck but they are way more than $5000.

If you want to mow fast.....


Wait for it...


It's coming.

dixon

Call Randy Quade....in the Richard Prior movie "Mooving" he had the best mower ever!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beXPpObKWFo

Is this a nice lawn? Weeds? Coarse grass like a football field? If it's smooth ground and the weeds aren't in control, consider a pull-behind gang mower that you can pull behind your existing tractor. It'll cover a lot of ground in a hurry. It'll also cost a lot less than a whole new machine.

ferris

http://www.swisherinc.com/

Amurikan 'Maid' (In keeping with the evolving theme of the thread)

I have a 61" Kubota diesel just like Mickey. They don't give them away, but they don't break. I use a lot of blades because I won't get off the horse to move logs, stones, bricks, and T post. I just mow right over them.

they don't make them anymore but there was a brand a few years ago called Lesco that was built like a 1970's tank. 13 grease fittings on that son of a gun with a 23HP Kawasaki engine.

You could pick up the 44" deck model for less than $5k new. I bought one with a little over 200 hours for $2100

I've heard the commercial mower snobs trash them but they are heavy duty diamond plate monsters.

I'll say this about it though, it sucks on hills.

If you can find one used with low hours that might be a good option.

Six years ago I found a used (100 hrs) grasshopper that was a few yrs old. I have 2 acres and mow about 60 hrs a year. It is serviced regularly and try to keep it clean. Mine wsa $4500. You may have some luck at a dealership for used mowers taken in on trade. Some obsrvaions. It is quicker to mow, but does not have a hitch to tow anything. I use my 4 wheeler to haul trailer, sweeper, etc. Aside from my lab puppychewing up $400 in wiring, it has been problem free.

This is nice lawn with weeds that look ok when their mowed to the same height as the grass. lol

I pride myself in keeping a nice looking, well kept lawn, even though I know their is some weeds, clover and thistle in it.

I want it to look like a golf course from a distance. Not close up. haha

The gang mower is what's used on many golf course fairways. They do a good job but they're not very maneuverable around trees, etc.

What are the adavatages of a diesel in a mower over a gas? I've always wondered the necessity of a diesel engine on a lawn mower.

Just stock the yard with groundhogs and prairie dogs! No more grass and a private shooting range!

I got into a cheap Husquvarna 42" for $2000 this fall. Like the other guy, I have a million things to trim around (actually a million minus one after a mishap to a small tree while learning the finer points of manuvering around small trees) and have been really happy. Cut my mowing time from 5-6 to 3 hours. Now to have a few more oops's and the time will shrink even more.

I have both. The biggest advantage is fuel usage. A heavy duty ZT with a gas engine will use probably 30-40% more fuel than a comparable diesel unit.

The downside is the initial cost of the diesel.

I can see where that would be a good choice for commercial users and golf courses etc.

Bunton-- Tough as nails!

What is that? Got any info?

I'll throw in another vote for Toro. I bought a 50 inch deck model in 2007 and I've used the heck out of it on the approximately 3 1/2 acres I mow and I've had no problems with it at all.

It's been every penny I paid for it and it's cut my mowing time down immensely. Leaves a lot less to weed eat around too.

To do 3-4 acres reasonably easy you need a good commercial mower with 25ish horsepower at a minimum. likely a five foot deck is a good place to be. That will put you well over $5000-. I like to buy used commercial grade stuff as many commercial users trade in every two years. These units are made to mow all day every day will last many years for a user mowing a big lawn once a week.
Ferris is a great mower with a great deck as far as not leaving clumps behind. Quite a few other good choices out there as well.

I'll take faded real commercial grade even with a split seat every day over new lesser.

http://www.dixiechopper.com/

Here's my Dixie Chopper....a grass cutting machine.

Elwood

Grasshopper.......

Rooster, Send me a PM or give me a shout when you get a chance tomorrow.

but you have to smell that stinkin diesel the rest of your life,no thanks

I don't think you will notice the diesel since you tend to mow outdoors.

Look into the used kubota zd series with the pro deck. I have had my zd 21 for 4 seasons and it is quite a machine. I give 8k for mine back when so you should be able to get into one within your budget. It is hard to beat the kubota brand imo. I have had 3 kubotas and still have a b6100 that is a 1982 model.

I just came across a Killer deal on a Hustler Super Z at my local dealer, last year's demo model... 37hp WOW. What got me looking at Hustler is the Sauer hydraulic pump

Some of those Hustler's were set up to take a 4 cylinder Ford engine. Thats some serious mowing.

You guys are starting to seriously sound like like Tim - "the tool-man" Taylor! What's next - a blower on a mower?

TTT

Its getting closer to the time where I have to make a decision. I was leaning toward the Hustler FastTrak or the Toro.

Tonight I was told about the Bad Boy Zero Turn mowers. I looked up the website and at first blush, wow...they really seem like something to consider.

Anybody have one?

I use Ransome Bobcats,very good mowers!!!!

Dixon got bought out by Husky IIRC. The old non-hydro Dixon cone drive is obselete, you can't hardly even find parts for them anymore.

For a non-commercial guy mowing 1-3 acres something like a Hustler Fastrack is likely the best bang for the buck, probably a little over three grand or so.

You spend 5-6K on a true commercial ZTR and it will likely last longer than parts will be available for it. IE, you'll have a perfectly functional mower, except for the one part nobody makes anymore.

So you're saying that if you get too good of a mower, it will last so long that they won't make parts for it anymore?

I'm thinkin I could handle that if it came down to it 20 years from now!

Exactly, but realize you will have literally thrown away several thousand dollars. My non-commercial Dixon has lasted 18yr and has outlasted its parts availability. When the tranny goes next time, it's junk.

Well I went with the Hustler Fastrac ZRT. 54" Deck. 24hp Kawasaki.

All I can say is WOW! What a machine!!!!

I mowed a section of yard yesterday that was left kind of high last fall. In literally 10 minutes, I mowed what used to take me the better part of an hour and a half.

Thanks for all the replies guys!

Just saw this, was going to tell you to stop over if you lived nearby and try my Hustler. But you already bought a good one.

Chris

I have a Kubota diesel and I never smell any diesel fumes when I use it. I do smell diesel when I fuel it up but the smell doesn't bother me. I paid as much for this mower as I did my 2 br brick home in 1966.

I know the OP already bought a mower, but I'll add to the thread again-

Bought a used Exmark from a mechanic that works for me who is selling his mowing business. Mine had 600 hrs on it, in checking the various online listings I was seeing many with 2,000 or 3,000 hrs for sale for a lot more money than I paid.

Not my mower, but same as-

Has anyone tried Ariens Zero Turn Mowers?

61" Bobcat zt is in your price range