Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Zero turn mowers

Anybody got any thoughts on good ones? I don’t want a super heavy duty commercial model. I just want a good residential model. My dad’s John Deere seems to be broke half the time.

I have a 52" bobcat and run 2 years no problems. 1 1/2 acres use to take 1:20 mins and now :45.

Homeowner grade... My Bad Boy Magnum does a fine job. 725cc 54" cut.

That mower will cut grass faster than I can run.

We have a Kubota that works great. It's a 60" cut and has made cutting the grass really easy. It wasn't cheap though. I think it was around $15k or so out the door.

Bought a 42” Gravely. Solid so far, cuts great and fast. Steel welded deck. I wouldn’t recommend a stamped deck.

Don't forget parts, and service. Buy a machine you can keep running without waiting a week .

Last year I bought a home that had enough lawn I didn't want to push mow it. I looked around and chose a Cub Cadet RZT 46" fabbed deck with the Honda motor.

https://www.mowersdirect.com/Cub-Cadet-17AGCACN056-Lawn-Mower/p81410.html?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=bingsc%20best1000%2017AGCACN056&msclkid=3bbcfbd56ff8184b8c8ca124a842b8af&utm_term=4582901905166275&utm_content=Best%201000%2B%20%20Zero%20Turn%20NEW&akamaifeo=off

Seems to do the job for me, and my Nephew likes it so much he comes over to mow my lawn for me lol.

I could have gotten a bigger one for the money but I wanted the Honda motor and it would barely fit in my trailer as it is.

I think I paid 2899 + tax for it at the Home depot in Brainerd.

Bobcat 52". My yard is about 3 acres and it takes me 1 1/2 hours. A good zero turn is the only way to go.

I bought a 48" Cub Cadet a couple years ago. I'm well pleased with the performance & reliability. It has cut mowing time in half. I will never go back to a conventional riding mower.

Whatever brand you get look for one with a fabricated deck


Mike

Son is happy with his Husqvarna (sp), he has an acre to mow.

Buy a major brand that has a dealer and a service department that will be around for awhile. You may spend a little more than your comfortable with but it will pay off in longevity and ease of service.

Love my Hustler Raptor SD 54"

What ever you buy, you’re buying the dealer.

For me, it’s a John Deere 830 commercial grade 60”.

DF

I'm on my 9th year on an Exmark. Bought it used, 5 years old, with 700 hours from a buddy that was getting out of the mowing business. Other than self imposed issues due to the rough yard I mow, its been good. I don't think a lighter duty residential mower would take the abuse I've dished out.

Go commercial grade if you can.

Lots more cutter for the buck. Residential grade stuff won’t keep up with a heavier built commercial unit over time.

DF

Ive had my bad boy sense 2012 .burnt up a idler pulley this year is the first thing i had to replace on it. I went on and replaced the deck belt while i had it off but i think i could have gotten another year out of it. Mine has the kawaski engine. Runs great.

Will echo the commercial type mower sentiment. I bought a used 52" Grasshopper 720K front deck 20 years ago and just can't wear it out mowing 2 acres!
In contrast, my neighbors 5 year old JD Z525 residential has gone through 3 hydro drives since he's had it.

Kubota ZD21 60” pro deck. 1100 hrs on it now. Only thing replaced is the starter. $60 and 15 min

After the warranty is out, dealership has little value now days with the internet. It’s a lawn mower not a space shuttle.

Our golf course uses two exmark mowers. They get used hard and keep running. Just replaced spindles at the end of last year.

When posting equipment recommendations, it would help to include hour meter readings. That tells more of a story than anything.

I've also been looking at them as I am going to be needing a mower shortly. This is what I think I understand so far.....

You have to think class of machine not so much brand because all of them in a class are comparable with a lot of parts and engines made by the same companies. All of them have pretty good engines including the big box store models. In my experience with regular lawn tractor/mowers, the engine is going to be the last thing to go if given reasonable care and lack of abuse.....most likely the deck and transmission before then. With the big box ZT's, in most cases you are looking at stamped decks and non serviceable hydro gear transmissions. Hydro gear pretty well has the market cornered on the transmissions and they make different grades of them at price points. You are looking at about $2500 to start for one of the big store models with brands like Deere, Troy-bilt, Husqvarna, Toro, etc. I saw an Ariens at Home Depot that looked pretty good and come to find out, they also own Gravely which offers everything from low end residential to very good and expensive commercial models. As I understand it, the low end Gravely and Ariens are the same.

Next up you have the residential versions of mowers put out by the companies that previously only sold commercial grade. These include the Scag Liberty, Dixie Chopper Zee 2, Gravely, Bad Boy, Hustler Raptor, Toro, etc. You are looking in the neighborhood of 4 grand for these to start give or take. A place sells Dixie Chopper close by and quoted me $3850 before tax on a 42 inch Zee 2. In this class you get serviceable transmissions and a heavier fabricated deck, better spindles, maybe a Kawasaki motor. I am seeing a lot of Kohler 7000's on these. but I have mostly been looking at 42 inch models. Unless you can weld or have a friend that can, one of these is probably worth the money because the deck will last longer. I have a friend that picked up a Troy-Bilt ZT on sale for a couple of grand but has worn out the deck in about 5 years keeping up a couple of yards on really sandy ground. My Dad was a good welder and he kept a Murray mower going for something like 16 years by patching the deck until the trans finally quit.

Next are the true commercial models that I can't afford and probably don't need.

Every one I have talked to says that once you go ZT you will never go back to a lawn tractor. I can't decide as my situation is probably right on the border of a ZT being overkill and you can get a decent lawn tractor for $1500.

I haven’t done yard work in years. We have a small yard and it only costs $35 a week to not worry about it and have someone else do it. We are about to move and it will be over an acre and I figure for what I would pay someone to do it, a reasonable zero turn would pay out quick and I could probably have the thing done in 30 minutes.