I'm looking for a recommendation for a good commercial grade 60" zero turn. Dealers closest to me are Huskvarna, Gravely and Kabota. I've got 10k to blow, thanks in advance.

Kubota.

But forget those and get ExMark..I got one 3 yrs ago, it's a beast

I have a kabota that I’m not really happy with. It seems to have a different issue every spring to deal with.Gravely seem to be one of the main go to’s for the commercial guys around here. Skagg is another good one imo.

I am a teacher, but several summers I helped mow commercially. Those Hustlers are hard to beat, all the commercial guys around here use them. 27 hp, hyperdrive system with 60 inch deck=A joy to run.

This.

Plus 1

Had a used Super Z for years at the old place. Bought it with 1850 hrs, ran it for 5 years with only oil and filter changes. Replaced one deck pulley with a worn out bearing. Gave it to my sister and brother in law. They still run it.

Don't have near as much yard now, cutting it with a OLD BushHog zero turn 52in and a 10 year old Cub Cadet zero turn 50in.
My wife is scared to run the old BushHog but will happily ride around on the Cub Cadet.

With Kubota in the mix, I would look at the older ZD series mowers with the fabricated deck. should be in the $5k range. I have the ZD21 60" with about 1200 hrs on it and have changed the starter and voltage regulator.

I've got a Skag Cheetah 60" and love it. Hustler, Exmark, and Gravely were the others that made my short list. I've run my Skag 6 years with zero problems.

I love my 61" Bad Boy.

Ferris and Kubota are worth looking at

I tried a Kubota on my hills. It was a total no go. The Kubota couldn't handle any sort of hill. I went with a John Deere 1475 4WD Diesel, About twice the price of your budget.

I like independent rear suspension on the Farris mowers.

It all boils down to the motor and what grade transmissions the mower has. The motors are going to be comparable on any mower of a given price but sometimes one $10,000 mower will have higher grade transmissions than another $10,000 mower.

Ex Mark seems to be the brand that most commercial mowing companies around here use.

A company called Hydro Gear produces the transmissions for about 90% of the zero turn mowers.

Here's the commercial grade transmissions that they manufacture. I'd buy the $10,000 mower with the highest grade transmissions.

https://www.hydro-gear.com/commercial/

The Gravely ZT 60 HD cost us about $5200.00 seven years ago. Cost is the same today where we purchased it. It has mowed a LOT, about 4 acres 1-2x week. Also used it to pull a 52" driveway drag about once a month... made of 2"x2" steel tubing with railroad spikes welded to it with a 4" C-channel and chains for smoothing. 600' driveway looked new every time I drug it, but I would have to go over it several times after a good rain while compaction was soft.
We just replaced a mower spindle bearing this past year... compliments of my wife "bush hogging" the pasture that had old cattle panels laying in the brush.
Would definitely buy another if the need arises.

You wont go wrong with any of the bigger names..Gravely, hustler, bobcat exmark, skag, and a few otheers... they are all pretty much the same...similar engines, transmissions when you get in the 10k range...even the 5k range. Buy whatever one from the dealer with the best reputation of sales and service.

I own a bobcat, and from what I was just told bobcat skidsteers just bought bobcat mowers.

We have a Grasshopper, might go with a Kubota next.

my Gravely is awesome.

Snapper PRO with 61 inch deck and 36HP Briggs is what I use for my business. No issues so far in the 5 years I have had it.

I bought a Hustler Raptor X Monday for 1 acre and a bunch of trees, not even in the same class as what the OP is looking for but two grand less than Scag.

I liked many of the features of Raptor XD but not the additional 1,500. Of course the wider front and rear tires, anti-scalp wheels and extra deck lock were tempting but I can't utilize a 48" deck and they did not have a 42".

Never been on a zero turn until Monday and it was sweet comparer to my agonizingly slow, 21 year old Snapper 30" RER and my 29 year old Craftsman GT5000.

The Snapper is up for sale and the GT is now deckless and on trailer duty and stump removal.

I'm on my fourth season of mowing 4+ acres with a Hustler Raptor Limited zero turn mower that I bought new for $3200. It's got a 52" deck, a 23 HP Kawasaki motor, and Hydro Gear 2200 transmissions. It'll do the whole place in about 4.5 hours.

I bought it when I bought this place and I had sunk most of our savings at the time into the down payment for the property,...so I needed to keep the budget low for the mower. I expected to have to go to a commercial grade mower eventually. But the mower does a good job on a 4 acre patch.

This if pretty much the case. At the high end, you get a better ride due to better seats and suspensions. I have had a commercial hustler for about 5 years. Only problem I have had is the fuel level sensor relay which I swapped out myself with a replacement part from e-bay. If you have a hilly lot, you might want to try to demo a unit or two to see if a zero turn is going to work for you. They are not great on steep hills. I have a steep section on my place that I mow with the zero turn but I have to go slow and the grass needs to be dry.

No troubles with my gravely. Great mower

Hustler Super Z with a 35hp Kawasaki. Hustler owner since 2003. Next question.

I’ve had a 2004 54” Exmark Lazer Z since 2010. I’ve beat the living snot out of it. It keeps on ticking.

Pop has a Ferris. The thing is a beast. If I was looking for a high dollar mower, I'd start looking there.

Scag brand seem to be real popular zero turn mowers in my area for serious mowing.

I’ve got a Bad Boy that’s a friggin beast. They are horrible on slopes though. And I mean horrible.

Are any good on slopes? I know I've pulled a wheelie on mine going up one and think my life flashed before my eyes. So I started pushmowing that section, then I slipped down the hill and my foot went under the deck, had a moment then also. I'll just weedeat that part of yard now. I guess the weedeater will find a way to get me too.

A good friend who has a commercial gravely put it in a customers lake. Doesn't take much on a slope.

Cub Cadet. My neighbor has one of these and it’s crazy what he can do on it. Actually has to help me on out slopes. Probably going to sell the Bad Boy Maverick for one.

Cub Cadet

+1 I had one

I've run Ferris, Scag and JD at work. The Ferris has the best ride, but we went through a couple of hydraulic pumps a year. I would probably get one for home use due to the ride and I'm getting older. The Scag was a beast, but our dealer died and the next closest dealer is an hour away and didn't seemed interested in our business. They are great for heavy duty mowing, but a rougher ride. We now use the JD because that is our best dealer support. Their mowers are fine, but seem like a little higher center of gravity than the Scags, and my guys get a little nervous with them on side hills. I don't know if this helps, they will all cut grass.

There are three things that are absolute musts if you are to present yourself as a true zero-turn mower operator:
1) If there is a foldable roll bar, it must be left down so as to not appear to be a wimp.
2) You must sit absolutely bolt up-right, looking straight ahead, never turning your head.
3) You must constantly maintain a dead-serious expression; to smile is to reveal your amateur status.

61" Scag Tiger Cat handles my needs, towing a TrackVac.

Scag, Ferris,kubota,grass hopper,or exmark

I have a Scag Tiger Cat 2 w/61" deck and a 29hp fuel injected Kohler Commander Pro. It's a beast. Supposed to mow clean at 14mph. My yard is entirely to rough to try mowing at that speed. I would buy the same mower again

I have mowed for golf courses off and on for many years when I needed a break from constuction( though the various golf courses I worked soon utilized my concrete skills). I have always trusted the mechanics advice on brands and how expediently I can do a quick belt change or a reel or blade adjustment in the field! Being able to sidehill without rolling into a pond was always a plus , too!

Sort of off topic, but why do you guys spend so damn much on a mower? Why mow 6 acres or whatever? Let it grow. pay a farmer twice a year to bush hog it. Plant trees, something. To much money and time spent making it look like a golf course. Use the money and time to take a fishing trip to Alaska or Florida. Don't mean to attack guys but I just don't get it.

none of them make their own motors or transmissions....
all your buying is a deck and frame by going to different brands
the kubota 400 series has a kawasaki motor and 3600 series transmission and i think it is hard to beat $ wise when comparing models and manufacturers

Skag is what I recommend. I've had one since 2004 and it's been good to me.

They sure are funky to drive.

I have found over the years that my list of honeydo's and how I attacked them was dependent on what HH6 wants. I have not had honeydo's for over 20 years!

I saw a brand called Wright. It looks like a pretty mean setup. I don't hear much about them but they are monsters.

I don't think you can get one for $10K though.

Get you a 35 massey ferguson with power steering,live power,a 60 in. Finish mower,run used tires so they want hurt your lawn ,,being doing that for over 25 years,wouldn’t trade for any zero turn made

Kubota doesn’t make their own diesels ? Pretty sure my ZD has a Kubota engine.

Believe me when I say that my yard does NOT look like a golf course. I like keeping it mowed down around the strip pit in front of the house,around the round pen and shooting range.

I got the new cub cadet 42 two years ago. It looks nice and has a heavy duty looking frame and 22hp Kohler motor but it cuts like crap. It doesn't have much lift so lines pop up where the tires were and it can't mulch even with the mulching kit. It bogs down easy and leaves clumps of grass everywhere. Leaves crop circles when it turns. I regret buying it.

Bb

I mow 5 acres and often wonder why I bother. I should mow about 1 acre and let the rest do what it's going to do.

The mower my wife uses to mow 4 acres is a Landpride Zi60. Kawasaki 850 motor, all Parker hydraulics, weld fabricated deck. No major issues in 8 years other than tires and blades from rubbing parked disks and wagon tongues

exactly! Rabbit habitat

I've always figured it to be a city dweller that moved to the country thing or just retirees that haven't a clue as to what to do once they've retired so they create chores.

Mowing is how I stake my claim. Also, this area of Kentucky has grass like a golf course. It looks good when it's manicured. Along this road most houses set back from the road with a long front yard. Everybody along here keeps their places mowed. You really can't allow everything to grow up in front of your house around here. In ten years it would be a briar patch of honeysuckles and Bradford pear trees.

We keep our yard cut close so we can hopefully see the cottonmouths and rattlesnakes before we step on them.

I'd just about trade my cub cadet for a goat.

Bb

Besides,...the dogs need a good place to run.

Grasshopper all the way. Stay away from kubota the gearbox on the decks go out pretty often!

Boys, this guy has it figured out.

Whatever you buy make sure it has a good hydraulic seat. My old Kubota had a fixed seat, beat the hell out of me. My new XMark has a seat with better cushions on hydraulics, night and day difference.

The XMark cost over $13,000. It is a 60” cut with a 36 horsepower Koehler. It is the most commercial model they make. For me it was worth the money.

How much you mow with that?

Ferris here, no complaints

Most country folks do spend more time taking care of their places

Kubota.

Got one and really like it fast and easy to learn to run.

I narrowed down my choice to ExMark Laser Z E-Series. Mine will be a 60” cut with the largest Kawasaki you can get on it. Most of the commercial guys use them here and I found an excellent dealer about 10 miles from the house for service. Plan on ordering it today.

I hate cutting grass, so the faster the better. The property where I live is a little under six acres, I own property where I plan to build that is seven acres, and I rent about one acre on the levee where I keep my houseboat during the summer.

I'm country folk stuck in the city for now. I do have a place in the mountains. Takes about 30 minutes to mow/weedeat. Rest is trees. Got a friend that had 16 acres of backyard. The state paid him to turn it in to quail habitat. No quail showed up but lots of rabbits and songbirds. Deer turned it in to a bedding area. Amazing hunting during the rut from his back porch. Beats the hell out of a manicured lawn. I'm not saying don't mow around your house. I'm talking about the guys mowing 6+ acres every week. Hell no. Turn it in to habitat and enjoy the show.

If I didn't mow the Russian Olive brush would have the land in one year. It's Hillary's fault!, The Russians.

I have two Gravely's, love them both.

The first one I bought is a ZT 52 HD for here on the farm with a couple three acres to mow about every 5 days.

Bought a used 260 last year for our place in Idaho, it's a lot more mower and is a beast.

There is one silly little meaningless thing I like about them that others don't have. You don't have to have the handles exactly folded up into the little slot to drive, you can drive with them in any position you want.

Thanks Bristoe
Wanted to p st something like this, but am tired of doing it.
When we were shopping, I spent hours doing research to learn
about them. Real learning with facts and all.

Why people come here asking these questions I'll never understand.
You are going to have people tell you to buy what they have.
With no idea how theirs stacks up.

You can't buy a new Kubota for $10,000 I don't believe. I do have a ZD21-60" that I bought about 15 yrs ago. I mow 5 acres because I do not want my little piece of Heaven looking like sh$t. I do have the heavy welded deck as I mow everything, t post, rocks, stumps, and whatever is in my way. Kinda like the old cowboy, I won't get off my horse to do anything. Just run over it!

Check out Alta Implement for a Kubota.
712 2841131

This is part of my research. Lots of good info that might have taken me days longer to find wading through the internet BS and misinformation prevalent today. Multiple sources is a way to separate fact from fiction. Maybe I am lazy, works for me.

Placed my order this morning, should be here next week. Lucked out to find the one i found.

I've got an education the last 2 months rebuilding a Skag, mostly related to a Kohler Command Pro engine.

I'm anxious to see what mowing will be like this summer.

Always opt for a Kawasaki engine

I've got a Kawasaki on my mower, but there's a huge number of mowers out there running the Kohler 7000 series motor. There doesn't seem to be excessive problems with them.

When I lived in Arkansas I had a Cub Cadet with a Kawasaki engine. It knocked 1.5 house off of my mow time each week; best 3 grand I ever spent.

Because of a Hawthorn tree I cut, I've been cursed with flat tires on my mower. I think the thorns are gone now, but my old tires are full of plugs and don't hold air very long.

I found new tires mounted on rims for $140 and treated my mower to a new pair. I also took a file to the blades and put an edge on them that will cut your finger.

I'm ready to hit the yard for the first time of the season. But I'm going to wait for this cold snap to be over. I think we have 2 more days of it.

not related to the topic but I didn't want to start a new thread. someone posted a mower fail video earlier and I was amazed at the speed these guys are getting off mowers so I started searching for cheap ways to speed up a mower.

Most of these cheap MTD branded mowers have a fixed shaft on the front with a small pulley at the top for the transmission and a large pulley at the bottom for the mowing deck. To double the speed of the mower these guys are just taking those fixed pully's off, turning it upside down and drilling a hole in the shaft to bolt it up. The one I watched the guy went from a top speed of 5mph to 12mph, and his mower will pop a wheelie.

Now he wasn't running the deck on it so I can't speak to the speed of the blades but that was 30 minutes of effort to have some cheap fun. I wouldn't do it on a $10K zero turn, but a $400 yard sale mower? hell, I'd buy it just to do it.

Do you mow with that 8n?

No. I've got a zero turn.

My mower has a Kubota engine. The best small Diesel engine maker in the world is Kubota.

family had a 3 cylinder diesel for several years. Let the thing sit for 8 months and it would always start. It was a rock solid engine.

I'll raise you my Yanmar in my JD.

On year 3 with a Ferris and all I have had to do is change oil/ filter and lube. Thing runs great and gives a nice ride with the suspension. I think it gives a great looking cut due to that suspension considering the heavy often bumpy soil on my 3 acres here along northern Lake Champlain.

I would take a Yanmar engine over a Kubota every day of the week!

The fuel system on my JD/Yanmar is a joke. It is gasoline dip tub with a screen welded on the end. Not up to diesel use.

Ferris are awesome

Got 200 hours on a Toro (owners and manufacturers of Exmark) with no complaints.

What does this mean?