(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

What's your opinion on the best zero turn mower?

D

Don Lopez

New User
This message is a reply to an archived post by 641Dave on January 10, 2012 at 09:08:00.
The original subject was "Whats your opinion on the best zero turn mower?".

DONT EVER BUY A KUBOTA MOWER THEY ARE THE WORST I
HAVE EVER USED. TERRIBLE SUPPORT!
 
One persons opinion:
Here in southern Indiana we have Jacobi Sales, they are International and Kabota dealers they provide good service on both and sell a lot of Kabotas to repeat customers.
Please don't judge all Kabotas by one incompetent dealer.

While on the subject of Kabotas, I have seen the commercial on TV, and I wonder where they got the 75 year old snub nose truck that is delivering a tractor to the young folks?
 
Heard some had hydrostatic axle/transmission probs. Plus, I aint crazy about diesel mowers, too heavy, and stink of diesel all day.
 
I love my grasshopper zero turn mid mount deck my dad bought one after he saw mine They have given us great service and no problems
 
This is like asking about flavors of ice cream but I do like my JD Z925A 60" cut. It's a hoss at mowing but I do wish it had a smoother ride.
 
(quoted from post at 20:13:50 06/09/14)
According to the landscape pros where I work, the 2 top brands for heavy duty mowing (150-160 large properties in a large school system), [b:4507d7f492]Exmark[/b:4507d7f492] and [b:4507d7f492]Skaggs[/b:4507d7f492] are the choices.

A couple of years ago they got some John Deere "commercial" zero turn mowers, and they are not built nearly as strong as the above mentioned brands.

Myron
Click to expand...
 
We know what Clint Eastwood says about opinions.............

The Best commercial Zero Turn? or the best residential zero Turn. Money counts...Right?

I do not own a zero turn, but I have heard that the Dixie Chopper is very good, Ferris too, A buddy of mine wants the Bad Boy brand out of TSC, but he is broke and they are $4000 + dollars.

I have a Cub Cadet walk behind, 10.5 HP briggs pull start, works very well for 1/3 of an acre of grass with lots of turns and twists.
 
I have had great luck with toro's and the very similar Exmark. For me, the most important part of the machine is the engine. It is the limiting factor typically on how much I spend on a mower in the long run. I get the most longevity in this order from shortest to longest on gassers before needing internal work: regular air cooled kohler, air cooled Kawasaki, efi kohler and then liquid cooled Kawasaki. I have gotten over 4,000 hours on the liquid cooled kaw. I have bought three diesels, but don't have any long term info to pass along. I do know that they cost more to purchase obviously, but also they use 2/3 of the fuel of my gassers. My 2 cents.
 
Harvy I know the rep that helped line up the shoot. I am thinking a guy around Nashville Tn loaned the truck and Yes it is hard to beat the zero turn KUBOTAS they seem to out last anything out there. Don,t know what the other guy,s problem is but sounds like he has a bad dealer. He needs to be calling Kubota direct.
 
I"ve never had one so I haven"t had any personal experience with them. However, I see lots of them every day with landscape companies out mowing grass. One thing I"ve noticed is that they often break down on the job and the grass cutter crew slash mechanics are busy trying to get them working again so they can finish their jobs. I"ll bet the zero turns are great when new and everything works properly, but they must be a complicated nightmare when parts start to wear out and the breakdowns begin. Regular maintenance is a factor of course. I"ll stick with my Simplicity riding mower that"s still going strong after many years and it"s needed only belts and the battery replaced.
 
My 1950 IH C with 72 inch belly mower. It can turn on a dime and give you change back. Nothing beats the ride, fun factor, very easy on fuel too.
 
I've had nothing go bad and can't say anything bad about my Country Clipper. I can say a lot about how good I like it. It's a 60 inch cut with a 27 hp Kohler. Plenty of power. They have a easy way of the deck raising straight up for cleaning. I also like the Joy stick control.
 
I had a Bobcat 60" with a 23hp Kaw. It would mow in the rain and not bunch. I now have a Big Dog 60" with a 32hp Kaw. It has the power to mow as fast as you want to ride it.

You usually get what you pay for. I like the zero turn but my wife will not run it. She used to drive the old Yazzo and got along good.
 
I only have experience with one brand, but it has been quite good. 6 years old, used every week on several acres, no breakdowns.

Bad Boy ZT 60" BS 26HP gas...from TSC no less.
 

Our town bought a new Kubota three years ago. It has been back to the dealer many times. I have a fourteen year old Ferris with 23 HP Kawi that runs great.
 
X2 Mountain Man.
I have a Country Clipper also. 52 inch. 20 horsepower Kohler Command. No problems. The neighbors all borrow it when theirs go down. I've replaced the belt a couple times and both times it was because of my screw up. I like being able to raise the deck to service the blades and clean it underneath. 618 hours on it so far.
Tom
 
Deines (also called Marty J). They are Kansas built. Deck out front that flips up easy for cleaning. I like zero turns that are not dependent on the deck as part if the structural material - you can take the deck off and still drive it around. They will mow as fast as they can drive.
 
Got a 2003 ZD29 72 inch mower with 1200 hours.Still got the original belt on the deck.Mow around 10 acres a week.Rides a little rough but runs like a sewing machine.
 
I have a 2005 ZD28 we bought new. Mows 6-7 acres a week
and has been stone reliable except for a recurring fuel
restriction problem solved by replacing the fuel tank. Old tank
had been removed and flushed twice but problem would
reappear. After installing the new tank, I cut open the old tank
and found a ball of grey silicone in the "well" portion of the tank
that apparently could not be flushed. Likely came from
sloppy/excess application around the fuel sending unit. I'll
strongly consider another Kubota when the time comes to
replace.
 
Four years ago I bought a cub cadet zero turn. what a piece of junk. Both deck brackets welds broke, 4 0r five pto switches $50 each,pto clutch $325,Muffler would not stay on (muffler mounted to frame not to the engine).Last year bought a Bad Boy (made in Arkansas).It has been trouble free .
 
I've never owned one, but based on my observations of neighbors that have, if you mow more than a small city backyard, you need a commercial model.

One guy a know who mows a LOT got tired of his diesel New Holland (Shibaura) TRACTOR with 60" mower and bought a cheap CC zero-spin.

That was NOT a good decision!
 
Love my Dixie Chopper. 9th season of mowing several acres and not one issue. Would buy nothing but.
 
No have nothing against a kubota, have a kubota tractor, but
test drove there mower and didnt like it, they have a good
diesel motor but that's about all they have for a mower.
 
I've only been around one brand. I worked for the state and we used grasshoppers. We used them almost like bushogs and mowed over 30 acres with 2 mowers nearly every week during the summer. Both were about 10 years old and were very reliable, but they are around $15K new.
 
Money Talks, and you get what you pay for. Exmark,Deere or Kubota should all be great but I couldn't stand the $10,000 price tag. I just bought a new BAD BOY. Lots of features,Koehler engine. $4999.00 Well Pleased ,so far.
 
A lot of it comes down to how you use it and maintain it. I have seen people by cheap machines and mow large yards and get many many years out of them with good care and up keep. Then again I have seen guys that buy expensive machine and beat the hell out of them with poor maintenace and blame it on machine. I'am not saying that you can't a lemon in any of them.
 
I own a commercial mowing business. Been around the block with a few different brands. They're just about all good when new. So the challenge is to find a brand that stays "new" the longest. Best reliability and performance over the long haul is with Exmark and Scag. I'd avoid Koehler engines when possible. Not what they once were by a long shot. I've had the best luck with Kawasaki or Kubota powerplants. They last longer AND go farther on a gallon of fuel. I prefer constructed decks rather than stamped steel.
 
I bought a new (460) Gravely last year, Air ride seat, I had the chance to get a 2014 John Deere F970R, It had a 6 foot deck and a 35 horse Kaw. I sold the Gravely , a week before the new$17,500 retail J D arrived. I had the chance to unload the JD. It drank gas, rode hard and scalped the grass, sure wish I had the Gravely back. I am back to mowing with my 1990 1622 Power King, It sure rides better, just not as fast.
 
Doesn't it come down to a few variables?
1 what kind of mowing are you doing?
Commercial- lots of different situations.
Residential- your own yard
Estate-your yard and some acreage.
2 Availability of both the equipment and service.
just like buying a tractor or other equipment,
if you can't have parts or knowledgeable help.
3 your pocketbook? Some are for light residential
and are not expensive, some go nearly $20,000.

I'm looking too so any answers to these issues are appreciated.
 
I just finished purchasing a new zero turn mower after my Toro with Kohler engine was dying at about 6 years of use (non-commercial). The Kohler engine was junk - plain and simple. One of my first requirements was to get one with the Kawasaki v-twin engine. I admit I "cheaped out" on that Toro, and purchased one from a box store, but one should be able to expect it to last much better than it did. First issue with the Toro was deck bearings (china junk), then a bolt sheared on the idler pulley. I think the single bolt holding that idler was 5/16th diameter with the tension of the main deck belt, and it was a 50 inch deck. Dealer said they do not sell just the special bolt, so I would have had to purchased the entire idler assembly (I made a bolt to fit and was holding when I traded it). To make a long story shorter, I purchased a Gravely 52 ZT HD. Not actually the full commercial, but only real differences are seat, and ROPS and slightly different hydros I believe. My main concern was getting a good engine, heavy duty deck, and something that has a chance of lasting 10 years or more for my own use without constantly breaking. BTW, the Kohler I traded had a crack in the block, noisy, and compression release had failed. Google Kohler compression release failures. Many problems with those Kohler Courage engines, and those were put on a lot of different brands of mowers.
 
I bought one of those also and am pretty happy so far. Even the dealers told me it made no sense to pay for a commercial grade mower to do a residential lot. The used pro-grade mowers with 1k hours were trying to get nearly what I paid for the Bad Boy 60 new and they looked pretty clapped out. Time will tell.
 
I've had an Encore Z-48 for just over 17 years now.. Been an excellent mower.. Haven't as much as put deck bearings in it ..Greaseable spindles and use Texas Refinery 880 grease.. Several deck belts and a couple of idler pulleys is all.. Now , I understand they were bought out by a Chinese firm, so I probably will go with Exmark or Gravely next time.. The only thing I've seen on Exmark is the 1/2" bolts will occasionally come loose on the drive motors to frame connection.. I finally lock-tited my neighbors Exmark..
 
Just bought a Hustler Fastrak last summer and I love it! Great dealers are plentiful around here for them. Made in USA also.
 
In regards to the Walker. I worked is a shop from 86 until 95 . I worked on the Walker Rider only.
I knew the Guys from Walker out of Fort Collins Colorado . There kind a pricey but the Family that makes them have control of how they are made & if they see that something will improve they make a running mod then . they also make the kits for updating the older ones if the customer wants to purchase it. I like them for the ease of repair on them , the machine isn t thrown together & then try to make to parts fit .

John in AZ.


flakyfriends 2 @cox.net
 
(quoted from post at 06:30:16 06/10/14) 2old2care,
Have you ever tried Walker? Any opinions on those?
Click to expand...

I work occasionally for two sons of a long time friend. They have had a good sized landscape business for about fifteen years, along with their excavation business. They appear to be very good businessmen along with being very hard workers. I have noticed that they have a number of Walkers, most of which appear to be very well used, but apparently still work reliably. They spend a lot of money on new equipment when they need it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
88 years ago today
Replies
1
Views
315
thehickdaddy
T
T
Snowblower on Zero Turn mower
Replies
8
Views
2K
Dusty MI
D
G
LCG rear tire swap, slope doesn't seem bad at all
Replies
0
Views
240
gordonhirt
G
A
Cub Cadet zero turn is hard on primary mower drive belt
Replies
15
Views
1K
caterpillar guy
C
P
fairbanks morse mower-three wheel rider
Replies
1
Views
404
cdmn
C
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top