Your honest feelings about zero turn mowers

Mach-1 · Nov 16, 2018

ZT's have a place, just not in my yard. I've known a lot of guys that had ZT's and dumped them for tractor-style machines. If you wanna mow, they're fine. If you wanna do anything else, no so much. I just like the tractor-style machine with a steering wheel and cup holder.

mowergene · Nov 16, 2018

Sergeant said:
Well it depends on on the Brand about Plowing or Blowing snow and even 1 has a slip Bucket Loader

The Cub Cadet S zero turns Have Front Blade attachments which Can be used for snow or Light grading

Bad Boy zero turn also Take a front Blade and some Models Use to take snow Blowers even

https://altoz.com/explore/accessories/

Walker

https://www.walker.com/addons#attachments

Myself there are only 4 Brands I would ever consider

S series Cub Cadet Because I Like the steering wheel design ZTR and the Fact that the do Take Dozer Blades https://www.cubcadet.com/equipment/...y?storeId=10051&productId=1963375&urlRequestType=Base&langId=-1&catalogId=14101

The other two would Be Simplicity of Ferris for the suspension Because You Can mow Faster and Not get beat up by those Machines

https://www.simplicitymfg.com/na/en....com/na/en_us/product-catalog/zero-turn-mowers/citation-xt-zero-turn-mower.html

https://www.ferrismowers.com/na/en_...rs.com/na/en_us/product-catalog/zero-turn-mowers/is--700z-zero-turn-mowers.html

Now the Ferris front Mount zero turn Can also Do a lot more Jobs Than Cut Grass
https://www.ferrismowers.com/na/en_..._us/product-catalog/front-mount-lawn-mowers/f800x-front-mount-mower-series.html

Walker Makes zero turn front Mowers
https://www.walker.com/

But I would always Have a Garden tractor & Compact as well Because I do Need a Loader and a Tiller:thThumbsU

Great pictures, Sarg!

flh69 · Nov 16, 2018

I have a JD LT180 & a GT235 that I do my own maintenance on. I figure a ZT has too many mechanical things that sooner or later would need fixed. Plus the fact that I mow some hilly ground so I figure a ZT would not be a good idea.

HeyYou · Nov 16, 2018

I tried a friend zero turn on my yard, and hated it. Sure, it mows a LOT faster than any of my tractors.... and with an equal size deck, would cut my mowing to to probably less than two hours.... but, my yard is lumpy, with some fairly significant angles, and that was WAY to exciting on a zt..... not to mention the short wheelbase, and small tires, let me know where every little bump and hump was. It literally beat me half to death...... I wouldn't wanna do it again.......

Sergeant · Nov 16, 2018

UpstateTony said:
ZT not versatile at all- yeah some gimmicks out there like joke of a plow for CC ZT—!

No it's Not a Joke the Cub S Series actually do a Good Job Plowing snow

I would not consider One if I Thought it was a Joke. Where I use to Live the Town had several Cub Cadet S series Zero turns which they also Used In the Winter for Plowing snow.

Walker has been know for years To be More than a standard Zero turn.

Dixon One of the first zero turn Companies Made Blower and Front Blades from there founding.

A Late relative of Mine had a Dixon since the Late 70's with a front Blade and It did well Plowing snow for Him In south eastern Iowa He used His Gilson(Montgomery Wards) for Garden work only after he bought the Dixon with Blade

Wheel Hoses first zero turns Prior to The Toro Purchase had Front Blades and they even Had front Blades for there Toro zero turns Up until a few Years ago.

Zero turns Can handle snow depending on where you use them a Real hilly drive Probably not. except for the Cub S and Walker which Can handle moderate slope

For a Sloped Yard I would recommend a Cub S Maybe even a Walker. But I Know a cub S will mow hills:thThumbsU

JBCanuck · Nov 16, 2018

Grasshopper makes a snowblower and broom for their frontmount ZTs, quite a snow moving beast there! They are also one of the easiest to maintain, the hydros are more accessible than most GTs. That being said, they do tend to tear up grass with the inside tire if you let it completely stop when you turn around.

DoItMyself · Nov 16, 2018

I had a John Deere 757 for 7 or 8 years. Loved every minute of it. I used it exclusively for mowing, plus had a hitch so I could pull a sprayer/trailer. Anything bigger than that and I used my 2N.

It would mow the 3 finish acres in just over an hour. With a regular tractor/60" mower it would take almost 2 hours.

mowergene said:
1. I know I'd look ugly sitting on one.

Not sure how that's at all relevant.

mowergene said:
2. My acreage is low wetland in the smoky mountain range. On tight turns, I'd tear up the turf.

Never had an issue with it tearing up turf unless I did something foolish. I also never had an issue mowing in wet grass-often in the spring I'd mow 2-3 times each week because of all the spring rain and growth, and the grass was often wet when I mowed.

mowergene said:
3. Two hydrostats to maintain. One is plenty per mower.

What's to maintain? In 3,000+ hours I never had an issue with either hydro. Just change the fluid/filter once every 2-3 years-easy to get to and change.

mowergene said:
4. On the mowers I've seen, maintenance would be really tough such as oil drain in a near inaccessible area.

On the 757 I just lifted the back hood and everything was right there. Couldn't be any easier.

mowergene said:
5. Both hands are tied up. I often need a hand to lift a branch I'm going under. Having a cigarette can be done with one hand. Blowing my nose can be done with one hand. I'm really being serious here.........don't laugh!

I had no problem holding both levers in one hand when using the other hand to hold up branches. And if you let your cigarette habit define what sort of lawn mower you use, then maybe you should consider quitting.

mowergene said:
6. Most ztr's sit up so high and have no fender to ride when doing the 45* angle.

Never had a single issue mowing the ditches or hills around our old place. But then, I never would tackle a 45 degree angle on anything. I don't know of any riding mower that would be safe mowing a 45 degree angle sideways.

mowergene · Nov 16, 2018

Quote Doitmyself: Never had a single issue mowing the ditches or hills around our old place. But then, I never would tackle a 45 degree angle on anything. I don't know of any riding mower that would be safe mowing a 45 degree angle sideways.

You should see the terrain here in the Smoky Mountains!

RoyM · Nov 17, 2018

I like the z-turn for mowing up and down on slopes, if a wheel slips back off the power to it until the machine moves. Without a diff lock, a conventional tractor is forced to back down. For mowing a quality z-turn wins hands down but does have it's limitations for other tasks. However, not everybody needs or wants an fel or back hoe. The loader on the SCUT I used for 3 seasons wasn't really all that useful except for moving snow, the tractor didn't have the power or weight to take full advantage of it. Sidehilling on a 45 degree slope with any machine is a disaster in the making.

RoyM · Nov 17, 2018

dave_r said:
You have to be doing something crazy to kill a commercial ZT every year for 3 years in a row. Or be EXTREMELY unlucky.

x2

forkz · Nov 17, 2018

i love my z force it pulls yard sweeper trailer my bro has a bad boy came with reciever hitch front and rear i like the way you can go around obstacles and never stop i still like gts to

My craftsman 917.27308 · Nov 17, 2018

mowergene said:
My wife's uncle had a zero turn mower 35 years ago and he loved it. Now it seems so many people are going for them and certainly the dealers are promoting them. I've looked closely at a few but not many because they don't excite me. Here are some of my thoughts on the zero turn:
1. I know I'd look ugly sitting on one.
2. My acreage is low wetland in the smoky mountain range. On tight turns, I'd tear up the turf.
3. Two hydrostats to maintain. One is plenty per mower.
4. On the mowers I've seen, maintenance would be really tough such as oil drain in a near inaccessible area.
5. Both hands are tied up. I often need a hand to lift a branch I'm going under. Having a cigarette can be done with one hand. Blowing my nose can be done with one hand. I'm really being serious here.........don't laugh!
6. Most ztr's sit up so high and have no fender to ride when doing the 45* angle.

Now there's six reasons I'll never have one and if I had ever had one, I'm betting there'd be more reasons!

Gene, watch this video on you tube. He's using one hand steering a zero turn with a steering wheel and the other hand video taping. I'm always smoking a Cohiba cigar or lifting a ice cold one with my other hand so I know what it's like wanting to have a free hand while cutting.

Alien5044 · Nov 17, 2018

If I were in the mowing business, ZTs for sure. But I'm not, and actually enjoy the seat time on a x500 with 48" deck to cover close to an acre of lawn. Winter it is a 48" blade, it does an outstanding job for me. I regularly drive a lot of rural areas and see that farmers are using ZTs on whatever lawn they have around the farm house. I'd guess that they too have time constraints. Field work pays, lawn work doesn't. Get what works for you, or better yet, get both. Remember, you can't have enough equipment or tools.

MowJoe · Nov 17, 2018

njpower said:
great on level ground, no good on slopes.

Not entirely true. I have a cub sz tank and a cub zforce sx and they both handle slope with ease!

Cub Cadet SZ Tank
Cub Cadet Zforce SX48
‘17 John Deere 1025r w/FEL
(2) 80 JD carts
18 JD cart
Land Pride 4’ land plane
Land Pride 1258 tiller
Frontier ss1023 broadcast spreader
Victory EF135 flail mower

mopar65pa · Nov 17, 2018

My craftsman 917.27308 said:
Gene, watch this video on you tube. He's using one hand steering a zero turn with a steering wheel and the other hand video taping. I'm always smoking a Cohiba cigar or lifting a ice cold one with my other hand so I know what it's like wanting to have a free hand while cutting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wktM8at2O4

that thing needs a suicide knob. :tango_face_devil:

inspectorudy · Nov 17, 2018

I think some of the complaints about hills and a ZT are not so much that the ZT can't handle it but that the driver can't. I tried one for about a week and took it back because going down or across a hill with nothing to hold on to but the two sticks was not a nice feeling. Going across a hill was out of the question because on the vinyl seat with nothing to hold me in, I would slide off the seat towards the downhill side. I have seen some newer ones with armrests that would give a little more security on hills but the one I tried didn't have them. All of my neighbors have their yards mowed by lawn services and they all use ZT's. They all have the same ruts in their lawns too. I do not know if it is because of the width of the decks or if it is because they mow in the exact same pattern each week. If I had a big flat yard I would certainly buy one but not on hills. To me, they are best where time is very important but the enjoyment of being away from the phone or other people is one of the reasons to mow in the first place so the longer the better!

Ariens93GT20 · Nov 17, 2018

I can travel fast enough on the GT to shake my innards. Maybe a Z would mow faster but I do not see how staying in the seat would be possible. Most of my mowing area is straight 700+ foot runs. Just don't see a few turn seconds as saving much time. Maybe some day I will try one. How knows may even like it.
We do have a few farmer with skid steer mounted decks. They seem to do ok. Just another option if not worried about scuffing the lawn.

Steve Urquell · Nov 17, 2018

Are any of the steering wheel type ZT mowers rated for ground engaging implements? How do the transaxles hold up to heavy use?

mowergene · Nov 17, 2018

Gentlemen:
When I started this thread, you must consider that I have NEVER tried one. I've only LOOKED at a few (and they were perhaps not the most expensive ones). And, of course, I was simiserious about issue #1. Ha!

sld961 · Nov 17, 2018

If I had to pick one machine, it would be my 445, which is obviously more versatile. But why limit yourself to one machine? I have a 60" Exmark Lazer Z to mow with and the 445 for everything else, and a backup up the ZTR. I have about 3 acres of mostly flat yard. The ZTR is much faster.

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Your honest feelings about zero turn mowers

Mach-1

mowergene

flh69

HeyYou

Sergeant

JBCanuck

DoItMyself

mowergene

RoyM

RoyM

forkz

My craftsman 917.27308

Alien5044

MowJoe

mopar65pa

inspectorudy

Ariens93GT20

Steve Urquell

mowergene

sld961

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