Last summer was my first summer mowing the lawn at our new house. The house came with an old Cub Cadet AGS 2130 12.5HP rider. The clutch pack is slipping (no fix for it other than shims), the tires are shot, I have a fuel issue (backfiring upon shutdown), and really and truly, it's simply too small of a cut, and too little HP for my 2 acre yard. Normally, I would fix these items (shim the clutch pack, new tires, figure out the fuel delivery issue, etc), but I'm thinking I'm going to skip that and purchase a zero turn mower. Most likely a 48-52" cut and at least 21HP. I'm most likely going to go commercial grade if I do, unless someone on here who owns a residential model and has so for some time can convince me otherwise Right now I'm looking at Bobcat, Hustler, and Kubota seeing as they are the brands offered by dealers nearby (Cub Cadet is as well, but they don't get high marks by many commercial mowers). They're pricey, and I'm going to try and go used, but if I have to, I may take advantage of some of the 0% financing being offered by all three of these companies. I want a mower that will essentially last the next 30+ years, if not more. Does anyone here own one? If so, what model, HP, cut width, etc? How many years/hrs do you have on it? Any opinions or advice are appreciated. I've done a lot of research over on specific homecare and commercial lawncare sites so I have a good idea of what I want, but I thought I would see what fellow BH member's are using.
We have a Z-turn Cub Cadet 21 HP. We mow around 5 acres and it does the job. Weve had it for 4 years now i think? Thats all i know.
We own a 24HP Kohler engine, 60 inch cut, zero degree turn Ferris. I would recommend the mower. We beat the snot out of it and it keeps on ticking.
My dad owns 2 Hustler 25HP with 60" decks. I don't know which model they are exactly, but he loved the first one so much he got another. Wish I could help you out with more details....but that's all I got!
I have a Ex-Mark 25HP 60inch cut and love it. I use to sell them and there customer service is great depending on your local dealer. They have a bunch of different models and engine options. All the commercial lawn care companys around me all have them. I have had mine for 3 years and have had no problems. Check them out.
Yep, Ferris was on my list as I really like the suspension feature since there's portions of my yard where an original dead furrow was, and it can get a bit bumpy. There's just not dealer's in the immediate area. No problem, Dan. Your Dad's experience mirrors almost everything I've read. Solid mowers all around. I considered them, but for some reason, I didn't think there were dealer's in the area, but I just did a quick search and it seems there is. That's good news for me since they also get great reviews. Obviously less is better. I would like to find a used low hour commercial unit if possible, but if new, I'm prepared to have to spend around $5K. As for it being a must have, not necessarily. Heck I mowed the lawn all last summer with a mower that was meant for city-sized yards. Was it fun? Nope. Took about 3.5hrs. With a nice commercial zero turn, I expect to have it done in 1hr or less (minus trimming).
I looked into one when I bought the last mower. I only mow about an acre of my 3. So, it just wasn't practical (fiscally v. amount of mowing area). I gave mom the 17hp John Deere and bought the 23hp Kohler (John Deere). It's "fine". When I was looking, the one I liked was around $6K. If I'm gonna spend that, I'll go all out and get a unit I can use for more than just mowing. I'll eventually own a Kubota 3cyl. 4wd tractor (w/ the under-belly mowing deck). I can see the day coming when I will be mowing my in-laws property....and I can also use it for plots/yard work/etc... . If you have an ATV, you could always get the pull behind, self-contained mowing deck for around $1,500.00. I'm betting you could mow that area in record time, with that. Good luck with your decision.
I have (well my father has) a JD 990 for the big work (plots, brush hogging, plowing, loading, etc). I do have an ATV, but it's fulltime 4wd, and it would chew the yard up in no time. What model JD do you have?
Used a Bobcat all summer great mowers(zero turns). But I must say if you have any "sloped" land zero turns slide VERY easily.
I worked for one of the largest commercial landscaping companies in the state for 5 years. We had dozens and dozens of zero-turn mowers. All were Exmark and Toro, with a few Bobacats and Skags thrown in the mix. By far the Exmark and Toro's were the best. Exmark is now owned by Toro, so I don't think you could go wrong with either. You may want to look into Dixie Chopper as well. They are very well built and regarded as the fastest mowers in the industry.
We use 2 Grasshoppers, cutting around 12 to 14 acres a week in the summer. No problems what so ever hear. I will say the Dixie Choppers are really fast and look BA but I have no experience with them.
You really can't go wrong with any of the brands mentioned above. We have had a toro in the past and now have a 23 hp Kawasaki hustler and the hustler gets the edge only because the toro had a mulching deck. If you do go for a zero turn don't chince out and get a home model. If your paying the money get a commercial quality mower.
That's the plan. Only reason otherwise would be if I found overwhelming support/feedback from people who have owned residential models long term noting reliability. I haven't found that to be true, though, so commercial it is. I would consider a tractor if it was BIG (52" and high HP). I like the ability to add plenty of implements on a riding tractor, but I really need (maybe a little want) the speed and efficiency of a zero turn. Aaron, my lawn does have slope to it (in fact, it's a gradual slope from top to bottom). I've asked a few commercial guys about it (they saw the lawn), and said I'm more than good to go. Here's some pictures for reference:
I don't own it, but at the farm I work, we use a John Deere 757. I thinks its like 25 HP and we've used it for about 5 years and have put it through the wringer. It's easily logged over 2000 hours by now and still runs like a dream. I think the cutting diameter is 48" or 60, I'm not too sure. Just make sure ya keep her greased up and I highly recommend this mower.
Yes... your yard is gradual enough from what I can tell from the pics, you would have no problems at all. I've been on a few... that we've had to pull out... it's no fun at all, once they do go they are gone.
We currently use a Dixie Chopper Silver Eagle series that has a cutting width of around 60" and something in the range of 25-27HP. We've had it for probably 3 or 4 years, and haven't had any problems whatsoever with it. I don't have any experience with other zero-turn mowers, but I have nothing but good things to say about it. It's cut down the amount of time it takes to mow our yard substantially, and still mows decent traveling at a fairly good speed. I mow a couple of pretty steep ditches and I haven't noticed any problems with that either, although it still makes me nervous.
I ran a toro for 3 years with a friend mowing a cemetary and a few yards. Very nice machines. The 60" mower has well over 2400 hours and runs strong. I am trying to talk the park district into buying one as I will be doing the grounds maint this year.
