In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

Zero Turn Mower Recommendations

Discussion in 'Chainsaws and Power Equipment' started by bigwalleye, Jan 19, 2015.

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  1. Firewood Bandit

    Firewood Bandit

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    A friend of mine is commercial mower mechanic. Walker is his mower of choice. Not large, but the Rolls Royce of zero turns.
     
    Firewood Bandit, Jan 23, 2015
    #41 Top
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  2. DexterDay

    DexterDay Administrator

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    Lawn is courtesy of Chem-Lawn.

    After several years of service, it's pretty cheap and I only do 3 treatments. Not the 7-10 they recommend
     
    DexterDay, Jan 23, 2015
    #42 Top
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  3. wildwest

    wildwest Moderator

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    They also sell in Australia and South America, good company.
     
    wildwest, Jan 23, 2015
    #43 Top
  4. komatsuvarna

    komatsuvarna

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    I have a Gravely ZT HD60 as well. I only mow about 2 acres, but it sure does it a lot faster than my old Deere rider. I like it very well.
     
    komatsuvarna, Jan 24, 2015
    #44 Top
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  5. joshmain

    joshmain

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    NCM_0475.JPG Like DexterDay said I have a bad boy i went with the kohler because it was a 1000 upgrade to get the kaw!!! It cuts great and pretty quick. Not as fast as dex's dixie.
     
    joshmain, Jan 29, 2015
    #45 Top
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  6. bigwalleye

    bigwalleye

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    Lots of good info and good advice on this thread. Ive kinda narrowed my focus to the Ferris 700 series, with some help and addl info from Dexter. I confess I like the suspension feature on paper though I havent had a chance to 'experience suspension' yet, as their slogan says. Still lotsa white here on the ground in Ohio.

    I thought I was heck bent on the Kaw motor option but Ive been rethinking that. Theres quite a price difference between it and BS Comm Turf series. Since Ill only put 50 hrs a year on it (max guess) Im not sure I need to spend up for the Kaw. Plus some other threads Ive discovered mention all motors being a bit of a crapshoot as far as reliability goes. So why spend the extra money, I guess? And the BS Comm Turf Series seems to power lots of equipment.
     
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2015
    bigwalleye, Jan 30, 2015
    #46 Top
  7. DexterDay

    DexterDay Administrator

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    Briggs definitely improved on the series that are in place now.

    My buddy joshmain has the same engine that would be on the 700 series and it's cyclonic air cleaner, bigger crank journals, titanium infused exhaust valves, etc are a large step up over the old 30 hp briggs.
     
    DexterDay, Jan 30, 2015
    #47 Top
  8. Pallet Pete

    Pallet Pete Moderator

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    That thing looks wicked up close and in person too! You could do my lawn in one pass! :p
     
    Pallet Pete, Jan 30, 2015
    #48 Top
  9. dgeesaman

    dgeesaman

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    If we're doing mower porn, then here
     

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    dgeesaman, Jan 30, 2015
    #49 Top
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  10. bassJAM

    bassJAM

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    Here's mine. Well, it's part of mine, and a hitchhiker I found when I went out to mow that day.


    I decided that I'd just mow another day, I HATE spiders!!!
     

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    bassJAM, Jan 30, 2015
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  11. MasterMech

    MasterMech The Mechanical Moderator

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    That design, no matter what trim level it has, has always made great power. Looks like it has a bit better filter than the previous series which was a major weakness with these engines.
     
    MasterMech, Feb 1, 2015
    #51 Top
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  12. dgeesaman

    dgeesaman

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    Ferris is now owned by the people who own B&S. So B&S engines are surprisingly well priced compared to Kawis or Kohlers.
     
    dgeesaman, Feb 1, 2015
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  13. MasterMech

    MasterMech The Mechanical Moderator

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    That's right! I forgot that Ferris in now part of B&S Power Products. That makes a lotta sense now huh? ;)
     
    MasterMech, Feb 1, 2015
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  14. SolarandWood

    SolarandWood

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    I never understood why someone would want a 4WD 6' deck diesel powered with a cab mower until I owned one. I see a lot of big JD commercial front mowers in the 3-4K range and a steering wheel frees up a hand for your beer.
     
    SolarandWood, Feb 1, 2015
    #54 Top
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  15. bassJAM

    bassJAM

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    When I first bought my house someone I knew was getting rid of an older Kubota commercial front deck mower with a 60" deck for $800 so I jumped on it. It was awesome as far as mowing with a beer because of the steering wheel. Even better was mowing the entire season and only using about 5 gallons of diesel fuel! But after 2 seasons the deck fell apart beyond repair and I couldn't find any used decks for under $1000, so I sold the whole thing for $600 and got my 50" ZTR. It's cut my mowing time from 60 minutes to 45, but I do miss having a steering wheel! A front deck was also way better for getting under all my pine trees, and I'm probably using 6 times as much fuel a year!
     
    bassJAM, Feb 2, 2015
    #55 Top
  16. dgeesaman

    dgeesaman

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    Yeah that's the downer to gas engines - they drink heavily. But I figure that unless you go diesel, you're going to burn about the same amount of fuel per acre - you'll just take more hours to do it. So having the big fast machine is just more time doing the things I want to do, and makes the mowing time a lot more tolerable.
     
    dgeesaman, Feb 3, 2015
    #56 Top
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