Zero turn mowers????

i have a piece of junk John Deere rider that I am going to smash with my excavator soon. I need to buy a new zero turn, with a 48 inch deck. Looked at exmark, Ferris, Hustler, Deere and more. Reviews for all are very mixed. Any suggestions?

 

Hustler is good if you don't buy one of the cheapest models...$5-6k gets you a good Toro...Exmark is good.
Do the research and get a good motor...get a fabricated deck, and make sure the hydros have filters and oil that can be changed...that will get you a decent mower...any bells and whistles that it has beyond that is up to you.
As had been mentioned here before...if you are on a budget, buy a nice low hour used commercial grade machine rather than a new residential model. $3-4k should get you a nice used commercial duty mower.

 

Uncle has been running a landscape company for 40 years all he runs is exmark's.
I bought a ferris because my lawn is an old horse property. And bumpy doesn't begin to describe it. Whatever you do when you get the motor get the Kawasaki motor!!

 

X2 on the Kaw engine. Paging bocefus78 to extol the myriad problems he's encountered with some of the kohler engines.

I have a Gravely zthd that I have been pretty happy with for the last 4 years. Paid about 5k for it.

 

I just bought an ExMark Radius and am very satisfied for the 3.5 hours I have ran it.

 

I would have got Lexmark or Toro.. I mowed 2 acres apiece with them. Better cut but suspension on Ferris meant I could walk next day.. You know bumps at 15 mph

 

You don't have to go full speed all the time you know!

 

brenndatomu do you see the weather I have to mow it before it rains

 

I had a light weight Gravely zero turn for about five years and had mixed thoughts about it. For the money I paid I would rate it okay......if your mowing less than an acre. My replacement mower when the engine went out on the Gravely was a Bad Boy ZT-Elite 54". I have 240 hours on the Bad Boy (25hp Kohler engine) with no issues. I mow about 2.5 acres and paid around $3800 for the Bad Boy. Its been a maintenance unit for the last 3 years......so far, so good!

 

I'll just second some of the other recommendations-Kawasaki engine, fab deck, serviceable hydrostatic. Dollar for dollar, you'll find most brands are very much alike. Is look for a good dealer and whatever mower has features you like.

 

I picked up a Scag like 3 years ago. Cuts great and very easy to do any maintenance on. I think I actually enjoy cutting the lawn now. I feel a Zero turn is the only way to go for cutting grass.

 

For most properties, yeah. The more flat ground you have the more a ZT makes sense...we mow quite a few acres at work and have been using a JD 750 tractor with a 5' finish mower and a Ventrac 4500 diesel/ 5' deck...the Deere works good for the flatter areas and the Ventrac for the rest...and some of the rest is pretty rough/steep terrain, creek bank, lots of hills, and other misc. uneven ground...no place for a ZT...with that said, we did just order a ZT to replace the JD/mower...getting a Hustler Z Diesel.
When the Ventrac is wore out it with be replaced with another Ventrac 4500...its the right tool for the job. Plus they are made locally, so nice to support local people too.

 

Get a fabricated deck, serviceable hydros, and kaw engine for sure. Without knowing a budget, there's endless possibilities.
I'm personally partial to Exmark for their cut quality.

 

I love my ferris is700z.

I got it for the suspension, my property has some real bumpy areas and the full suspension smooths it right out.

 

In 2016 I got a new Toro Titan MX6000 with the Koehler motor and a 60" fabricated deck. I love it! That year we moved into our new home with 6.5 acres of yard. It was time to upgrade the yard mower from my Cub 1450 with a Koehler motor. It's been a great mower.

 

I’ve not had time to read all the reply’s but take a look at this thread.

Zero turns Which brand do you have?

 

I bought a bad boy outlaw xp new in 2013. We live on a farm & a lot of what we cut isn’t pretty ( uneven, bumpy, occasionally rocks that are forgotten about) The thing is a tank! Now it’s not the one your going to see at Tractor Supply it’s a much heavier built model. Speaking for myself my wife & daughter we all love the ruggedness of the machine. Now I must tell you that this is our first zero turn but since I’ve bought it I have made it a point to check out other machines when I see them( shag, exmsrk, Husqvarna, etc. ) they all also look like well put together units but dollar for dollar I think I have a machine that’s built just as rugged or heavier & paid less money. I’ve cut the perimeter of our hay fields with it, over grown pastures & so forth & have not been disappointed. One thing I personally believe make a big difference is the motor on the unit. It a big block vanguard 36 hp. Thing as torque out the wazoo!!!! Powers through the deepest heaviest stuff no problems. I do believe it is harder on gasoline than Kawasaki, kohler, Yamahas etc. but it definitely gets the job done. Have done only regular maintenance to the machine so far. Oil change, hydraulic oil filters, blades etc. I know in our part of the country Bad Boy is not a popular brand but I would not hesitate to purchase another one based on the performance of this one.think it cost around 9300.00 new. Just my .02 worth.

 

I believe the name of the model they have for they’re 2019 model year to replace ours is called the rogue. Our has a 61” deck.

 

Just spent 6 hours on my 2015 ExMark Pioneer Yesterday, I can still walk too. It has over 2530 hours on it now. Had a recall the first year to add a fuse circut. Have just changed oil regular filled with gasoline no problems with it other wise.
Will replace it with another one but may get a air ride seat.
I have dropped the tire pressure down to 5 pounds to inprove the ride greatly.


In the 6 hours yesterday I burnt less than 5 gallons of gasoline. Engine is a Kohler 750.

Al

 

I've seen a lot of issues and catastrophic failures with Kawasaki engines too. I wouldn't just go out and say "make sure it's got a Kawasaki" in it. Like anything, some models are better than others. Kohler is no exception.