Zero turn shopping is a real mental drain.....

They are completely different than any other type of mower. But most people pick it up pretty quickly. I'm definitely not at that point, because the last one I test drove was not something I was proud of. Practice makes perfect.

 

Yeah, I had a couple not so pretty cuts when I first got mine...You get used to it fast. The scary thing is learning how close you can get to the edge of ditches, ponds, etc

 

I think you mean fun/exciting.

 

Overcorrecting and realizing that you slow the inside tire on a tun rather than speed up the outside are my main issues.

 

I can see what a they would give me on trade in..

 

I grew up running skid steer loaders, so I guess I had a head start when I got my Toro, but it still takes a bit to get real smooth, and not tear the yard up on turns, especially when trying to go fast!
And as was mentioned, navigating obstacles that involve uneven ground, especially with a change in elevation are the real trick to figure out!
I do still occasionally slip off the hill when mowing steep side hills (road bank in my case) no big deal, just turn around and get back on track...no creek or pond at the bottom or anything

 

Country Clipper has the single joystick now, and only them.. As an option vs twin sticks. I haven't heard any complaints about them and I see a few being used around here. Better to be able to drink a beer than twin sticks. Cub has steering wheel units. Probably a lot more that can go wrong on the steering wheel ones?

 

Great advice about not using your arms, but the low end zero turns don't have armrests. Kinda counterintuitive if your way works better and I can't see why it wouldn't.

Yes, engage the PTO w for the deck at lowest rpm, not max. Less wear on everything at lower rpm.

 

One thing that I'll clarify is how people think that "zero degree turning radius" means when you get to the end you can spin the inside wheel around in place, letting the outside wheel swing the mower around, which yes, you CAN do that, BUT, you will have turfed grass where that inside tire pivots, everytime!
What works better is to bring the inside wheel to a stop, while slowing the outside wheel, then pull the inside wheel into reverse, (while the outside continues rolling forward slowly) making the whole machine spin around, without turfing the grass (after you perfect the maneuver)
If done correctly the grass doesn't even get torn up too much, even with ag tread tires, which after getting bigly stuck about 3-4 years back, I switched to...last time I've been stuck!

 

There is a YouTube video on the steering wheel Cub. It's a pretty complicated pile of fiddly bits. Sure doesn't look long term friendly.

 

I definitely need to practice!! I knew I had to avoid a dead wheel pivot but I didn't know what the correct way was to pull it off. Thanks Dave for the tip.
Originally I was just speeding up the outside wheel and things get out of control quickly.

 

Yeah it sure does...especially on wet grass!
It definitely takes some practice to get real smooth/fast with a "100% proper" turn, which I'd say for most people its almost impossible to hit that regularly, the ones that are really good at it are the full time "landscaper/lawn mowing" guys! And if you watch, even some of them still do a 2-3 point turn!

 

I have seen some guys who became one with the machine. Just like anything else I guess.

 

My John Deere zero turn was a rough ride when new. Dealer had all 4 tires over inflated. I used an old dirt bike trick to smooth things out. Got the book out looked up tire pressure and set all 4 tires two lbs under what the book said.

It rides 100 % better.

 

Yup... it is fun to practice, still. Especially with speed control on slopes. We have a slight slope off the leach field here, that greases up when wet... makes me pay attention. We had a sad accident locally, where the guy was just trying to go too fast (has a lot of acreage to mow), and ended up flipping the machine in a steep ditch. He didn't make it. He was very experienced too... golf course grounds keeper. Thankfully, most of our lawns here are level, so, keeps this ole faht outa trouble...

 

I've spent umpteen gazillion hours on a ZTR and still tear turf if I'm not careful. In my own yard I don't care much, but if I'm mowing for someone else I have to pay attention.

My method is to drive 2 mower lengths past the end of the last pass, pull both handles in reverse, as soon as it starts to back up push one handle forward to drive around, square up and make the next pass. It's much harder to get mine to back up with only one wheel going in reverse. It will go forward with only one wheel moving forward no problem. Yours may be different but this has been my experience on every ZTR I've driven except for a diesel model...they are heavy enough they just go where you point them.

If you are mowing on a side hill always keep the nose pointed uphill a little. Try to never get in a position where you need to back up uphill.

 

I'm lower than that...I only run about 10 PSI, makes a big difference, especially the rear tires...any lower than that on the front it'll pop the bead on a turn once in a while

 

I've had and used one for about 7-8 years now. I typically mow three yards a week for much of the summer (all family). I try to take care of it, keep it greased, oil changed, the cooling fan vents open, etc. It's done real well for me, and because the front wheels actively steer the mower doesn't break loose and give you a ride into the creek like most other zero-turn mowers will. Sometimes I have to mow when it's wet because that's the inly time I can, and this one does it pretty safely. After using some other caster-wheel mowers before this one, I'll never have anything else that doesn't have active front wheels.

 

Bought a new one last year. Was riding a lawn tractor for 35 years. Its a Deere. Could have bought it a big box but ordered it online from a dealer from a dealer. They delivered it for free and the warranty has free pickup for the length of the warranty. Never realized how much fun mowing the grass could be and I get it done in 1/2 the time.

 

This is probably the first long term review I've personally seen for one of those machines that is not hateful.