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Message
re: Zero Turn Recs for Hills/Slopes
Posted on 3/24/21 at 8:34 am to AllDayEveryDay
Posted on 3/24/21 at 8:34 am to AllDayEveryDay
Another thing to consider, residential grade vs. commercial grade. Folks will tell you that you MUST get the commercial grade welded deck.
Personally, for an acre or less of mowing, total overkill. Keep the extra $1,000 in your pocket and buy residential grade, you're not mowing acres everyday to earn a living. I purchased the residential Gravely 10 years ago this month. It takes me just under an hour of mowing to cut my .9 acre. I mow from mid March until November (usually to mulch leaves) once a week.
I did an oil & filter change yesterday, the mower has 283 hrs after 10 years. I've replaced one spindle last year and that's it beyond the blades & filters. Commercial grade would have probably saved that spindle, but that was only $100-150 to replace, so I'd still be $900 overkill.
Just a thought, probably contrary to popular opinion.
Personally, for an acre or less of mowing, total overkill. Keep the extra $1,000 in your pocket and buy residential grade, you're not mowing acres everyday to earn a living. I purchased the residential Gravely 10 years ago this month. It takes me just under an hour of mowing to cut my .9 acre. I mow from mid March until November (usually to mulch leaves) once a week.
I did an oil & filter change yesterday, the mower has 283 hrs after 10 years. I've replaced one spindle last year and that's it beyond the blades & filters. Commercial grade would have probably saved that spindle, but that was only $100-150 to replace, so I'd still be $900 overkill.
Just a thought, probably contrary to popular opinion.
Posted on 3/24/21 at 8:42 am to slacker130
quote:
Another thing to consider, residential grade vs. commercial grade. Folks will tell you that you MUST get the commercial grade welded deck.
Personally, for an acre or less of mowing, total overkill.
Worst advice posted on this site today.
Always get a welded/fabricated deck.
Never get a pressed/formed deck.
Posted on 3/24/21 at 11:41 am to footballdude
quote:
Worst advice posted on this site today.
I gave a reasonable example on why it was overkill for less than an acre. Would you like to provide an example to the contrary? Why the additional cost is worth it?
In my case, price of mower in 2011, $2856.70. Not counting consumables like blades, I had to replace one spindle, that may or may not have failed on a commercial deck. That brings my cost to $3006.70 for 268 hrs over 10 years, or $11.21 an hour, cost to operate. My deck is still in great shape, shows no signs of impending failure. I'd imagine that the pumps will fail before the deck.
The commercial variant was about $1k more and I thought long and hard about it. Until my landscaper friend told me it was overkill for residential lawns. At this point, I do not regret the purchase and would probably do it again.
Posted on 3/24/21 at 3:44 pm to slacker130
quote:
Would you like to provide an example to the contrary?
Example: I inherited a Craftsman ZTR when I bought my current house. It has a stamped deck. The outer lips are bent to shite, broken off and any minor impact crinkles it like tin foil. I've had to take it off and beat it to get sections that had gone far enough to stop the blades back into position.
While the whole mower is a POS, the deck is the biggest offender and the main reason I am looking at buying a new one with a COMMERCIAL deck.
I think of it like tires on a vehicle. It's the one part of the machine that actually touches the ground, so to quality matters.
This post was edited on 3/24/21 at 3:47 pm
Posted on 3/24/21 at 3:55 pm to Bawcephus
quote:
Example: I inherited a Craftsman ZTR
Craftsman aren't known for quality.
quote:
While the whole mower is a POS
You could have gotten a commercial deck on the craftsman (doubt they offer it) and it'd still be a turd.
Here's what 10 years of wear looks like on mine. No dings or dents. I would imagine it'd look comparable to a commercial deck, if I would have spent $1,000 more. Just some missing paint.
Posted on 3/24/21 at 9:23 pm to AllDayEveryDay
Spartan. Check out Outdoor Power in Woodville,MS for sales and service.
Posted on 3/25/21 at 12:19 am to AllDayEveryDay
Residential zero turns typically do not do well on hill because of the narrow wheels.
I have a commercial gravely, and there’s not much it can’t do on hills.
See if you can find a demo, or a low hour commercial at a dealer that a lawn service has traded for the new year. Anything under 100hrs is a green light.
I have a commercial gravely, and there’s not much it can’t do on hills.
See if you can find a demo, or a low hour commercial at a dealer that a lawn service has traded for the new year. Anything under 100hrs is a green light.
Posted on 3/25/21 at 12:33 am to slacker130
Man no offense but you're not mowing on uneven ground if your deck looks like that after 10 years.
Posted on 3/25/21 at 5:23 pm to johnnyrocket
Leaning hard toward the Z-Force S 48 (because I can drink a beer and still mow), the problem is I can't find one. The closest dealer to me that has one is 150 miles away. According to a few places I called Cub Cadet seems back ordered until August.
Posted on 3/25/21 at 5:56 pm to johnnyrocket
johnnyrocket
Always appreciate you sharing your experience in these threads. Good stuff sir.
Always appreciate you sharing your experience in these threads. Good stuff sir.
Posted on 3/29/21 at 10:13 pm to johnnyrocket
quote:
Don’t waste your money just replacing tires on a lap bar zero turn.
It's only a waste of money if you don't need your zero turn to be able to handle slopes.
Posted on 3/30/21 at 10:51 am to BiggerBear
So I'm considering consigning my Bad Boy MZ Magnum because it seems to struggle at dealing with my backyard grass which is quite thick. I mow it weekly and it still has issues with trying to stall out in some spots and the deck doesn't seem to clear the grass very well. I have to jack it up and clean it out after every mow as it cakes up after just one cut. It handles my front lawn, the actual bermuda, just fine, and we do have a decently sloped area on one side of the house. I'm just wondering if an actual lawn tractor would do a better job on the rear grass, but am concerned if it will handle the slope okay without being a tip hazard. It seems from what I'm reading that they are actually more stable because of the weight distribution and the front tires. My Bad Boy has a 24hp Kawasaki engine, btw.
I was looking at the new Cub Cadet ZTR 2 Enduro GX54 D and also found a 2016 model Husler Flip-Up that is still new, 25hp Kohler engine, and reduced to $2,999. Any thoughts between these two or should I be looking elsewhere? Trying to keep it at $4,000 or less while being able to handle thick rear grass and still being able to manage the slopes is the goal here.
I was looking at the new Cub Cadet ZTR 2 Enduro GX54 D and also found a 2016 model Husler Flip-Up that is still new, 25hp Kohler engine, and reduced to $2,999. Any thoughts between these two or should I be looking elsewhere? Trying to keep it at $4,000 or less while being able to handle thick rear grass and still being able to manage the slopes is the goal here.
Posted on 3/30/21 at 4:31 pm to S1C EM
quote:
I mow it weekly and it still has issues with trying to stall out in some spots and the deck doesn't seem to clear the grass very well.
I upgraded blades and punched a hole in my side discharge where I tied a string with a loop to pick it up and hang it from the arm rest when the grass is insanely thick.
Quit bogging it down. Clears well also.
To the OP, driving several of them before buying mine the hustler seemed to be the lowest center of gravity. I really liked it and probably should have purchased that unit.
Posted on 3/31/21 at 9:00 am to thejudge
I'm eyeing the new Bad Boy Maverick. Seems like a solid mower and best price. Anyone have one, and what you think about it?
Posted on 3/31/21 at 11:03 am to kywildcatfanone
Guy at work bought a bad boy and ran it for a year before he unloaded it. Inherited a Hustler and liked it better he said.
He said the bad boy was fine, just though the hustler was more comfortable and he felt he could ride it longer and was less jarring. Deck was welded as well.
I'd buy one next time I'm.in the market.
He said the bad boy was fine, just though the hustler was more comfortable and he felt he could ride it longer and was less jarring. Deck was welded as well.
I'd buy one next time I'm.in the market.
Posted on 3/31/21 at 11:12 am to AllDayEveryDay
Check their rear wheel width.
I've had both, currently have the 60" Hustler and cut 3.5 acres w/ a house pad elevated 48". The hustler has a wider wheel base that makes it more stable on the slope.
Note: 2010 Gravely and 2016 Hustler.
I've had both, currently have the 60" Hustler and cut 3.5 acres w/ a house pad elevated 48". The hustler has a wider wheel base that makes it more stable on the slope.
Note: 2010 Gravely and 2016 Hustler.
Posted on 3/31/21 at 3:05 pm to thejudge
quote:
Guy at work bought a bad boy and ran it for a year before he unloaded it.
That's pretty much my situation. The Hustler I was considering sold this morning, so back to the drawing board I guess. The Bad Boy is fine, but I went out and mowed the backyard again last night before I put it in the shop for a tune-up. I just mowed on Saturday, mind you, on the 2.25 setting. Put it on 1.75 for this cut and once again, tries to choke out on some of the thicker grass (and it's not like I'm asking it to cut three week old grass). Such a pain in the arse. The Bad Boy's 7-gauge deck is pretty tough, I'll give it that, but damn if it won't clear the grass.
Posted on 4/7/21 at 7:59 am to johnnyrocket
The cub cadet steering wheel zero turn for hills FTW. I had a steep hill in my back yard in Ga. Had John Deere come over with a Zero turn and a tractor for me to test drive. The salesman would not even unload the zero turn for the hill. Says it will turn down hill and run away. I bought a cub cadet and have never regretted that decision!!!
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