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Zero Turn Mower Help!!
Posted on 8/23/26 at 2:36 pm
Posted on 8/23/26 at 2:36 pm
Mostly lurk around this place picking up good knowledge and have followed previous threads on this but wanted y’all’s opinion before making such a big purchase. Long story short parked a mower at my place in MS in my garage that was cutting grass and had no issues when I parked it. Transferred to Plano, TX where I didn’t have a yard to cut and now live in Porter, TX with 5 acres. Brought my mower from MS to the local shop here in Porter to be serviced and after $1400 he told me I should just sell it and make it someone else’s problem. Been looking at Bad Boys based in y’all’s previous threads but am having trouble distinguishing the difference between the Maverick and ZT Elite as well as how much of a jump is it to the pro series mowers or should I be looking at other brands? I don’t mind spending 10k if it’s something that is going to last a really long time and be light on the maintenance side. Just wanted y’all’s opinion if possible. Thanks guys!!
10
Posted on 8/23/26 at 2:50 pm to Doc Shakalu
Whatever you get make sure it has a Kawasaki motor and a welded deck. I have a gravely 42” ztx with a mulching kit installed and love it.
Posted on 8/23/26 at 3:07 pm to Doc Shakalu
Are you cutting 5 acres?
Posted on 8/23/26 at 3:44 pm to magicman534
quote:
Whatever you get make sure it has a Kawasaki motor and a welded deck
Meh. Im at 500ish hours on a piece of shite box store John deere residential zero turn with a stamped deck and beere branded briggs engine. No real trouble to speak of, just belts and blades and filters and stuff. Almost an acre of my yard is bahaia, so its getting worked.
I see a lot of people buying way too expensive zero turns for residential use. They're cool and all, but largely a waste of money for the vast majority of people. I used to mow something like 13 acres weekly with a mid grade scag and didnt have any real problem with it for 5+ years. Far as I know its still going.
Posted on 8/23/26 at 4:44 pm to Doc Shakalu
If I'm cutting and taking care of 5 acres I'm going to buy a 20-25hp tractor with a front loader and probably going to put a finish mower behind it.
Posted on 8/23/26 at 4:51 pm to Doc Shakalu
Get a Scag, Kubota, or Bad Boy in the mid level or pro grade, with the Kawasaki engine. Only problem with the zero turns is that they are very heavy.
Posted on 8/23/26 at 4:59 pm to Doc Shakalu
Bad Boy Rebel X is what this need to give a serious look at. I’m saying this as a man that is Exmark 1000%.
Posted on 8/23/26 at 5:54 pm to Deerhunter62
Yes sir…if I’m being honest it’s probably closer to cutting 3 acres and the other 2 are wooded.
Posted on 8/23/26 at 5:59 pm to RobertFootball
And what is the major difference between the Rebel X and the something like the Maverick or ZT Elite? I see the differences in the transmissions in the brochure but that mine as well be Greek I’m not sure what all that means ( 5400 series vs 3200 series
Posted on 8/23/26 at 6:52 pm to Doc Shakalu
It comes with tweels, upgraded transmission, better engine options. I’m not saying it’s in any way comparable to the Elite because it’s not. I just saw you said you were willing to go up to 10,000 if you had to and that is the best value for 10,000 on the market right now.
Posted on 8/23/26 at 8:11 pm to RobertFootball
quote:
willing to go up to 10,000
You can get a 54" 24hp zero turn for $4000 from basically anywhere and do just fine mowing 5 acres a week. $10k for a mower for 5 acres is rediculous
Posted on 8/23/26 at 8:27 pm to DownshiftAndFloorIt
No you definitely don’t need a full commercial mower for that acreage. You do need enough mower to mow that 5 acres every week though and I think he needs to consider stepping up to at least a Maverick or Maverick HD. Me personally, I run a Lazer Z 60” with the Kawasaki 801v for my yard which is 3 acres. It might be overkill but I also know I won’t have to buy another mower for 20 years too.
Posted on 8/23/26 at 8:57 pm to RobertFootball
“You can get a 54" 24hp zero turn for $4000 from basically anywhere and do just fine mowing 5 acres a week.”
This is pretty much the basis of my question and I’ve looked at these box store models and they seem to be built like shite for lack of a better word. I am an engineer I just deal with subsurface stuff but I can tell shitty quality when I see it. I do not mind spending a little extra money but my main thing is I want something that will last 10-15 years with regular maintenance kept up to date and not something I’m going to be running back and forth to the shop. I loved this little Husqvarna that finally shite the bed in me but I’m not 100% I just took it to the wrong mechanic. It seems like the Bad Boys are a good way to go I was just hoping someone here could explain the transmission differences to me.
This is pretty much the basis of my question and I’ve looked at these box store models and they seem to be built like shite for lack of a better word. I am an engineer I just deal with subsurface stuff but I can tell shitty quality when I see it. I do not mind spending a little extra money but my main thing is I want something that will last 10-15 years with regular maintenance kept up to date and not something I’m going to be running back and forth to the shop. I loved this little Husqvarna that finally shite the bed in me but I’m not 100% I just took it to the wrong mechanic. It seems like the Bad Boys are a good way to go I was just hoping someone here could explain the transmission differences to me.
This post was edited on 8/23/26 at 9:17 pm
Posted on 8/23/26 at 9:39 pm to Doc Shakalu
quote:
looked at these box store models and they seem to be built like shite for lack of a better word.
Well, yea they kinda are. But, 5 acres a week is about 2.5 hours mowing on them a week, maybe 75 hours a year? They're fine for that. The vast majority of mowers are all using the same shite transmissions and clutches and engines bolted together with a different seat and a different paint job.
Something like a heavy duty kubota is unquestionably significantly better. Mowing a couple hours a week, you arent likely to ever realize the betterness other than just knowing you have a badass machine while you use it for less than 100 hours a year.
Like I said, unpopular opinion around here but for mowing 5 acres or less, those shitty box store mowers are perfect. Keep a spare belt and a spare fuel filter on your shelf and do somethinf else with the $6k you saved
Posted on 8/23/26 at 10:10 pm to DownshiftAndFloorIt
I do appreciate your honesty and I haven’t even got to all my questions about the Kubotas…
Posted on 8/24/26 at 6:35 am to Doc Shakalu
The main deal you will notice with a higher end mower for your application is comfort. I have a 42in Bad Boy MZ that I side hustled with for about 5 years machine made me alot of money and it was 3k new. I've had zero issues to speak of and I don't baby it. I'm on 24 acres mowing about 7 and a Husqavarna Z454 came with the property does well and alot more comfortable than the base bad boy. I've been around alot of these machines and they are all good. I'm of the opinion that Gravely is probably best bang for buck but the main deciding factor on brand for me would be the dealer that's easiest to deal with within your home range.
Posted on 8/24/26 at 6:37 am to Barneyrb
This is a great idea if the property has no narrows/ obstructions.
Posted on 8/24/26 at 7:15 am to Doc Shakalu
Is the 3 acres you are cutting nice and level, or more of a country yard with holes, limbs, pine cones, etc?
Posted on 8/24/26 at 7:47 am to Doc Shakalu
When you look at how long or short the manufacturer warranty is on some of the 5-10k plus ones it makes you wonder
Posted on 8/24/26 at 8:09 am to Doc Shakalu
Just dont buy it from a box store. The locally owned places can still get you residential grade stuff.
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