Zero turn mowers ?'s

[Bowman78]

Any first hand advice on zero turn mowers to cut 2 acres or less and where's a good place to purchase?... dealers seem to be very strict on pricing... not sure if they are guarded because I have inquired via phone or if they just won't budge much on price?.. I have been looking at mowers in the$ 3500-5000 range and a couple hundred max break on selling price is all I can get outta them... leaning towards hustler,big dog,Dixie or exmark..... firsthand experience is greatly appreciated.. also gotta get a snowblower any suggestions?

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I'm a Scag man. But I do know folks that have Dixie Choppers and like them. Another friend has a Gravely and likes it as well. I think the Hustlers and Exmarks are both fine though I don't have any experience with them.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I bought an Exmark a few years ago from McGavic in Kokomo (they also have a shop in Noblesville). I shopped around for the same model at 3 or 4 other dealers and McGavic was the most willing to make a deal. In addition to discounts, they may also be willing to throw in service parts (oil, filters, blades, etc...) to help sweeten the deal.

I was looking in the 42" class as this is the largest I could fit into my shed. Take a look at the commercial mowing companies and see what they're running. You'll see a lot of Exmarks and Dixies. Our family friend who worked at Dixie only had good things to say about Exmark as well. I have no regrets about mine. My parents have been running a Dixie for approximately 10 years with no issues either.

 

[edporch]

I mow 2 acres, and have a 2008 27hp 61" front deck Grasshopper.
Bought it used a few years ago with 467 hours on it and it's been trouble free.

 

[WhitleyStu]

I mow 3 acres and went with a Country Clipper Boss XL last year. I wanted the the most comfortable seat, a joy stick instead of handles and a stand up deck to make blade sharpening and deck cleaning easier. Very satisfied with our Counry Clipper and service from the McCune's in Huntington.

 

[Snipercop]

Check out the Mower Depot in Mooresville.. They sell SCAG, Big Dog, Gravely, etc... I picked up a Big Dog Alpha for my small yard. Had one of the best warranties in the industry. Great piece of equipment.. Big Dog is a sub-company of Hustler. For the 42" (identical to the Hustler Raptor) I paid right at $2850 out the door.. Prices are great this time of the year, but you are correct... they won't deal a bunch.

 

[Classic]

I mow 5 acres, bought a well used commercial Scag, 27 hp, 62 in. cut. Had it for 2 years now and it is an awesome, powerful mower. No breakdowns.

 

[bocefus78]

None of the dealers are going to cut 20% off. The discount you listed is about all you will get. You aren't buying a car, and there's less wiggle room for them than you think. Pay cash, and you may get a couple more percent off.

I'll stay outta this one Cuz inevitably these ztr threads always go south.

I will offer this though. I have an exmark and a deere as a backup machine. The exmark is 5xs the mower in cut quality.

If you are mowing hills, a walk behind ztr with sulky is much better on the hills that a true ztr.

 

[Bowman78]

Having trouble deciding if I wanna buy a new residential class mower or a decent used commercial.. I know how some people use and maintain their equipment so used can be a major issue..

 

[bocefus78]

Used commercial all the way. Guys who use it to make their money, tend to do the maintenance needed.

I run mine like it's stolen, but I change fluids regularly, and grease it daily.

I've got a buddy who has the biggest bad boy available. Homeowner used since new. 200 some hours, and it's giving him trouble already. Electrical demons.

 

[femurphy77]

Love our Ferris but not in your price range.

 

[gunrunner0]

I bought an older, used cub cadet RZT50 at the end of this season. I got a good deal because the transmission on one side was going out, and it was an easy but expensive fix. Other than that, it's a solid mower. In my research on the machine, I discovered that the lower end residential mowers use or used to use sealed (non serviceable) transmissions. I don't believe this is the case on the higher end stuff, or any of the commercial machines. I would not buy another one with unserviceable transmissions.

In terms of getting a good deal, you might look around this time of year. I noticed that some dealers are selling models which will be upgraded for the next year, at a discounted price.

 

[Brandon]

2 acers here, we have a Huster 48" Kawasaki 23 hp.
Easy to service runs great.

We paid alot for ours compared to the few that Lowes was offering for a brief period or just the consumer grade at the dealers. But we did get the commercial grade.

 

[k12lts]

We mow quite a bit of grass and my Exmark has 1200 hours on it now. The only thing I've done is keep it serviced and change the blades. There is a big difference between the residential and commercial models. Look for a welded steel deck, not stamped steel. Look for a heavy duty hydraulic pump and wheel motors.

A nice used higher end machine might be better than a new light duty unit.

 

[teddy12b]

A quality zero turn is my go to example of a time in my life where I should have bought once and cried once. I tried to get away with a Ariens Garden Tractor to mow my almost 5 acres. It was slow, but had the best financing options to make tall grass short. Biggest P.O.S. I ever bought in my life and when I say I hated that piece of equipment I mean every word of it. I only mention that to set the stage that when I wised up and bought a zero turn I looked them over very thoroughly before making the my final decision.

First off, limit the search to what's in your area and who you can find good support for. It does you no good to look into brand "XYZ" if you can't get a new part for it. I'm lucky that my next door neighbor is a guy I went to high school with who's been a professional lawn mower for over 20 years and buys new zero turns almost every year. He's had great luck with commercial Toro's, but absolutely loves his Gravely.

I personally test drove a Gravely's, Ferris, and Dixie Choppers. My neighbor originally started out with Dixie's and liked them, but mentioned they had some little problems here and there. The dealer even says there's been a generational change in ownership in the company and they're trying to rebuild it to what it once was. Personally when I test drove like models of a Dixie and a Gravely I preferred the Gravely over the Dixie hands down, not even close. My land that I mow was a corn field 4 years ago so it's not golf course smooth. I test drove/mowed with a Ferris on my land and wow that's a great machine. The suspension on that machine absolutely makes perfect sense for country yard and as much as I love the Gravely I ended up buying that Ferris would have been my first choice except for one major problem. I got to test drive the Ferris because the dealer was thinking of picking up the brand to carry in his store. According to him the company was difficult to deal with for support and parts. I talked with another dealer in town and they had just ended their business relationship with Ferris just because they were such a pain to deal with. The ladies behind the counter told me all kinds of stories about mad customers waiting on parts. Buying a mower is one thing, getting some parts for it is another. The gravely is a smooth driving tank that's built like a brick house. I ended up buying a Gravely and I'm happy to be making payments on it. I know I've got a heck of a machine, and I know I've got a quality dealer behind it that I'll have to use from time to time.

That's my long winded endorsement of Gravely zero turn mowers.

 

[kawtech87]

Love our Ferris but not in your price range.

There are indeed Ferris mowers in the 5k range give or take a few hundred bucks. But the suspension is worth the little extra coin.

 

[SMiller]

I bought a 2-3 year old leftover commercial zero turn that was still in the crate sitting in a barn for 35% off, you never know what a dealer is sitting on until you call around, sure there are some that would love to clear another unit off their books before the end of the year.

I did commercial lawn care for 18 years, I equally hate all the home owner models but I understand that no homeowner wants to spend 12k when they can buy the **** version for 5k at TSC/Home Depot.

 

[BobDaniels]

I believe Dixie Choppers are made in Indiana, if that sort of things sways your decision. Also keep in mind that the engine is everything. We have a Dixie with a Kawasaki and it runs like a champ. My FIL has a Dixie with a Kohler and he does nothing but complain about the engine being hard to start. (we bought his old Dixie when he wanted a bigger deck so he compares the kohler to the kaw)

This is the only ztr I've owned so I have nothing else to compare.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I believe Dixie Choppers are made in Indiana, if that sort of things sways your decision. Also keep in mind that the engine is everything. We have a Dixie with a Kawasaki and it runs like a champ. My FIL has a Dixie with a Kohler and he does nothing but complain about the engine being hard to start. (we bought his old Dixie when he wanted a bigger deck so he compares the kohler to the kaw)

This is the only ztr I've owned so I have nothing else to compare.

My Scag has a Kohler engine on it and has never had a problem starting.

 

[BobDaniels]

My Scag has a Kohler engine on it and has never had a problem starting.

I am in no way trying to bad-mouth Kohler, just passing along info I've received. I'd venture to guess there are Kaw's out there that are hard to start as well.