Zero Turn Mowers

[Sccritterkiller]

Unfortunately I don't have a dealer nearby. Couple hours away for any dealer. I have a local small engine shop that is great with basically everything. What I've found so far is around $5500 get you serviceable transmissions (3100) and Kawasaki engines. Will head to Billings next week and look at some mowers.

Add a suspension seat to that list...you ass will thank me later.

 

[hunterjmj]

Just remember, It's impossible to drink beer on zero turn machines that utilize two handles...just saying

I've thought about that. I always enjoyed a cold beer on my lawn tractor.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

I've thought about that. I always enjoyed a cold beer on my lawn tractor.

You will be done mowing in half of the time, you will have extra time to sit in shade and drink beer.

 

[B Harrison]

First decide if you want a real commercial mower, that has commercial grade parts, or an expensive toy.

The cheaper zero turns have plastic parts, thin decks, cheap bearings, and weaker hydraulic pumps….

Most of the bad boys I looked at were very much on the lighter side for the price.

If your yard is smooth you will be ok, but a rough yard will beat the cheaper (light commercial) machines apart.

Choose what you can get service on close by, and talk to local yard contractors and find out what they like.

Do you want a machine that lasts 500 hours or 2500 hours?

I chose a Toro Zmaster 2000, which is the lower end of a true commercial machine, it’s comparable to other $10k machines and I got mine 52” for $9300 with a 6 yr full warranty.

Another thing to look at is mowing speed vs blade speed.
10 mph is pretty fast for 2 acres, I only have a few places I can run mine full speed, and it’s still a handful to stay in the sticks.

My dad’s old Woods mower 26 yo still mows 12 mph and that’s way too fast for most yards that haven’t been smoothed.


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[hunterjmj]

First decide if you want a real commercial mower, that has commercial grade parts, or an expensive toy.

The cheaper zero turns have plastic parts, thin decks, cheap bearings, and weaker hydraulic pumps….

Most of the bad boys I looked at were very much on the lighter side for the price.

If your yard is smooth you will be ok, but a rough yard will beat the cheaper (light commercial) machines apart.

Choose what you can get service on close by, and talk to local yard contractors and find out what they like.

Do you want a machine that lasts 500 hours or 2500 hours?

I chose a Toro Zmaster 2000, which is the lower end of a true commercial machine, it’s comparable to other $10k machines and I got mine 52” for $9300 with a 6 yr full warranty.

Another thing to look at is mowing speed vs blade speed.
10 mph is pretty fast for 2 acres, I only have a few places I can run mine full speed, and it’s still a handful to stay in the sticks.

My dad’s old Woods mower 26 yo still mows 12 mph and that’s way too fast for most yards that haven’t been smoothed.


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Definitely not going commercial. Can't afford it and I have a simple flat yard. I think most years I mow about 10 times a season. I'm on the eastern side of Montana and we just don't get a lot of growth. I must be looking at different bad boys then you cause nothing about them seem on the lighter side. My old craftsman lawn tractor was very much on the lighter side. That thing is a pile of junk but still mowed everything I needed it too.

 

[deer310sg]

Definitely not going commercial. Can't afford it and I have a simple flat yard. I think most years I mow about 10 times a season. I'm on the eastern side of Montana and we just don't get a lot of growth. I must be looking at different bad boys then you cause nothing about them seem on the lighter side. My old craftsman lawn tractor was very much on the lighter side. That thing is a pile of junk but still mowed everything I needed it too.

Agree, the bad boys I've looked at are built like tanks, especially the deck gauge. I think they're like a 1/4"? ZT Elites, Mavericks and up. Ease of maintenance, belts. Very easy to get too.

 

[johnnycake]

Not anywhere close to that. $6000 is my budget.

Get a Husqvarna automower. Lots of models under your price point that will handle 2 acres cutting it daily so it's always perfect without you having to do anything. Or stretch your budget a little and get the commercial 580 EPOS that will handle +4 acres daily.

I love my automower 450, been running it for 5 years now, and it's been phenomenal. It takes 5 minutes to change out the blades every 6-8 weeks, and about 5 minutes to winterize/dewinterize. No other maintenance required.

 

[Torque]

You can't go wrong with Scag.

 

[LSL57]

Went from a Commercial John Deere to a Scag Tiger Cat 6 years ago and have loved it. It is a beast. 61" welded deck, 26HP, mowes 4 acres every week, sometimes twice when my wife decides to get fancy with the yard cutting. Worth every penny.

The Deere was just problems, and I had the commercial version. Father in Law had the Lowe's Deere version and had less issues, but still seemed to be rebuilding it every other year, and had issues finding parts from Lowes or John Deere. He got a Scag Cheetah at an estate auction and has never looked back.

 

[hunterjmj]

I'd love to spend money on a commercial but I still have lots of gravel I need to bring in and in the middle of building a house. $500/dump truck load adds up quick.

 

[B Harrison]

Definitely not going commercial. Can't afford it and I have a simple flat yard. I think most years I mow about 10 times a season. I'm on the eastern side of Montana and we just don't get a lot of growth. I must be looking at different bad boys then you cause nothing about them seem on the lighter side. My old craftsman lawn tractor was very much on the lighter side. That thing is a pile of junk but still mowed everything I needed it too.

I was comparing commercial machines.
My good friend sells Bad Boy, the frames, deck, hydraulic pumps…. We’re all 75% of the Toro/ Kubota.

But for your needs those are a great choice.
Our area is much different,
I’ll mow 2 acres, some of it 2x a week March through October.
Still not commercial use, but I don’t ever want to buy another mower.


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[ResearchinStuff]

Definitely not going commercial. Can't afford it and I have a simple flat yard. I think most years I mow about 10 times a season. I'm on the eastern side of Montana and we just don't get a lot of growth. I must be looking at different bad boys then you cause nothing about them seem on the lighter side. My old craftsman lawn tractor was very much on the lighter side. That thing is a pile of junk but still mowed everything I needed it too.

For 10x a year just hire a dude. I mow closer to 40x a year and it still takes over a year to come out ahead buying and doing it myself.

 

[hunterjmj]

I'm just going to buy the Bad Boy MZ Magnum this year. I'll probably learn what I think I want/need and if this machine doesn't cut I'll sell it next year and upgrade. This will give me time to check out Scag, Toro, Bad Boy dealer in Billings.
I really enjoy mowing so I wouldn't hire it out plus I'm 30 miles from a small town. I have a hard time hiring anything out. I'll grab this mower, mow a summer and give an update in September.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm amazed at how many mower manufacturers there are. Had no idea until I started looking into it. I've been mowing for almost 10 years with a 10hp Craftsman R1000 30". I had to replace the spindle and belts several times. So I'm guessing the Magnum will do ok.

 

[Stache Attack]

I’m in central MT, most people I talk with have toro masters or bad boys. The Deere machines seem like junk. Hustler is nice but everyone I know who had one moved on to bad boy