Zero Turn Mowers

[The Evil Twin]

Update on my Z421 54" mower. After writing a pretty flowery review before, the 2022 mowing season was not as kind to me. My mower is 3 seasons old and has 350+ hours on it. One junk rear tire (not the mowers fault), 2 of 4 motor mounting bolts fell out, a deck spindle bearing failed, and most worryingly the engine has blown a head gasket and may need to be completely replaced. It is at the dealer - we shall see.

Ouch. For a $8k machine that's not good.
We don't have that coin to drop. Our neighbors Cub is looking pretty good after 300 hours. That's probably the direction we will go. Looked into used Gravely, Kubota and others but they were all driven like an Aztec Burro

 

[troverman]

Ouch. For a $8k machine that's not good.
We don't have that coin to drop. Our neighbors Cub is looking pretty good after 300 hours. That's probably the direction we will go. Looked into used Gravely, Kubota and others but they were all driven like an Aztec Burro

The thing with the engine is that it isn't Kubota's fault, unless the unique right-biased mounting of the engine caused the problem. I have another mower that is 9 seasons old with the same engine and more than double the hours, runs like a champ. The deck spindle shouldn't have failed, but it was a relatively easy and inexpensive repair.

 

[The Evil Twin]

The thing with the engine is that it isn't Kubota's fault, unless the unique right-biased mounting of the engine caused the problem. I have another mower that is 9 seasons old with the same engine and more than double the hours, runs like a champ. The deck spindle shouldn't have failed, but it was a relatively easy and inexpensive repair.

Yeah, but that's kinda like saying nearly anything isn't the manufacturers fault. Ford doesn't make their axles, JD doesn't make the engines in their (compact) tractors, Chevy doesn't make the ball joints.
It could be a one-off but a head gasket on a 300 hour lawn motor.... its not a good reflection for a high dollar machine. Hopefully they take care of you.

 

[Mowbizz]

Update on my Z421 54" mower. After writing a pretty flowery review before, the 2022 mowing season was not as kind to me. My mower is 3 seasons old and has 350+ hours on it. One junk rear tire (not the mowers fault), 2 of 4 motor mounting bolts fell out, a deck spindle bearing failed, and most worryingly the engine has blown a head gasket and may need to be completely replaced. It is at the dealer - we shall see.

Yikes! Only a fraction of your hours on mine after one mowing season!
I’ll be watching this thread to see what yours is doing…good luck!

 

[troverman]

Yeah, but that's kinda like saying nearly anything isn't the manufacturers fault. Ford doesn't make their axles, JD doesn't make the engines in their (compact) tractors, Chevy doesn't make the ball joints.
It could be a one-off but a head gasket on a 300 hour lawn motor.... its not a good reflection for a high dollar machine. Hopefully they take care of you.

True, but a Kawasaki lawn mower engine is the same whether on a Kubota, Exmark, Ferris, Scag, etc. Parts on an automobile may be made by a third party, but they are often made to a spec or variant determined by the automobile manufacturer. For example, AAM supplies axles to GM and RAM, but the AAM rear axle in a RAM is not interchangeable with the one in the GM even if they are the same basic model axle. In this case, however, the bottom line is that it shouldn't have happened.

 

[The Evil Twin]

In this case, however, the bottom line is that it shouldn't have happened.

Indeed!

 

[jkrubi12]

Surprised to see that no one here has mentioned the Bad Boy line of ZT mowers.

I was looking into acquiring a ZT and after looking at the MANY brands out there Bad Boy caught my eye and that was the one for me. Still haven't coughed up the $10K for it though!

 

[fried1765]

Hi,
We are thinking of buying a Zero Turn Mower, initially looking at the Kubota Z122E or Z411 models with a 48" cut. Appreciate comments from those who own them regarding any problems? (if any) reliability etc.
Cheers and regards

Not sure what brands may be available to you down under, but once you own a ZT, you will never understand how you did without it.

As said by others: Buy a commercial model if you can afford it.
I am 82 years old, and bought my SCAG ZT just 2 years ago.
Fantastic machine with Kawasaki engine.

Unless you are 15 years old or younger, a quality ZT will last you for a lifetime!

 

[Fordtech86]

Surprised to see that no one here has mentioned the Bad Boy line of ZT mowers.

I got a Spartan (if you know the history of Bad Boy and Spartan…). Bought in 2017 and have had zero issues with it, its around 350 hours. Kohler powered.

 

[troverman]

Some of the Bad Boy mowers look interesting, but I have never seen anyone mowing commercially use one. Seems like the dealer network is "Tractor Supply" which doesn't work for most commercial outfits. I know there are some stand-alone dealers, but none around here.

 

[lynnmor]

Some of the Bad Boy mowers look interesting, but I have never seen anyone mowing commercially use one. Seems like the dealer network is "Tractor Supply" which doesn't work for most commercial outfits. I know there are some stand-alone dealers, but none around here.

TSC only sells a few of the Bad Boy models, mostly the homeowner grade.

I bought a Country Clipper for the ease of cleaning under the deck, joystick steering and the pivoting front axle.

 

[Chad D.]

Looked at some ZT mowers today at Kubota and Toro dealer. The Toro Titan looks pretty good but is still a full homeowner mower where the Z400 series looked to be beefier and with better wheel motors. I’m leaning towards a Z422 that has a Kawasaki 24hp motor and wider caster tires and I think would be better for softer ground…also the suspension seat for my 72 yr old bones. $8449 plus fees. Should be a lifetime mower for me.
Was looking at the 700 series but I think full commercial is overkill.

I looked hard at a few full commercial ZTRs last summer. SCAG Tiger Cat II was top of the list, then the JD Z930M. Much as I hate to say, the Kubotas weren’t my top choices, but we all take what we like, right??

in the end, I decided that I wasn’t willing to part with $12K to $15K for a mower to handle my 2 acres.

I wound up “compromising” with a 60” Toro Titan with MyRide suspension. Only one season on it so far, but it’s been a real dream to use. Power for days, and I can’t get the chute to plug up even in heavy wet grass. in typical mowing conditions, you rip at pert-near full tilt.

For $7K, I think it really fits the niche between homeowner grade and full out commercial.

Leaps and bounds ahead of the Home Depot type Toro Timecutter series.


Only thing I don’t like is that there are no lights…. I needed lights for my B2650 also, so I ordered three sets of Baja Designs Squadrons. One set for the ZTR and two for the Kubota….

 

[PaulL]

Of course, there's always the F series. Zero turns are excellent. F series are a different league, even second hand. Not that I have one. But I aspire to one.

 

[troverman]

I looked hard at a few full commercial ZTRs last summer. SCAG Tiger Cat II was top of the list, then the JD Z930M. Much as I hate to say, the Kubotas weren’t my top choices, but we all take what we like, right??

in the end, I decided that I wasn’t willing to part with $12K to $15K for a mower to handle my 2 acres.

I wound up “compromising” with a 60” Toro Titan with MyRide suspension. Only one season on it so far, but it’s been a real dream to use. Power for days, and I can’t get the chute to plug up even in heavy wet grass. in typical mowing conditions, you rip at pert-near full tilt.

For $7K, I think it really fits the niche between homeowner grade and full out commercial.

Leaps and bounds ahead of the Home Depot type Toro Timecutter series.


Only thing I don’t like is that there are no lights…. I needed lights for my B2650 also, so I ordered three sets of Baja Designs Squadrons. One set for the ZTR and two for the Kubota….

I just checked out the Toro Titan MyRide. Looks like a nice mower, and Toro is the parent company of Exmark, which makes top quality full commercial equipment. This mower has a Chinese-made engine and non-commercial transmissions. However, for doing your 2 acres it will likely last a lifetime, leave an excellent cut, and it is more comfortable than even some of the 'true commercial' mowers.

Virtually no zero turn mowers come with lights from the factory (ironically, the consumer-level Kubota models do). Baja Designs is a great choice, better lights than Rigid Industries in my opinion.

 

[D2Cat]

All Grasshopper mowers have factory head lights.

 

[troverman]

All Grasshopper mowers have factory head lights.

View attachment 91488

I don't see any on this particular model:

 

[D2Cat]

You are correct. I've owned three of them and never had one that didn't come with headlights.

 

[Freeheeler]

I've used to have to use lights with my old riding mower. The Ferris cuts so much quicker I can cut after work and get done before I need lights. I had put some lights on it before I realized just how much faster it cut. All the lights did was attract bugs, no thanks.

 

[troverman]

I've used to have to use lights with my old riding mower. The Ferris cuts so much quicker I can cut after work and get done before I need lights. I had put some lights on it before I realized just how much faster it cut. All the lights did was attract bugs, no thanks.

The problem is, if you're a commercial guy and the fall comes with less daylight, you still have the same number of lawns to get done. I've finished under lights before. It's generally fine if you are familiar with the lawn. But valid point on how much faster the zero turn mowers are.

 

[RBsingl]

Of course, there's always the F series. Zero turns are excellent. F series are a different league, even second hand. Not that I have one. But I aspire to one.

Paul,
I started out looking for a ZTR but changed to ordering a F2690 after I decided that the terrain of my 5 acres is better suited for the F series.

I have been mowing since 1995 with my Deere 955 compact utility with 6' midmount deck and 5 foot rear cutter for brush. I will continue to use the Deere to mow a few small areas where it will easily and safely cut a steep roadside ditch but the F2690 will be faster and will do a better job when the grass is slightly damp where the heavy front end of the Deere pushes over the grass ahead of its midmount deck causing a very uneven cut. And the flip up front deck of the Kubota will be very easy to clean.

A big plus will be I can pretty much leave the loader on the 955 all of the time instead of taking it off for mowing. No complaints on the Deere because it has been trouble-free except for replacing a few idler pulleys on the deck which seems to be the weak spot; not a big deal except Deere has revised the deck multiple times so it was always an adventure to get the right set of hardware for whatever pulley was current.

I ordered the F2690 with a rear discharge deck in late June and I got a call earlier this week that it is finally in and will be delivered next week. The rear discharge deck on the Kubota will be nice since it can cut up to the edge on either side and the deck offset bias to one side will make cutting the yard along the roadside ditch safer since the tires won't be close to the edge like they are on my Deere. It is also shorter making it easier to go under trees and the up front deck will go in places where I don't have to follow

Rodger