Zero Turn.... Help!!!

[aaluck]

After mowing my 'front/back yard' with my finish mower for the last two years I have come to the realization that I need to change things up. We have 10 acres and about +/- 1 acre of the would be considered yard. I have a bush hog for the 9 acres and a Bush Hog (brand) finish mower for the 1 acre. The problem is my tractor is just too big and heavy to mow around the house, not to mention if the ground is slightly wet the tires tear everything up. I spend too much time backing in to cut and circling back to get that strip or this strip and trying not to knock the house down with the bucket.

So, I have been looking for a zero turn and like everything else there is information/choice overload. I think (depending on what I hear here) I have it narrowed down to an Exmark, Toto, Deere or Cub Cadet in the 42-50 inch range. Trying to stay under $4,000.00. Id appreciate any advice/observations (good and bad) you have with any of these machines, or machines I have not considered.

 

[PaulR]

Love my Toro Timecutter MX 48" with the Myride Suspension System. Much heavier duty than anything at the box store, I hope to get 12-15 years out of it at least.

 

[dirtydeed]

I have a Bad Boy ZT Elite in a 60" that I got from Tractor Supply. Very sturdy build. I would consider it a HD residential level. Not quite commercial (not as fast) but very well built. If you have a TSC near you, go check them out. I believe that they carry Cub, Toro and Bad Boy. You could cross shop at one place.

 

[Code]

I stayed orange for mine and got the 421. Love it. They have smaller ones too. From What I read before purchase was kawasaki engines usually make or break the mower

 

[motionclone]

I recently bought a used Exmark Lazer z 60". $3000 with 900 hours on it and i got it with a leaf vac /bagger system too. Its super fast, way faster than my tractor with a 72" finish mower.

I have about 3 acres to mow at home and 2.5 at camp. each takes about an hour and im not real efficient yet still learning.

Exmark is a commercial quality heavy duty mower that professional landscapers use for 8 hours a day. The parts are reasonable priced too.

 

[lynnmor]

I bought a Country Clipper (no, you never heard of it), because it uses a joystick instead of those stupid arms and has a pivoting front axle plus the deck can stand up vertical for cleaning and service. If those things are not important to you, I would look at the Bad Boy mowers, just know that TSC only sells a few of the models they build.

 

[Rdrcr]

In that price range, the 421 is definitely a good option, especially if you want to stay orange. Ferris could be another option too.

I spent quite a bit more and bought a Cub Cadet Pro Z 560 S KW (steering wheel model) for my steep hills. Man, this ZT is built like a tank and has exceeded and surpassed all my expectations.

Mike

 

[mikester]

I hope I am reading this post wrong. If you are desiring to mow 10 acres with a $4K machine I strongly suggest selling the property and downsizing to under 1 acre.

You need to ask yourself WHY you are mowing 10 acres. I think I'd rather move.

 

[PaulL]

I hope I am reading this post wrong. If you are desiring to mow 10 acres with a $4K machine I strongly suggest selling the property and downsizing to under 1 acre.

You need to ask yourself WHY you are mowing 10 acres. I think I'd rather move.

I think he said mowing the 1 acre with the ZT, and mowing the rest with the bush hog.

Without wanting to change what you're doing - have you tried taking your loader off before mowing, and mow in 2WD. Might make a big difference to lawn damage. Taking all that weight off the front wheels substantially reduces how much damage they do when turning.

 

[lynnmor]

I hope I am reading this post wrong. If you are desiring to mow 10 acres with a $4K machine I strongly suggest selling the property and downsizing to under 1 acre.

You need to ask yourself WHY you are mowing 10 acres. I think I'd rather move.

Maybe he understands the advantage of the minimal property tax on 10+ acres.

 

[aaluck]

You need to ask yourself WHY you are mowing 10 acres. I think I'd rather move.

I'm just trying to mow the 'yard' with the ZT.

I think I have settled on the Bad Boy--a brand I was not familiar with until yesterday. Reviews seem great, deck seems stronger than most and reasonable price. Anyone have good/bad experience with them

 

[aaluck]

go check them out.

I did and I think thats a winner. The MZ Magnum should be plenty for what I need.

Thank you for the advice. Never considered them before.

 

[Motronic]

I'm just trying to mow the 'yard' with the ZT.

I think I have settled on the Bad Boy--a brand I was not familiar with until yesterday. Reviews seem great, deck seems stronger than most and reasonable price. Anyone have good/bad experience with them

Be careful with this. While the deck is welded rather than stamped it doesn't float. My neighbor has one and it's scalps badly.

I went with a z421 with the 54" commercial deck on it and couldn't be happier. Mowing about the same as you.

 

[dirtydeed]

I'm just trying to mow the 'yard' with the ZT.

I think I have settled on the Bad Boy--a brand I was not familiar with until yesterday. Reviews seem great, deck seems stronger than most and reasonable price. Anyone have good/bad experience with them

As I said, I opted for the next size up to get a larger deck and big friggin wheels since my lot is pretty rough. I cut 3 acres routinely and 5 sporadically with it. I have the electric deck lift (which I don't use) since I added the foot pedal lift (works great for getting over obstacles) and I added the adjustable steering sticks (primarily for my wife if she ever uses it...she's a tad under 5 foot).

The deck is damn near bulletproof and doesn't flex at all if I stand on it. Mine has a very deep deck. The larger wheels and castors make for a bit better ride. I needed the larger tires for soft ground. My only complaint is dry grass traction is a bit limited. I think that is largely due to the width of rear tires.

The seat is pretty comfortable with the arm rests. Access is fantastic. Mine has sealed bearings which maybe a negative for some folks, but I haven't had any issues thus far.

 

[Rdrcr]

I'm just trying to mow the 'yard' with the ZT.

I think I have settled on the Bad Boy--a brand I was not familiar with until yesterday. Reviews seem great, deck seems stronger than most and reasonable price. Anyone have good/bad experience with them

My boss has one, he loves it. I’ve mowed with it and I like it too. If I didn’t have steep hills, I probably would have purchased a Bad Boy ZTR too.
My neighbor just bought one as well, and he really likes it.

Mike

 

[mikester]

Maybe he understands the advantage of the minimal property tax on 10+ acres.

On this side of the boarder you get raped by paying residential property taxes on 10 acres of lawn. At one time 10 acres was the minimum lot size to be considered agricultural but you have to prove minimum ag income to qualify for the tax break.

 

[aaluck]

Ended up with the MZ Magnum. Had a great time using it last night. First time ever driving a ZT.

 

[dirtydeed]

Ended up with the MZ Magnum. Had a great time using it last night. First time ever driving a ZT.

Did it cut some time off your typical mowing effort?

 

[aaluck]

Did it cut some time off your typical mowing effort?

It definitely will. I didn't mow the entire lawn..mainly stayed away from everything until I get the hang of it.

I already know that I can now mow places I couldn't before which will save me a ton of time in not having to use the push mower after the finish mower.

 

[Rdrcr]

Ended up with the MZ Magnum. Had a great time using it last night. First time ever driving a ZT.

Congratulations! Enjoy it!

Mike