Hello folks!
Im sure to start a brand war with this thread but I am hoping to glean some serious pro's/con's that will be informative. Im looking to potentially upgrade to a new Zero Turn mower soon. I may hold out another year, but Im starting to really think about it now. My old residential zero turn, stamp deck husqvarna has done the job the past 6 or so years but the deck on it is cheap and starting to come apart at the welds, metal peeling back at the discharge chute, etc. It was a $2800 residential variant. Not only is the little mower having deck issues, but its only a 46" cut, and Ive more than doubled my yard size from about 2 acres to around 5 acres now that I have to mow. I am looking to go up to a more commercial, fabricated deck unit. Also looking to go up to a 52" cut. Something that will last for 10++ years.
This is a corwded market I know. A lot of good options. Im very familiar with all the big known names but curious what others experiences have been with various ones. Probably the biggest name in commercial mowers here in my area, and the one I see more than any other, is Grasshopper. Even the state crews who maintain right-of-ways here all run grasshopper mowers. I also have one of the biggest grasshopper dealers in the southeast 20 miles from my house, so this is the logical choice. Ive heard nothing but praise for grasshopper. I have a coworker who runs a lawn business on the side and he runs 4 grasshoppers as well, he has nothing but praise for them. I dont want to tunnel on one brand however if there are other great options out there. Im also really curious what folks think of Kubota's zero turns. Ive never seen anyone around here use a kubota lawn mower, but kubota tractors are very popular. Then there are all the other big zero turn brands, some of which Im aware of but have no real experience with. Bad boy, dixie chopper, and tons others. If you guys were looking to go up to a new commercial grade mower, with around a $6,000 - $8,000 budget, what would you get? Why would you go with that mower? I'm looking for good, reasoned, useful information not a mindless brand debate. I am not someone who plays into brand loyalty tribalism. I understand most brands have goods and bads, and I like to weight it all and find the best option for me. Ill list a few bullet points of things important to me that may help with some suggestions.
- I want a good deck. this is a priority for me after seeing how my cheap mower has began to fall apart at less than 200 hours. I have areas I have to mow that suck up a lot of sand in places, and I chew up lots of leaves and stuff. The deck has to be thick, and welded well to resist the sand blast I will be delivering.
-Good, dependable, easy to maintain engine. Ive always been a little partial to Kohler engines here but Im open on this front. Ive been told Briggs commercial grade mower engines are top notch as well. Grasshopper uses both kohler and briggs and ive heard good on both, but a good engine is of course a must.
Outside of deck and engine Im not super picky. Obviously Im going for dependability/durability here. I dont care so much for fancyness or features I wont use. I dont need extra lights, digital screens, or any other fancy add ons. I will not be using this in the dark at all, I want it to mow grass for years and years and years and not break down. Period. Give me your best suggestions!
Im sure to start a brand war with this thread but I am hoping to glean some serious pro's/con's that will be informative. Im looking to potentially upgrade to a new Zero Turn mower soon. I may hold out another year, but Im starting to really think about it now. My old residential zero turn, stamp deck husqvarna has done the job the past 6 or so years but the deck on it is cheap and starting to come apart at the welds, metal peeling back at the discharge chute, etc. It was a $2800 residential variant. Not only is the little mower having deck issues, but its only a 46" cut, and Ive more than doubled my yard size from about 2 acres to around 5 acres now that I have to mow. I am looking to go up to a more commercial, fabricated deck unit. Also looking to go up to a 52" cut. Something that will last for 10++ years.
This is a corwded market I know. A lot of good options. Im very familiar with all the big known names but curious what others experiences have been with various ones. Probably the biggest name in commercial mowers here in my area, and the one I see more than any other, is Grasshopper. Even the state crews who maintain right-of-ways here all run grasshopper mowers. I also have one of the biggest grasshopper dealers in the southeast 20 miles from my house, so this is the logical choice. Ive heard nothing but praise for grasshopper. I have a coworker who runs a lawn business on the side and he runs 4 grasshoppers as well, he has nothing but praise for them. I dont want to tunnel on one brand however if there are other great options out there. Im also really curious what folks think of Kubota's zero turns. Ive never seen anyone around here use a kubota lawn mower, but kubota tractors are very popular. Then there are all the other big zero turn brands, some of which Im aware of but have no real experience with. Bad boy, dixie chopper, and tons others. If you guys were looking to go up to a new commercial grade mower, with around a $6,000 - $8,000 budget, what would you get? Why would you go with that mower? I'm looking for good, reasoned, useful information not a mindless brand debate. I am not someone who plays into brand loyalty tribalism. I understand most brands have goods and bads, and I like to weight it all and find the best option for me. Ill list a few bullet points of things important to me that may help with some suggestions.
- I want a good deck. this is a priority for me after seeing how my cheap mower has began to fall apart at less than 200 hours. I have areas I have to mow that suck up a lot of sand in places, and I chew up lots of leaves and stuff. The deck has to be thick, and welded well to resist the sand blast I will be delivering.
-Good, dependable, easy to maintain engine. Ive always been a little partial to Kohler engines here but Im open on this front. Ive been told Briggs commercial grade mower engines are top notch as well. Grasshopper uses both kohler and briggs and ive heard good on both, but a good engine is of course a must.
Outside of deck and engine Im not super picky. Obviously Im going for dependability/durability here. I dont care so much for fancyness or features I wont use. I dont need extra lights, digital screens, or any other fancy add ons. I will not be using this in the dark at all, I want it to mow grass for years and years and years and not break down. Period. Give me your best suggestions!
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