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Originally posted by kramden:

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Originally posted by tsmccull:
One thing I discovered after replacing my Simplicity tractor mower with a zero turn. I have a section of side yard that stays semi-waterlogged after a rain and while I could drive the Simplicity thru that section, the smaller front wheels of the new zero turn will dig in to the soft ground and I’ve gotten stuck a couple of times. Just something to be aware of.

I am a big fan of zero turns BUT they do get stuck quite easily in wet soggy ground. Other than that they are the only way to go. If you have rough ground I'd suggest a Ferris as they have suspension.

I would second a Ferris for rough ground.

I have a yard with a very steep hill in the back. At the bottom of this steep hill is a very steep sea wall of about 12’15’. I had a 36” Full hydro Scag walk behind for the first couple of years in our house. Quickly tired of walking that and the other hills in the yard. I tried out a JD stander commercial mower and quickly realized that a walk behind or a 4wd mower were my best options. I went with a JD X738 and am happy with my choice. I could have gone with a regular ZT and used a push mower for the steep section but really wanted the option to sit and cut. The ZT is definitely faster and you get nice lines but I prefer the safety of the X738. I would say to demo one and if you like the ZT and don’t slide with it you would be happy with that choice. Whatever you get make sure to vary your pattern as you will eventually get ruts if you don’t.

For mowing, zero turn for sure. I mow circles around my old tractor. Toro Timecutter was what I went with.

You don't really say what size yard you are mowing. I would be concerned about hills depending on how steep, roughness and getting stuck with a zero turn. If you have five smooth acres a zero turn can save you some time. A small patch won't save you a lot of time with a zero turn over a conventional tractor. The suggestion to try one out on your ground is an excellent one. If you buy it and it rides rough and gets stuck, you won't be happy with your decision. Our yard is not very hilly but I have found four wheel drive to be helpful during the Spring wet season. I have a 60" four wheel drive diesel tractor and a 60" Exmark twin stick. They each have their good and bad points. The only advantage I can see with the twin stick is speed and if your ground is rough you can't utilize that very well. I have heard that the deluxe Ferris units ride well but you are getting into some serious money there.

It's about two acres.

I have heard that a ZT is not recommended for a hill more than 15 degrees. Most of our property is flat or gently rolling but we do have one hill that has got to be more than 15 degrees.

In all honesty, even after eliminating mowing some of what used to be mowed, I still have too much to mow. I first tried a Kubota compact tractor with a 72" deck but it took way too long. The problems were the rough ground necessitated I run pretty slow, and all the trees, stumps, house, propane tank, fire pit, on and on, that I had to mow around. Researched ZTR's and decided on a Ferris Z2100 with Kawasaki motor and 60" deck because Ferris is about the only one with suspension. Turned out to be one of Ridewv's better decisions because it is SO much easier and faster to mow with. I even run it over my rough trails a couple times a year. With its low COG it's more stable on hills than a tractor and is actually safer to mow steep hills sideways rather than up and down like you would with a riding mower. They are designed for one thing and that's mowing so they generally come with pretty fine tread turf tires to be gentle on your yard so if you get into much mud they will get stuck. Had mine stuck twice, both my stupidity, once in a low bog two years ago when it rained almost every day all Summer. The other last year when I decided to take it down a pretty steep trail that was simply too wet. Even my 4wd Mule couldn't pull it back up.

For two acres my recommendation is just bite the bullet and look into a commercial rated zero turn with 54"-60" deck. Just like lawn or garden tractors what you want to look at is the quality of the hydro(s). If your ground is rough I'd certainly give Ferris a look, otherwise there are any number of brands making high quality ZTR's; Kubota, Skag, Toro/Exmark, Hustler, Gravely, Deere, etc. Oh and they're a hoot to drive!

The commercial Ferris with the full suspension and Kawasaki power and a 60" or 61" deck will be north of ten grand with tax and will solve the rough ride problem. Don't get the 54" deck. I mow 2 acres and my twin stick saves me about 15 minutes over my tractor. If I could only have one I think I would pick the tractor for the four wheel drive and traction. What is your budget for this job?

I do not like ZT mowers. Saving fifteen minutes mowing the lawn does not mean much to me. I have had Simplicity and JD.I would recommend one of the larger Simplicity's with their fabricated decks. They are welded vs stamped.
Find a dealer that will let you try one.

I tried a Zero turn with the two "handles" for steering. Looked like a drunk weaving all over the place.
Ended up with a CubCadet zero turn that has a steering wheel. Bought June of 2012 and have been very happy with it. Only break down was a weld broke on it, the hook in steering column that the tilt spring hooks too. Just welded it myself.
I have 2.5 acres so it has had a lot of use. Kind like driving a go cart.

Forgot, hour meter did die while under warranty but the shop replaced it no problem.

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Originally posted by AllenInWV:
No dog in this fight as I use a push mower, but I have to ask....


is a zero-turn just plain ol' more fun to mow with?? LOL

YES

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Originally posted by Gene Hillman:
The commercial Ferris with the full suspension and Kawasaki power and a 60" or 61" deck will be north of ten grand with tax and will solve the rough ride problem. Don't get the 54" deck. I mow 2 acres and my twin stick saves me about 15 minutes over my tractor. If I could only have one I think I would pick the tractor for the four wheel drive and traction. What is your budget for this job?

Yes mine listed for $10K, dealer sold it to me for $8,900. You can pay less or more for one but I'd guess you'll have to spend $5,000 for a pretty good one, slightly more than a decent lawn tractor. I'm surprised your ZTR only saves you 15 minutes when mowing 2 acres.

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I tried a Zero turn with the two "handles" for steering. Looked like a drunk weaving all over the place.
Ended up with a CubCadet zero turn that has a steering wheel.

LOL sounds like me when I first tried my neighbor's new Gravely ZTR so that was a concern I had when I was considering one. But EVERYONE I spoke with who had one said "don't worry, after 15 minutes you'll be fine and after mowing your yard a couple times you'll be as fast as those professionals." Or "if you can push a shopping cart down a store isle you can drive a ZTR." They were correct.

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Yes mine listed for $10K, dealer sold it to me for $8,900. You can pay less or more for one but I'd guess you'll have to spend $5,000 for a pretty good one, slightly more than a decent lawn tractor. I'm surprised your ZTR only saves you 15 minutes when mowing 2 acres.

My Deere is the X758 diesel. It will mow at about 8 MPH which requires smooth ground on either it or the twin stick. Ferris is showing the current MSRP with the Kawasaki engine and 60" deck at $11149. Fuel injection is another several hundred bucks. I think my Deere lists in the 14's and I'm sure there is room in that price too. Of course there is a considerable amount of tax added to that in most states. The diesel on the Deere 758 is a nice upgrade but not required. It is good on fuel and I don't think you could get it stuck unless you drove it out in a swamp. I got a heck of a deal on my 758 or I never would have bought it. I can't figure out how I got it so cheap. Even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while.

Whoa Ferris Z2100 has gone up in the two (or is it three now?) years I've had mine.

My previous "mower" was a Kubota B2650 which is probably a couple sizes larger than your X758 but even that beat me up on my rough ground.

But there's no doubt a 4wd tractor is way more versatile than a ZTR.

I had the old garden tractor mowers for years.
I upgraded to a zero turn and the huge amount of time difference is worth it in itself, but in some cases you can actually mow closer to some things in a tight area. I also have a 4wd compact tractor I use to mow at my property. I use the zero turn to mow there as well. If I only had one, just for mowing, it would be the zero turn. It has a 28hp diesel engine. I am pretty sure you can get a diesel on a Scag or Ferris? Big bucks though.

Ferris offers a 3 cylinder Yanmar diesel. $17,000+

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Originally posted by gjgalligan:
I tried a Zero turn with the two "handles" for steering. Looked like a drunk weaving all over the place.
Ended up with a CubCadet zero turn that has a steering wheel. Bought June of 2012 and have been very happy with it. Only break down was a weld broke on it, the hook in steering column that the tilt spring hooks too. Just welded it myself.
I have 2.5 acres so it has had a lot of use. Kind like driving a go cart.

Forgot, hour meter did die while under warranty but the shop replaced it no problem.

I understand what you're saying about not being able to drive straight. I did the same thing. But after a short while it was like riding a bike. You didn't even have to think about it.

Looking to spend about $3,000.

My defunct mower was about $1,000 25 years ago. Using an inflation calculator, that thousand would be worth $1,600+ in today's dollars. I was looking at some ZT mowers in the $3,000 range so that's what I have been thinking I would have to pay.

Not that I do not appreciate the comments from those who own high-end mowers, but before paying $10,000+ for a residential lawn mower I would probably hire a service or (better still) see if a neighborhood kid would be interested in mowing it for me.

I think the ride on a $3000 twin stick would be brutal on anything but a putting green smooth lawn and if you can't run the twin stick fast, you lose it's main advantage. (shortening the mowing time) Running my Exmark on a rough patch at 8 MPH would loosen the fillings in your teeth! I'm also not sure $3000 will buy much quality in a John Deere store. I think there are other brands in that price range that are better machines for that money. By the way, you might consider looking at low hours used machines. In my area there seem to be a lot on the market. I'm also not sure about that inflation calculator you mention. I would have guessed a considerably higher second number than $1600. My Dad bought a $400 rider from the old Venture chain in 1978. He ran it for 5 years and never did anything but oil changes and blade sharpening and sold it for $250. Those were the old days! I did get a screaming deal on my X758. I would never spend $12000 on a lawn mower either.

I think the hill is more of an issue for the ZT if it is steep. Otherwise,it’s a personal preference.

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Originally posted by mcrimm:
My Kubota 22 HP zero turn will mow circles around a tractor style mower. I mow about 2.5 acres every 5 days in season and ditch my JD tractor 10 years ago. I owned 3 JD tractor styles over 20 years and they were all basically junk. All bought from JD dealer with the last one nearly $4k.

I have a hitch on the back that I fabricated and pull a dethatching rake, sweeper, aerator and cart easily. There are lots of quality zero turns. By once, cry once.

I find your statement about John Deere to be untrue at least in my case. I mow 2 acres of sloped property 1-2 times a week and my $3200 John Deere x300 that I bought in 2009 and it runs like a Swiss watch. Literally zero problems in 11 years. I maintain well, probably better than the factory recommend intervals and that’s it. It’s been more reliable than my $10,000 Suzuki atv over the same time period and has more hours.

I know some of the JD stuff at Home Depot isn’t the real deal but in my experience the real stuff from a real dealer is good to go. My brother also bought JD x300 two years after me and he has also had zero problems. So I wouldn’t call them junk by any means.