I've had a lot of experience with both. My Toro zero turn is faster, much more maneuverable and will go pretty much everywhere I ask her to.

The difference in the two is just time. The zero turn cut my mowing time almost in half.

For one acre a traditional riding mower is very adequate. Anything more is just a lot more money, more maintenance, higher repair bills, etc. You’re going to spend more time edging and weed eating than you are actually cutting- assuming you have a driveway, sidewalk, landscaping, etc.

I saw in a post above that tractor style riders have a blade disengage when in reverse - I would hate that.

For an acre I'd look for a used 48" deck Hustler/Big Dog ztr. The zero turn was perfected 20 years ago so most any brand will give good service. I like Hustler/Big Dog because made in USA, Kansas, and they don't use unusual proprietary parts, a good dealer network and they make a great mower. By far the most popular commercial mower brand in my area.

Hustler Fastrak is a great model for an acre, take you about 45 minutes w 48" deck figuring a little trimming - if it's a field it would be faster, Kawasaki 22hp is typical engine and the transmission is fully serviceable - many entry level ztrs use a sealed throwaway trans.

ztrs are dangerous mowing parallel to ponds or water deep enough to drown in. If you slide in the water the lap bars hold you in the seat

quote:

Originally posted by doublesharp:
I saw in a post above that tractor style riders have a blade disengage when in reverse - I would hate that.....

I have a Deere X500 that had that "feature". Who in their right mind would require the operator to look forward and down, to locate and pull a switch when backing up, to prevent the deck from shutting off? I think when backing up you should be looking behind the mower. Regardless, the switch is easily defeated with a jumper wire, as is the seat switch that shuts off the engine when leaning up hill on a side grade.
I guess ZTR's don't have a back up switch because one side or the other backs up when turning sharply.

quote:

ztrs are dangerous mowing parallel to ponds or water deep enough to drown in. If you slide in the water the lap bars hold you in the seat

A real possibility. I'm cautious when mowing around the pond with the tractor and even more so when on the ZTR. The grassy edge can be very soft in a couple feet from the water. Say the left drive wheel runs into muck, it stops driving forward as it spins, but the right up on dry ground keeps going forward therefore swings the machine left into the pond.


I think ZTR's are better mowers than any kind of tractor with a deck. Their short wheelbase follows the terrain, the decks generally run higher tip speed, and they turn on a dime making it easier and faster to trim around stuff. BUT that's all they do, just mow. If you're not time restricted or don't have a lot to mow, a lawn or better yet garden tractor, can do some other things in addition to mowing.

For big wide open stretches, and no narrow/skinny gates to go through- zero turn.

Do you haul mulch, dirt and things like that?

Grades aren’t a problem in my experience (around 20 years of ZTR use) until you get to between 20-30° depending on ground conditions. When one starts sliding on a hill, it’s extremely difficult to recover before hitting bottom. As far as the time saved and cut quality, there’s no comparison.

As mentioned already, the low grade units are trash. If that’s your price range, spend about the same/a bit more and get a nice lawn tractor.

quote:

Originally posted by MRBTX:
For big wide open stretches, and no narrow/skinny gates to go through- zero turn.

I believe in the above scenario a tractor with a large pull behind mower would be most efficient.

The more offsets, trees, and objects you have to mow around, the more time a ZTR saves.

I cut my mowing/weedeating time in half with a zero turn. It's only about 1/2 acre but with a lot of trees.

Even for 1 acre, I'd prefer a small zero turn. My experience is that it cuts the trim mowing/weed eating significantly, which saves both time and my back.

quote:

I saw in a post above that tractor style riders have a blade disengage when in reverse - I would hate that.

I have a tractor style Husqvarna. There is a key location that after starting you move the key one stop counterclockwise to eliminate the mower engine cut off when you go to reverse. Mine has the hydrostatic transmission and is the model LT18538, being 18.5 hp and a 38" cut. Goes thru walk gates just fine at my house. Been a good one with a few minor issues over the last 10 years or so. Engine is a Briggs.

I went through this decision matrix when we built our house. At the time I had a 36” zero turn walk behind with full hydro (no belts to drive the wheels). Our yard is hilly enough that I went with a 4wd John Deere lawn tractor as nothing but a walk behind would hold the hills. I really wanted a commercial ZT ride on but not at the expense of sliding down the hill into the lake. If relatively flat the ZT will save you serious time.