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Hi. I really need some advice... Time to buy a new mower... Zero Turn about 50 inch....23-25 HP.... I am considering Toro or Troy Bilt.
Can anyone offer advice on which is best? A good consideration is ease of working on the machine myself? Best Engine?

Thanks so much. Blessings to all. bppettie

In my opinion (I’m a Toro guy) this one is a nobrainer, Toro all the way. Quality of the unit and backup service are the reason I say this. TroyBilt units are made by MTD, which is the low end of all units out there today. I have seen no problems with Toro’s Loncin engine and homeowner service is about equal.

I'll second Toro® as well, since mine is one. So my answer 'may' be slightly biased. But almost 7 years since I bought my Toro new & not a single regret.

Toro! Toro!
Get out the red cape!

Toro, count on it.

Toro most definitely! I assume that you are looking for the cheapest mower they have with your deck size and hp requirement? Just in the 50" models you have a choice of Toro or Kawasaki engines. You can go down to a 48" and get a Titan which has better transmissions as well. Plenty of options, all under $5000.

Toro without blinking an eye.

Lots to choose from, I would prefer a Timecutter HD over a Titan. Titans are too heavy imo.

Engines, I have the Kawasaki & it is a beast. But there is also the Kohler & Toro's own to choose from. I hear they are all pretty good.

Here's a link to look at every model,

zeroturn | Toro​

Watch the weights too. Cause in wet grass over time you could rut the ground.

If you want to compare 2 model lines..... Toro also makes Exmark.

Rivets said:

In my opinion (I’m a Toro guy) this one is a nobrainer, Toro all the way. Quality of the unit and backup service are the reason I say this. TroyBilt units are made by MTD, which is the low end of all units out there today. I have seen no problems with Toro’s Loncin engine and homeowner service is about equal.

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My wife and owned a Toro, and it worked very well. Still runs well. We have a four acre back yard and a 6 acre front yard. We used the Toro around the house, but we stepped out game and went with Gravely. Its a BIG difference. I don't know your situation, what you are mowing, number of hours you spend on that zero turn; but my recommendation, spend the $5,000 and get a gravely. You wont be sorry.

I have to agree with the other posts. The Toro Timecutter has served me very well. I have an older Z4235 that I bought used from a commercial landscape maintenance company. It has a lot of hours on it, since it served the previous owner for over 10 years. It was cheap so I figured I would give it a try. The Kawasaki engine is indestructible. It has a lot of power and cuts well. The Toro TimeCutter Z4235 is not an expensive mower, which makes it even more impressive. I find myself using it for more and more of my lawn. My Massey MF1705 tractor has a 60" belly mower deck and is great for the large cutting areas, but the Toro Timecutter is now being used for half of our property because it is so maneuverable and easy to mow with. BTW, I believe the John Deere low-end zero turn is made by the same company and just branded with green.

Well looks like a lot of Toro fans out there... I have had Simplicity for over 40 years... they have gone through lots of changes but made a new purchase of a 42" Courier with Kawasaki engine last fall. Have neighbor with 2 of the same. One with BS other with Kawasaki... Find no faults so far. One of my reasonings over others was availability of parts. I was able to purchase parts for my 35 yr old Simplicity mower chassis... but difficult to find BS engine parts.... We also needed mulcher kits that others do not offer. Check out different dealers as this same basic mower comes under the Snapper Brand Name.... and both are owned by Briggs

I bought a Toro 50" Timecutter three seasons ago from Home Depot for about $2,700 (they honored the 10% military discount) and have been satisfied.

bppettie said:

Hi. I really need some advice... Time to buy a new mower... Zero Turn about 50 inch....23-25 HP.... I am considering Toro or Troy Bilt.
Can anyone offer advice on which is best? A good consideration is ease of working on the machine myself? Best Engine?

Thanks so much. Blessings to all. bppettie

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Been working on a Toro timecutter that has a few years on it, and the belt that drives the deck keeps popping off and shredding. Ain't cheap to fix, and the owner is 87 and can't do the re-set himself. Also his seat switch is giving out all the time, temporarily bypasses it so early spring mowing could happen. DEPENDING on your BUDGET I would look at some of the pure commercial zero turns like Hustler, Kubota and Deere. I'd ask around commercial mowing companies and see what they use, and most importantly, the situation with servicing dealer and warranty.
Here in rural Northeast Georgia with lots of hills and trees and fireants, its a tossup between front-runners and mid-chassis deck zero turns. If you have dealers who will give you a trial/loaner machine, see what works best on your land. And get to know the dealers... they are more important than the manufacturers, in my opinion, having been a dealer for several years.

I would def say a Toro if those are your 2 choices, but I bought an Ariens IKON 52 last year, and I am very happy with it. Very solid mower. Go to Youtube and watch some review videos on all makes. You have to take them with a grain of salt, because these are mostly guys like you and me, but you can get a good idea of features that may appeal to you.

bppettie said:

Hi. I really need some advice... Time to buy a new mower... Zero Turn about 50 inch....23-25 HP.... I am considering Toro or Troy Bilt.
Can anyone offer advice on which is best? A good consideration is ease of working on the machine myself? Best Engine?

Thanks so much. Blessings to all. bppettie

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As a 3rd option, you may want to look at a Scag Liberty Z 48". It has a 21.5 hp Kawasaki and Scag is known for quality of cut. I have just under 1 acre and can cut 4 times before refueling.

Thank you to everyone... TORO it is! And this week is the week/day.... going for the Toro Time Cutter 54 inch ... just have to inquire about who does the service if needed.... I prefer to do it myself... but need the backup.... Thanks again to all who offered assistance.... Blessings.

Sorry I have to go with A DIXIE CHOPPER as I have been selling them for 28 years. You cannot beat the Quility now that The Evans family has control under the Alamo Group. I have commercial guys still running 1994 machines

Toro if your only choosing between those two brands. However I would look into commercial brands such as Gravely, Scag, Exmark, Walker or Ferris due to the higher quality hydros & spindle assemblies.

I would suggest that you look at the Gravely brand for a zero turn mower. The have a heavy duty welded deck on the residential model and even heavier deck on the commercial models.

Go with the Toro. Troy-built was great years ago before they were bought by Made To Die (MTD). I personally like the Gravely, but they're a bit more expensive yet a tougher built machine. And, buy from the independent, not the box store. You'll get way better service should you need it.

The Time Cutter should serve you well
Toro have the parts manual & service manual on line .
Proper servicicng starts with downloading them & reading them
The only difficult thing for household owners to do is remove the blades.
The solution is to buy a second set and swap them regularly so they do not self tighten to the point they can not be removed.
This applies two fold to mulching.
Get a set of high lifts & low lifts and see which one you like best
FWIW my commercial customers who run time cutters mostly use either the G 4 Gators or Great Dane Notched Hi Lifts.
None of them run Toro blades.

Toro for sure, as I work on them for a living. But I would look for one with a kawasaki or kohler engine. Try to stay away from the "toro" engine

Nothing wrong with the Loncin (Toro) engine. In fact I would take them over Kohler any day of the week. Been a service tech at Toro dealerships since 1981, so I to know a little about Toro equipment.

Agreed.... Toro, no contest. The MTD is panted red and magically becomes Troy Built.... with very slight improvements. Not what they used to be when they manufactured them....

Good decision with the Toro. My Timecutter is over 11 years old and works great. I have had bad experiences with everything I bought that was made by MTD. They have a plant nearby. Their employees have told me that their products are cheap made junk. I avoid MTD products like Troy-Bilt, Cub Cadet, Craftsman and mowers sold by WalMart.

Well my 15+ year old MTD (Made in USA B&S Flathead powered) push mower, hasn't skipped a beat in all those years.
But I would not buy one today.

And my Toro Timecutter has been great from day one back in 2014.

I would go with a DIXIE CHOPPER for something that will last with less service and needing less replacement parts

Big Dog Alpha MP or MPX Kawasaki engines.

I think it also depends on your property and what your demands on the unit will be. Is your property flat? How much acreage? Any hills or ditches at all? Do you plan on doing the annual maintenance yourself? The entry level Toro's and Troy Built may be adequate but if you plan to keep the unit say 10 years, then consider the next model up. The price difference spread out over those 10 years is near nothing and the benefits may be worth it.

What @bkeller500 said. ? And what price you are willing to pay. Overall, the Toro Timecutter is a decent mower. However, there are only two deck adjustment points and that can be a problem. I had a MX5000 and could never get the deck leveled correctly. If you can afford it, look at the Titan. You can’t buy a Toro Titan at a big box store. Scag Liberty Z, Hustler Raptor XDX, Ariens Apex Big Dog MPX are some to look at.

Toro Titan is too heavy, imo. Now My Scag Liberty is a beefy but not overweight machine.

7394 said:

Toro Titan is too heavy, imo. Now My Scag Liberty is a beefy but not overweight machine.

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Toro changed the naming of their mowers. The Timecutter HD is now the Titan.
The old Titan is now the Titan HD.

Thanks for the 411, I am out of touch w/Toro since I sold my Timecutter off.. Long ago I did test a Titan & it was overweight & under powered on asphalt.

7394 said:

Thanks for the 411, I am out of touch w/Toro since I sold my Timecutter off.. Long ago I did test a Titan & it was overweight & under powered on asphalt.

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My 2019 Timecutter HD had plenty of power and gave a good cut. The cheap safety switches were it’s biggest problem. It was just too small for my yard and it beat me up pretty bad.

I hear ya there, no fun getting beat up mowing. My Toro Dealer can't get any new stock.