Advice on $5k ZTR - Kubota, JD, or Scag

[Crimecrusher]

I have an almost 2 acre lot and looking to get a new ZTR mower to replace my 11 year old JD LT120 lawn tractor. I borrowed my nephews Scag Cheetah while my tractor was in for service and cut my mowing time in half. My lot is sodded thick Bermuda open and level with an acre of open coastal Bermuda grass. I have narrowed my choices to these mowers because of the dealers that are close to me. I want a mower that will last me 15 years.

John Deere Z540m $4900
FS 730 engine 54” deck
The JD Dealer is 5 minutes from my house and great to work with. I’ve bought several tools from them and they have serviced my old mower. They are bringing a demo to me to use.

Kubota Kommander Z121s $5000
48”
21HP Kubota engine, not sure what it is.
Hydro-Gear ZT-3100

Dealer is about 15 minutes from me and also carries Scag, never used them but are a big dealer with several locations.

Scag Freedom z 52” $5200 or Scag Liberty z 52” $4500
Both come with same Kohler 7000 and Hydro-Gear ZT-2800

Also considered a Gravely but the dealer is across town in traffic, about 45 minutes away. Don't really want to use them when I can take a back county road to these other dealers unless the mower is that much better.

 

[bertsmobile1]

First of all thank you for supporting your local dealers.
If you have been satisified with the service you had had from the JD dealer that is a massive plus. ( the devil you know).
Multi shop groups are a bit of a worry.
Sort of a rule of thumb, if less than 2/3rd of the site is workshop then they are retailers , what I call glass fronts.
All showroom no workshop so all the money comes from flogging new gear and that is where the priority goes which does not bode well for people wanting a long life out of their current mower.
Having said that down here where rents are legal robbery a few shops in town have off site workshops in cheaper rent areas which may be the case with the Scag / Kubota dealer.

 

[Shughes717]

It sounds as though your lawn won't be a challenge for any of the mowers you are choosing from. They should all be able to handle two flat acres much faster than a lawn tractor. Dealer support is an important factor in purchasing a mower. If you have been a customer of jour local JD dealership for years, and have been satisfied with their service, then that should carry some weight in your decision. However, of the four mowers you mentioned, the John Deere has the lightest deck (10 gauge). The Freedom z for example, is reinforced at the spindles with an addional 11 gauge plate, and the skirt is 7 gauge. The deck will last much longer than the one on the JD mower. The Kubota has the best overall drive train of the three. Zt3100 hydros are low end commercial, whereas the other mowers utilize residential hydros. That's not a big deal in your situation, because zt2800 hydros were built for homeowners with lawns your size. The zt3100 hydros are just a bit beefier with more torque. You should see if you can demo all three brands and choose the one you like best. Let us know what you chose and post a pick of your new mower.

 

[Crimecrusher]

Well after looking at all of these mower and driving them around the parking lot. I've decided on a Gravely ZT XL 52" with Kawasaki engine.

All dealers are also large service centers and the JD dealer was the only one willing to let me take one home to demo. The Gravely dealer was very nice and helpful but means I have to drive into Austin traffic to get to them. However, the mower seems to be built better than the others or in line with the scag. But $1000 cheaper than the scag. Once I considered everything, the Gravely looks like the better buy and comes with a 5 YR warranty. Now a 3-5 week back order.

 

[Shughes717]

Well after looking at all of these mower and driving them around the parking lot. I've decided on a Gravely ZT XL 52" with Kawasaki engine.

All dealers are also large service centers and the JD dealer was the only one willing to let me take one home to demo. The Gravely dealer was very nice and helpful but means I have to drive into Austin traffic to get to them. However, the mower seems to be built better than the others or in line with the scag. But $1000 cheaper than the scag. Once I considered everything, the Gravely looks like the better buy and comes with a 5 YR warranty. Now a 3-5 week back order.

Gravely makes a very good mower. The FR series engine is considered residential, and is at the bottom of kawasaki's line. The zt2800 hydros are also residential, but it shouldn't be an issue for what you are doing. It should be plenty of mower for two acres.The 5 year warranty is great. Does that include the drive train? Usually the engines only come with a 3 year factory warranty. I wouldn't say it's built better than the freedom z, however. Both mowers have fabricated decks. The deck on the freedom z is chain hung, whereas the zt xl isn't. The freedom z holds 6.5 gallons of fuel. The zt xl only holds 2.8. Both offer the same zt2800 hydros, and the engines are comparable. At $1000 less, I can see why you chose the gravely though.

 

[zmister11]

Well after looking at all of these mower and driving them around the parking lot. I've decided on a Gravely ZT XL 52" with Kawasaki engine.

All dealers are also large service centers and the JD dealer was the only one willing to let me take one home to demo. The Gravely dealer was very nice and helpful but means I have to drive into Austin traffic to get to them. However, the mower seems to be built better than the others or in line with the scag. But $1000 cheaper than the scag. Once I considered everything, the Gravely looks like the better buy and comes with a 5 YR warranty. Now a 3-5 week back order.

I think it'll work out great for you. A few years back I was running a gravely zt XL 48 commercially. I didn't have any major problems with it. Good luck! I think yull enjoy it.

 

[Crimecrusher]

Gravely makes a very good mower. The FR series engine is considered residential, and is at the bottom of kawasaki's line. The zt2800 hydros are also residential, but it shouldn't be an issue for what you are doing. It should be plenty of mower for two acres.The 5 year warranty is great. Does that include the drive train? Usually the engines only come with a 3 year factory warranty. I wouldn't say it's built better than the freedom z, however. Both mowers have fabricated decks. The deck on the freedom z is chain hung, whereas the zt xl isn't. The freedom z holds 6.5 gallons of fuel. The zt xl only holds 2.8. Both offer the same zt2800 hydros, and the engines are comparable. At $1000 less, I can see why you chose the gravely though.

The five year warranty is a promotion that Gravely or my dealer is running through June. It extends everything from 3 to 5 years. I did notice the Scag deck was chain hung and liked that but the Gravely wasn't much off of it and saved a grand. Dealer called today and now a 10 day lead time. They have the Kohler one in stock for $200 less.

 

[shiftsuper175607]

The five year warranty is a promotion that Gravely or my dealer is running through June. It extends everything from 3 to 5 years. I did notice the Scag deck was chain hung and liked that but the Gravely wasn't much off of it and saved a grand. Dealer called today and now a 10 day lead time. They have the Kohler one in stock for $200 less.

Did you get your mower?
How do you like it? How does it mow?