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I am getting ready to pull the string on my first Zero Turn Radius mower purchase. I have been "Googling" for reviews of some that I have been looking at so I decided to join this forum to get some first-hand advice. I have tried to do as much homework as possible to learn the technical aspects of ZTR mowers, but the hydrostatic trannies(leaning towards Hydro-Gear ZT3100 or ZT3400), decks(stamped vs. fabricated), engines(leaning towards Kawasakis) and other important things are still all very new to me. I'm shying away from big box retailers and prefer to purchase from a tractor/lawn & garden dealer. My intent is to purchase my "last lawnmower" just before retiring in a year or so and giving my current lawn tractor to my son. The Crafstman/Huskie 54" with a mulch kit cuts very good and has been reliable(except for the choke cable breaking a couple of years ago on the 24hp B & S Vanguard). I simply want something I can cut my 1.5 acre lawn(mostly level with few obstacles) with that will give my lawn the "professional look", be reliable and mostly problem free and will last me 20 years(if I live that long:0)
So far, I have "looked at" Husqvarnas(currently I have a 2007 Craftsman YS5400 lawn tractor made by them that has been a good mower and the mulch kit I bought from Sears will fit the 54" Huskie ZTR), a Hustler and a Toro. I am getting ready to look at a dealer who sells Bad Boys and Dixons. I started out looking for a top-of-the-line residential model that had commercial-grade features and wanted to spend around $4,000(Husqvarna MZ5424S) but I am finding that $4k is a little "light" to get what I want and may consider $5K-$6K and try to find an "entry level" commercial mower. $6K would be the max my budget/financial advisor(aka the wife) would allow. She's been used to me spending < $2,000 on a lawn mower but I have convinced her this is a good investment for our retirement. So I am thinking of the Bad Boy Outlaw 5400(was looking at the ZT5000), the Hustler Fastrak Super Duty 54, the Dixon DX152(was looking at the Ultra52) and the Toro Titan MX5480 or Z Master 2000 Series 52". Can someone(possibly that owns one of the ZTR's I am considering) give me some personal advice on these choices?

I'm sure someone will be along to make some recommendations to you all the mowers your looking at are good mowers if you can afford it i would for sure go into the commercial line of ZTRs they will last you alot longer but then again if all your using it for is just to mow your yard once a week and using it to make money with then a residential mower would work for you but i would go commercial also when looking at them try and stay away from the Kohler Courage as there having alot of problems with them there is one guy on here that says there great engines but there are alot more that are like me and say stay away also like you said stay away from the big box stores one one more thing i would recommend is ask the dealer if he has any demos he will let you try out first most of the dealers will bring them to your house and let you play with them for a bit to see if it will work for you and to see if you and the machine will get along my machine and I had our differences for a few weeks but now its a big love affair good luck in your purchase and many happy years of mowing

scott47429,

Yeah, I've read several posts about the Kohler Courage and seem to recall that the Kohler Command series is a better engine. I'm trying to get a mower with the Kawasaki FX series which I understand is the commercial engine(where the FR and FS series are the residential series). I am going next weekend to a dealer to look at the Bad Boy and Dixon mowers and I may ask about trying one out(hope they have good insurance in case I wreck it....better theirs than my brand new one, right...lol:0)
Thanks for the encouragement and confirmation that I am approaching this major purchase wisely!!

your welcome i think you are going about it the right way for sure the best advice is ask questions and I'm sure you wont wreck his mower just take t slow till you get use to it you can learn the basics of one pretty fast good luck

Now I'm a little confused about the hydrostatic trannies after reading some more posts. It seems that the Hydro-Gear brand ZT3100, ZT3400(that I have been thinking are "commercial grade") and a 5400 on a Bad Boy I'm looking at are all "integrated" transmissions/wheel motors. I am reading some info that indicates that the "better quality" ZTR's have "separate" hydrostatic trannies and wheel motors(Parker?). Can someone explain(in layman terms) how "important" this is for reliability(and maintenance). I seem to think the Hydro-Gear brands require a drain/fill & filter every 100 hours. How about the separate units(the Toro actually stated the first change after 50 hours). Also, the Bad Boys specify a "hydraulic fluid resevoir". What's this for(I assume the Hydro-Gear ZT unit) and is this an important feature to look for? There sure is a LOT to these machines!!!!!

I agree you are doing the right things, Commercials need to be made to be serviced and repaired, seperate wheel motors and pumps make that easier, plus you can do things like give the systems larger resevoirs to contain more fluid and make it less prone to overheating. Not to mention, grease fittings and heavy duty spindles and hw. To put things in perspective I bought my 1st zt, a residential Snapper 13 hp 33 inch deck about 15 years ago. The 1st couple of years I mowed a little more than you are planning to mow, I had a need to go through a 36 inch gate so I bought the small deck. the last 10 years or so other that occasionally mowing some property for the Boy Scouts, I mowed a half acre or less. I used it for 15 years, the only failure I had was a bearing the intermediate shaft failed making me thing(actually my dealer) it needed a engine replacement. I did replace the engine, things went mostly ok, had lots of wiring issues. I finally just this year replaced it with a much heavier duty ZT. I expect it to easily last as long. My point is to do what you want , I dont think you need full commercial, they are made for hundreds of hours of use a year. I am willing to bet with a good quality high end zt, you can do your acre in an hour or so, I dont know what your mowing season is, but that is only 50 hours or so a year. You should be good with any of the high end mowers you have been discussing, get one that fits you and had a good stable dealer for the times when something does break of if you like to let the dealer service it. The lab bars are easy to get used to... mine has a joystick so I can keep one hand free for a cold Iced tea. If you do your only blade sharpening, make sure it is easy to do, that became the one thing I looked for on my next one.

djdicetn said:

Now I'm a little confused about the hydrostatic trannies after reading some more posts. It seems that the Hydro-Gear brand ZT3100, ZT3400(that I have been thinking are "commercial grade") and a 5400 on a Bad Boy I'm looking at are all "integrated" transmissions/wheel motors. I am reading some info that indicates that the "better quality" ZTR's have "separate" hydrostatic trannies and wheel motors(Parker?). Can someone explain(in layman terms) how "important" this is for reliability(and maintenance). I seem to think the Hydro-Gear brands require a drain/fill & filter every 100 hours. How about the separate units(the Toro actually stated the first change after 50 hours). Also, the Bad Boys specify a "hydraulic fluid resevoir". What's this for(I assume the Hydro-Gear ZT unit) and is this an important feature to look for? There sure is a LOT to these machines!!!!!

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To put it in layman's terms, :smile: The hydro gears transaxles setups are all basically the same. The ZT-3100/3400/5400 are all commercial units. The differences are the sizes of the pumps and motors in each. Check there site Hydro-Gear Hydrostatic Drives Transmissions and Transaxles it can or will explain it better than than anyone can.

As far as changing the fluid goes my Toro Grandstand calls for the first change at 8 hrs and depending on what you use, either the Toro Fluid or Mobil 1 15w50 synthetic motor oil the time frame for next is either every 250 or 500 hours.

ric,

Thanks for that link. With the Hydro-Gear being used in so many reputable makes/models of ZTR's and the fact that it lacks the hoses(source for leaks) that the separate pump/motor mowers makes me inclined to feel more comfortable with them. The dealer that I am going to next weekend sells the Bad Boy and Dixon ZTR's. Good reputation(been family owned for 43 years), VERY small town in rural TN and so far I'm more impressed with the bang-for-the-buck with those two ZTR's with the Hustler Fastrak Super Duty close behind. The Bad Boy Outlaw 54" @ $6,699 MSRP has the Hydro-Gear ZT5400 and both the 52" Ultra52($4,459) and DX152($6399) Dixon 52" mowers have the ZT3400. The Hustler, like many of the top-of-the-line Residentials sports the ZT3100 trannie. After looking and pricing some more ZTR's I still may go back to the original ZTR I considered. The Husqvarna 54" MZ5424S has a 24hp Kawasaki engine(although it's the FR residential series instead of the FX), a 12 gauge "stamped" deck but still has the ZT3100 trannie. And at $3,800 it's by far the least expensive of those I have considered. If I can get the Dixon dealer to get close to that same price with the Ultra52(which has a 25 hp Kohler Command Pro, an 11 gauge fabricated deck and the ZT5400 trannie) I may consider that an "upgrade" from the Huskie. I'm still not sure I want to spend $5K-$6K for an entry-level commercial ZTR. Decisions......decisions:0)

djdicetn said:

ric,

Thanks for that link. With the Hydro-Gear being used in so many reputable makes/models of ZTR's and the fact that it lacks the hoses(source for leaks) that the separate pump/motor mowers makes me inclined to feel more comfortable with them. The dealer that I am going to next weekend sells the Bad Boy and Dixon ZTR's. Good reputation(been family owned for 43 years), VERY small town in rural TN and so far I'm more impressed with the bang-for-the-buck with those two ZTR's with the Hustler Fastrak Super Duty close behind. The Bad Boy Outlaw 54" @ $6,699 MSRP has the Hydro-Gear ZT5400 and both the 52" Ultra52($4,459) and DX152($6399) Dixon 52" mowers have the ZT3400. The Hustler, like many of the top-of-the-line Residentials sports the ZT3100 trannie. After looking and pricing some more ZTR's I still may go back to the original ZTR I considered. The Husqvarna 54" MZ5424S has a 24hp Kawasaki engine(although it's the FR residential series instead of the FX), a 12 gauge "stamped" deck but still has the ZT3100 trannie. And at $3,800 it's by far the least expensive of those I have considered. If I can get the Dixon dealer to get close to that same price with the Ultra52(which has a 25 hp Kohler Command Pro, an 11 gauge fabricated deck and the ZT5400 trannie) I may consider that an "upgrade" from the Huskie. I'm still not sure I want to spend $5K-$6K for an entry-level commercial ZTR. Decisions......decisions:0)

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The Hydro Gear makes a great drive from the ZT 2800 on up, just stay away from the EZT there not much of a drive.

I thought the same way about the Hydraulic drives, I didn't like the thought of all the hoses but I found out just how much better they are when I purchased my last mower. I discussed that with my dealer and he said that they were made a lot better than they use to be. If you can get a demo on a mower with the Hydraulic drives even if you don't go that way I'd try one just to satisfy your own curiosity. As far as the the Kawasaki FR I really wouldn't worry about that engine, it's Commercial-grade power for heavy-duty residential use as Kawasaki says and I don't believe Kawasaki has ever made a bad engine. The only thing you may want to look at is warranty, it could mean a lot if ever needed. My Grandstand Has a 5 year 1200 hr warranty that was a big part of my decision.

Well I looked at my final choices today and am going to be making offers to the dealers this week. My final choices in order of preference are:
1)Gravely Pro-Turn 152 XDC-Kawasaki 22hp FX691 engine & ZT3400 HydroGear trannies.
2)Dixon DX152-Kawasaki 22hp FX691 engine and ZT3400 HydroGear trannies.
3)Bad Boy Outlaw 5400-Briggs & Stratton 30hp Commercial Cyclonic engine and ZT5400 HydroGear trannies.
4)Bad Boy CZT5000-23hp Kawasaki FR730 engine and ZT3400 HydroGear trannies.
5)Hustler Fastrak Super Duty 54-Kawasaki 24hp FX(not sure of the model) engine and ZT3100 HydroGear trannies.
6)As alternates I am still considering the John Deere Z655 EZtrak, Gravely ZT HD 52 and Husqvarna MZ5424S.

I will most likely end up working out a deal on the Dixon, which even though they are now made by Husqvarna, they are a lot of ZTR for the money. From what I saw I was most impressed with the construction of the Gravely & Bad Boy although the Hustler is also a very well built mower. I was also considering the Dixon Ultr52, but shied away from the Kohler Courage. Thanks to all for the advice and wish me luck on my endeavor to purchase my first ZTR. There sure was a LOT to learn about these machines to make an informed decision.

Well, the dealer accepted my offer for the Gravely Pro-Turn 152 XDC, which was my favorite of all that I looked at, and I got it for almost $1,000 less out-the door than the MSRP(plus taxes). It was a little more than I started out planning to spend but I believe I will be very pleased with this mower. Again, thanks to those that offered advice that helped me make an informed decision!!!

i love my scags this is a life long machine w/a kaw ingine and a fab type deck is a combo that will last a life time also parts if you need them are readily available

Kubota ZD221. Absolutely bulletproof. No repairs in 3 seasons, just oil and grease, sharpen blades.
Spendy, but worth it.:thumbsup:

Bill

I just saw your thread and see you have purchased a Gravely ZTR. I have a 148Z with the 21 hp engine, and hydraulic deck lift. I bought it around 2004, and it replaced a 50" Gravely riding tractor that was 25 years old, and had 1300 hours on its Onan engine, which siezed. I'm a lifeling Gravely fan, going back to the Model L, and find the ZTR to be an excellent machine. I have 460 hours on it, and find it to be reliable. I had two minor issues, very early on. The bolt holding the safety clutch to the motor shaft came loose, fell out actually, and I had to replace it using Loktite. Fortunately, the clutch wasn't damaged. I also had the drive belt wear through one of the hydraulic hoses, and replaced that. I'd say both problems were just odd assembly oversights. The machine has been bulletproof since then. I find it to be extremely rugged, like the old Gravelys, and have only done the normal oil changes and blade sharpening over the last 7 years or so.

There have already been many good replies on this thread. I would like to just add, I have both ExMark (Pro 26" walk behind) and Toro (Zmaster Z400) with the Kawasaki engines and have been very happy. Fluid replacement is fairly easy and the units have been very reliable. The Toro needed a clutch ($280.00 at about 275 hrs) after 10 acres of very tall wet grass. I also like the safety arrangements on both machines. Toro are expensive I think, but I feel they are worth it.

I recently purchased a used Exmark Z-XS with a Kubota diesel engine. I have about 4-5 acres of lawn(more like a field), which took me about 4 hours to do with my Craftsman 42" rider. Once I was able to control the exmark(the steering arms were new to me), it took me about 35 minutes to finish. If you need a really professional, incredible well built machine, I strongly recommend the Exmark-all of their ZTR's appear to be built similarly- fabricated decks(not stamped) and a massive frame.

I have the husky MZ6128 fab deck and 3400 drives , great machine it will cut at 10 mph with amazing results . great handling , very nimble for a large machine . and at 5000.00 compare and see why I went with the MZ .

wrede said:

I just saw your thread and see you have purchased a Gravely ZTR. I have a 148Z with the 21 hp engine, and hydraulic deck lift. I bought it around 2004, and it replaced a 50" Gravely riding tractor that was 25 years old, and had 1300 hours on its Onan engine, which siezed. I'm a lifeling Gravely fan, going back to the Model L, and find the ZTR to be an excellent machine. I have 460 hours on it, and find it to be reliable. I had two minor issues, very early on. The bolt holding the safety clutch to the motor shaft came loose, fell out actually, and I had to replace it using Loktite. Fortunately, the clutch wasn't damaged. I also had the drive belt wear through one of the hydraulic hoses, and replaced that. I'd say both problems were just odd assembly oversights. The machine has been bulletproof since then. I find it to be extremely rugged, like the old Gravelys, and have only done the normal oil changes and blade sharpening over the last 7 years or so.

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wrede,
Thanks for sharing your experience with Gravely products!!! I've only owned this one but after reading your response I am further convinced it will be the last mower I ever buy. That was my intention with retirement 1-2 years away and not wanting the expense of a mower purchase on fixed income(funny, I've ALWAYS considered myself to be on "fixed income" since my paycheck deposit never changes:0) Come to find out I've got a friend I went to business college with back in the 70's and we've crossed paths at a recent employer and have stayed in touchwith and I just found out he bought a new Gravely 260Z six years ago and he's had the same experience as you(dependable, with very few problems if any). Like I've said, the Gravely was more $ than I started out thinking I could get a "commercial quality" ZTR for that would last me a lifetime, but it wasn't very much more than some of the top "Residential" ZTR's I looked at and this one is definitely a full-fledged commercial in every sense of the word. Thanks again for sharing!!

Tindal said:

I have the husky MZ6128 fab deck and 3400 drives , great machine it will cut at 10 mph with amazing results . great handling , very nimble for a large machine . and at 5000.00 compare and see why I went with the MZ .

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Tindal,

I was almost ready to pull the string on a Husqvarna MZ5424S which could have saved me some money over the Gravely I ended up buying, but it didn't have the fab deck like yours and the 61" that you have wouldn't fit in my garage(I had a 54" lawn tractor, but this 52" ZTR is a tighter fit than it was and BARELY fits....sure am glad i didn't get the 54" Bad Boy without "measuring to be sure"...don't think it would have fit). Like many, you probably got a lot of bang for your buck but when I looked at the Gravely, saw how heavy-duty all the components were(7 gauge deck and weighs 1150 lbs) and that it carried a lifetime deck & frame warranty I just couldn't resist coughing up the extra bucks.

silvermon said:

There have already been many good replies on this thread. I would like to just add, I have both ExMark (Pro 26" walk behind) and Toro (Zmaster Z400) with the Kawasaki engines and have been very happy. Fluid replacement is fairly easy and the units have been very reliable. The Toro needed a clutch ($280.00 at about 275 hrs) after 10 acres of very tall wet grass. I also like the safety arrangements on both machines. Toro are expensive I think, but I feel they are worth it.

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Silvermon,
The Toro Z Master 2000 series 52" was inthe mix when I was shopping, but the Graveley's 3 Year Consumer/1,000 hour bumper-to-bumper warranty and lifetime deck & frame warranty beat all the other brands I looked at hands-down.