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Looking to buy my son a house warming gift. 1.5 acres slight hills...

best bang for the buck zero turn.

Toro Titan
Ariens Apex

prefer something NOT from a box store

pinkstonm said:

prefer something NOT from a box store

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Those two can be purchased at the dealers.
The Ariens Apex is very similar to the Gravely ZT HD. They are top end residential mowers. These are both handled by Gravely.
The Big Box stores carry the Ariens Ikon, Toro Timecutter, Hustler Dash, Hustler Raptor, some John Deere, Cub Cadet, Husqvarna and Craftsman.
Hustler Raptor XDX is their top end residential.

was wondering if Scaggs, Spartons, Bad Boys, Snapper Pro are better quality

For 1.5 acres you don't need a big mower
I would pop for the EZ335 or 355 Deere.
One of the few mowers that was actually designed from the ground up rather than tossed together from what ever sub assemblies that can be bought cheap
You notice it when you service them , every thing can be accessed reasonably . all nuts are captive all bolts are the same size & the height adjuster is a wheel brace type spanner to fit them all
If possible fitted with a Kohler it will make servicing it a doddle ( again 2 spanners to strip the entire engine )

Big Dog Alpha MPX

hlw49 said:

Big Dog Alpha MPX

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Same as the Hustler Raptor XDX. It’s a good choice. A 48” would be about right for 1.5 acres.

@pinkstonm
When you say upper end residential, I assume that you want serviceable transmissions.

yep serviceable transmissions

pinkstonm said:

yep serviceable transmissions

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The ones that I listed all have serviceable transmissions.

pinkstonm said:

was wondering if Scaggs, Spartons, Bad Boys, Snapper Pro are better quality

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Not necessarily. You have to look at all of them. I will tell you that the Gravely, Ariens, Hustler, and Big Dog are pretty beefy. The Scags are nice mowers but, you need to look at them and compare the frame build to the others. John Deere Z720E in 48” is another choice. Spartan RZ series. Bobcat ZT2000

pinkstonm said:

Looking to buy my son a house warming gift. 1.5 acres slight hills...

best bang for the buck zero turn.

Click to expand...

I missed my chance, I'd go look at a Country Clipper with Joy stick control and pop up deck..

pinkstonm said:

Looking to buy my son a house warming gift. 1.5 acres slight hills...

best bang for the buck zero turn.

Click to expand...

Country Clipper with stand up deck

Big Dog has a 7 year limited warranty 300 hrs. I know someone is going to say Hustler has a 300 hr warranty as well but it is for 3 years. Big Dogs covers the parts only years 4-7. after 3 years with Hustler you have nothing. As long as you don't go over 300 hours. I think the Big Dog has better pricing as well. Check it out a really good mower.

Kubota gas & diesel are worth taking a look at.

Love my Gravely ZT-HD48 for my 1 acre that I bought 3 years ago and have only changed the oil and sharpened the blades.

I just went thru this process and there is no clear winner. They ALL have their benefits and disappointments. Budget determines a lot. I would stay away from the entry level models. I have 1.3 acres with some hills. I looked hard at Ferris, ExMark, John Deere, Toro, Scag and Kubota. Most of the ones I felt would work for me were in the $5K range. Of those most were pretty comparable......similar deck size, similar seats, similar motors. Every salesman was confident their units were the best and would outlast my needs. I finally ended up with a Simplicity Courier XT.........the XT is a upgrade from the Courier models. It is a blend of Ferris & Simplicity technology. ( Ferris & simplicity are owned by Briggs& Stratton). They all claim to have the best cut and most of them claim to stripe very well. I'm sure any of those brands would work for me but I chose the Simplicity Courier XT because it also had the comfort ride suspension springs dand a full width rear deck roller for the striping. Go sit on a few of them and take a test ride if you can. Look at how the deck is mounted and supported and how it is leveled. Look at the hydro's and see if they are serviceable ( can you change the fluid). I doubt the motor brand makes much difference on any of them as they all have similar performance in the 20-25hp range. EFI is a nice option. For residential use of 50-100 hours per year, I doubt you will wear it out if you do normal maintenance and don't overload it. I can pull my tow sprayer, aerator, cart, de-thatcher and spreader just fine. I'm sure the others can too. None of them were promoted as great mulching machines.......yes they will mulch....but mulching brings up a lot more issues such as cleaning the underside of the clogged deck, mulching blades brand, wet grass, tall grass, short cutting and double cutting. And keep in mind ....you don't have to mow at 10mph........slow down and let the blades do their thing and enjoy the results. Goo luck!

pinkstonm said:

Looking to buy my son a house warming gift. 1.5 acres slight hills...

best bang for the buck zero turn.

Click to expand...

I have a 2021 Bad Boy Maverick with several extras (powered bagger, rops mounted lighting, electric deck lift) and love it. 54 inch cutting deck and I mow 1.15 acres in about an hour and a half to include time emptying the baggers. The Maverick has serviceable transmissions and I opted for the Kawasaki engine on mine. Very well built

pinkstonm said:

Looking to buy my son a house warming gift. 1.5 acres slight hills...

best bang for the buck zero turn.

Click to expand...

I have a Scag Liberty Z 48" with the Kawasaki engine. Scag incorporates several of their commercial mower features into the Liberty Z line of residential mowers. I have had not nor do I foresee having buyers remorse. Another plus for the Scag is the warranty-----5 years or 750 hours.

Scag would be my choice,very well made,make sure you are getting transmissions made like hydraulic pump NOT hydro-gear junk. Over the decades u may have to buy an engine,seat or some other wear parts but it should be a one time mower purchase. G'luck!

Happy with our eXmark radius, bought it from a local Dealer. Before that I had a bad boy ZTR, built tough, abused the heck out of it, it keeps running. Both have hydrogear transaxles

Snapper Z50 48" hard to beat we've sold many never nothing but great feedback from consumers

well if Looking to buy my son a house warming gift. I would get a Walker it would be the last one he ever needs .

1.5 Mowing Acres will be best with a 54" mower or larger. You can go smaller, but why? Budget is the factor. 1.5 acres on a 54" is about an hour or less. A Cub Cadet Ultima 54" ZT1 with a Kohler motor will get you a decent mower with a Fabricated deck and easy maintenance and wide parts availability. Prices are under 3.5K. You will be putting less than 50 hours a year on it so longevity is not an issue. Blow it off every time, wash it occasionally, service it IAW the manual, slap some Gator Blades on it and always store it inside. Its a residential application so don't get wrapped up in the comparisons too much. Its a very low use system and any of them will serve you well for the short amount of mow time. If you were using it daily I would have different advice. I take care of about 7 acres each week of the season where the bigger commercial mowers make a difference, but that is not your profile.

Service after the sale , is one of the things you buy , when you buy equipment . I mow commercially , and own only John Deere . Their parts stream is second to NONE , and there are plenty of dealers , so there is always one close by !

pinkstonm said:

Looking to buy my son a house warming gift. 1.5 acres slight hills...

best bang for the buck zero turn.

Click to expand...

Of the ones I've had, the Bad Boy Elite for $5000.00 is a best buy and a great mower.

Not a zero turn but check out a KUBOTA T2290KWT……. 42" or 48” fabricated deck.

BTW! Kubota has some 0% for 24 months financing offers and they make a nice machine.

Cub Cadet RZT SX 50 is my recommendation for you.
Fast, Fast Turning, It will also mow light brush. Will it last 20 years, do not know, it will last until a good commercial battery powered zeroturn comes out. Some large commercial customers in Dallas are requesting we use battery powered equipment when possible.
Also look at Walker and Country Clipper.

I'm surprised Exmark was barely mentioned. I bought an Exmark Radius last season and couldn't be happier.

I think it's good advice to buy what your local, trusted dealer sells.

AdamE said:

I'm surprised Exmark was barely mentioned. I bought an Exmark Radius last season and couldn't be happier.

I think it's good advice to buy what your local, trusted dealer sells.

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Im with you on the Exmark. Engines are an important factor as well. I prefer the Kawasaki over Briggs and Kohler on the ZTRs. Bad Boy mowers a good choice as well are USA products if you have that kind of preference.

I was in the same boat a few years ago. Wanted to spend around $5000. I stumbled across a used JD Z920M that a home owner bought with less then a 100 hours and paid $5.000 for it. He sold his place and didn’t need it anymore. It’s a great commercial machine to mow my 5 acres. Still have less then 146 hours on it.
Check around your area for a good used Zero turn. But stay away from landscape used mowers.

bertsmobile1 said:

For 1.5 acres you don't need a big mower
I would pop for the EZ335 or 355 Deere.
One of the few mowers that was actually designed from the ground up rather than tossed together from what ever sub assemblies that can be bought cheap
You notice it when you service them , every thing can be accessed reasonably . all nuts are captive all bolts are the same size & the height adjuster is a wheel brace type spanner to fit them all
If possible fitted with a Kohler it will make servicing it a doddle ( again 2 spanners to strip the entire engine )

Click to expand...

Amen on the John Deere!!! Best to buy at a dealer.

pinkstonm said:

Looking to buy my son a house warming gift. 1.5 acres slight hills...

best bang for the buck zero turn.

Click to expand...

Exmark Quest with fabricated deck

mikeh7172 said:

Exmark Quest with fabricated deck

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The Quest is an entry level residential. You have to move up to a Radius E series to get an upper end residential with serviceable transmissions (ZT2800s).
The Quest line is nothing more than dolled up Toro Timecutter.

How about Walker brand , do some research and history , made in USA !

I'll just put in a word for the Walker. I bought a well used early-model one 6 or 8 years ago. It has been serving me well since. Walkers are like a piece of engineering plant. Well designed, well built and straight-forward to repair. I mow on all sorts of slopes and through all kinds of grass and undergrowth. The Walker just sucks it up and powers on. The balance is very good so that you can easily turn the machine no matter what angle of slope you are mowing across. If the angle is too steep the machine slides rather than tipping . Did I mention, I do quite like this mower.

pinkstonm said:

prefer something NOT from a box store

Click to expand...

Shout it for those in the back.

Would this be a manicured lawn with tons of shrubs/flowers ect? If so, 0-turns are OUT. They rut the turf terribly. Can drive through any neighborhood and tell what kind of mower was used.

Also 0-turns require you to run over the turf, packing the soil down, about 14 times when the grass is tall.

I agree with Bert. For 1.5 acres, don't need a huge 1500lb 0-turn. Add 2-300 more lbs for the human on board.

I would look for an older, better built, Snapper, SCAG or Deere walk behind. A 42" with BELT DRIVE is plenty. Forget all the hydro nonsense. Belts are way cheaper to maintain. Just wait till your hydros go out $$$$. Some of those hydro synthetic fluids are crazy expensive.

Like this one below.

I would get a DIXIE CHOPPER Zee 2 it will last much longer, and need less service parts.

pinkstonm said:

Looking to buy my son a house warming gift. 1.5 acres slight hills...

best bang for the buck zero turn.

Click to expand...

Look on You tube for "vice grip garage" he is is a partnership with swittser lawn equiiptment made in Missouri. He has a whole segment on the factory. Never owned one but was impressed with features.

I have two acres to mow with light hills and many trees. thought i would chime in. There are a lot of contrasting responses here which i believe helps make this thread great. First, I think that nothing other than a 4 wheel zero turn mower is the way to go. the time savings alone will make it worth your while in a short span. I am very mechanically inclined so my purchases have been limited to pre-owned heavy duty commercial machines. my purpose for this choice is that i care more about cost savings and build quality than warranties. the acquisition cost of both of my mowers was less than 3500.00 each. yes, a pre-owned machine is probably going to need some work, but if you are handy, you can have a MUCH better mower at a much lesser price. if you are not in a hurry, take your time to search Marketplace, Craigslist and such. you can find an absolute tank that will last a lifetime for both you and your heirs. My first mower was a mid 2000's ExMark Lazer Z XS with 60" deck(horizontal shaft engine). My present mower is a 2008 Dixie Chopper Xcaliber Industrial- 66" deck with 35hp Yanmar Diesel. Both mowers have their pluses and minuses and i thought i would share them here

The ExMark Lazer Z XS: it was an absolute tank! The "XS" was the heaviest duty machine from this manufacturer that wasn't a diesel. every bit of the fabricated Triton deck was at least 1/4" thick! it should last forever and is next to impossible to mess it up. for some reason, wet grass never seemed to stick underneath. I like that the deck was positioned on the machine toward the very front(at least to the extent possible on a 4 wheel zero turn). this made it easy to get close to trees and other obstructions. it was very easy to get a really close cut. another nice feature was that it was possible to swing the mower in an arc in such a way that you could maneuver it between objects(trees) that were a few inches narrower than the width of the deck. The drive system was really heavy duty. I loved that the mower had a horizontal shaft engine. it was a 22.5 Hp Kohler. Unfortunately, that particular motor would burn about a half quart of oil each time i used it to cut my lawn. this is what precipitated my search for another machine. The features i didn't like about the ExMark were that it was pretty difficult to work on. most everything under the seat required contortionist hands to get to. also, my yard is kind of bumpy(cypress knees and various uneven ruts) in many places. the lack of front suspension would jar the teeth out of my head. the stock drive tires on the ExMark really suck. they might be ok for flat land(when its dry), but that is not my situation here. the drive levers were really heavy to actuate. if you have a bad rotator cuff, this mower will make you sore for a couple of days after its use.

The Dixie Chopper Xcaliber Industrial Diesel: this is Dixie's heaviest duty machine....period. I love, love, love that Yanmar 35 hp 3TNV engine! completely unnecessary for my application, but it will truly last forever with proper maintenance. (I am not suggesting that all of you with 2 acre lots go out and buy diesel mowers). This zero features a spring fork front suspension which i also love. it will be really difficult for me to own another mower in the future without some sort of suspension feature. This mower was purposely designed to be fairly easy to work on. EVERYTHING, i mean everything has a grease zirk that is generally in a good position to get the gun on. I love that this machine does not use an electric clutch to engage the deck. it actually has a heavy duty dual belt/pulley system with a lever that engages and disengages the drive. I really like the proprietary Dixie Chopper Chevron tires. they can potentially tear up your yard if you aren't careful, but at least you generally have good traction in most every situation. these tires will be potentially really expensive to replace. for this big mower, they are around 450.00 each. The deck on the Dixie is also fabricated, but about an 1/8" or perhaps 5/32" thick. in comparison to the ExMark, this deck is a joke. for longevity, the deck should have been made out of a much heavier gauge of steel. i take good care of my equipment, but this deck has suffered a good bit of abuse from a previous stewardship. this is an issue that i plan to address this winter. it will involve dismantling the deck, repairing impact damage and somehow bending the shell back into square. the deck is located more in the middle of the machine on the Dixie. I am not so much a fan of this location. I prefer the configuration of the Exmark for its better maneuverability. My dixie has electric deck height adjustment which is a nice option. however, for my needs, i don't raise and lower very often, so this is a feature i could live without. this Dixie is built like a tank (other than the deck) and is kind of a monster in size. the wheel track width (not talking about deck width) is perhaps a foot wider than my previous Exmark. i would say this is great if you have a really hilly lawn. for my yard, i would say that i prefer the narrower wheel track of the ExMark as it also slightly adds to the maneuverability. I am thinking about sourcing a used 60" exmark Triton deck to replace the 66" dixie. it will take some fabrication to fit, but that would make this mower bulletproof. you sit up a lot higher on the Dixie than the Exmark. not a deal breaker or a very important issue, but i guess i prefer the lower seat height of the Exmark.

all in all, i much prefer the Dixie Chopper over the the Exmark. they both have plusses and minuses. i can say that after using both, there are features from both machines i wish i could have in one perfect zero turn mower. In my opinion, i would say buy a machine with the heaviest hydraulic drive system possible. Front suspension is an important feature for me of which i hope to never be without. other than a diesel engine(likely financially out of reach for most of you) i would say in my opinion Kawasaki makes the best gas engines and i would choose this manufacturer over all of the others. (fortunately the world is a better place since Tecumseh engine company is out of business, lol). a 4 wheel zero turn with the deck out forward as much as possible is also in my opinion a good choice. at some point i will probably buy a good used 60" Ferris with a Kawasaki to see if they are worth the hype. i have also looked at 60" diesel Kubotas and might consider one of those(alas, no front suspension).

One last thought: someone above mentioned Walker mowers. I looked at these as well as a similar snapper diesel 6 wheel zero turn. i chose not to buy one of these because they are so much longer than the 4 wheel style. since these mowers pivot around the center drive wheels, i discovered after trying out the Snapper that it is really easy to swing the back end into trees, fences, walls and such. these mowers are a lot longer, more difficult to store, and maneuver poorly in tight places. I think they are probably great if you have a lot of open area(which i do not). the 4 wheel style mower was a better option for my yard and the 80 plus trees i have to cut around every week.

I hope the information i took the time to provide here is helpful to some of you in the future. I also hope that others who have owned multiple manufacturers will chime in with their experiences to make this string even better than it is now. instead of posting in this thread, I was actually considering starting a new posting with a title something like "best used commercial zero turn mowers". Let me know if any of you think it would more appropriate and i will "make it so".

Edit: I just wanted to add a little to this entry. first, i rebuilt the deck on my 66" Dixie. I invested about 3 weeks of my spare time and somewhere to the tune of 700.00. One of my upgrades was a set of Oregon G6 Gator blades. Highly recommended with 2 thumbs up!!! they are not cheap, but i truly believe they are the best blades on the market and worth every penny if you can find them for your application. it cuts a lot better and a lot flatter than it used to. i am about 70% happy with it. unfortunately, with my yard and my plethora of trees, i have about 5 or 6 places i cannot get to that i was previously able to mow with a 60" deck. to rectify this, I just purchased a used Kubota 60" heavy duty fabricated deck that i plan to modify and mount on my Dixie at some point in the near future. After some posthumus research, i found that Kubota makes an extremely heavy duty deck which will work great for my intended application. however, (at least in regard to the diesel mowers) parts are generally 3x+ more expensive than just about any other brand. there is also basically zero aftermarket parts availability. I spent a good bit of time researching prices for various parts in general. Kubota is crazy proud of their spares. for example, the least expensive spindle assemblies i can find for this deck are 230.00 each! I can buy spindles off ebay to fit my Dixie for 29.00. for that reason alone, i can not recommend Kubota Diesel Zero turns on any level. you are going to need to spend money on it at some point. i promise parts will cost a lot more to fix this brand than pretty much any other.

Following: I am in nearly the same boat. Sold my home and left my Grasshopper go with the place. Now I am closing on close to 12 acres but 10 acres gets farmed, so I need a zero turn for just under 2 acres. Leaning towards 52: deck as my 61" seemed to scalp. I see a lot of different recommendations but do believe that good service and service close to where I am living are 2 things that will plays a big role in my choice.