Bobcat ZTR

[RatRacer]

Thanks much for your post as it not only puts my mind at ease but also gets me more excited. I actually would have preferred the Gravely with the same setup as red is my favorite color (I'm a born and bred St Louis Cards baseball fan). However, the Gravely dealer near me has no indoor space. Everything, including brand new machines, sit outside through rain, sleet, or hail - day in, day out. So I got my Bob-cat from the same dealer that I got my Wheel Horse from as they are great people with a nice shop.

Please find that thread and provide a link as I would like to read it. Thanks also for the beginner's advice.

Hey Man-
Give us the whole orgasmic 1st timers report. It may not be a '63 split window or ZL1, but the whole appreciation and gratification review for the expenditure is sure worth sharing (to a point...). Donut vids are worth bonus points!:laughing:

 

[Tracker II]

Yah, it may not be a '63 split window, but it WAS six times more than I paid for my first car! (I still miss that '70 Super Beetle - bought it used for $1,000, put another 70,000 miles on it, and sold it for $1,000). Anyway, I will put in a report within the week as I have to mow today with the old mower.

You know, if you would have told me when I was younger that the major thrill of my summer would be getting a new mower, my first thought would be that it must be a pretty rotten summer. Good lord, I've become my father!

 

[afoulk]

You know, if you would have told me when I was younger that the major thrill of my summer would be getting a new mower, my first thought would be that it must be a pretty rotten summer. Good lord, I've become my father!

I don't think any truer words have ever been spoken:laughing:

 

[fry]

You know, if you would have told me when I was younger that the major thrill of my summer would be getting a new mower, my first thought would be that it must be a pretty rotten summer. Good lord, I've become my father![/QUOTE]

Yes, I know EXACTLY what you mean! My first car was a 1970 Cutlass, best $350.00 I ever spent.......and now that I'm considering spending $5,000 on a MOWER....(just a few years later:smile...what a change!
Really wierd, isn't it?....turning into your parents.........feel the same way about music,do you?

On to my making my own thread.....

 

[RatRacer]

You know, if you would have told me when I was younger that the major thrill of my summer would be getting a new mower, my first thought would be that it must be a pretty rotten summer. Good lord, I've become my father!

Lol! Ain't that the truth.
But you should see how we all act over on the air rifle (pellet guns) forums I frequent, we all become their sons again...:biggrin:

I don't think any truer words have ever been spoken:laughing:

You got that right!

Yes, I know EXACTLY what you mean! My first car was a 1970 Cutlass, best $350.00 I ever spent.......and now that I'm considering spending $5,000 on a MOWER....(just a few years later:smile...what a change!
Really wierd, isn't it?....turning into your parents.........feel the same way about music,do you?

On to my making my own thread.....

Yaaaay! MW pic, pics, pics........:thumbsup:

 

[djdicetn]

Thanks much for your post as it not only puts my mind at ease but also gets me more excited. I actually would have preferred the Gravely with the same setup as red is my favorite color (I'm a born and bred St Louis Cards baseball fan). However, the Gravely dealer near me has no indoor space. Everything, including brand new machines, sit outside through rain, sleet, or hail - day in, day out. So I got my Bob-cat from the same dealer that I got my Wheel Horse from as they are great people with a nice shop.

Please find that thread and provide a link as I would like to read it. Thanks also for the beginner's advice.

Tracker II,
OK, you asked for it:0)
In the thread I am providing a link to below, you can read Post#21 for a very humorous(and long) "real life" story(at the expense of my pride) about my very first ride on my brand new $7,000 ZTR. Then you will understand why my advice to you was just like what my father-in-law gave me(and I didn't listen:0) Get you a cup of coffee(so you won't go to sleep) and read about "what not to do the first time on a ZTR":0)

http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/mower-buying-pricing/12867-new-site-looking-buy-zero-turn-mower-3.html

 

[Tracker II]

http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/mower-buying-pricing/12867-new-site-looking-buy-zero-turn-mower-3.html

Ouch, I winced upon impact just reading your story. Thanks for the link as I will be sure to go slow and give everything a very wide berth. I'll probably use up a whole roll of string on the grass trimmer over the next month as I stay clear of everything, but it's better than having a story to tell, lol.

 

[RatRacer]

Tracker II,

http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/mower-buying-pricing/12867-new-site-looking-buy-zero-turn-mower-3.html

Wowsers! Sorry for the hit on your humility.
That was a bit more of a larger scale than what my wife went through when I took her on my test ride mission at the Big Dog dealer, and told her to give it a try. She hit a larger, more immovable object, at a slower speed.

 

[djdicetn]

Ouch, I winced upon impact just reading your story. Thanks for the link as I will be sure to go slow and give everything a very wide berth. I'll probably use up a whole roll of string on the grass trimmer over the next month as I stay clear of everything, but it's better than having a story to tell, lol.

Yeah, I can laugh now, but I'm certain I was visibly shaken when my father-in-law looked up when everything finally stopped!!! And again I was glad I bought Commercial grade or I would have had a hard time explaining to a dealer what happened to the new Cub Cadet RZT I purchased from him an hour ago(I doubt if the damages would have been considered reparable under warranty:0)
Taught me a brand new respect for the machine that I haven't forgotten. But don't worry, after mowing a few hours with a ZTR it is a lot easier to have a feel for how much forward/rear motion of the lap bars affects the speed/direction of the ZTR. But I'm still pretty "careful" after that!!!

 

[Tracker II]

Okay, I mowed with my Fastcat Pro for the first time today, also my first time mowing with a ZT. All I can say is WOW, this thing truly is a beast! First of all, the noise, even with noise reduction headphones was almost overwhelming. The 24 hp Kaw with blades running sounded like what I would imagine a space shuttle sounding like lifting off. Then I started mowing and the bumpiness was a little more than I expected, especially with 23" tires. Being inexperienced, I then started jerking back and forth, left and right, trying to tame this monster. At this point, I started to wonder if I made a big mistake buying this machine.

Anyways, as the mowing progressed, I started to get a better feel for the mower and even started to enjoy it. When I finished, I pulled out my pocket watch and ... whaaa? I mowed the yard in 1 hour and 25 minutes? That's impossible I said to myself and kept staring at the fully wound watch. After all, it takes more than 2 1/2 hours on my Toro Wheel Horse 48" tractor. But it was true. For all my fumbling around with an unfamiliar mower, I still slashed my mowing time!

Anyways, I can't wait to mow again! The only negative is that I think I'm going to need inner foam earplugs in addition to the headphones as this thing just roars. But that's a small price to pay for a machine that is so much fun.