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Looking at getting a zero turn riding mower. I have around one acre of grass, so a 42” deck is all I need. I’m looking at the new Toro Timecutter (75742) and the Cub Cadet ZT1. They both are in my price range and within $100 of each other. Opinions/experiences on either one, or is there a similar brand around $2,500-$2,700 I should consider?

Just to let you know, the Cub Cadet is a low end MTD unit painted yellow and Cub decals. Being a Toro guy I would go that direction.

That Toro has the Hydro-Gear ZT-2100 transmission. I'd recommend going with a unit with the heavier duty ZT-2200 (EZT) instead. The Cub does have the ZT-2200 (EZT) transmission.

Which brand has a servicing dealer nearby? IMHO, Toro is the better machine overall, not a fan of MTD.

Toro gets my vote as well, I may be a bit biased tho..

Well, I have service both brands and find they are both fairly good residential mowers in general context.

Now I am an independent repair shop and not a dealer of either one. I personally have not seen or service the CC ZT1 so all I can go there is the other CCs that I have serviced.

As Romore put it a servicing dealer close by is important during the warranty period, then you can use one of the reliable (trusted) local shops after the warranty period.

The key to any equipment is customer care of the equipment. I have seen 20 yrs old mower that look like they just off the showroom floor and new mowers, just a few months old, look like had been to heck and back.

I'm partial to my Hustler Raptor. Just a few hundred more than the ones you are talking about. It has a much heavier Fabricated Deck, and most come with a Kawasaki engine. I think both items are worth the price alone. Mine has run flawlessly for 8 yrs.
https://www.hustlerturf.com/products/raptor

Now the Raptors that I service all had hydro fans to get problems. The drive belt idler are bad to fail too. All of which causes drive belt breakage. Plus on several of them the hydro retainer bolts have fallen out because Hustler didn't use lock nuts.

Well my Toro is almost 6 years old & the Kawasaki engined machine has been super. And still looks like new as well. (I wax it) ..

Both units have Chinese clone engines.

Those engines have been doing pretty well, from what some members here have posted.

I hate to increase my budget, but for $300 more than the toro, I can get the Exmark Quest. I’m not familiar with this particular model though as far as not knowing if it’s a good model or not.

Both engines have support via each ZTR OEM. This is unlike a lot of the engine clones on the market. Toro and MTD engines are made to each specs.

Only seen a few Exmarks in the shop here. Those have been well made machines.

icemanrrc said:

I hate to increase my budget, but for $300 more than the toro, I can get the Exmark Quest. I’m not familiar with this particular model though as far as not knowing if it’s a good model or not.

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The Quest was upgraded and is a nice mower. They now have the serviceable ZT2800 transmission. I love Exmarks!

Toro owns Exmark.

7394 said:

Toro owns Exmark.

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Indeed but the two companies are separate entities and Exmark doesn't produce any low quality throw-away machines. The Quest is the bottom of their product line.

Yea well I'm partial to my Kawasaki powered Toro. So there we have it. ?

I always forget about the Exmark Quest. The Toro lineup, especially the most recent model year has some nice features, but also comes off as cheap, especially with the cast aluminum caster hubs in the front. Anyway, you can go up their line into a more "professional" type of machine and spend the money to have it. You have to go up the Toro line a few models to get to the same quality or features of the Quest.

My Cub Dealer has said that the ZT series has been selling really well and is overall a very good machine and a good value.

Asking someone to "spend your money" is always going to be either extremely biased or controversial. In the end, buy what you can a) afford, b) has the features that you need and c) is the color you like. Let's be honest (and no offense) you are shopping at the very bottom of ZTR options. No matter what you get, take really good care of it and hope that it lasts.

I went with the Exmark Quest. I like it, but honestly wished I had gone with the Toro. the Toro is just a nicer mower with more features, same quality, for $100 less. The cast aluminum caps serve a great purpose. If you hit and bend something, that arm can be removed and replaced easily. Without that feature, you have a bent frame. The smart speed transmission is nice, so you can go at slower speeds without losing any tip speed. I guess I went with Exmark name recognition and what I thought would be higher resale value, which I should not have since I would keep this for many years.

As far as the bottom of the barrel of ZTRs, I don’t believe that. I’ve had a 18 year old Sears Craftsman rider that was a hand me down and still was running fine. I’ve just sold my Troy-Bilt rider that I had for 8 years and was still like new. I’m sorry, I don’t buy into the thought that a residential owner has to purchase some expensive, commercial mower to get a quality mower and cut. No matter what you buy, if you take care of it, it will take care of you.

"Bottom of the barrel" was only referring to the price point that you were stating in the 2500-2700 range, of which there are very few cheaper (cost) than that. And it is not to say that a $2500 mower will not last. In fact, my first ZTR was a Toro SS4225 ($2650 new) with the Kohler engine. I also equipped it with the recycler mulch kit. I LOVED that mower. Besides being a bit on the loud side and a fuel hog, it cut very nicely. It was when my step dad gave me an old Exmark that I saw a big difference in the quality and performance. My 48" Exmark weighed in over at 900 lbs, had a Japanese made Vanguard Engine and utilized independent hydraulic pumps and wheel motors. The Exmark was simply better built, better performing, and more durable than my Toro. It also cost about $6000 new in 2006. The point is that you ALWAYS get what you pay for, but that isn't to say that what you paid for either wasn't worth it, or not good enough. While you may wish you would have purchased the Toro instead of the Exmark, I believe that the machine you have will serve you well. Best of luck to you.

do you have choices ? i suggest toro lawn mower .. its gives you hassel free service for long term ... cheers

Bob with Raptor said:

I'm partial to my Hustler Raptor. Just a few hundred more than the ones you are talking about. It has a much heavier Fabricated Deck, and most come with a Kawasaki engine. I think both items are worth the price alone. Mine has run flawlessly for 8 yrs.
https://www.hustlerturf.com/products/raptor

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The newer Raptors are plagued with problems. Broken hydro mounts that have not been addressed by Excell, Huslter or Big Dog Just replaced 6 of the hydro mounts on mine and then found the battery tray broken and seat crossmember is cracked. 2018 Raptor 54sd Deck has isues with the idler pulley bolt bending the deck where it mounts. Basically a carriage bolt through an area that is not reinforced. When frame issues are brought to the attention of a dealer for warranty you get the what type of ground is it use on, do you trailer it and so forth. I did not spend $4500 to wrench on a mower at every turn. We see far more HDepot Toros and Cubs used for residential/commercial mowing around here.

Darryl G said:

The Quest was upgraded and is a nice mower. They now have the serviceable ZT2800 transmission. I love Exmarks!

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ZT2800 plus fabricated deck, BONUS!

I'm quite content with my Toro.

icemanrrc said:

I went with the Exmark Quest. I like it, but honestly wished I had gone with the Toro. the Toro is just a nicer mower with more features, same quality, for $100 less. The cast aluminum caps serve a great purpose. If you hit and bend something, that arm can be removed and replaced easily. Without that feature, you have a bent frame. The smart speed transmission is nice, so you can go at slower speeds without losing any tip speed. I guess I went with Exmark name recognition and what I thought would be higher resale value, which I should not have since I would keep this for many years.

As far as the bottom of the barrel of ZTRs, I don’t believe that. I’ve had a 18 year old Sears Craftsman rider that was a hand me down and still was running fine. I’ve just sold my Troy-Bilt rider that I had for 8 years and was still like new. I’m sorry, I don’t buy into the thought that a residential owner has to purchase some expensive, commercial mower to get a quality mower and cut. No matter what you buy, if you take care of it, it will take care of you.

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The transmission on the Quest is much better. The issue with the budget zero turn mowers is that the 2100/2200 transmissions fail and are too costly to repair/replace given the residual value of the machine. Thus they are essentially throw-away mowers.