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Price not being an issue, which one would you buy and why? Both offer similar deck sizes. Both have Kawasaki engines, fab deck & the beefier 2800 hydro gear transmissions. The Deere costs significantly more, but is that cost worth it, or would I be just paying for a name?

any help is greatly appreciated.

Jimboh

I forgot to mention that I have three Atlantic Tractor (Deere dealers) within a half hour drive of my house. however with cub there is only one and I haven't yet been able to find them open or answering the phone. I know dealer support plays a huge part in any decision, and I would definitely find it much easier to find the support with a Deere. however is it worth the $1k price difference.

ZT2 is a better value than the Deere. With the Deere you do get a better warranty and a different line of Kawasaki engine. The AccellDeep deep is supposed to cut very nicely, possibly better than the Cub deck. Best bet is to drive both. If dealer availability and willingness is a factor it sounds like the Deere is your choice.

The Deere does have a better warranty and larger rear tires. Yes, you should drive both before you buy. When I drove the Cub vs the JD riders I ended up with the JD X350. Sure it was a thousand more than the XT2 but it has a longer warranty, Kawasaki engine, and when I compared the it to the Cub there was no comparison. The JD has virtually no vibration, smoother steering and better ride and cut. The difference was amazing.

today I went to one of the local Deere dealers. I looked at the 540m as well as the 535m. Both seem like very solid machines. The salesman I spoke to seemed like he knew more about the Ag side of the business and less about the lawnmowers, but he was incredibly helpful. Turns out, I was actually wrong, the Deere's have Tuff Torque hydros whereas the Cubs I've been looking at have the HydroGear 2800's. I've tried researching Tuff Torque and haven't seen much. Are they any good?

I also tried to see a Cub dealer but they were completely sold out of the ZT2's in every size. (much smaller dealer). They did have a ZT1 and I liked it a lot. However I'm liking the beefier zt2 much more. the bigger tires & hydro's are what's doing it for me, whether I really need them or not.

The salesman at the Deere dealer said both the 535 & 540 came with the Kawasaki engine. However when I researched it myself the 535m says it comes with a "M44 Cyclonic" which to me sounds like a Briggs. I know Kawasaki is definitely preferred over everything, BUT, would it be worth the $500 jump in price? 535m is listed for $3899 & the 540m is listed for $4399. He also stated that I could expect the same longevity out of a 3 series Z as I could a 5 series with the beefier hydros. Am I right to think that mowing about one acre once a week, I would get plenty of life out of either one if maintained well?

Yes the Cyclonic is a Briggs engine. The contractor who does my sister's 3 acres uses all JD. He has 2 JD ZTR's a 300 and 500 series and a 500 series tractor. All have the Briggs and have hundred's of hours without issue. When I bought mine JD had $$ off the X350 with the Kawasaki, so the difference was minimal. Without the extra off I would have bought the X330 with the Cyclonic.

As a repairer I see the business end of a lot of mowers
"solid looking" is an impression.
You really need to get underneath and look at things like where shafts pass through plates and check for a wide load bearing surface or a replacable bush.
Look at the deck mounts , same story how wide are the load bearing points.
Look at the gauge of the metal, stick your thumb nail in the paint.
Heavy powder coating can mimmick thick steel.
Read the owners manuals and make a list of the service replacement parts then go online and price them include blades.
Look at the service points, particularly the lubrication points , can you get to them ?
Remove & replace the deck, compare one to the other & remember it is easier to do on a nice shinny showroom floor than on your lawn.
How easy is it to get a wrench onto the oil filter ?
How easy is it to fill the engine with oil cleanly ?
And the old favourite, the tranny belt, can you get to it without frying your hands on a hot muffler ?
Are the fuses easily accessiable ?

bertsmobile1 said:

As a repairer I see the business end of a lot of mowers
"solid looking" is an impression.
You really need to get underneath and look at things like where shafts pass through plates and check for a wide load bearing surface or a replacable bush.
Look at the deck mounts , same story how wide are the load bearing points.
Look at the gauge of the metal, stick your thumb nail in the paint.
Heavy powder coating can mimmick thick steel.
Read the owners manuals and make a list of the service replacement parts then go online and price them include blades.
Look at the service points, particularly the lubrication points , can you get to them ?
Remove & replace the deck, compare one to the other & remember it is easier to do on a nice shinny showroom floor than on your lawn.
How easy is it to get a wrench onto the oil filter ?
How easy is it to fill the engine with oil cleanly ?
And the old favourite, the tranny belt, can you get to it without frying your hands on a hot muffler ?
Are the fuses easily accessiable ?

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So with that being said, what do you recommend?

A little update of mowers I’m looking at and the dealer situation nearby

Scag Liberty Z--- I have two dealers near me about 45 minutes to an hour away. Both seem like great dealers with well established shops that would be more than capable of handling any issues that arise. They're also very friendly and seem very knowledgable.

John Deere z535M --- a lot of dealers to choose from. One ten minutes up the road and 2 or 3 more within 20 minutes to an hour drive. All of these dealers are "Atlantic Tractor" which is a major dealer in our area. We are surrounded by farm land and they deal with Ag equipment as well as mowers. They are a big dealer that has been around for a while and Deere seems to be the choice for a lot of people around here.

Hustler Raptor SD --- Haven't been to a dealer for Hustler yet, but there are two within an 30-45 minute drive. One being in tax free Delaware so that's always tempting. I've heard great things about Hustler, but I've also heard many people having issues with the deck on these mowers.

Bobcat CRZ --- One shop near by that sells. They specialize in motorcycles, dirt bikes and wave runners. BobCat is the only brand they carry, however they too seem to be flooded with business and were very nice to deal with.

Cub Cadet Ultima ZT2 --- One dealer 25 minutes away. They seem more focused on the Toro & BadBoy lines they carry but the shop has been around forever and is well established. I like the Cub for cost reasons obviously. Hard to ignore the low cost of the Cub when it comes with Kawasaki & ZT2800's

this are my choices so far. Any of them I should strike from the list immediately? And are there others I should be considering? Just looking for some input from people that have experience with any of the aforementioned mowers.