Do I want a Zero Turn mower?

[Black Bart]

bk, I disagree, the Ventrac IS for everyone-saw one being used for the first time a few weeks ago, impressive to say the least.

Robert you are assuming that everyone is young and in good shape like you probably are.

When I pull my ZTR into the garage I have a 6 inch stool right in front of where I park it so I can get on and off of it.
I can just barley walk sure as hell can't lift that is why I have the 430 JD with a cab and blower that stays on it year round.

While the ventrac may be great for most it sure would not be for me unless I wanted to hire someone to come to my house and switch attachments.

 

[BKBrown]

I'm not going to try and talk anyone who does not need one into a Ventrac, but the attachments are mostly drive up and attach (no lifting involved). Check out their web site. It usually takes me anly a min. or two with very little effort to change attachments. Anyone would not need a stool to get on or off the Ventrac (either the 3000 or 4000 series) because of the articulation there is a step thru entrance/exit.

There are people who don't have enough land, have no need for multiple attachments, or don't want a commercial grade machine who don't need one. I LOVE mine !

 

[AndySKane]

I recently bought a Ferris ZTR. I highly recommend the zero turn even with slopes of 15 degrees. You will have no problems with them regardless if you go up, down, or sideways.

 

[vettebob1]

A lot of information has come my way

I want to thank everyone for contributing their ‘opinions’. It truly has been informative. I have been posting to several forums to try to garner as much info and beliefs as possible. The lawn mower forum has pretty much sided with the Zero Turn (but was not too much in favor of the ‘Quest’). The Tractor Forum(s) have pretty much sided with the ‘garden’ type tractor. But….I suppose that should have been expected from each group. I thank ‘KennyV’ for the video link; that was very enlightening.

The video kinda took me by surprise. But not for its information. The slope was said to be 16 degrees and from the viewing of it, it did not look that ‘scary’? When looking at my slope it looks a tad scarier than in the video. Soooooo, that got me to thinking….. I don’t know how to measure a slope? I copied what was in the owner’s manual for measuring a slope. I took my level with me, this time, and aligned the sheet of paper with the level and took a reading. I came up with 15 degrees again with the one area slightly above that…..maybe 16 degrees or a tad more?? Maybe viewing a video is not the same as being there?

Anyway……I am at a cross roads again. The ‘muscle’ of the tractor is impressive but one does sit higher than on a ZTR; which infers the center of gravity is higher? Maybe that is why the John Deere rep said that I would need to put fluid in the tires to lower the center of gravity? That does not make me feel self-assured. The ZTR ‘looks’ like you are closer to the ground (the rider) but the video showing the sliding did not instill confidence either; but I realize he was forcing the issue. With the eXmark the hand brake I believe is down by the feet?not good. And there is NO foot brake.

I know the walk behind mower will work. But at 22” that takes a long time. There are other options of walk behind 26”-33” but they are monsters with all sorts of hand controls and stuff you gotta do and on a slope that does not instill confidence either.

I realize my situation requires I get off my wallet……which I’m having a tuff time doing. I see so many tractors and ZTR’s at around $2K, +/- , but none of them can work in my situation….so I’m told. Spending $3,500 minimally and more than likely over $4K+ is hard to accept.

For those of you who recommend used……….there is absolutely nothing available within 100 miles of here…….I’ve called/checked.

I guess I’ll be ‘walking’ a bit longer unless other opinions/views sway me.

Thanks.

 

[robert]

vett, each dealer I went to before I bought offered a demo on my site-have you asked for one?
Black Bart, beer came out my nose, I sincerely feel sorry for anyone who is even near the good shape I am in, I think I have almost as many new parts as original....l

 

[Slater]

vetterbob I think you would be suited just fine with a ZTR, just drive smart :smile:

15 percent would not be a problem but most will tell you otherwise.

15 percent =/= 15 degrees

Robert you are assuming that everyone is young and in good shape like you probably are.
When I pull my ZTR into the garage I have a 6 inch stool right in front of where I park it so I can get on and off of it.
I can just barley walk sure as hell can't lift that is why I have the 430 JD with a cab and blower that stays on it year round.

Also not going to try and sell a tractor that somebody doesn't need, but you have obviously never used a Ventrac. A lot of paraplegic people actually will use the 4000 series Ventrac with a pull bar because they can get into the seat and swing their legs through the center space with ease. All the controls are at their fingertips as well. It is one of the easiest, if not the easiest tractors to get on and off of IMO. As far as changing attachments, I challenge you to find a tractor that is much easier. No lifting is necessary. Drive into the attachments, move a lever to lock the arms in and attach PTO belt or hydraulic hoses, whatever you have.

@vettebob
Hills are always hard to truly capture on video or photos. That is why people scoff at 30 degrees that a Ventrac is rated for because they think their lawn tractor can do 40 degrees *hint* THEY CAN'T! So you are probably right about your hill. If you really want to know exactly, go get a slope indicator from the hardware store for $10 and strap it to a 2x4. Most all lawn tractors and ZTRs are rated for 15 degrees max. I don't see why you would have any problem getting a ZTR that fits in your budget and being happy with it. As long as you don't have obstacles at the bottom of your hill in case of a runaway, you should be fine. So I would get advice from people on here what the best ZTR in your price range is and go from their. Hey, better yet have a local dealer come demo one on your hill and let you hop on and get a feel for yourself :thumbsup:

 

[Slater]

Looks like Ventrac just came out with a video about slope mowing. Great educational piece on slopes :thumbsup:
YouTube - Slope Mowing with Ventrac
This doesn't directly deal with your situation, but it does touch a bit on some of the dangers of slopes and some of the things that you need to think about.

 

[Briana]

This thread was moved to the Mower Buying & Pricing Forum.

 

[wjjones]

Best thing on the market right now in my opinion atleast its what i am buying next time around..

GTH26V52LS Husqvarna but you have to get this tractor with a fab deck not a stamped deck.

 

[Black Bart]

Video of ZTR on a big slope and wet grass.

Video was testing the Ted Brake but watch how it climbs the brake has nothing to do with how it climbs.

YouTube - ‪Zero Turn Mower - Independant Evaluation #2‬‏