first SCAG purchase for homeowner, Liberty Z or Patriot

[cncwhiz]

I'm in the Market for a new ZTR. I have never owned one. I still can't believe I am going to spend this kind of money, but if I do, I want it to be a good purchase / not something I will regret later on. I have done a ton of research, and know quite a few people that mow for a living. SCAG is probably the most named brand among those people, so I will probably go with that,

I have about 2.5 acres of rolling hills mixed with some flat land and a lot of trees in central AL. I have a lot of bahia grass, and from what I understand it is pretty rough to deal with. It is really tough on my old snapper.

This is a buy once cry once situation for me. I do not want to have to do this again for a very long time. I don't enjoy mowing grass and I'd like for it to be as fast as possible, considering I have a ton of other obligations. I am currently on an older snapper riding tractor with a 38" cut, and it takes 3-4 hours at best. The snapper is on its last leg and it is time to replace.

Local SCAG dealer has the complete line up, but I don't think I really need the higher end commercial models and they are out of my budget anyway. He does not stock the Freedom model for several reasons, one being he says they are really hard to get in and out of. So that being said, he has the Liberty Z and the next Up would be the Patriot.

I'm looking at around a 52" deck. I think a wider deck would be difficult to maneuver in and out of some tight areas in my yard, so that is my limit.

Pros and Cons (to me) on the Liberty Z:
No ROPS or seatbelt - Not sure of this can be added on
Entry Level, this concerns me as far as longevity (for the price)
$5200
5 year warranty

Pros and Cons on the Patriot
I think I read it has some sort of suspension seat that would be more comfortable
bigger hydros
oil cooler
has ROPS and seatbelt
Possibly faster?
$7500
3 year warranty

I'm leaning towards the Patriot just for the things listed, but I am not 100% on any of those things listed. $2000+ is a lot of money to justify the jump from model to model. I have a bad feeling that if I go with the smaller bottom line Liberty I will regret not having gone with the more expensive Patriot.

Please Talk to me about concerns I should have with each and give me some opinions.

 

[wrldtvlr]

Trees and ROPS don't always coexist - look at the clearance between the ground and branches. It might be helpful to actually measure the slopes. ZTRs with castered front wheels don't handle slopes above 15 degrees or so.

 

[cncwhiz]

Trees and ROPS don't always coexist - look at the clearance between the ground and branches. It might be helpful to actually measure the slopes. ZTRs with castered front wheels don't handle slopes above 15 degrees or so.

i guess when I say slopes I mean like gently rolling landscape. It is not flat. Not bad by any means though.Good point on the trees. We do have a few low hanging branches. Nothing that can't be trimmed though.

 

[smalltowntex]

This is my first year with a SCAG. I bought a Cheetah. DIdn't really need the speed but, what the heck. Buy the biggest baddest SCAG you can afford. No contest between the $5500 and $7500. I would encourage you to get one of the commercial models and skip the homeowner ones, you won't regret it.
smalltowntex

 

[batcat]

Go with the Patriot and don't look back. I went with the 61 inch Patriot have use almost three years without any problems. I asked about the patriot on this site and got good info.

 

[Moworless]

Scag patriot 3 acres Kawasaki eng 52lnch deck 2 hours mow time happy as can be, nuff said??????

 

[Mower King]

Go with the widest deck you can.......(as long as it fits on your trailer, in the door were you keep it, and goes in between most the trees / obstacles in your yard).....because if you don't, you'll wish you did in 2 weeks!

 

[Joshuatest]

The thing is... entry level for scag line vs entry level for mowers are two different topics.

The liberty has a proven kawi motor, same motor my last cub had and 10yrs later still ran strong. It has the 2800 transmissions which are a big step up from the true entry level mowers that have sealed units that aren’t designed for fluid changes. And a solid deck. For home owner purpose the various upgrades decks along the way don’t mean a bunch. Unless you live in an upscale neighborhood and are trying to have perfect striping to impress the neighbors it’s simply non issue.

the biggest real benefit is the patriot seat. But If you wait a few days I’ll have installed suspension seat on my liberty.

In 10yrs I put 400’ish hours on my last mower. I figure this liberty should last me 20yrs or more.

 

[Joshuatest]

Ok. First. I installed the seat suspension under my liberty z seat and it’s a vast improvement! Patriot seat still wins in comfort but it’s no longer night and day.

Secondly... I think the test drive in the field may have been unfair comparison. Apparently dealers have these mowers tire pressures WAYYYYYYY up there above what they should be. Like double! The tires make a good bit of suspension themselves and with high tire pressure and no seat suspension that liberty was waiting to fail the comfort test.

Got my tires now at 13 psi, and that $130 seat suspension mounted and now, there’s no chance I’d justify $2000 more for the liberty for homeowner mowing.