First Zero Turn...Looking at Toro/Exmark

[Point37]

As far as serviceable vs not I was referring to the ability to change the fluid and filter. The 2100/2200 require removal. The 2800 and up models do not. To be honest, I rarely service my serviceable units. The only time I did on my Exmark walk-behind was when I blew a hydro hose and once on my Lazer around 500 hours. The Exmarks have a different hydro system though with the separate pump and wheel motors. I had the dealer service the 3400 transmission on my new Bob-Cat for warranty reasons - Dealer service is required to extend the warranty from 2 to 3 years.

thanks again...good info...so as long as they don't leak you're good to go...
http://www.hydro-gear.com/ee81c32b71_sites/hydro-gear.com/files/BLN-52622_P12.pdf

 

[Darryl G]

Brings us to one more thing. A bagger. There are basically 5 types. 1) A grass catcher that sits on the side of the mower and catches the grass as it comes out the discharge. Quick and easy on/off, limited capacity and tends to blow dust and debris in your face, although some units can be equipped with filters. 2) Rear-mounted bagger that's basically a grass catcher but mounted on the rear of the mower. The problem is that they rely only on the discharge velocity to get up the chute and into the bagger and can easily clog, depending on conditions. Many find them to be infuriating for bagging grass but acceptable for leaves. 3) Spindle-driven unit powered by an impeller. Work well but draw power off the mower, are a bit more complicated to put on/remove, much more expensive and not available for all mowers 4) Mower-mounted rear bagger that has its own pony motor. Expensive and availability is generally limited to commercial mowers. 5) Trailing bagger with its own pony motor. Expensive and clumsy, but large volume and work well, especially for large volumes of leaves. To complicate things further, some mower-mounted rear units take bags that need to be manually emptied and others can be dumped from the seat.

Then there's mulch kits, chute blocking systems, and discharging with mulching blades (mostly what I do).

Just thought I'd toss this out as it may play into your mower choice. The standard residential options for bagging are typically the side catcher or the non-powered rear bagger. Personally I'd never want a non-powered rear bagger.

Opinions will vary, these are just mine.

 

[Point37]

Brings us to one more thing. A bagger. There are basically 5 types. 1) A grass catcher that sits on the side of the mower and catches the grass as it comes out the discharge. Quick and easy on/off, limited capacity and tends to blow dust and debris in your face, although some units can be equipped with filters. 2) Rear-mounted bagger that's basically a grass catcher but mounted on the rear of the mower. The problem is that they rely only on the discharge velocity to get up the chute and into the bagger and can easily clog, depending on conditions. Many find them to be infuriating for bagging grass but acceptable for leaves. 3) Spindle-driven unit powered by an impeller. Work well but draw power off the mower, are a bit more complicated to put on/remove, much more expensive and not available for all mowers 4) Mower-mounted rear bagger that has its own pony motor. Expensive and availability is generally limited to commercial mowers. 5) Trailing bagger with its own pony motor. Expensive and clumsy, but large volume and work well, especially for large volumes of leaves. To complicate things further, some mower-mounted rear units take bags that need to be manually emptied and others can be dumped from the seat.

Then there's mulch kits, chute blocking systems, and discharging with mulching blades (mostly what I do).

Just thought I'd toss this out as it may play into your mower choice. The standard residential options for bagging are typically the side catcher or the non-powered rear bagger. Personally I'd never want a non-powered rear bagger.

Opinions will vary, these are just mine.

initially i wanted a powered bagger but i decided against it to keep the price down and like you said they are not available for a lot of models so i was going to opt for the non powered rear bagger...i do have to deal with leaves and i am not able to cut my lawn as often as i'd like so it can get long at times so i feel like i'd just be making a mess with a mulching system so i need some type of bagger...i don't want a side bagger cause i don't want to add to the width for maneuverability around obstacles...don't want a trailing bagger and i'm sure like you said the version with the motor in the back is probably not available for anything on my list ...i wonder if any on my revised list have the option for a powered bagger...i think the gravely ztxl and the ariens does but i think that's it and i'm not sure how good it is

 

[cruzenmike]

initially i wanted a powered bagger but i decided against it to keep the price down and like you said they are not available for a lot of models so i was going to opt for the non powered rear bagger...i do have to deal with leaves and i am not able to cut my lawn as often as i'd like so it can get long at times so i feel like i'd just be making a mess with a mulching system so i need some type of bagger...i don't want a side bagger cause i don't want to add to the width for maneuverability around obstacles...don't want a trailing bagger and i'm sure like you said the version with the motor in the back is probably not available for anything on my list ...i wonder if any on my revised list have the option for a powered bagger...i think the gravely ztxl and the ariens does but i think that's it and i'm not sure how good it is

If bagging is something you want to do, a 2 blade deck, 42" or 46" is your best choice. They typically will not require a power flow type system. Anything three blade will require a blower unless the mower/deck was specifically designed to work without one. Also, the smaller the deck, the smaller the bagger in some cases. I have a compact zero turn that has absolutely small bags. I would have to empty after every two 80' passes in the fall.

 

[Darryl G]

Gravely/Ariens look nice but price is gonna be getting up there with a powered bagger. Can't find a price for bagger assembly (just parts) but think you'd be over $6k for the ZT XL with bagger after tax? Lot of money to spend for a lawn that size. Not my money, but still. I think your original Toro choice is a good one based on what I know now. You'll get used to what the bagger can and can't do. If the lawn got away from you it wouldn't be that big of a deal to cut it, let it dry out and then go back over it to bag it.

I didn't check the Ariens but Gravely only has 1/2 inch cutting height adjustment increments. 1/4 inch is kind of standard...bit odd. Wouldn't call it a deal killer, but not ideal.

 

[Point37]

If bagging is something you want to do, a 2 blade deck, 42" or 46" is your best choice. They typically will not require a power flow type system. Anything three blade will require a blower unless the mower/deck was specifically designed to work without one. Also, the smaller the deck, the smaller the bagger in some cases. I have a compact zero turn that has absolutely small bags. I would have to empty after every two 80' passes in the fall.

Gravely/Ariens look nice but price is gonna be getting up there with a powered bagger. Can't find a price for bagger assembly (just parts) but think you'd be over $6k for the ZT XL with bagger after tax? Lot of money to spend for a lawn that size. Not my money, but still. I think your original Toro choice is a good one based on what I know now. You'll get used to what the bagger can and can't do. If the lawn got away from you it wouldn't be that big of a deal to cut it, let it dry out and then go back over it to bag it.

I didn't check the Ariens but Gravely only has 1/2 inch cutting height adjustment increments. 1/4 inch is kind of standard...bit odd. Wouldn't call it a deal killer, but not ideal.

thanks again fellas...i def think a non powered bagger is going to be the best way to go for me...the other thing i was wondering is the toro mx4250 and the toro mx6050 both have the same engine but one model has a 42" deck and 2 blades and the other has a 60" deck with 3 blades...was the engine designed for the larger mower and thrown in the smaller mower or vice versa?...basically will the 42 do a better job than the 60 due having to spin 1 less blade and less drag from that extra blade from the resistance of the grass?...basically less likely to bog down in high grass?...i know that's the case for snow blowers...you have 2 different size blower buckets but the same engine...the smaller bucket will work better and bog down less...so i'm back to my original 2 choices...and leaning towards the toro for the better transmission and including some of the items that would have to be added on the exmark...i guess i'll have to see if i can find one of them to check out around here...i'd like to see what the maintenance looks like as well as how easy it is to drop the deck

toro
mx4250 2200 transmission + bagger + weight kit...has arm rests, tow hitch and hour meter

exmark
quest e series 42 2100 transmission + arm rest kit + bagger +hour meter + weight kit + hitch kit

 

[cruzenmike]

In theory, the 42" with a more powerful engine will do much better in adverse mowing conditions such as damp or tall grass as the engine's power will be able to muscle through the clippings under the deck. As for giving a "better cut" it all depends on factors like air flow, blade tip speed and other things. My SS4225 with 22hp and two blades cut well, but I mowed slow which also helps. The shared engine has more to do with them using their own engine across an entire product line. Prior to that you may have seem the same Kohler in both mowers. The MX series of mowers are a good step up from the SS models.

 

[Point37]

In theory, the 42" with a more powerful engine will do much better in adverse mowing conditions such as damp or tall grass as the engine's power will be able to muscle through the clippings under the deck. As for giving a "better cut" it all depends on factors like air flow, blade tip speed and other things. My SS4225 with 22hp and two blades cut well, but I mowed slow which also helps. The shared engine has more to do with them using their own engine across an entire product line. Prior to that you may have seem the same Kohler in both mowers. The MX series of mowers are a good step up from the SS models.

thanks...that's what i was thinking...should bog down less with a smaller deck area and 1 less blade but having the same engine than the larger model...i understand the need for uniformity but i was just curious if it was designed around the largest mower in the line and used in the smaller ones...that's what i would assume

 

[Point37]

after doing some review reading on mowers direct it seems that the timecutter series has issues with their electronic parking brake...found a bunch of videos about it on youtube about it...the exmark has a lever actuated pawl brake but the transmssions are only hg2100s...vs the 2200s on the toro 4250...i wonder what the differences are between these 2 transmissions...also looks like the deck left is a hand lever vs a pedal on the toro...which i like about the toro...but it may be time to change my choice over to exmark or step up a little

https://www.mowersdirect.com/Toro-74721-Lawn-Mower/p15362.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgZRN-Jn4JE

 

[Darryl G]

The 2100 is light duty with 3/4 axle and the 2200 has 1 inch and is heavier duty. I don't even see the 2100 on the manufacturer's product list. Discontinued? http://www.hydro-gear.com/residential/