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I recently had my John Deere D140 of about 10 yrs stop working for me. The TuffTorq transmission needs to either be replaced or rebuilt. I cut about 1.5 MAYBE 2 acres of yard that is mainly just somewhat level grass, no hills with the fringe areas butting up to woods so I have a few small areas navigating trees and all the roots and fallen sticks etc they can bring. I recently tried out a friends zero turn (toro Titan 54") and loved it. Twice as fast as my tractor was and way more manuverable. Im sold, at least on the ZT part maybe not so much the brand yet. So heres my issue I cant seem to get a clear answer on. I use a Cyclone Rake powered vacuum to bag up my yard in the late fall/ early spring when all the leaves have fallen. I read alot of about how zero turns do and do not like to pull things. The manufacturer of the system told me it was designed with ZT in mind and people pull them all the time. My concern is that my old John Deeres Transmission was not designed to mow the size yard I had and also that pulling my bagger stressed it out too much as well eventually damaging the trans. Will the higher level ZT transmissions starting at the 2800s or the 3100+ be able to handle the usage of 2 acres max of cutting every 1 to 2 weeks in the summer months and also handle pulling my rake system a few times a year? Im trying to figure out if the price difference which at this spec starts to push you into introductory commercial is warranted or really me overreacting. thanks

I cut about 1.5 to 2 acres, mainly level yard, few bumps and dip here and there with some wooded areas in the summer maybe every other week, probably due to my tractor being so slow or I would cut it more frequently. I also a handful of times a year run a tow behind bagger system (Cyclone Rake) to suck up all the leaves and debris in the fall/wainter. I am replacing a deere d140 lawn tractor that recently gave up on the transmission side (was told it was not stout enough to be doing what it had been for the last 10yrs) and test drove a friends 54" 2020 titan. I really liked it. Will it and its transmissions(ZT-2800) handle my yard and occasional bagger towing? The rake manufacturer says ZT are good to go but should I be looking even higher end for beefier components?

I honestly" wouldn't" be afraid doing it.
Does it make the hydro's work harder.?? To some degree I'm sure. But for the little you say you're going to be it I wouldn't worry to much.. Ask the dealer you buy it from what they think. Though I think I know what keeping the warranty in mind.

Multiple threads on same topic merged.

I'd think any of the serviceable ZT hydros would handle your yard and pull the attachments without breaking a sweat. Your JD Tuff Torq hydro is just a cheap disposable undersized throw away transmission and I'd guess you actually got better service than most. The serviceable Hydro Gear units seem to be pretty durable but do get somewhat expensive for the bigger units.

The biggest problem with towing behind ZTR's it the person behind the lap bars
The second biggest problem is the weight distribution.

Way too many people who want to go slow because they are towing, do so by running at 1/2 throttle or less.
Fastest way to kill a hydro. They must be run at full speed all the time or you kill the pumps.

To enable the mower to steer using different speeds on the rear wheels, the front wheels need to have a light ground pressure.
Thus if your trailer puts too much down pressure on the tow hitch you end up with the front casters 1' in the air which does not help the stability one little bit.
Most ZTR's need counterweights on the front when fitted with things like baggers.

Finally. I have no idea what a Cyclone lawn rake is and how it does it's job, but baggers tend to clog the air filters on ZTR's when used on leaves & dry grass.
So which ever way you go look for a GOOD FILTER and by prefference a double element Donaldson style canister filter rather than a dunny roll wrapped in foam held in place by a hope & a prayer.