HELP! Looking for advice with the purchase of a new Zero Turn.

[Cobaltgto]

I'm in the market for a new zero turn mower. I only have 1/4 acre to mow but would rather spend 2 hours/week with my kids instead of mowing/trimming with a push mower. My home has a walkout basement with approximately 15% slope so I know I'm pushing the limits of most of the manufacturers recommendations and won't be able to mow when it's wet. I will be mowing straight up and down the slopes. I'm looking for something in the $4,000-$5,500 range and am looking for something that can lay down some beautiful stripes. I've narrowed it down to the following machines.

Ferris IS700Z with 52" deck and 27 HP Briggs - These are built 45 minutes from me and there are 5 dealers within 30 miles. The majority of the commercial guys in the area run Ferris. One dealer quoted me $5,500 for this machine. I told him that price sounded too good to be true as most of the other dealers were quoting the 700 closer to $6,500. He said it wasn't a mistake, he was able to price so aggressively because of the volume he sold. This dealer also recommended the Ferris above all others because he claimed they held their resale value better than all other manufacturers. He didn't specify but may have been referring to our geographical area.

Gravely ZTHD with 52" deck and 23 HP Kawasaki - This is at the top of the list (mainly because it looks like a tank). I don't want to make a rash decision based merely on appearances though. Gravely is offering an additional 2 years on their warranty this month (5 years total) and the dealer is offering $500 in free accessories (ROPS, LED Light kit and tow hitch). The price on this machine is $5,200.

Hustler Raptor SDX with 54" deck and 23HP Kawasaki - This mower seems to offer the most bang for the buck, coming in at $4,500.

Scag Freedom Z with 24 HP Kohler - Approximate price, $5,300. This machine seems inferior to the others in all categories however Scag has a roller striper available whereas the other manufacturers I'm looking at only offer the rubber flap striping kit.

Simplicity zero turns come standard with a roller striping system on their deck however, their Courier's seem kind of cheap, the Contender doesn't come with suspension and the Champion is a little more than I want to spend ($5,800).

I would appreciate all honest feedback, especially from anyone who's had experience with any of these. This is my first post so my apologies if I didn't post it in the right place or broke any posting rules.

Thanks!

 

[shinytopgeezer]

OK, I can't reply from ownership experience, but I am old bald and fat, sooooo I have lots of keyboard and daydream time. With the description of your lot, I think I'd be looking at stand-on mowers as they are supposed to have much better balance for hilly conditions. Especially since you mention you like stripes. Eeeverbody offers a stripping kit. With a stand-on you could mow up and down, side to side and diagonal---MAKE YER NEIGHBORS KRAZY!!! Hell, I bet you could even do a X's and O's game if your hillside is big enough!!! Lets see the neighbors top THAT!!! HAAAH!

Bob-cat QuickCat (the skid loader people) build a very well thought out (from a routine maintenance point) machine with a 7ga deck, upgraded hydro stats, and 6year warranty!! WOW! Not CHEAPLY priced, but more affordable than I would have thought for this grade of machine.

Another one to look at would be Worldlawn's Venon. Very stout looking machine with ez access to maint points, and heavy counstruction with higher end hydros along with unbeatable pricing. There is a rumor that Worldlawn is a Chinese company---Nope. It's owned by 3 prior Exmark execs and are built in Beatrice Ne across the street from Exmark.

Most all the better mower companies make stand-ons for you to consider, but the zero turns ARE the long legged swollen chested blonds of the mower world. Really spiffy, but not always a good choice.

I hope this gives you something to put in your pipe and smoke up a decision.

Anyway, I hope you and your family have wonderful Easter.

Pete

 

[cruzenmike]

Not that I would ever try to talk anyone out of mowing, because I surely enjoy it, but with the kind of money you are talking about spending, have you considered having a service do your lawn? Not knowing where you live I cannot speculate, but assuming you only need 30 cuts per year, you will likely spend under a $1000 per season. This way you spend only what it costs for your service, no gas, no maintenance and all of your time to yourself. I am sorry if that doesn't help, but I too had a 1/4 acre lot with a slope that was steeper than 15% and a $2500 Toro had no problems handling it; just had to be careful and methodical about how I cut. But for twice that price, I wouldn't have been any safer or been able to cut any quicker. Good luck.

Mike

 

[55TBird]

I'm in the market for a new zero turn mower. I only have 1/4 acre to mow but would rather spend 2 hours/week with my kids instead of mowing/trimming with a push mower. My home has a walkout basement with approximately 15% slope so I know I'm pushing the limits of most of the manufacturers recommendations and won't be able to mow when it's wet. I will be mowing straight up and down the slopes. I'm looking for something in the $4,000-$5,500 range and am looking for something that can lay down some beautiful stripes. I've narrowed it down to the following machines.

Ferris IS700Z with 52" deck and 27 HP Briggs - These are built 45 minutes from me and there are 5 dealers within 30 miles. The majority of the commercial guys in the area run Ferris. One dealer quoted me $5,500 for this machine. I told him that price sounded too good to be true as most of the other dealers were quoting the 700 closer to $6,500. He said it wasn't a mistake, he was able to price so aggressively because of the volume he sold. This dealer also recommended the Ferris above all others because he claimed they held their resale value better than all other manufacturers. He didn't specify but may have been referring to our geographical area.

Gravely ZTHD with 52" deck and 23 HP Kawasaki - This is at the top of the list (mainly because it looks like a tank). I don't want to make a rash decision based merely on appearances though. Gravely is offering an additional 2 years on their warranty this month (5 years total) and the dealer is offering $500 in free accessories (ROPS, LED Light kit and tow hitch). The price on this machine is $5,200.

Hustler Raptor SDX with 54" deck and 23HP Kawasaki - This mower seems to offer the most bang for the buck, coming in at $4,500.

Scag Freedom Z with 24 HP Kohler - Approximate price, $5,300. This machine seems inferior to the others in all categories however Scag has a roller striper available whereas the other manufacturers I'm looking at only offer the rubber flap striping kit.

Simplicity zero turns come standard with a roller striping system on their deck however, their Courier's seem kind of cheap, the Contender doesn't come with suspension and the Champion is a little more than I want to spend ($5,800).

I would appreciate all honest feedback, especially from anyone who's had experience with any of these. This is my first post so my apologies if I didn't post it in the right place or broke any posting rules.

Thanks!

I just bought a Scag Freedom Z for my son. Cash price was $4,395 I believe. It has a very very low center of gravity which is good for my son who mows on some small hills where his old tractor style was a little scary from a standpoint of feeling top heavy. It is certainly a compact mower sitting next to my Turf Tiger...but since it is new, I can't vouch for it's durability. Yet. But I can't image it would be an inferior mower. Aside from the small front tires, the pulleys, belts and deck construction seem to be pretty solid. My dealer sells Ferris and they look good, but I just know that what I see on the trailers of lawn companies here is about 80% Scag and the rest mostly Exmark. I've never heard anything bad about any of those brands though. Good luck.