I need direction for a residential mower

[Shughes717]

I agree with a zero turn being over kill, unless you go with a small 42" mower. Could still mow the lawn in a half our or less. If you hate mowing and trimming then hiring a professional landscaper may be your best option.

 

[DSepe]

If your looking for a well built commercial grade smaller cutting deck ZTR consider a Snapper Pro S50XT 38inch, Gravely Compact 34inch/44inch or even a Worldlawn Gator 34inch. Again these are commercial style ZTR's and will likely be near the 4.5k-5k range. Also this isn't an all small deck commercial ZTR list only ones off the top of my head at the moment.

http://www.worldlawn.com/riding-mowers/commercial/gater/gater-wyz34fs600v/
http://www.gravely.com/en-us/zero-turn-mowers/compact-pro
http://www.snapperpro.com/us/en/zero-turn-mowers/s50xt

 

[Audioi]

Zero turn seems overkill to me, so a commercial walk behind or a stand up? which one?

 

[Shughes717]

A commercial stand up will be just as much over kill. The stand up or the walk behind will cost in the $4000 to $5000 range. Commercial mowers are built to get landscapers in and out of jobs fast so they can get more done in a day. If you are willing to spend that kind of money for a half acre why not get a small deck ztr? The mowers mentioned earlier are good options. I have the snapper pro s150xt 48" and I mow 4.2 acres with lots of trees, hills, and some rough spots. The icd deck cuts great. The s50xt is smaller than my mower, but the icd deck is offered on it as well. There are plenty of other options out there. There are residential ztr mowers with smaller decks as well that may suit you fine (craftsman, john deere, toro, husqvarna, bad boy, snapper, etc). You can find these at box stores and save some money. Should be able to get one in the $2000 to $3000 range. Decks will be similar to what you have though.

 

[pcclipper]

Does the mower you use now have anti scalp wheels?
If so you should be able to adjust them. If not then see if they are offered as an accessory. Raise your cutting height.

 

[Shughes717]

Good point about the anti scalping wheels. Some tractor mowers only have anti scalping wheels on the back. That doesn't make sense to me seeing as how the mower is going forward most of the time. Anti scalp wheels on the front of the deck seem to work much better. If you have them then adjusting them down should help prevent scalping.

 

[Carscw]

Sorry you got a junk Deere.

For what you are looking for I would go with the cub cadet ltx1040

42inch deck 4 anti scalp wheels.
And only $1,500

I got one last year and used it cutting foreclosed homes.
Put over 600 hours on it with no problems.

It cuts very good.
Turns very tight.

 

[Audioi]

Good point about the anti scalping wheels. Some tractor mowers only have anti scalping wheels on the back. That doesn't make sense to me seeing as how the mower is going forward most of the time. Anti scalp wheels on the front of the deck seem to work much better. If you have them then adjusting them down should help prevent scalping.

I have a Deere 120 with only a couple wheels, cut at 3.5 but the property is on a corner and the Kirby is flat to the road so I loose a chunk every time I run off into the road.

 

[djdicetn]

I would like to keep it at $5k or less, we have all the high end. ferris, gravely, scags, xmark and so on plus lots of mid & low stuff.

I disagree with others and IMHO if you can afford to spend $5k for a small(no larger than 48") deck ZTR for 1/2 acre(like a Gravely ZT HD 48" @ $4,999 or one of the other brands you mentioned high-end Residential that is in the $5k range) they would undoubtedly last you > 20 years easily if well maintained and would be worth your investment. It would also accomplish the purpose of making mowing fun!!!!

 

[RetiredGuns]

I only mow 1/2 acre and am tickled with my 42" Hustler. I did it for 12 years with a tractor no problem, but the ZT is pure pleasure to mow with. No bogging, no clumping, no raking and yes, it looks damn cool! $2519 was a bargain considering the SCAG stander next to it was nearly 4k. Yes, it is a "better" machine, but more overkill than the Raptor and doesn't have a cup holder. :smile: