I'm shopping for a ZTR 60" --- Here's what I'm finding, your thoughts please

[tso]

Shopping for my first ZTR. Mowing 2-3 acres per week, and every other week mowing an additional 3 acres. Relatively flat, grass is in decent condition but it's not a Scott's lawn and I'm not trying to make it that way. I mow around lots of trees, flower beds, landscape gardens, gardens, chickens, children, etc :confused2: I live in Michigan and will mow for maybe 30 weeks a year at best. I'm guessing 150 hrs per year at most.

Most people that I know who have used a certain brand are pretty loyal to that brand and believe whatever propaganda that their respective manufacturer tells them. So, I'm hoping that someone here can give me an opinion on their experiences with the below brands and tell me something I haven't found in general research. They're all priced relatively close to each other. They all use 1 of 3 identical engines, they all use pretty much the same transmission, tires, belts, gas tanks, etc etc etc. It seems like I'm basically buying a brand name and a mowing deck, and a color:laughing:

Here's what I'm finding in my area:

Bobcat FastCat Pro 61", Kaw 24hp, ZT-3400 trans, $6299.
eXmark Pioneer S 60", Kohler 27hp, Zt-3400 trans, $6999.
Dixie Chopper Magnum 2760 61" (last year's close-out model), ZT-3400 trans, $5599.
Scag Freedom Z 61", Briggs 30hp (last years) for $6509 or Kaw 24hp (this years) for $7009.
Grasshopper 226v 61", Kohler 27hp, not sure on trans, $6923.
Hustler FasTrak 60" or FasTrak Super Duty 60", looks like both use ZT-3100 trans, looks like both use Kaw 24hp, $5794 or $6479.
Also looked (online) at a Dixon Ultra 61" OR the Husqvarna 6128 61", both with 27hp Kohler, ZT-3400 trans, and under $4999... but I can't find much about them on the forums and they look less refined than the others.

They're all pretty similar, all close in price, all have similar financing...

I'd like to hear specific reasons why I should AVOID any of these particular mowers, OR why I should buy 1 over another?

Thanks in advance, Tim.

 

[ced]

I have ran exmark, John deere and hustler. The hustler is the smoothest operator of them all and with flex forks offers a ride that can't be beat. Just my opinion.

 

[Mad Mackie]

Re: I'm shopping for a ZTR 60" --- Here's what I'm finding, your thoughts please

I have a Hustler X-ONE with a 60" rear discharge deck and a Kawi FX730. This is one sweet machine and it is used primarily for cemetery service. It was new last Aug and has about 50 hours on it. I also have a 2008 Scag Tiger Cub with a collection system on a 48" deck. A fairly decent machine however I have to repower it as the L/H cylinder is loosing compression by the rings. My new engine just arrived, another Briggs and I will do the changeover soon.
Flex forks were not recommended for the Hustler as it gets rough treatment around cemetery stones so it is a straight forward machine with only a rear hitch as an option to tow the fertilizer spreader.
Later
Mad Mackie in CT:smile::laughing:

 

[djdicetn]

Re: I'm shopping for a ZTR 60" --- Here's what I'm finding, your thoughts please

Shopping for my first ZTR. Here's what I'm finding in my area:

Bobcat FastCat Pro 61", Kaw 24hp, ZT-3400 trans, $6299.
eXmark Pioneer S 60", Kohler 27hp, Zt-3400 trans, $6999.
Dixie Chopper Magnum 2760 61" (last year's close-out model), ZT-3400 trans, $5599.
Scag Freedom Z 61", Briggs 30hp (last years) for $6509 or Kaw 24hp (this years) for $7009.
Grasshopper 226v 61", Kohler 27hp, not sure on trans, $6923.
Hustler FasTrak 60" or FasTrak Super Duty 60", looks like both use ZT-3100 trans, looks like both use Kaw 24hp, $5794 or $6479.
Also looked (online) at a Dixon Ultra 61" OR the Husqvarna 6128 61", both with 27hp Kohler, ZT-3400 trans, and under $4999... but I can't find much about them on the forums and they look less refined than the others.

TSO,
I've never looked at the Bobcat's, or Grasshopper's but considered the others you mentioned when I bought my ZTR last fall. Based upon what I've heard on the forums, the Exmarks and Grasshoppers are very good but to me seem a bit pricier than other brands. The Scags also have a very good reputation, and I was very impressed when I looked at them but they were a bit out of my price range too. The Dixie Chopper's appear to be considerable bang-for-your-buck and I've not heard anything bad about them. I made offers on both a 54" Hustler Fastrak Super Duty and Dixon Ultra(52") and just so you know the Dixons are now made by Husqvarna but just a better quality product. I started out interested in the Husqvarna's(because of the low prices), but I was really wanting a "commercial quality" ZTR and abandoned them early on. I also made an offer on a Bad Boy Outlaw, which is a "beast" of a machine but has some "mixed reviews". It did, however have some features other brands did not(like a massive 5gauge deck...yeah, a solid quarter inch thick and gas tanks on each side that 'swing out' for easy access for maintenance). For the money, you may want to take a look just to compare to the others. Also, like you mentioned about "brand loyalty" I ended up pulling the trigger on a 2012 52" Gravely Pro-Turn XDZ Commercial ZTR and got a "real deal" at approx. $1300 off the MSRP(plus taxes) for a 2013 model. With a 3-year Residential/2-year Commercial Warranty(any ZTR with a Commercial Warranty is an indication of extreme durability), cast-iron spindles with 3-year Warranty, 7gauge Lifetime Warranty deck, "FX" series commercial Kawasaki and ZT-3400 trannies the Gravely Pro-Turn 152 ended up being my favorite of everything I had looked at. I would highly recommend that you check them out if you have a Gravely dealer nearby and if by chance he has any 2012 models left you may get as sweet of a deal as I did. I have "never looked back" and love my new Gravely(only 5.4 hours with the few times I mowed last fall). My best advice is to not be afraid to "counter-offer" a dealer's first price quote. Just like a car dealer, their pricing IS negotiable. Also, if you are "replacing a 60" lawn tractor" with a ZTR you may want to consider a smaller deck. I replaced a 60" Craftsman lawn tractor with a 52" ZTR and I can "barely" get it in my garage where I had parked the Craftsman. Plus a ZTR is so much faster and able to do 180 degree turnarounds that you can cut the same area as a 60" LT in half the time, Just saying. Good luck finding the right ZTR for your needs(there are an awful LOT of good ones out there and my head was "spinning" from tech specs, comparisons and which one to buy after shopping them for a while:0)

 

[tso]

Good Info guys, thanks DJD...

My tractor dealer is the one selling the BobCat... He also sells Gravely. The BobCat was a closeout hence the low price, the Gravely was at around $6800.

I've heard good things about Gravely.

I've seen BadBoy commercials, they look good, if less refined than the others. Problem is there isn't a dealer close by (75 miles) and I haven't seen any pricing on them.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

Re: I'm shopping for a ZTR 60" --- Here's what I'm finding, your thoughts please

I've seen BadBoy commercials, they look good, if less refined than the others. Problem is there isn't a dealer close by (75 miles) and I haven't seen any pricing on them.

Personally I would not get a BadBoy mower. Some people like them, but others REALLY do not.

 

[djdicetn]

Re: I'm shopping for a ZTR 60" --- Here's what I'm finding, your thoughts please

Good Info guys, thanks DJD...

My tractor dealer is the one selling the BobCat... He also sells Gravely. The BobCat was a closeout hence the low price, the Gravely was at around $6800.

I've heard good things about Gravely.

I've seen BadBoy commercials, they look good, if less refined than the others. Problem is there isn't a dealer close by (75 miles) and I haven't seen any pricing on them.

Which model(year) Gravely was that. I got my 2012 Pro-Turn XDZ(152) for $6800 out-the door and the 2013 has a MSRP of $7499(plus tax). Below is a link to the Bad Boy website(not sure what your Zip Code is to see about dealers). Also, if you hang out on these forums you'll find many who will recommend the Kawasaki engines as the best you can get(and "FR" series means Residential, "FS" heavy Duty and "FX" Commercial). A dealer close by with a good reputation is a very important thing and like I mentioned, if a ZTR has a "Commercial Warranty" it's built for heavy duty daily usage and will last a homeowner a lifetime in most cases. Just as an aside, the Cub Cadet Z-Force and Tank commercial units in that picture of the Grasshopper are also high-quality machines as is the Z-Master series of Toros(if you have a Toro dealer nearby). Whatever you do, don't buy from a big-box retailer like Lowes or Home Depot because they do NOT "service what they sell" and you won't find true "commercial quality" ZTR's there.

http://www.badboymowers.com/

P.S.
As pointed out by user LMF, owners of Bad Boys either love them or hate them which isn't a very good sign(although a local dealer with a "good reputation" will back that product if they sell it). The dealer that carried the Dixon I made an offer on also carried the Bad Boy and he assured me that in the 3 years he had sold them he had not had an unsatisied customer and very few problems. But it's a gamble anytime with some equipment purchases that you can end up with a problem-oriented machine. That's why the Warranty and dealer reputation is soooooooooo important!!!

 

[tso]

Okay, thanks for that... Not sure on which model the gravely was, I'll have to call them back and ask.

So Cub Cadet is buying Toros for their higher and machines? Who is making their lower and models? I remember a time when MTD made 80 percent of the mowers out there, I'm assuming that something like that is still happening with the lower end units, but I have not mower shopped in a long time so I'm not up to date on all the gossip

Does anyone know if the Dixon Ultra is any good? As gay as it sounds, the blue would match my tractor's color nicely ;-)

 

[tso]

Also, the Hustler dealer told me $200 installed for the Flex Forks... What's the skinny on those, are they worth it ?

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

Re: I'm shopping for a ZTR 60" --- Here's what I'm finding, your thoughts please

What's the skinny on those, are they worth it ?

Try this site: flex forks worth it?