Looking at a ZTR but have a sloped yard

[Jim Lahey]

Left a message for my local (90 minutes away) Ventrac dealer

 

[Jim Lahey]

Well I did some early morning shopping and am very fond of the Toro SS 5060. Will decide between that and the original Cub Cadet I posted about in this thread.

If anyone has any insight into the Toro, Id like to hear about it. Thanks.

 

[Briana]

Hey Jim :smile: WELCOME to LawnMowerForum.com!

Great pictures! :thumbsup:

 

[Black Bart]

Wow what a great forum, you guys are awesome.

I run on an old John Deere and it takes me about 1.5 hours to mow. Id like to cut that time in Half. Ventrac, thanks for weighing in. I do nothing other than plow and mow (and haul chopped wood about 150 feet in a straight line to my wood shed). My budget for all of these things is about $6000 CDN total. So initially I thought I would just get a ZTR because they are famous for saving time, and get an ATV for the hauling and plowing just because its fun to have another toy

So in this respect, I think the Ventrac 3000 series and its plow and mower attachments bring me way above budget, and really, isnt that machine overkill for what I need? Plus service is an issue. I live in the Niagara Region in Ontario Canada so Im not sure there are service sites close by. Id like to hear your opinion Ventrac. Thanks again.

I just wanted to make this thread because of all of the "no ZTR on slopes" stuff Ive read but a lot of you seem to think my current yard might be just fine, which is encouraging.[/QUOTE} From looking at your photos you can use any kind and any make without a problem..

One thing about a blade when pushing deep snow is you must push straight ahead because when you angle the blade like you see the big snow plow's do you can not steer a garden tractor the pressure on the blade will push the front over and turning the wheel does no good it will just skid.

If I lived where you do I would look for a blower instead of a plow

 

[Ventrac]

Wow what a great forum, you guys are awesome.

I run on an old John Deere and it takes me about 1.5 hours to mow. Id like to cut that time in Half. Ventrac, thanks for weighing in. I do nothing other than plow and mow (and haul chopped wood about 150 feet in a straight line to my wood shed). My budget for all of these things is about $6000 CDN total. So initially I thought I would just get a ZTR because they are famous for saving time, and get an ATV for the hauling and plowing just because its fun to have another toy

So in this respect, I think the Ventrac 3000 series and its plow and mower attachments bring me way above budget, and really, isnt that machine overkill for what I need? Plus service is an issue. I live in the Niagara Region in Ontario Canada so Im not sure there are service sites close by. Id like to hear your opinion Ventrac. Thanks again.

I just wanted to make this thread because of all of the "no ZTR on slopes" stuff Ive read but a lot of you seem to think my current yard might be just fine, which is encouraging.

Sorry for the late reply Jim. It may be overkill for what you want especially if your budget is $6k. Many people buy our units just for the safety they can provide on slopes and for their great pushing power for removing snow, but work within your budget! I don't want to sell you something you don't need, but originally without knowing your budget I just wanted to bring some different ideas. :smile: Looking at your pictures, the slopes in your yard seem very minimal so any ZTR should be fine on those. As far as servicing, our dealer in Brantford that I believe you left a message with is phenomenal and would take care of you if you are ever interested down the road. Good luck :thumbsup:

 

[steved]

I mow slopes approaching 45* in parts of my yard with my Grasshopper 725k without issue. The nice thing about the Grasshopper is the tail wheel prevents any chance of tipping backwards and the low wide stance makes them very stable on side slopes. Those were the main selling points when I was looking at zero-turn mowers. But as the others, they are a commercial mower; and your going to pay for that durability.

The Grasshopper also has the ability to plow snow, and run a large snow blower.

 

[Slater]

I mow slopes approaching 45* in parts of my yard with my Grasshopper 725k without issue. The nice thing about the Grasshopper is the tail wheel prevents any chance of tipping backwards and the low wide stance makes them very stable on side slopes. Those were the main selling points when I was looking at zero-turn mowers. But as the others, they are a commercial mower; and your going to pay for that durability.

The Grasshopper also has the ability to plow snow, and run a large snow blower.

Nothing against Grasshoppers, they are great machines, but I do not think you know what 45 degrees is. Or were you saying 45% grade? Even that is 25 degrees. To mow 45 degrees 'without' issue, is near impossible with ANY machine. I don't care if the machine is rated for 50 degrees continuous operation, you will have a good bit of turf damage. For a unit like the 725k that I believe is rated for only 20 degrees at most, you would be dealing with a LOT of turf damage even if you can get on the side or up the hill. Plus it is 2WD with bar tires so good luck getting good traction on sides of slopes. You WOULD have issue with oil starvation as well if it was indeed 45 degrees. I could take my Ventrac up 45 degrees, but the engine isn't rated for that and even though it would go up it, it would still tear turf even with dual wheels (8 total tires) and the fact that it is AWD. Sure you could go down 45 degrees with the 725k, just don't try to stop. Would you take your 725k up a really large dam, levee, or outfall? Most of those are only 28 degrees with parts being over 30 degrees.

Lets just make sure we aren't misguiding other operators or purchasers who may make purchasing decisions and dumb operating mistakes because we 'think' we know what something is and that is now what they believe. Safety is the most important thing to think about and sometimes it isn't about whether it will do it, it is about whether you should do it and if you are safe, don't try to find the breaking point. Grab a 2x4 and get a slope indicator at a hardware store and go measure some slopes! :thumbsup:

Feel free to correct me on any point, lets just not get carried away :biggrin:

 

[BKBrown]

You are right Slater - check out the pictures of my slope gauge in the SURPRISE thread - 39 degree slope is possible for the Ventrac with Duals (8 wheels) mounted, but that is straight up and down and PUSHING the limits of traction. I would not attempt a 45 Degree Slope with anything unless teathered with a winch to a LARGE tree. and then the engine would be oil
starved quickly.

 

[steved]

Nothing against Grasshoppers, they are great machines, but I do not think you know what 45 degrees is. Or were you saying 45% grade? Even that is 25 degrees. To mow 45 degrees 'without' issue, is near impossible with ANY machine. I don't care if the machine is rated for 50 degrees continuous operation, you will have a good bit of turf damage. For a unit like the 725k that I believe is rated for only 20 degrees at most, you would be dealing with a LOT of turf damage even if you can get on the side or up the hill. Plus it is 2WD with bar tires so good luck getting good traction on sides of slopes. You WOULD have issue with oil starvation as well if it was indeed 45 degrees. I could take my Ventrac up 45 degrees, but the engine isn't rated for that and even though it would go up it, it would still tear turf even with dual wheels (8 total tires) and the fact that it is AWD. Sure you could go down 45 degrees with the 725k, just don't try to stop. Would you take your 725k up a really large dam, levee, or outfall? Most of those are only 28 degrees with parts being over 30 degrees.

Lets just make sure we aren't misguiding other operators or purchasers who may make purchasing decisions and dumb operating mistakes because we 'think' we know what something is and that is now what they believe. Safety is the most important thing to think about and sometimes it isn't about whether it will do it, it is about whether you should do it and if you are safe, don't try to find the breaking point. Grab a 2x4 and get a slope indicator at a hardware store and go measure some slopes! :thumbsup:

Feel free to correct me on any point, lets just not get carried away :biggrin:

The front yard I mow is almost a 45* angle from horizontal.

But I'm wrong, you know more about my yard than I do...

Have a nice day.

 

[Slater]

The front yard I mow is almost a 45* angle from horizontal.

But I'm wrong, you know more about my yard than I do...

Have a nice day.

Let's keep this civil. I challenged you to correct me on any of my points so we could keep a good conversation but instead ^^ comment. I don't know more about your yard than you do, but it sounds like I have a little more grasp on the laws of physics if you claim to mow 'without issue' on your 45 degree slope. I honestly don't care if you freewheel down your '45 degree slope' and have a nice flat area at the bottom, or whatever other scenario you have, but it comes back to safety and an inexperienced operator should NEVER be operating on anything remotely close to that. Sure, your probably experienced, but tell me how you know its 45 degrees, why you aren't dealing with oil starvation, take some photos and then maybe we can have a good conversation of how things actually are. I would be happy for you to prove me wrong.