looking for a zero turn 3.27 acres

[earthworm]

I, for one ,am an old retired opinionated man..
But <IMO< the ZT is the best type of mower....in the preponderance of cases.... I have but 0.46 of an acre to mow and I must have the exercise....so, its an Ariens with caster wheels for me..
At this point in time... it may change tomorrow.
I have also written that manuals in general are useless.. 90% is either a foreign language(s) and or the safety nazi agenda.....and this is utterly silly.... a waste of good paper...
And to prove that man can design and publish a good manual, try the Roche - Accu Chek site.
IMO, impressive.

 

[robert]

Ric, if all you want to do is mow and if you mow for a living the zt does offer the advantage of possibly reducing trimming time under some circumstances additionally with some of the larger trailers the zt can be driven up then pivoted sidways on the bed thus taking up less room-but really thats it.

For the average homeowner and the majority of larger property owners a good gt will mow really as fast as any zt, will offer more comfort and of course will offer more capabilities.

Kevin, thanks, would you agree that any zt is very limited in capabilities compared to a gt?

 

[jenkinsph]

Robert,
What is the blade tip speed on your Cub Cadet?

 

[Ric]

Ric, if all you want to do is mow and if you mow for a living the zt does offer the advantage of possibly reducing trimming time under some circumstances additionally with some of the larger trailers the zt can be driven up then pivoted sidways on the bed thus taking up less room-but really thats it.

For the average homeowner and the majority of larger property owners a good gt will mow really as fast as any zt, will offer more comfort and of course will offer more capabilities.

Kevin, thanks, would you agree that any zt is very limited in capabilities compared to a gt?

If all You want to do is mow and if you mow for a living the ztr does offer the advantage?

I guess my ztr will not push or pull anything? If that's the case why then do they make things like Snow blowers, Snow Plows, Broom attachments, Broadcast Spreaders, Aerators for Zt's and probably a lot of other attachments if you would care too look.
The only limited capabilities here are the capabilities of your mind.

 

[robert]

jenkinsph, I don't know that but I am curious perhaps Kevin can help out. What I do know about blade tip speed is that this subject is as misunderstood as the entire zt v tractor topic. Blade tip speed, like forward speed is a marketing gimmick designed to sell equipment to naive homeowners.

I do know this, my poopy Exmark Quest's-with the fancy fab deck- blade tip speed was in the neighborhood of 18,000 and my Cub GT2000 (with the same size deck) cuts the turf in MY yard at least as good, cuts high turf much better and disperses clippings much, much, much better-whether or not this means that the Cub has the same, lower or higher tip speed I don't know, my non pro mind fully comprehends that there are many variables which affect the quality of cut AND what is NOT among these variables is the type of machine or, most importantly; the name brand of the machine-just as I fully comprehend, after owning and using both a zt and now a gt, that any lt/gt will cut the grass in the average homeowners yard in /virtually/ the same amount of time as any zt.

This I found out the hard/expensive way and this is what I am determined to let everyone who is in the market for a new machine know about; no agenda, just facts (with the links).

So again, hopefully Kevin can help out with the tip speed and maybe he can also provide a spec which I have been unable to find, the weight of my great Cub GT2000 with the 42" stamped deck..

 

[Chev]

I know why my Cub Cadet Tank CAN destroy turf.

If I screw up and slam the levers forward, the machine is too heavy to accelerate at that rate. The same power that lets me pull wheelies can be used to destroy turf. Some throttle control goes a long way. I have mowed my new fine fescue twice since I sowed it this fall and so far no damage.

In the lower yard where I am not so worried about turf management, I have some nice beauty rings, but it's my toy and I can play with it how I want. :laughing:

 

[robert]

Chev, its called the 'Tank' for a good reason :thumbsup: :laughing:

 

[earthworm]

I see several problems here, one is " a little knowledge is a dangerous thing". Another is "scientific data is comprised of many exact anecdotal events, the more input, the better..
But the input must be used very carefully.
I gather that most (but not Robert)agree that the ZT used on 2 plus acres (more or less) is superior to the garden tractor.
I really should not be arguing this as I do not use nor own a ZT.
But I do use a GT , and old one to mow my 0.46 arcre... and I know it is non-scientific to compare a $150 machine to a $1500 one.
Its also wrong to compare an old machine to a new one....
But ,I can think and reason..
The tractor for the open field...
The lawn mower for the large lawn.
The use of the appropriate equipment is common sense.
And the ZT is a lawn mower for large lawns..Interesting that the better ZTs can handle attachments, I did not know this.

 

[Chev]

Any one of the many motorcycles I have owned in my life would flip you on your head, or peel out given a ham fisted approach.

I guess I'm just lucky I don't intentionally try and destroy myself, my equipment, or my lawn.

 

[Sammy the Red]