looking for a zero turn 3.27 acres

[Black Bart]

Black Bart, how big is your property?

I live in a small town and my lot is 1/2 acre.

Before you point out that chart that says I need a little tiny thing I don't buy that crap for a minute.
No way I'm going to make a career out of mowing lawn.

I have far too many things I would rather be doing than riding around on a little tractor and
then spending 45 minutes mowing the spots that the tractor could not get.

I had 2 failed back surgeries and walking is nearly impossible NO WAY will I ever park my front deck and mow with a little tractor so that I can spend 45 minutes walking behind a hand mower.

My hand mower has not been started all year and that suits me just fine.

If I had to mow 3 acres I would buy a 66" Swisher pull behind and pull it behind my JD Z Trak.

Years ago I lived on a big lot in the country and I had 2 pull behind mowers one on each side.

When I got home on Friday eve. I could cut the lawn in 20 minutes and be on my way to the lake for the weekend. :biggrin:

Even when my health was good I could always find things that I would rather do than mow the lawn.

 

[robert]

BlackBart, my GT could mow your lot in about 15 minutes running on one cylinder (its a twin)..

Our new Cub GT is far more comfortable to operate than the Exmark was, I find it difficult to believe that your GrassHopper is easier on your back than your tractor but as I have not spent much time on one I'll take your word for this.

 

[Black Bart]

BlackBart, my GT could mow your lot in about 15 minutes running on one cylinder (its a twin)..

Our new Cub GT is far more comfortable to operate than the Exmark was, I find it difficult to believe that your GrassHopper is easier on your back than your tractor but as I have not spent much time on one I'll take your word for this.

You don't exaggerate do you Robert.
It takes 45 minutes to mow my lawn with my JD tractor with 46 inch deck but that is not the bad part it is the 45 minutes with a hand mower to cut what the tractor could not get that I don't like.

With the JD EZ Trak I don't use the hand mower I can cut everything with the ZTR.
All a matter of what you prefer walk and push a mower or ride and be done.

If you don't have any off set in your lot and ALL buildings are build with no off set in them then a tractor will cut all of it but it will still take more time.

If I lived closer to you I would bring my ZTR to your place and show you I can cut your lawn in half the time of your tractor.

I'm aware of the problems you had with the ZTR but just because you could not master it don't mean no one on planet earth can't.

You would not believe how much faster I would cut your lawn.:laughing:

 

[robert]

BB, remember I -had- a zt so I do speak with some experience and my finding was that the zt was only a tiny bit faster, far less comfortable and, since you insist in bringing the topic up again, far more damaging to the turf than the GT is. Remember that it is not only I that say this, but for some reason you, and others here want to pin this topic, the inherent nature of zt mowers to damage turf, on me and that really is fine.
This seems to drive you and many others here bananas but IT IS impossible to make zero turn on turf without causing damage, my expereince confirms this and Scag states the same. I can understand you ignoring and taking exception to me making this point but why you persist on completely disregarding Scag's position on the matter is interesting to me.

In the end however, all that matters is that you are satisfied with your mower; I am curious though as to whether or not you took a proper demo of the Ferris full suspension machine-or do you maintain that this system is not effective?

 

[Tindal]

look at the Husky MZ6128zt , I just bought one for 4995.00 and this thing is fast and powerful.61 inch cut , 1/4 inch deck . it has the hydro gear 3400 drives , comfy seat . its fun to cut grass now , used to take 3 hours with a 48inch GT now 1 hour 10 min . there is no mower out there with better value for the money.K.T.

 

[robert]

Tindal, you raise a valid point; I don't think that anyone-myself included-would argue that operating a zt is not 'fun'.

 

[jenkinsph]

While a zt mower is faster than a gt mower I agree with that, what do the zt guys do about the other chores such as fertilizing and aerating the lawns?

My x749 will mow about 6 mph on my lawn but has to slow down on most of my customer lawns which are too rough. My transport speed is about 8.5 mph but that is faster than I like to mow. I can mow my 3.25 acre property which has about 2.6 acres of grass in a little over two hours. That is a mix of smaller conjested areas and a 1.5 acre open area with a few trees to mow around. The x749 rides a lot better than my older L130 riding mower and is more agile too. I really chose the gt for it's versatility with attachments and low center of gravity on slopes. It operates a 48" tiller and other attachments in close quarters where the compact tractors won't fit. This has reduced the amount of hand labor needed to renovate lawns for my work.

Would I consider a zt mower? Definately, but would still need the other machines to do the balance of the work.

 

[Fiona]

In my mind , it is not so safe to use a ZTR, fast and not stable. I think you can use a ride on mower, especially on weekend, just like entertainment time.:laughing:

 

[robert]

yes, especially on slopes/inclines and slippery conditions

 

[Tindal]

In my mind , it is not so safe to use a ZTR, fast and not stable. I think you can use a ride on mower, especially on weekend, just like entertainment time.:laughing:

Have you driven a ZT mower before? or is it all in your mind? I mean no disrespect ,but some people may not be capable at driving a ZT as well as a GT . I have 3 GTs and a deisel tractor with a woods finish mower , and the ZT is my favorite and the fastest by far to cut grass with. I do agree that you need to be capable of operating any machinery at a comfortable and safe level . 2 weeks ago I was on the Charlotte motor speedway at 180 mph , was it safe? well im still here.:licking: