looking for a zero turn 3.27 acres

[robert]

Parkmower, I would also like to opolgize to the op for you not providing any facts.

Tindal, well painfully slow progress is still preferable to no progress: so perhaps you are stating that for the op the purpose built zt may NOT be the best choice as the sole maching to acquire for the property size mentioned ?-AND perhaps, just perhaps also not suitable for the 'average' homeowner either??

 

[Chev]

I would like to apologize to the OP for the regression here.

What part of the subject line refers to the debate between ZT and GT?

The OP hasn't come back since page 2. :thumbsup:

 

[robert]

chev, you do need to apolgize to the op but for being 'confused' about the facts-on page two he posted words to the effect that he still liked the ztr but that he was not sure, he again posted on page three.

What some may find interesting is wording from the Husqvarna owners manual for the MZ6128ZT, the machine a member here uses and has gone on record as saying that he acquired only to mow grass and that this machine does this job 'well'....

Husqvarna states in the owners manual :

"This machine is constructed only for mowing grass on lawns and even ground without obstacles such as stones, tree stumps, etc."

"Zero turn can be acheived by moving one control backward (behind the neutral position) and carefully moving the other steering control forward from its neutral position"

'they may damage the turf due to overly agressive maneuvers'

Parkmower, Blackbart, Tindal and KennyV : with regard to making a true zero turn: will you all go on record as stating that another maker of zt mowers knows not of what they speak? :biggrin:

 

[Tindal]

Robert , I think you are confused , I havent said that I want a ZT to tow ! also it says if you are :laughing: you may damage turff , Im ok with that , I have had my GTs tires dig grass from wheel spin when I have been overly agressive with it also , but I didnt go back and read the book to see if they put that in the book . if they tried to write a book on common sense , you couldnt carry it and it would take a lifetime to read it . I think most people here get this whole concept . I learned a long time ago that if you wrestle a hog in a mud hole , the only thing will happen is that you get muddy and the hog loves to get muddy ! So I dont want to get muddy ! IM done .:laughing:

 

[Sammy the Red]

Husqvarna states in the owners manual :

"This machine is constructed only for mowing grass on lawns and even ground without obstacles such as stones, tree stumps, etc."........... :biggrin:

Yup, they put that in there for the dummies that can't figure out how to properly use a Z-turn and tend to buy on the cheap. :biggrin: :biggrin:

 

[Mad Mackie]

I'm going to add to the mix!! I have mowed commercially for years with high rear wheel Case/Ingersoll GTs with collection systems. Very seldom did I tear up turf with these machines. I bought a new Scag Tiger Cub with a collection system in 2008. It took me almost a year to get accustomed to operating this machine and I came close to selling it. It takes carefull operation of a ZTR so as not to tear up turf and this takes time and patience. Many times I find myself taking wide turns to reduce the turf damage and I did this with my GTs. Turf conditions contribute about 80% as to the likelyhood of damage, and 20% to the operator. What I mean by this is the thickness, moisture content, moss content, and density of the turf contribute to it's survival while turning a ZTR. Most ZTRs have a ridgid frame which demands more operator expertise. Longer frame and taller rear tires reduce the turf problem. ZTRs with wheel motors and pumps are more responsive to operator control than hydrostatic and mechanical clutch models, but are more expensive.
The tendancy to mow and make turns at too fast of a speed is a ZTR characteristic that requires attention by the operator.
The big thing for me is that I could remove and clean the decks on my GTs very easily but not so with my ZTR and it gets crudded up sooner than my GT decks do.
Another major consideration is that a ZTR will only mow grass. My Gts will mow, tow, plow snow, blow snow, and take many attachments that are not usable on ZTRs.
Mad Mackie in CT:biggrin:

 

[robert]

Mad Mackie, great post, thank you.

Tindal, Sammy - the largest maker of power equipment in the world AND a very major player in the zt market say the same thing and this means nothing to some here, really you boys are amazing.

Everything that can be said has been said, in closing I would advise every homeowner agonizing over the purchase of a zt to read what Scag says, what Husqvarna says, and what Briggs says about the inherent nature of the zt mower.

Then read what Mad Mackie typed, then read it again, again and once more..........

Good luck in you decison and above all else get an extended demo or buy from a source that will take the machine back in the event that you, like I realize that a huge mistake was made in the original purchase.

I quickly discovered that the zt was not the right machine for me-the typical homeowner-don't make the same expensive mistake that I made.

 

[Sammy the Red]

The big thing for me is that I could remove and clean the decks on my GTs very easily but not so with my ZTR and it gets crudded up sooner than my GT decks do.

That may be true with some Z-turns, but not all.
On my Z-turn I can clean the deck and change blades very easily in about 10 minutes.

Another major consideration is that a ZTR will only mow grass. My Gts will mow, tow, plow snow, blow snow, and take many attachments that are not usable on ZTRs.
Mad Mackie in CT:biggrin:

Again....... That may be true with some Z-turns, but not all.
Some Z-turns you can mount a leaf blower, a plugger, a broom, a push blade, a sprayer and tow.

 

[Mad Mackie]

The attachments that you are speaking about are minor front mounted units that most any thing that moves on it's own power can accomodate. I have been cutting up trees in my woods that came down this summer and fall from storms and hauling out the cut up wood and there is no way that my ZTR could ever do this.
I have a pit in my garage and I position my ZTR over the pit, remove the blades and clean the deck. Of course the collection blower and hose must be removed beforehand. I'm 68 with torn rotor cuffs on both shoulders!!!
I'm not condemning ZTRs but you all need to realize that what they do they do well and that is mow grass on smooth and fairly level areas and basically that is all. I had to give up several lawn customers that I had because the Scag wouldn't do the job and did scalping on others. I did finally learn how to avoid the scalping by operator technique. Another big thing about ZTRs is that they steer with the rear wheels and you have no control of the front wheels and sliding sideways on hills is of concern. This is stated in my Scag operators manual and I have experienced this first hand several times by sliding sideways out into the street. This caused me to have to spend more time trimming than I do when using my GTs. I have a 48" JRCO dethatcher for my Scag and it is a great combination for dethatching, pushing small branches, and moving leaves around. but this same dethatcher also works fine on my GTs but on both I still have to get off the machine to raise it up.
The cargo trailer that I use for lawn care isn't long enough to carry both the Scag and a GT as I keep other equipment forward in the trailer. I do more than just lawn care, had to get out my chainsaw with a 28" bar last week to bring down some trees for a customer, had to use my GT to haul out the cut wood, then had to get my ZTR to cleanup the grassy areas that I could get to.
To sum up, ZTRs are great for what they do best and that is mowing fairly smooth and level lawns and they do it quicker than the a GT. But a GT will do lots more if you have the need to perform other functions.
For the $9,600 that I spent on the Scag with a collection system, I could have bought a new Ingersoll GT with a deck and a collection system and I was familiar with the Ingersoll units as I already had two of them. I got caught up in the ZTR hype that my fellow lawn care buddies were pushing at me and my Ingersolls were/are high time tractors.
Mad Mackie in CT:thumbsup::biggrin:

 

[Mad Mackie]

I need to make additional comments regarding mowing on hills with a ZTR. I try to mow up hill and not sideways. This means that I have to turn the ZTR around on the lever and back it straight down the hill and mow up. I very seldom had to do this with my GTs and for the most part I'm doing the same lawns. I use the collection systems almost exclusively as most of my customers cut back on the number of mowings to cut back on their outgoing dollars. I only mow where I can nearby dispose of the clippings and not have to carry them out. My Scag has a 13 bushel capacity and sometimes I empty 5-7 times during a mowing.
Mad Mackie in CT:laughing::biggrin: