Looking for a Zero Turn mower that will last

[Hal9000]

I have less than a acre of almost flat land to mow. I have been looking at a Kubota Kommander Z122E-48 and a Exmark Pioneer 48'. They seem to be very identical in specs other than the engines. Kubota has a 22 hp Briggs and Stratton engine and Exmark has a Kohler ZT710. Does anyone have experience with either or both? Right now the Kubota is about $600 less in price.

 

[Shughes717]

I have less than a acre of almost flat land to mow. I have been looking at a Kubota Kommander Z122E-48 and a Exmark Pioneer 48'. They seem to be very identical in specs other than the engines. Kubota has a 22 hp Briggs and Stratton engine and Exmark has a Kohler ZT710. Does anyone have experience with either or both? Right now the Kubota is about $600 less in price.

Lol, either would be extreme overkill for your lawn. You will be fine with either mower. Take care of which ever mower you decide to purchase and it will last for ever. Personally I don't think you have to spend $4500 on a mower to get one that will last, but if it is in your budget then you will get a great mower.

 

[Hal9000]

Lol, either would be extreme overkill for your lawn. You will be fine with either mower. Take care of which ever mower you decide to purchase and it will last for ever. Personally I don't think you have to spend $4500 on a mower to get one that will last, but if it is in your budget then you will get a great mower.

I am open for suggestions on a good mower that is less expensive. From what I can tell you either have the Big Box Store mowers that you will have to wait weeks for them to service if something goes wrong, or you go to an independent dealer which sells low end commercial and up.

 

[Shughes717]

I am open for suggestions on a good mower that is less expensive. From what I can tell you either have the Big Box Store mowers that you will have to wait weeks for them to service if something goes wrong, or you go to an independent dealer which sells low end commercial and up.

You are right about that, but you aren't mowing a whole lot. If you can afford one of those mowers then go for it. Should be the last mower you will ever have to purchase if you take care of it. I purchased a higher end commercial 48" ztr mower and only had 1 acre to mow. Two years later I sold my home and purchased a house with 4.2 acres to mow. I'm glad I made the purchase now. Every brand offers a low end commercial mower similar to the ones you are looking at. Hustler, toro, gravely, snapper pro, scag, husqvarna , etc. They are all quality built machines with similar drive trains, and fabricated decks. If that is what you want then I suggest looking around your area to see what brands are available. The quality of the dealer should play into your decision. You can get a very good mower in the $4k range.

 

[Ric]

I have less than a acre of almost flat land to mow. I have been looking at a Kubota Kommander Z122E-48 and a Exmark Pioneer 48'. They seem to be very identical in specs other than the engines. Kubota has a 22 hp Briggs and Stratton engine and Exmark has a Kohler ZT710. Does anyone have experience with either or both? Right now the Kubota is about $600 less in price.

If I had to make a choice I'd buy the Exmark. The spec's on the mowers are not really identical, there trade offs on both mowers, the only thing I can see that the Kubota has over the Exmark are the 3100 drives but it has a B&S engine which isn't worth having. (JMO) The exmark has the Kohler ZT710 which is a far better engine than the B&S but it has the 2800 drives which are top end residential drives but they would be more than sufficient for what your mowing. Personally if I were spending the money your spending on those, I'd go a little more and buy the Hustler Fastrak 48, you'll get the Kawasaki engine which is better than both of the others you'll also get the 3100 commercial drives and little better BTS and a far better built mower, but like I said JMO

 

[shiftsuper175607]

I have less than a acre of almost flat land to mow. I have been looking at a Kubota Kommander Z122E-48 and a Exmark Pioneer 48'. They seem to be very identical in specs other than the engines. Kubota has a 22 hp Briggs and Stratton engine and Exmark has a Kohler ZT710. Does anyone have experience with either or both? Right now the Kubota is about $600 less in price.

Do you have many trees or obstacles to go around?
I also thought I wanted a ZT. I guess because they are the new fad.
Then I got a mower at our city auction.
I drive/mow with a John Deere LX277 and I really enjoy driving it.
it is not as fast as a ZT, but it steers good and turns good.
I now would consider a 300 series John Deere if I was looking.
Also a regular lawn tractor is easier to work on...IMO

 

[Shughes717]

Do you have many trees or obstacles to go around?
I also thought I wanted a ZT. I guess because they are the new fad.
Then I got a mower at our city auction.
I drive/mow with a John Deere LX277 and I really enjoy driving it.
it is not as fast as a ZT, but it steers good and turns good.
I now would consider a 300 series John Deere if I was looking.
Also a regular lawn tractor is easier to work on...IMO

How do you know a lawn tractor is easier to work on if you haven't owned a ztr mower? No hood in the way of the engine with a ztr mower. I have owned both, and I find that my ztr mower is very easy to service. Low end ztr mowers and lawn tractors both have similar drive trains, it's just easier to get to the engine on a ztr mower. Most ztr mowers also have a removable floor panel for easier access to the top of the deck. Which sounds easier to work on to you?

 

[Shughes717]

If I had to make a choice I'd buy the Exmark. The spec's on the mowers are not really identical, there trade offs on both mowers, the only thing I can see that the Kubota has over the Exmark are the 3100 drives but it has a B&S engine which isn't worth having. (JMO) The exmark has the Kohler ZT710 which is a far better engine than the B&S but it has the 2800 drives which are top end residential drives but they would be more than sufficient for what your mowing. Personally if I were spending the money your spending on those, I'd go a little more and buy the Hustler Fastrak 48, you'll get the Kawasaki engine which is better than both of the others you'll also get the 3100 commercial drives and little better BTS and a far better built mower, but like I said JMO

Exmark is a very well built mower, as is the hustler and the kubota. All of them are built well. I do disagree with Ric on one thing. I for one don't believe engine is going to be a big issue for the op because he is not even mowing an acre. Won't even put 4 hours a month on a mower like the ones he is considering. Any of the engine options available on those mowers should handle that with no issues. It's not like the op is going to be mowing commercially with it. I can't say that the kohler engine is better than the commercial turf either. Ric bases his opinion of briggs on their lower end engine line, which I don't like either. I also don't believe Ric has any experience with the commercial turf engine, therefore he cannot give an informed opinion. Their commercial turf engines have gotten some good reviews. There are some very knowledgable members on this site that have been using the commercial turf engines for a few years now (mad Mackie for one), and seem to be pleased with it.

 

[Ric]

Exmark is a very well built mower, as is the hustler and the kubota. All of them are built well. I do disagree with Ric on one thing. I for one don't believe engine is going to be a big issue for the op because he is not even mowing an acre. Won't even put 4 hours a month on a mower like the ones he is considering. Any of the engine options available on those mowers should handle that with no issues. It's not like the op is going to be mowing commercially with it. I can't say that the kohler engine is better than the commercial turf either. Ric bases his opinion of briggs on their lower end engine line, which I don't like either. I also don't believe Ric has any experience with the commercial turf engine, therefore he cannot give an informed opinion. Their commercial turf engines have gotten some good reviews. There are some very knowledgable members on this site that have been using the commercial turf engines for a few years now (mad Mackie for one), and seem to be pleased with it.

I base my opinion on the fact that I've run Kohler for years and never had an issues with any kohler engine. I base my opinion on the fact that I know B&S has never managed to break into the commercial market with any engine they ever made. I base my opinion on days like yesterday when you have probably 20- 25 of 50 post on the forum here with people who have and own the B&S engines and are all having issues with them. Look at the B&S forum, it has 43 pages of problems while Kohler Has 19 and Kawasaki has only 8 pages.... Really makes me want to run right out and buy a B&S... I base my opinion on working for too many years for the county and seeing to many B&S engines be replaced with kohlers so If he wants a ZT that's going to last I'd stay as far away from a B&S as I could.

 

[shiftsuper175607]

How do you know a lawn tractor is easier to work on if you haven't owned a ztr mower? No hood in the way of the engine with a ztr mower. I have owned both, and I find that my ztr mower is very easy to service. Low end ztr mowers and lawn tractors both have similar drive trains, it's just easier to get to the engine on a ztr mower. Most ztr mowers also have a removable floor panel for easier access to the top of the deck. Which sounds easier to work on to you?

OK... you win. I was referring to less expensive parts and more availability of parts on Ebay for example.
No hood on my LX277, so there....hahaha