Looking for a Zero Turn mower that will last

[Ric]

How many vanguards have you run? I can tell you from experience they are very powerful, reliable, fuel efficient engines. They are every bit as good as the fx series Kawi engine. You can argue all day long, but the fact remains that you can't back your opinions because you have no experience with these engines. End of story

Never owned a vg, never liked daihatsu engine either. I own a Ford but I don't need to own a dodge or shove it and lay or gmc to know what they are. I can read and do a little research on things before I buy. Like you say You can argue this all day long and there isn't anything said here that isn't just an opinion. You have the right to yours and I have the right to mine.

 

[Shughes717]

Never owned a vg, never liked daihatsu engine either. I own a Ford but I don't need to own a dodge or shove it and lay or gmc to know what they are. I can read and do a little research on things before I buy. Like you say You can argue this all day long and there isn't anything said here that isn't just an opinion. You have the right to yours and I have the right to mine.

I agree, I just try to give an unbiased informed opinion rather than one based with absolutely no experience with the product.

 

[Ric]

To answer your first ? When I went to purchase my mower I also based my opinion of briggs by their low end engine line. The commercial turf had just come out and there weren't many reviews out on them, so I didn't give it a chance. The second reason is that I had a particular budget and the mower I purchased had the best options available to me for what my wife would allow me to spend. I am a huge fan of the fx series Kawi engine, and if I had to do it again I would still choose the fx series Kawi over the commercial turf engine. However, I do consider the commercial turf engine at least comparable to the fs series Kawi. As I mentioned earlier, my father has an s200xt with the vanguard and it is a great engine. I just couldn't afford a mower with the vanguard.

The reason briggs allows ferris/snapper pro to offer the other engine options is for closed minded people such as yourself. Just like with automobiles, many people are brand loyal and will only purchase a mower with an engine that they know. If they didn't offer all three engine options then they would lose out on the opportunity to sell to those who prefer the other engines. I for one think it is very forward thinking of ferris/snapper pro to offer all three engines. It gives the consumer choice of what drive train they prefer. Why doesn't toro only offer their toro engine? You keep side stepping my questions, just like always. How can you give such an opinion? Have you ever used a mower with the engines in question?

OH ouch, does mommy keep you on a short leash well that's ok that's why I have the 2000 instead of the 5000 but we don't need to talk about that. I'd consider the commercial turf engine to be comparable to the FR series Kawasaki, I run the FS and that would be insulting.:smile: I really don't think B&S is interested in competing in the commercial mower market anymore, with what I've been seeing and the way they buy crap up my guess is there more competing with MTD and working on the homeowner and selling out of BBS. I think that's why Honda stopped making their riders and concentrated on their small engines. They all figure that's where the real money is at.
Well I gotta get off this thing for a while, Monster week on animal planet is ending tonight and beside we've give them enough entertainment here for a while.

 

[Shughes717]

OH ouch, does mommy keep you on a short leash well that's ok that's why I have the 2000 instead of the 5000 but we don't need to talk about that. I'd consider the commercial turf engine to be comparable to the FR series Kawasaki, I run the FS and that would be insulting.:smile: I really don't think B&S is interested in competing in the commercial mower market anymore, with what I've been seeing and the way they buy crap up my guess is there more competing with MTD and working on the homeowner and selling out of BBS. I think that's why Honda stopped making their riders and concentrated on their small engines. They all figure that's where the real money is at.
Well I gotta get off this thing for a while, Monster week on animal planet is ending tonight and beside we've give them enough entertainment here for a while.

Yeah I rule the roost, but momma rules the rooster.:laughing: snapper pro and ferris both only offer commercial mowers. Don't sell them out of bbs either. You are wasting your time, because your opinion has no basis of knowledge. I gotta go too. We will pick this up later ric. As always I enjoy our battles.

 

[Hal9000]

Well it looks like there had been a lot of back and forth here and not sure there is any information that shows I should go one way or the other.

Let me pose this question, Is there a mower out there that is closer to the 3000-4000 dollar range, that has a good engine and will last a while (with proper maintenance)?

 

[Shughes717]

Well it looks like there had been a lot of back and forth here and not sure there is any information that shows I should go one way or the other.

Let me pose this question, Is there a mower out there that is closer to the 3000-4000 dollar range, that has a good engine and will last a while (with proper maintenance)?

You are going to get a different opinion from everyone on this site. The truth is that all of the major brands offer a similar drive train. They will last if not abused, properly maintained, and properly stored. You should go with the mower you like best.

 

[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.

Well it looks like there had been a lot of back and forth here and not sure there is any information that shows I should go one way or the other.

Let me pose this question, Is there a mower out there that is closer to the 3000-4000 dollar range, that has a good engine and will last a while (with proper maintenance)?

If you look at your first post and the two mowers you are looking at: You have a Kubota that has a 22 hp Briggs and Stratton engine and 3100 drives and if I'm not mistaken the 3100 drives are commercial drives. OTOH you have the Exmark with a I believe 19hp Kohler engine and 2800 residential drives, it's a smaller engine and residential drives and by all accounts should be a cheaper mower but yet the Kubota is $600 less in price. I think you answered your own question when you said They seem to be very identical in specs other than the engines.

To answer your second question yes there are other mowers in the 3 and $4000 price range that would be more than sufficient for your needs. IN the $4000 range I'd look at the Hustler Raptor SD it comes with a 23HP Kawasaki FR691 with a BTS of better than 18,600, 2800 drives and Fabricated decks.

 

[Shughes717]

If you look at your first post and the two mowers you are looking at: You have a Kubota that has a 22 hp Briggs and Stratton engine and 3100 drives and if I'm not mistaken the 3100 drives are commercial drives. OTOH you have the Exmark with a I believe 19hp Kohler engine and 2800 residential drives, it's a smaller engine and residential drives and by all accounts should be a cheaper mower but yet the Kubota is $600 less in price. I think you answered your own question when you said They seem to be very identical in specs other than the engines.

To answer your second question yes there are other mowers in the 3 and $4000 price range that would be more than sufficient for your needs. IN the $4000 range I'd look at the Hustler Raptor SD it comes with a 23HP Kawasaki FR691 with a BTS of better than 18,600, 2800 drives and Fabricated decks.

The hustler raptor would suit the op's needs. I am interested to know what brands are available to the op? He can get a snapper pro s50xt with 3100 hydros and a 19 hp fx series Kawi engine for $4500 (commercial mower). Can get a Husqvarna mz for similar price. Or a scag liberty. There are many options out there. The Kubota or the Exmark would also be good choices. Toro Titan would be another. It boils down to what the op can get, dealer quality, and what he/she likes the best out of the available models in their area.

 

[Hal9000]

The hustler raptor would suit the op's needs. I am interested to know what brands are available to the op? He can get a snapper pro s50xt with 3100 hydros and a 19 hp fx series Kawi engine for $4500 (commercial mower). Can get a Husqvarna mz for similar price. Or a scag liberty. There are many options out there. The Kubota or the Exmark would also be good choices. Toro Titan would be another. It boils down to what the op can get, dealer quality, and what he/she likes the best out of the available models in their area.

SCAG, Kabota, Exmark, and Snapper are the options. I actually purchased a SCAG Liberty at the beginning of the season. However, it had an electrical issue from the first mow (would lose power during mowing, battery would die, fuses would blow) and could not be repaired after 3 attempts so the Dealership gave me my money back. SCAG however, told me these things happens and that they wouldn't give me a replacement mower or refund my money. So I would prefer not to go back to SCAG since they don't want to support their products when their are obvious issues.

Now, These dealerships also sell Husqvarna and Hustler. However, every time I talk to them about mowers, they keep pushing the $5000+ mower on me. Telling me that the other mowers are cheaper but you get what you pay for. I feel like I am dealing with used car salesman.

Talking to people about going to a Big Box store to get a mower usually always goes down the path of no service, crappy construction of mowers, bad engines, etc....

TBH, buying a mower has been a very unpleasant experience and I have to get a mower very soon. Otherwise my yard will be a jungle.

 

[Shughes717]

SCAG, Kabota, Exmark, and Snapper are the options. I actually purchased a SCAG Liberty at the beginning of the season. However, it had an electrical issue from the first mow (would lose power during mowing, battery would die, fuses would blow) and could not be repaired after 3 attempts so the Dealership gave me my money back. SCAG however, told me these things happens and that they wouldn't give me a replacement mower or refund my money. So I would prefer not to go back to SCAG since they don't want to support their products when their are obvious issues.

Now, These dealerships also sell Husqvarna and Hustler. However, every time I talk to them about mowers, they keep pushing the $5000+ mower on me. Telling me that the other mowers are cheaper but you get what you pay for. I feel like I am dealing with used car salesman.

Talking to people about going to a Big Box store to get a mower usually always goes down the path of no service, crappy construction of mowers, bad engines, etc....

TBH, buying a mower has been a very unpleasant experience and I have to get a mower very soon. Otherwise my yard will be a jungle.

It sounds like you have had some bad experiences with your local dealers. You should look for a dealer who gets good reviews and go talk to them. Dealer support is very important when purchasing a mower. If there are any problems with your new mower you want to know the dealer stands behind the product they sell. I would also stay away from your scag dealer if they wouldn't make it right. All of the other brands you mentioned offer good mowers. If you have a limit on your budget keep to it. You know what you can afford. A $4k mower is more than enough machine for an acre. I mentioned some models to consider. I went with snapper pro because I too had a budget. Got the most bang for my buck, but all of them are quality machines. You just have to go kick the tires on all of them and go with the dealer/ mower you like best. There is no "best mower out there for $4k". They are all well made. The engines and hydros on all are manufactured by the same companies. Once you get past that you are paying for whatever extra features each brand offers and paint color.