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Hey y'all I am a closet follower on here and get on here to try and fix issues I have had with my mowers in the past but only today signed in to ask a questions. I hope I have placed it in the right area. My buddy and I Used to mow grass in the summer to pay for school. We were lucky to just borrow the equipment from a friend of ours and had no overhead. The scholarships have run out and a friend and myself have been debating on whether or not this summer to work yards to pay for school once again. We go to a small college here in Georgia so costs are not too high and we have a second job as it is and do not to be making big money, just a supplement. What would yall suggest in the way of a zero turn mower that will hopefully find a good mix of low overhead and tuff enough quality? Perhaps and perfect mower suggestion with no financial barriers and then an economical suggestion. We will be doing small private yards in dense subdivisions. Thanks for the help gentlemen, I am eager to read the responses.

First, how much are you willing to spend for a ZTR.

Second, would you rather buy new or used.

Third, what size mower deck are you wanting.

Charles

I would check the dealers in your area, to see what they have in good used equipment and what the landscapers in the area are using. Don't just go by price, but make sure you are comfortable with the dealer. Remember, you will be buying used equipment and a good dealer will want you coming back, if everything works out.

Old Goat said:

First, how much are you willing to spend for a ZTR.

Second, would you rather buy new or used.

Third, what size mower deck are you wanting.

Charles

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I guess the table is open. Ideally as little as possible as to not take away from the retained earnings too much. I don't want to spend more than 4,000. I am okay with either new or used as long as I know what to look for in a used machine. I am thinking about going with a smaller deck since I will be doing small residential yards instead of large tracts.

doverpigpen said:

I guess the table is open. Ideally as little as possible as to not take away from the retained earnings too much. I don't want to spend more than 4,000. I am okay with either new or used as long as I know what to look for in a used machine. I am thinking about going with a smaller deck since I will be doing small residential yards instead of large tracts.

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if your not doing too big of jobs, why dont you go the walk behind mower route? with the standing attachment maybe?

metz12 said:

if your not doing too big of jobs, why dont you go the walk behind mower route? with the standing attachment maybe?

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Yes, if you don't want to go the zero-turn mower route, you could either get a walk-behind mower or a stand-on mower. With the walk-behind mower you can get a sulky for it.....see this thread for details on the different types of sulkies: http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/commercial-residential-lawn-mowing/13589-sulky.html.

doverpigpen said:

I guess the table is open. Ideally as little as possible as to not take away from the retained earnings too much. I don't want to spend more than 4,000. I am okay with either new or used as long as I know what to look for in a used machine. I am thinking about going with a smaller deck since I will be doing small residential yards instead of large tracts.

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If you are looking for a ZTR and don't want to spend over 4K try the Dixie Chopper Zee 2.I comes with a Kawasaki engine and in a 42" cut for $3799 and it will last you forever and if you want to sell the thing later you can get most of your money back. It will be all you need or want in a mower. Zee 2 | Dixie Chopper

I'm not a fan of how the Dixie Chopper looks. I prefer Gravely & Toro.

ghessler26 said:

I'm not a fan of how the Dixie Chopper looks. I prefer Gravely & Toro.

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I tend to agree with user ghessler26 that for around $4,000 a Gravely ZT HD 44"/48" or an Toro Titan ZX or MX 48" would get my money.

ghessler26 said:

I'm not a fan of how the Dixie Chopper looks. I prefer Gravely & Toro.

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To begin with I don't buy a mower based on looks. I prefer Toro also but were talking about under $4000 and anything with a price tag like that in the Toro line isn't much of a mower and can,t compete with the Dixie Chopper and as far as I know the same for Gravely. For $3799 you can't beat the Dixie Zee 2.

djdicetn said:

I tend to agree with user ghessler26 that for around $4,000 a Gravely ZT HD 44"/48" or an Toro Titan ZX or MX 48" would get my money.

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The mowers you are talking about, both are running from $4899 to $5200 before tax depending on the package you buy. The OP said he didn't want to spend over $4000. The other Thing about the Dixie Chopper is the warranty is an all around better warranty than either the Gravely or Toro.

Ric said:

To begin with I don't buy a mower based on looks.

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I agree with you on that!

lawn mower fanatic said:

I agree with you on that!

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YA know you would be surprised the number of people who buy a mower based on looks and color. If I lived in the woods and had to buy based on color I'd buy this one

they would never see it to steel it. :laughing:

Ric said:

YA know you would be surprised the number of people who buy a mower based on looks and color. If I lived in the woods and had to buy based on color I'd buy this one

View attachment 12484 they would never see it ti steel it. :laughing:

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Yeah I know I have seen that before.....it's pretty cool! :thumbsup: And if I wanted to buy the ugliest mower I would probably buy this one:

(http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/98Murray/yardman_zpsdd3c4144.jpg)

lawn mower fanatic said:

Yeah I know I have seen that before.....it's pretty cool! :thumbsup: And if I wanted to buy the ugliest mower I would probably buy this one:

(http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/98Murray/yardman_zpsdd3c4144.jpg)

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Yeah that's one ugly mower, it kinda reminds me of a toy my kid use to push around the sand box. Actually I think the colors they used were chosen to fashion the mower towards the JD.

Ric said:

Actually I think the colors they used were chosen to fashion the mower towards the JD.

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Yeah well I don't think they did a good job with the colors! :laughing:

Ric said:

YA know you would be surprised the number of people who buy a mower based on looks and color. If I lived in the woods and had to buy based on color I'd buy this one

View attachment 12484 they would never see it ti steel it. :laughing:

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Where's the gun rack?

Gravely ZT XL or Toro Timecutter MX

ghessler26 said:

Gravely ZT XL or Toro Timecutter MX

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The Gravely is more money and the Toro is less mower IMO because it has the 2200 transmission which is that EZT I believe

Ric said:

The mowers you are talking about, both are running from $4899 to $5200 before tax depending on the package you buy. The OP said he didn't want to spend over $4000. The other Thing about the Dixie Chopper is the warranty is an all around better warranty than either the Gravely or Toro.

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Ric,
I hadn't really thought about the 2013 price increases....my Gravely dealer was going to sell me a 54" ZT HD for right at $5K, but like you pointed out the 44" has a $4,899 MSRP and the 48" has a $4,999 MSRP for 2013. It may be difficult to get a dealer to sell one for $4,000 OTD(especially with the mowing season coming up). The Toro dealer was gonna sell me a 54" Titan ZX for $4406 so I figured a 48" would be close to $4K. I went by a dealer this morning(looking at utility trailers) and he did have a 2012 48" Titan ZX on clearance for $4199, but that was probably his low price without tax. It may be pretty difficult to find any ZTR with "near-commercial" quality for $4,000.....so that Dixie Chopper may well be worth looking at. I'm sure glad I bought my Gravely in the fall of 2012(I would have paid almost $1,300 more for it today:0(

Quality - Delivery - Price
MTD-Yardman is on the lighter side of quality: Delivery is good from multiple home supply outlets: Price is low in the category
Grasshopper is on the highest side of quality: Delivery is unpredictable because of dealership inventory costs and limits of local technical knowledge: Price is high .
I have used Grasshoppers to mow around trees and have become accustomed to "mulching" fallen limbs to the point of breaking blades without affecting belts or bearings. Experience has taught me that when you pay less you probably get less. MTD products function well but are produced with lighter materials and don't hold up well under Walnut trees that have dropped the fall crop of mower projectiles.
If the equipment is expected to last 2 or 10 years, cost and frequency of replacement or repair should be part of the decision making process

doverpigpen said:

Hey y'all I am a closet follower on here and get on here to try and fix issues I have had with my mowers in the past but only today signed in to ask a questions. I hope I have placed it in the right area. My buddy and I Used to mow grass in the summer to pay for school. We were lucky to just borrow the equipment from a friend of ours and had no overhead. The scholarships have run out and a friend and myself have been debating on whether or not this summer to work yards to pay for school once again. We go to a small college here in Georgia so costs are not too high and we have a second job as it is and do not to be making big money, just a supplement. What would yall suggest in the way of a zero turn mower that will hopefully find a good mix of low overhead and tuff enough quality? Perhaps and perfect mower suggestion with no financial barriers and then an economical suggestion. We will be doing small private yards in dense subdivisions. Thanks for the help gentlemen, I am eager to read the responses.

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doverpigpen,
Even though subsequently you stated that you doidn't want to spend over $4,000 below is what I would buy if I were starting a lawn care business:
1)48" to 52" deck(not too big for small yards, but not too small for large yards)
2)Strictly purchase a Make/Model that is rated for Commercial usage(or at least has a X-years/XXX Hours "Commercial Warranty" that comes with it.
3)Either a Zero Turn or Stander mower for maneuverability and acres/hour performance.
4)Some Make/Model suggestions would be - 52" Gravely Pro-Turn 200 XDZ, 48" Hustler X-One, 48" Exmark X-Series LZX680KC486, 48" Toro Z Master(2000 or 3000 series), 52" Toro Grandstand, 48" Wright Stander X.
5)Expect to spend between $6,000 and $10,000 to get a mower the quality of the examples I age in #4.