my first ZTR!

[brettd]

I am looking to buy my first zero turn mower. I have just under 2 acres and will soon be mowing my father in laws property all together will be just under 5 acres. Trying to stay in the 5K range but will pay for quality. After initial gathering of info i am more confused than informed. I would like to be entry level commercial. I have heard good about Kubota, Scag, Toro, Husqvarna and Snapper. Taking several things into consideration I have narrowed it down to Kubota ZG127S, Husqvarna MZ-series simply because of local service. The huskie dealer is a mile from my house and the Kubota 20 miles. My local dealer can sell Scag but doesn't carry them should they be in the mix. This will be residential mowing. Some of the questions i have:

Briggs commercial vs Kawasaki - Heard good about briggs as long as it is commecial series. Cyclonic air flow aplus?
Alluminum vs cast iron spindle - Lots I will mow are pretty clear of any possible debris that might shear a spindle. Anything I need to know?
Have heard that the Kubota is much heavier than most in its class. Can cause tire tracking in grass? is this much of a concern?

I look forward to hearing some responses to start settling the dust.

 

[djdicetn]

I am looking to buy my first zero turn mower. I have just under 2 acres and will soon be mowing my father in laws property all together will be just under 5 acres. Trying to stay in the 5K range but will pay for quality. After initial gathering of info i am more confused than informed. I would like to be entry level commercial. I have heard good about Kubota, Scag, Toro, Husqvarna and Snapper. Taking several things into consideration I have narrowed it down to Kubota ZG127S, Husqvarna MZ-series simply because of local service. The huskie dealer is a mile from my house and the Kubota 20 miles. My local dealer can sell Scag but doesn't carry them should they be in the mix. This will be residential mowing. Some of the questions i have:

Briggs commercial vs Kawasaki - Heard good about briggs as long as it is commecial series. Cyclonic air flow aplus?
Alluminum vs cast iron spindle - Lots I will mow are pretty clear of any possible debris that might shear a spindle. Anything I need to know?
Have heard that the Kubota is much heavier than most in its class. Can cause tire tracking in grass? is this much of a concern?

I look forward to hearing some responses to start settling the dust.

For a high-end residential unit the Husqvarna M-ZT 52 is VERY good bang for your buck and "may" handle regular mowing of close to 5 acres(MSRP is about $5499). Another good comparison to the Kubota Kommander ZG127 would be a Gravely ZT HD 52(MSRP of $5099) and my real suggestion for 5 acres would be the Gravely entry-evel Commercial ZTR which is a Pro-Turn 52(MSRP of $6199) because that much use with a Residential ZTR would be OK as long as you stay on top of all maintenance(of course you would want to do that with any new ZTR you bought......right:0)
I recomment the Kawasaki engines(considered the best all-around reliable small engine), the cast-iron spindles add not only durability but longevity and all the brands you mentioned make good ZTR's. If you up the anty to a $6k-$7k budget you will find a slew of good machines that will mow 5 acres without breaking a sweat and last a very long time.

 

[RatRacer]

Welcome to LMF!

As it stands right now with your scenario, I wouldn't hesitate to throw my MZ at that as long as it's once a week deal for each. Yeah a Kawi would make the MZ about perfect, with their torgue, but we'll see how well it holds up. I take the word "cyclonic" (Dyson catch word) with a grain of salt, cause I'm not vacuuming the lawn.

Your dealer should have loaner/demo models for you to try, if he really is in it for sales.

 

[brettd]

Thank you guys for the quick responses. We are in the middle of the season, will there be price discounts at the end of the season?

I took my first test drive today on the M zt52. Just in the parking lot. Has cast iron spindles, 3400 hydros. I could hear the Hydros when I moved the sticks. they seemed to have whine to them. Is this normal? Concerned they are working too hard and may need to be replaced. The only other machine avail for test drive was a snapper Z200 61". Had 5400 hydros with a 30hp briggs. Could really tell the difference in stability and speed. i know its not apples to apples but its all I could see at the time. The dealer did come down from 5499 to 4919 on the Huskie though.

Going to test the Kubota ZG127S in the nextt couple days. The Kubota dealer also carries gravley so i will check that out as well.

Thanks again

 

[djdicetn]

Thank you guys for the quick responses. We are in the middle of the season, will there be price discounts at the end of the season?

I took my first test drive today on the M zt52. Just in the parking lot. Has cast iron spindles, 3400 hydros. I could hear the Hydros when I moved the sticks. they seemed to have whine to them. Is this normal? Concerned they are working too hard and may need to be replaced. The only other machine avail for test drive was a snapper Z200 61". Had 5400 hydros with a 30hp briggs. Could really tell the difference in stability and speed. i know its not apples to apples but its all I could see at the time. The dealer did come down from 5499 to 4919 on the Huskie though.

Going to test the Kubota ZG127S in the nextt couple days. The Kubota dealer also carries gravley so i will check that out as well.

Thanks again

I bought my Gravely mid-September and saved about $1K out-the-door compared to the MSRP plus tax(another incentive for the dealer was that I was going to pay cash and pick it up). The only problem with buying in the fall is you can only get a good deal on their existing inventory and they want "full price" to "order something they don't have on hand". They do want to sell all existing inventory to clear out room for the next year models that will be arriving late fall/early winter for the next season and they will bargain just like a car dealer before the new models arrive.
My Gravely had the ZT-3400 trannies and they do "make a noise" that could be interpreted as "whining" but I would think that unless it is real loud or you feel some type of vibration it's probably just normal. The ZT-3400 are commercial rated trannies and are heavy duty so I wouldn't worry(especially since buying a new ZTR would include them in the warranty). Yeah...be sure when you compare different brands to make certain the models are "similar enough" to be an apples-to-apples comparison(aside from a few different components and the prices). If that Snapper was a $7K machine, that would explain the 5400 trannies and the better ride/handling compared to the M-ZT 52.