My first ZTR

Kangel

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ZTRs are fun to mow with. I have 2.9 acres of which I mow about 1.5 acres. I have a 42" Craftsman rider, it takes about 1 hour to 1.5 hours to mow. I'm 63, retired, live on SS and mower repair jobs. If I had money 2 burn, which I don't, I might get a ZTR but only for the fun of it. My 42" Craftsman is going into its 12th season, have changed blades a couple times, belts once. but, I do take good care and keep it up.

If I had a suggestion for a purchase I would look seriously at Xmark, Scagg, and Toro. The Kawasaki motor on the Xmark is a great motor. As far as comfort goes, take a look at someone mowing with a ZTR.... the faster you go, the more you bounce. So, comfort is mowing at a moderate speed whether its a rider or a ZTR. As for one that will last many years, its all dependent on the TLC provided. :thumbsup:



I agree about TLC, I have a 2 Crafstmen, 42 and 46. The 46 is hydrostatic 20hp 1995 model and the 42 is a 1998 model both have kholer engines and have never had any motor issues at all. Oil changes all the time, blades,batteries, filters and belts keep them going. Kenny mentioned things about these throw away type mowers but I'm not sure I agree with that if you take care of them, heck these decks on mine are not top of the line decks and they still do the job. If I can't get a good decent ride with a top rated res ztr I would not be happy.
 

Black Bart

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Like Black Bart has said, a true commercial grade ZTR is going to be more $$...

It would seem you are wanting a machiene you are going to take care of and expect it to last... A comercial line mower will do that.
But with reasonable care, a few of the best made residential ZTR mowers could also handle 1 and a half acres for a long time with no more than regular parts replacement.

Could you suggest some of these residential mowers so I can look at them?
Kangel for us to give you good advice we need more info.

Will you do your own maintenance or will you take it to the dealer???????

How far are you willing to drive for parts and service and what brands are within that distance.

Kenny made a good point about easy maintenance, This spring I was shopping for a new ZTR and what I found was the JD Z Trak was much easier to service than the others that I looked at.

Some have sealed deck bearings this means no greasing but in time they will fail and it will cost 10 times more for repairs than what you would have spent on grease.

Simplicity has grease Zerk's but they are under the deck so you must jack it up clean under their so you can service it.

The JD you just flip up the floor board and the Zerk's are right their looking at you.

Same for cleaning and servicing the pumps and drive motors just flip the seat and everything is accessible.

Seldom mentioned but I consider resale value in 10 years if you want to sell the JD will bring far more $$$$$$$$ than the others making it a better value.

Lot of things to consider and only you know what is most important to you.

Since it is this late in the year if your Craftsman will run I would wait and buy next spring when the rebates are on or maybe this fall your dealer will be more willing to deal if he has any left over mowers.
 

Kangel

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Bart thanks for input as well as others, its very appreciated. I have always been a hands on guy with any job that I think I can handle so yeah I would do whatever I could possibly do with service. Parts except for batteries and blades I have always done with delivery. Like I mentioned in earlier post JD and Cub are the only real dealers around that I know of and the cub is 3 miles away. I could buy other brands but there not what I would call actual dealers, they sell differant mowers only and such. Simplicity looks good but you do a dealer search and all I see around knoxville,tn is shops like I describe, but Its sounding like I need to venture towards JD, but as far as resale, whatever I get I want to keep. Is the B&S ELS doing the job, I thought I read its not so good of a motor. I guess I need to see if there are anymore ACTUAL dealers close by of other brands, if so I will post.
 

Kangel

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Ok I have found more dealers. We have Gravely,JD,Cub,Ferris and Kubota. The Gravely zt hd 48 looks good with some nice reviews. I like the looks of a Ferris IS500z. The JD 645. Could I get some opinions before I go look at them all? :wink: I will probably buy next year though.
 

Black Bart

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Ok I have found more dealers. We have Gravely,JD,Cub,Ferris and Kubota. The Gravely zt hd 48 looks good with some nice reviews. I like the looks of a Ferris IS500z. The JD 645. Could I get some opinions before I go look at them all? :wink: I will probably buy next year though.
Glad you found some more choices.

Once again it depends on what you are looking for.

Like I said the JD will have a much higher resale, I know you say you will not sell but things happen that make us change our mind.

The Ferris will have the smoother ride due to the suspension.

I have not looked at a Gravely so won't comment.

Around here the commercial cutters use Exmark--John Deere and Grasshopper never seem to see much else.

If you talk to some commercial cutters in your area see what they think is the best machine and what dealer is best.

Decide what is important to you and go with that.

I read your post where you were happy with the service you got from the Craftsman and that tells me that any premium brand ZTR will leave you grinning from ear to ear.:biggrin:
 

robert

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Kangle, here is what I discovered too late; Exmark is poo, zt's look neat but in fact kinda sorta blow (harsh ride -unless you get a Ferris with rear suspension , and don't believe anyone that types the Ferris suspension does not work) the device is inherently prone to damaging turf, the engine is in the rear right smack in the middle of a dust storm, towing capacity is an issue, very few choices of implements and both hands are busy all the time-your really cannot relax even for a moment.

The gold standard for engines has always been the Kaw FX but more than one dealer has told me that Kawasaki is having trouble supplying parts, I, like you don't like Briggs but many do, the ELS and Professional, except the big blocks are nothing but the Intek line. And with the exception of Deere its the Intek line with inadequate air filtration, and-and with the Deere its the Intek with a funky 'cyclonic' air filter which is better than not having the 'cyclonic' air filter "with debris management system" (which it does NOT) but not anywhere as good as the FX with a true Donaldson style remote canister air filter.

As far as hydro drives here is what I also learned the hard way, everyone in the price range you are looking, and I mean everyone who is making zt mowers have cheaped out on the drives with only two exceptions (Snapper Pro is using the zt3100 and Ferris, while using the Briggs does use the tried and true pump/motors, both these have external spin on filters and fully serviceable true commercial drives. The zt2800, a very popular hydro in what is called the 'estate' class zt does have external filters, is serviceable but unfortunately does have what is called -powder- metal gears rather than cut steel gears

Bottom line, unless you are well into the 6k range everything is a compromise.

I wish I knew what I know now and saw this web site before I made the huge mistake of buying a zero turn;
betsy-tom (betsy-tom)'s Photos | SmugMug

scroll past all the text and look for the Cub Cadet section

Forget the zt, get as much gardent tractor you can afford-minding the engine and transmission- and you will be happy and more comfortable than those of us who have the zipiddy do daws......plus you will finish in about the same time, without leaving zt unioin labels all over the place and you will be better hydrated also.

Ask the next dealer you go to about making zero turns and grass damage.
 

Kangel

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Somethings in life Robert are not for everyone but I have notice there are also alot of happy campers out there all over the net that own a zt. I will be checking them out well thats for sure.
Thanks.:thumbsup:
 

robert

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kangle, there are alot of happy campers who -claim- to have a zt and that they are satisfied with the machine-- go the Scag link I provided and read for yourself what this maker of zt mowers says about the inherent nature of the product to scuff/damage grass.
Then go to the Briggs and Stratton website and read what they say about the abuse engines take in a zt application-many here would argue that Briggs doesn't know anything either....
I am confident that once you -know- about the zt you will say -no- to buying a zt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TqkLhIzkQ0
 

amnamalik

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The Z465 with a 62 inch deck retails at $5449.00 but in the spring they have factory rebates of about $350.00 plus most dealers will go a little under list.

In the Spring you could probably get one for 5K but today their is no rebates.
Only incentive now is 12 months same as cash NO INTEREST

Z445 with a 54 inch deck retails #4749.00

I agree with Bart you would have to buy Z465. Its better choice economy wise too.
 

Kangel

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Well today I went to look at my first zt....Exmark pioneer s series 48". With the 20hp Kawa..$6000, with the 22hp Kawa..$6500. $500 more for 2hp more?:eek:. Anyway it looked like a nice unit for my first look but I would say alot of them LOOK nice new. There price about right? The deck small wheel and not having another one seemed odd and when it comes to belt changes you would think the foot rest deck would raise up for easy access. Anyway thats my first look, JD,Gravely,Ferris and Simplicity left for now.
 
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