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My zero turn makes my shoulders ache

#1

L

Longarm

Greetings and thank you for welcoming me to your forum.

My 16 year old Toro zero turn and my shoulders are no longer compatible. I anticipate having to replace it and am looking for something that is easier on my aging shoulders. A smoother ride would be a bonus. I'm mowing about 2.5 acres with lots of trees and a few hills. I'd like to stick with a zero turn, but one that's more ergonomically designed. Perhaps something that has more support for my arms. I have several pine trees and bushes so being able to more easily mow under low branches would be great, but not a must have.

I'd appreciate feedback from anyone who knows of a mower that will fit my needs.

Thank you! 🙂


#2

M

MParr

There are some Cub Cadet models with steering wheels.
Country Clipper has joy sticks.
Do you have arm rests on your Toro?


#3

L

Longarm

MParr - I saw the Cub Cadets with steering wheels and would like to test drive one to see if it's easier on the arms. Not familiar with Country Clipper but will check them out. My Toro has arm rests but their positioning never seems to help.
Thank you!


#4

B

bertsmobile1

The clipper is head & shoulders better than the Cub
The Cubs are fine for 3 to 5 years then the linkages start to wear & they become a disaster
Walkers are also easy on the arms as the control arms are very low & you steer with one hand & control speed with the other
Most modern ZTR's seem to be built for Humpty Dumpty, 6'6" tall and 75" around the waist
I have lopped 4" to 6" off a lot of lap bars plus bent a lot back with a pipe bender to get them in a comfortable position for the owner
Remember no 2 people are exactly identical and products like ZTR's are built to fit the "Standard American " a person who does not exist .
The Great Danes I service have wonderful lap bars that you can comfortably hold in one hand as they sit less than 1/2" apart and can be adjusted low enough to touch your thighs
The pros who use them will never part with them because the on hand operation leaves the other free to do things like line trim or spray or pick up rubbish while you mow
When you have to line trim several miles of fence line a day, doing it from the comfort of a mower seat saves hours
Most of them fit a battery powered pump with a tank of Zero and a long wand with a 2" fan cover on the end so they can poison 2" along the edges of fences which is even quicker than trimming and actually looks very neat & tidy


#5

L

Longarm

Bertsmobile1 - Thank you for your feedback. I will put the brands you mentioned on my list to research. In the meantime, I like your idea of modifying the lap bars on my current mower. Perhaps YouTube has videos on how to do this.


#6

M

MParr

As @berstmobile1 said: “The Great Danes I service have wonderful lap bars that you can comfortably hold in one hand as they sit less than 1/2" apart and can be adjusted low enough to touch your thighs”

My Gravely Pro Turn 260 has a similar steering arm setup as the now defunct Great Dane. Ariens owns Gravely. Ariens bought out Great Dane.
I never use the arm rests on my Gravely. There may be other makes with a similar setup.
@Longarm You didn’t tell us what model Toro you currently have.


#7

Tiger Small Engine

Tiger Small Engine

MParr said:
As @berstmobile1 said: “The Great Danes I service have wonderful lap bars that you can comfortably hold in one hand as they sit less than 1/2" apart and can be adjusted low enough to touch your thighs”

My Gravely Pro Turn 260 has a similar steering arm setup as the now defunct Great Dane. Ariens owns Gravely. Ariens bought out Great Dane.
I never use the arm rests on my Gravely. There may be other makes with a similar setup.
@Longarm You didn’t tell us what model Toro you currently have.
Click to expand...
Ferris Zero Turn
Scag Zero Turn
Last mower you may ever buy and need.


#8

L

Longarm

Thank you for all the suggestions. I'll be doing more research over the winter to be ready when it becomes necessary to replace my old Toro. In the meantime, I found some YouTube videos and learned how to adjust my lap bars. I did that yesterday and will be mowing today. Hopefully, this will help save my shoulders for now.


#9

Scrubcadet10

Scrubcadet10

Look into the Toro MyRide.


#10

L

Longarm

Scrubcadet10 said:
Look into the Toro MyRide.
Click to expand...
will do. Thank you! (y)


#11

2

2muchgrass2mow

Longarm said:
Greetings and thank you for welcoming me to your forum.

My 16 year old Toro zero turn and my shoulders are no longer compatible. I anticipate having to replace it and am looking for something that is easier on my aging shoulders. A smoother ride would be a bonus. I'm mowing about 2.5 acres with lots of trees and a few hills. I'd like to stick with a zero turn, but one that's more ergonomically designed. Perhaps something that has more support for my arms. I have several pine trees and bushes so being able to more easily mow under low branches would be great, but not a must have.

I'd appreciate feedback from anyone who knows of a mower that will fit my needs.

Thank you! 🙂
Click to expand...
Welcome Longarm:
I am 72 and have osteoarthritis in my fingers, wrists and left shoulder, as well as in my lower spine. I also have a reverse shoulder replacement of my right shoulder (titanium), so I feel you. My Husky YT42DXLS eventually became so painful to steer (in addition to severe and recurrent tranny problems) that I got rid of it. Because I was advised that a 0-turn would actually be dangerous (little weight in the front) for mowing my 1.5 acre yard and field due to the fact that about 25% of the field is quite steep, rocky and unlevel, I did some research and bought a Deere X-370 and added armrests, bumper and two 45# weights on the rear. But most importantly, this machine has hydraulic power steering - what a joy!!! No pain . . . And the turning radius is amazing - next best thing to the mobility of a 0-turn and doesn't require both arms to be up in the air or both hands to steer. I love it! It was pricey at 6K+ with options, but it's a gem nonetheless. I don't know if you're set on a 0-turn, but if not at least check the X-370 out. The power steering and hydraulic deck lift are standard. Go to a JD dealer and putz around on one. Mine is a 42 in. cut, and that may not be to your liking, but I would suggest you at least look into it. You won't need weights, but for me they substituted for the auto-locking differential I sacrificed when I sold the Husky.


#12

L

Longarm

2muchgrass2mow said:
Welcome Longarm:
I am 72 and have osteoarthritis in my fingers, wrists and left shoulder, as well as in my lower spine. I also have a reverse shoulder replacement of my right shoulder (titanium), so I feel you. My Husky YT42DXLS eventually became so painful to steer (in addition to severe and recurrent tranny problems) that I got rid of it. Because I was advised that a 0-turn would actually be dangerous (little weight in the front) for mowing my 1.5 acre yard and field due to the fact that about 25% of the field is quite steep, rocky and unlevel, I did some research and bought a Deere X-370 and added armrests, bumper and two 45# weights on the rear. But most importantly, this machine has hydraulic power steering - what a joy!!! No pain . . . And the turning radius is amazing - next best thing to the mobility of a 0-turn and doesn't require both arms to be up in the air or both hands to steer. I love it! It was pricey at 6K+ with options, but it's a gem nonetheless. I don't know if you're set on a 0-turn, but if not at least check the X-370 out. The power steering and hydraulic deck lift are standard. Go to a JD dealer and putz around on one. Mine is a 42 in. cut, and that may not be to your liking, but I would suggest you at least look into it. You won't need weights, but for me they substituted for the auto-locking differential I sacrificed when I sold the Husky.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your input! I was a bit surprised that nobody here mentioned John Deere until now. If I go to a dealership to look at their zero turns, I'll check out the X-370.


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