My zero turn makes my shoulders ache

[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!

 

[MParr]

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

 

[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!

 

[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

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

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.

Ferris Zero Turn
Scag Zero Turn
Last mower you may ever buy and need.

 

[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.

 

[Scrubcadet10]

Look into the Toro MyRide.

 

[Longarm]

Look into the Toro MyRide.

will do. Thank you!