Need some advice for a ZTR on a small lot

[TaskForceLawnCare]

Well the Scag is a sweet machine especially the cheetah and they are born with huge pumps. I use Dixie's but respect the Scags. I'd run them if the dealer was closer.

 

[exotion]

they are born with huge pumps.

That's what she said!

 

[steve80]

I'm having a difficult time trying to decide which more to move up to. I currently have a Craftsman 700 series walk behind which was purchased a few years ago for my old house. To be honest my mower is a piece of junk - it can't mulch any length of grass without clumping and grass is constantly getting stuck everywhere.

My new lot is only .4 acres (including the additional 20x94 feet I can mow into the green belt behind my house). The basement is 1/2 exposed so there are half story hills on either side. All included it probably takes me a good 2+ hours to mow, trim, and get everything cleaned up (not including myself). This is best case however since this mower doesn't mulch well I usually have to bag which takes even longer and leaves me with a trip to the city compost pile on the weekend.

So my lot is definitely too small to turn a tractor, especially with all the corners on the house and probable fence in the future. A ZTR, while I believe it would work well, still seems a bit ridiculous. The wife wants me to cut down the mow time so I can help more with the three young ones all under the age of 2 :/

Here's what I have looked at so far:

- Toro Time Cutter 30 inch walk behind
Not really thrilled about this but it is cheaper than ZTRs. I'm sure it will mulch better than the craftsman.

- Toro Time Cutter SS 42
This is probably the right size for ZTR however I'm not sure about the Kohler engine, stamped deck, and non-maintainable transmission. I also haven't seen anything listing the BTS.

- Hustler Raptor 42
Looks like a possible option but the BTS is relatively low and the nearest dealer is 40 miles away.

- Ariens Zoom 42
Jury is still out on this one. Seems about on par with the Toro SS

What else should I be looking at?

Would be nice to keep this at 2500 or less although I am not the type of person that would be penny wise and pound foolish. I also need to consider that this is a small lot so there won't be a ton of hours logged. If my stamped deck gets a hole in 8 years it might be more cost effective to replace the stamped deck vs upgrade to something that has a welded deck. I suppose this could be the case with transmission as well?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

I just bought a Husqvarna ztr 48" welded deck..Probably a little too big for you but I saw some 42" ztr that looked pretty nice you might want to check them out. I bought a 48 " deere z245 but took it back on the 30 policy they had in place in August.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

I just bought a Husqvarna ztr 48" welded deck..Probably a little too big for you but I saw some 42" ztr that looked pretty nice you might want to check them out. I bought a 48 " deere z245 but took it back on the 30 policy they had in place in August.

Just curious, why did you take back the John Deere? It might better help us recommend mowers.

 

[steve80]

Just curious, why did you take back the John Deere? It might better help us recommend mowers.

Returned the jd after 20 days and about 3 times of mowing 1.5 acres.... It didnt seem to cut that well for me and the grass would blow up through the deck plate on to your legs and feet had to wear long pants to mow..The dealer said this was common on all zero turn mowers but my husqvarna rz4824f doesnt do this..I was going to try a bigger model from jd but didnt like the way the salesman acted about my return so I went looking..I believe in buying from a dealer and I found this mower for less money about $100.and 0% financing for 3years.

Didn't know much about Husqvarna but I'm impressed with the sturdy build and easy access to grease fittings on the spindles and wheels.The deck is welded with a lifetime guarantee,It has a Kawaski 730 frv motor 24 hp.

 

[djdicetn]

Returned the jd after 20 days and about 3 times of mowing 1.5 acres.... It didnt seem to cut that well for me and the grass would blow up through the deck plate on to your legs and feet had to wear long pants to mow..The dealer said this was common on all zero turn mowers but my husqvarna rz4824f doesnt do this..I was going to try a bigger model from jd but didnt like the way the salesman acted about my return so I went looking..I believe in buying from a dealer and I found this mower for less money about $100.and 0% financing for 3years.

Didn't know much about Husqvarna but I'm impressed with the sturdy build and easy access to grease fittings on the spindles and wheels.The deck is welded with a lifetime guarantee,It has a Kawaski 730 frv motor 24 hp.

You did the right thing.....those Z series John Deeres with the stamped decks are way over-priced and I wouldn't have one!!!

 

[farris35]

I have a 42 toro time cutter at my house a a deere 42 in at the farm.

One thing I hate about the Toro is the "safety" guy at toro stuck the blades up about 1.5 inches higher than the outside deck. If you want to scalp your yard, good luck, on both the A and B setting, the deck is dragging the ground, and you cannot scalp the yard.

I don't know exactly what Deere I have (42 incn ztr) but it will scalp just fine.

 

[opd128@aol.com]

You might want to consider a used commercial zrt mower like a scagg or a gravley. I own a lawn care business and have come across a few good used machines for sale. I think the smallest scagg zrt is 42" . rGravley has a 36". Maybe alot of money up front but you would never have to buy another one.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

You might want to consider a used commercial zrt mower like a scagg or a gravley. I own a lawn care business and have come across a few good used machines for sale. I think the smallest scagg zrt is 42" . rGravley has a 36". Maybe alot of money up front but you would never have to buy another one.

I might be wrong but I looked and I think the smallest Scag ZTR has a 48" cut, not 42". That kind of makes people not consider the brand if a) You are a homeowner who wants a commercial ZTR but with a small deck because of your yard size or b) If you are a commercial operator but want a small deck to fit in gates. :confused2:

SCAG POWER EQUIPMENT - Commercial Zero Turn Riding Mowers

EDIT:

But then again I just found a Scag mower called the Z-Cat, which you can get in 36" or 42" decks. I didn't see it on the ZTR page of the Scag website, though, so I don't know if they are still made (or popular).

SCAG POWER EQUIPMENT - Z-Cat Commercial Zero Turn Riding Mower

 

[earthworm]

I think the 30" would do you best .4 is a bit small for a most ZTR in my opinion and most of those 42" are much to big the time master 30" walk behind is about 1000 bucks and much cheaper than the others

I , too, have a 0.4 acre lot, and having anything over ...36 inches or so is excessive and can scalp unless its a professionally graded lawn, which mine is not !

Snapper makes many mowers (riding, rear engine ) in this range.....but, even at 73 years of age, I'd favor the manual push and its good exercise.
At this point in time, only Toro has a decent 30" in two models....