Buying Advice New mower

[Mad Mackie]

My local dealer is a Scag dealer. Mad Mackie I found a used Cheetah on EBay from the place in Ohio. Any thoughts on the them? 27hp Kawasaki

I thought that you were in Ohio, I get confused sometimes when I'm responding to several threads at the same time!
Cheetah owners that have commented on them here either love them or have a strong dislike for them. I'm not sure why, but I do see a what I feel is a larger amount of them for sale particularly as they are a fairly new model. Usually when a Scag Tiger Cub or later version Tiger Cat come up for sale, they have higher hours on them indicating that they have been run and the operator would like a new machine.
Some considerations when looking for a machine:
How wide is your trailer?
If you possibly need a collection system, this makes a Scag ZTR about 10" wider.
Wider decks tend to scalp more on uneven lawns, and the operator will need to be aware of this and change the mowing patterns to reduce scalping.
In tight turns, both the front casters and the rear drive wheels can tear up turf. Larger diameter and wider rear tires reduce this problem.
A Scag collection system is a $2,500 attachment plus tax and install labor when purchased.
Ability to replace blades easily, this goes for any make of machine. On a Scag, the blade bolts are 9 1/2" long and come up from the bottom, so the machine has to be raised up. The blade bolt nut is torqued to 75 FTLBs.
I use an air impact tool to remove the nut and a torque wrench and breaker bar to hold the bolt underneath and tighten the nut with a torque wrench from above. My deck is 48", wider decks make it a longer reach.
As Indiana and western Ohio tend to be fairly flat, I see mostly wider deck machines which can reduce mowing time generally.
Mad Mackie in CT:laughing::biggrin::smile:

 

[Burris33]

I thought that you were in Ohio, I get confused sometimes when I'm responding to several threads at the same time! Cheetah owners that have commented on them here either love them or have a strong dislike for them. I'm not sure why, but I do see a what I feel is a larger amount of them for sale particularly as they are a fairly new model. Usually when a Scag Tiger Cub or later version Tiger Cat come up for sale, they have higher hours on them indicating that they have been run and the operator would like a new machine. Some considerations when looking for a machine: How wide is your trailer? If you possibly need a collection system, this makes a Scag ZTR about 10" wider. Wider decks tend to scalp more on uneven lawns, and the operator will need to be aware of this and change the mowing patterns to reduce scalping. In tight turns, both the front casters and the rear drive wheels can tear up turf. Larger diameter and wider rear tires reduce this problem. A Scag collection system is a $2,500 attachment plus tax and install labor when purchased. Ability to replace blades easily, this goes for any make of machine. On a Scag, the blade bolts are 9 1/2" long and come up from the bottom, so the machine has to be raised up. The blade bolt nut is torqued to 75 FTLBs. I use an air impact tool to remove the nut and a torque wrench and breaker bar to hold the bolt underneath and tighten the nut with a torque wrench from above. My deck is 48", wider decks make it a longer reach. As Indiana and western Ohio tend to be fairly flat, I see mostly wider deck machines which can reduce mowing time generally. Mad Mackie in CT:laughing::biggrin::smile:

Alright thanks! That will get me started, I appreciate it.