Please Help (Cub Cadet, John Deere, Other??)

[Fishgill13]

First off I've been reading many of the posts on this board trying to get an idea on what I should buy and find many of this helpful, although I'm still lost. I currently have a Craftsman 4500 DYS 42".Well the Craftsman lasted about 3 years before I made the mistake of trying to pull too much with it and blew the transmission. Granted this was a lower end model of craftsman, and I was new to lawnmowers. Regardless, I spent 2k after the bag, taxes etc and feel it should have lasted longer.

I have almost 2 acres of lawn and about half of that is a 30% grade. I have quite a few trees, sheds, beds to work around. I live in the Pacific Northwest so the grass is more often wet than anything.

I went to the local Cub Cadet retailer with the intention of checking out their GT2100. I explained the incline I have on half of my property and he quickly steered me to the z-force-S 48". I've never used a zero turn and thought with the regular steering wheel, this might be a great option. However, I have a tough time moving away from the standard garden tractor.

On the other hand, I've always looked at John Deere as being a top of the line product. I called the local John Deere rep and and quized the salesperson on the highly rated (consumer reports) x300 series of tractors. He said I really needed to be looking at the x500 series if I'm going to be comparing them to the Cub Cadet GT2100. I'm not prepaired to drop over 6k on a mower.

I honestly feel more lost than ever. I want to be able to mow my lawn faster than I currently do with a 42" craftsman. I'd still like to be able to pull my thatcher, aerator and trailer to haul small loads here and there. More importantly I'd like this mower to last me more than 4 years. Willing to spend 4-5k to get the right mower. Any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[6211lawnslayer]

Zero turn??? If your planning on doing nothing but mowing then go for it. But if you blew the transmission on a tractor then a zero turn is what you should avoid. If your looking at Cub Cadet look at the models with a cast iron rear axle/ transmission. If your looking at john deere a 500 series tractor is damn nice if you can over look all the plastic. Personally I'm big on simplicity. But ya gotta spend some cash either way. If you go to a Cub Cadet dealer you will see a huge difference between a dealer and a box store. Same goes for JD.

 

[fsagames]

Get a decent commercial quality ZT mower, but stay away from the box stores. You can't beat having a local dealer who can answer questions and help you out when needed. A good commercial ZT won't have a problem with your wet grass. Look at Hustler, Exmark, Scag, Deere, Ferris, Dixie Chopper, etc. You'll pay more up front, but it will be well worth it in the long run. You can put a hitch on most of them. Check the specs first and see what they'll pull.

 

[BKBrown]

How did you determine your grade or slope ?

If you have a 30 percent grade it is not too severe.
If you have a 30 degree slope it is quite a job for any standard lawn or garden tractor.
30 degree slope is 57.7% grade

Ventrac - Advantages: Slope Mowing Specifications

 

[Fishgill13]

Thanks for catching that. I used the wrong term there. It's a 30 degree slope. This is what the county told me when I built my house a few years ago.

 

[BKBrown]

We have a pond and this is the back side of the dam - at the steepest it is about 37 to 38 degree slope (most 30 or so) the 1st pic shows slope meter. This is facing uphill with the dual wheel set on the Ventrac. I can do it with the Ventrac and duals - I would not attempt it with a lawn or garden tractor. I would guess they intended to say 30% grade (less than 30 degree slope) --- I could be wrong, but I know what the Ventrac will do and what a JD 318 will do and I would not try it with the JD.
30% grade is about 17 degree slope

Thanks for catching that. I used the wrong term there. It's a 30 degree slope. This is what the county told me when I built my house a few years ago.