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After reading a bunch of posts on this forum I realized that I should stop looking at all of the sketchy review websites and go directly to the experts instead. Any help you could provide me in making a decision would be greatly appreciated. My lot is under two acres with minimal slope and is relatively smooth. The 12 year old Troy-Bilt with 50-inch mowing deck which I inherited has cut its last lawn (PTO clutch is drawing too much current and hydro-gear is failing). I'm located in central NC where, with the exception of Exmark, most major brands are fairly well represented.

jhaislip said:

After reading a bunch of posts on this forum I realized that I should stop looking at all of the sketchy review websites and go directly to the experts instead. Any help you could provide me in making a decision would be greatly appreciated. My lot is under two acres with minimal slope and is relatively smooth. The 12 year old Troy-Bilt with 50-inch mowing deck which I inherited has cut its last lawn (PTO clutch is drawing too much current and hydro-gear is failing). I'm located in central NC where, with the exception of Exmark, most major brands are fairly well represented.

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In that price range, I would recommend either a Bad Boy Avenger 54" or a Cub Cadet ZT1 ULTIMA 54" w/ either a Kohler or Kawasaki engine......I'm sure there are other brands of mowers as well but......we sell those so I know about them!

Hi,

jhaislip - What mower did you decide on?

Instead of starting a new topic I figured I would post in here. I am in a similar situation to the OP. 1.5 - 2 acres of fairly flat lawn to mow. Prefer to spend between $3,000 and $4,000. I have read the past several months worth of threads on this site as well as others and have researched most of the major brands. I think I have it narrowed down to the following:

• Cut Cadet
  • ZT1 - 54" - ~$3,100
  • ZT2 - 54" - ~$3,900
• Toro TimeCutter
  • 50" - ~$3,100
  • 60" - ~$4,000
• Ariens
  • Ikon-XD - 52" - ~$3,100
• Gravely
  • ZT X - 52" - ~$3,200

Out of those mowers what would everyone recommend? Is there another mower in the price range that offers a better value? The Cub Cadet ZT2 and Toro 60" are the only ones that come with Hydro-Gear 2800s.

I'm struggling with the tradeoff between deck size and hydros. How many hours can you realistically get out of the Hydro-Gear EZTs?

Thank you

My neighbor and son in law recently got a ZT2-54" to cut 3 acres formerly cut with my old 42" Husky tractor. 3 hours dropped to 1-1/2 hrs. I talked him into upgrading from ZT1-54" with the EZTs. He loves it, nice build for a residential machine. Kawa power.