Snapper s50xt pro or the Kubota s121 Kommander

[wingstrut]

Folks I am 68 years old and mowing 3/4 acre walking behind a 30 inch Sarlo high wheel, needless to say, I'm tired of this.
I mow my St Augustine grass twice a week, because you have to, it grows five inches every week and it is thick.
I cut my grass at 4 inches, now for the money question.
I have extensively researched ZTR's and due to dealer distances and service, I have chosen two.
Could you experienced folks give me your ideas on which mower, the mowers seem to have similar equipment such as the drives and deck size.
The Snapper I can opt for the Kawasaki engine vs the Kohler in the Kubota. Also the Snapper is rated as a commercial mower and the Kubota is not, but they look similar, the cost is the same. The deck on the Kubota seems wide open underneath, I don't see how it could produce a vacuum to stand the grass up, whereas the Snapper has baffles close to the blades to create a vacuum, I need the grass to be dispersed over a wide area and chopped fine so as not to create brown spots.
I'm not asking for much am I ....Ha!Ha!
I'm sure either one will do just fine but I would like a little encouragement from the experts.
Please don't recommend another brand as there are no dealers near by that I would deal with.
I know the Kommander is a new mower and there may not be any long time usage owners, but still would appreciate any comment.

I'm tired of walking behind that mower in 98 degree 100 percent humidity days.

Thank You for your time..............Ron

 

[Shughes717]

Folks I am 68 years old and mowing 3/4 acre walking behind a 30 inch Sarlo high wheel, needless to say, I'm tired of this.
I mow my St Augustine grass twice a week, because you have to, it grows five inches every week and it is thick.
I cut my grass at 4 inches, now for the money question.
I have extensively researched ZTR's and due to dealer distances and service, I have chosen two.
Could you experienced folks give me your ideas on which mower, the mowers seem to have similar equipment such as the drives and deck size.
The Snapper I can opt for the Kawasaki engine vs the Kohler in the Kubota. Also the Snapper is rated as a commercial mower and the Kubota is not, but they look similar, the cost is the same. The deck on the Kubota seems wide open underneath, I don't see how it could produce a vacuum to stand the grass up, whereas the Snapper has baffles close to the blades to create a vacuum, I need the grass to be dispersed over a wide area and chopped fine so as not to create brown spots.
I'm not asking for much am I ....Ha!Ha!
I'm sure either one will do just fine but I would like a little encouragement from the experts.
Please don't recommend another brand as there are no dealers near by that I would deal with.
I know the Kommander is a new mower and there may not be any long time usage owners, but still would appreciate any comment.

I'm tired of walking behind that mower in 98 degree 100 percent humidity days.

Thank You for your time..............Ron

I don't think I qualify as an expert, but I own a snapper pro s150xt. It has the same icd deck as the s50xt. Get a great cut. I also have the fx600v Kawi engine (same offered on the s50xt). Great engine with plenty of power for a 48" deck. It is considered a heavy duty commercial engine. The main difference in my mower and the s50xt is the hydros. Mine has the heavy duty commercial zt5400 hydros. The s50xt has zt3100. I wanted larger hydros because I mow some hills, but the zt3100 should be more than capable of handling 3/4 acre in no time unless your lawn is mostly hills. The kubota is a fine mower as well, but the fx Kawi is a better engine option (rated for 1000 hours). I hope that helps.

 

[wingstrut]

Thank you Shughes717, The part about the heavier hydros for the hills, what is the difference, do they produce less power to move the mower up the hill.
I thought they were just had heavier duty components in them.
I do have a section that is a ditch that I think I will have to mow down into and back up out, it is a good 15 degree incline about 150 feet long.
I know these ZTR's will not hold on an incline.
Do you think this mower with the 3100 hydros will not be capable of this?
I'm not sure of how to insert a photo in this thread or I would supply a picture of what I am talking about, the saying, a picture is worth a thousand words.

 

[Shughes717]

Thank you Shughes717, The part about the heavier hydros for the hills, what is the difference, do they produce less power to move the mower up the hill.
I thought they were just had heavier duty components in them.
I do have a section that is a ditch that I think I will have to mow down into and back up out, it is a good 15 degree incline about 150 feet long.
I know these ZTR's will not hold on an incline.
Do you think this mower with the 3100 hydros will not be capable of this?
I'm not sure of how to insert a photo in this thread or I would supply a picture of what I am talking about, the saying, a picture is worth a thousand words.

If you are mowing up and down I am sure it's fine. Zt 3100 hydros are in the middle. I am able to mow across hills with mine. Hydro gear's smallest hydros are the ezt. Then you have the zt2800, the zt 3100, the zt3400, and the zt5400. My mower is heavier as well which helps it on hills as well. The zt 5400 hydros will allow the mower to go faster as well, and it has more torque than the other hydros.

 

[Shughes717]

I know from experience the ezt hydros and the zt2800 are not good on hills. The zt3400 and the zt5400 are both considered full commercial. The zt 3100 is semi commercial.

 

[Shughes717]

Forgot to mention the zt3200 as well lol.

 

[wingstrut]

Thank you again Shughes, that was a lot of good information, maybe I would be better off with a cheap lawn tractor and replace it every three or four years.
I will try and get a photo of my problem spot so you can get an idea of what I have.
I'm sure you have a lot steeper hills in Tennessee than my little ditch in Florida......Ha!Ha!..............Ron

 

[Shughes717]

Thank you again Shughes, that was a lot of good information, maybe I would be better off with a cheap lawn tractor and replace it every three or four years.
I will try and get a photo of my problem spot so you can get an idea of what I have.
I'm sure you have a lot steeper hills in Tennessee than my little ditch in Florida......Ha!Ha!..............Ron

I am sure the s50xt or the kubota Kommander would handle what ever you want to mow. I am in west tennessee, so the hills here are nothing like the ones on the east end of my state. See if your dealer will let you demo the mowers so you can be sure they will suit your needs.

 

[wingstrut]

Here is the picture of my problem spot, that I have trouble mowing, I don't know if the ZTR mower will have trouble either because of the incline.
I mowed this grass two days ago, except for the bottom of the ditch, (it has a little water in it right now), that is how fast this stuff grows, you can also see the thatch my mower leaves, (the white areas) doesn't cut very well, it leaves grass blades 4 to 5 inches long, that is another reason I want a ZTR, they seem to chop up the grass into fine pieces so as not to leave windrows of grass.



View attachment 22973

 

[Shughes717]

Here is the picture of my problem spot, that I have trouble mowing, I don't know if the ZTR mower will have trouble either because of the incline.
I mowed this grass two days ago, except for the bottom of the ditch, (it has a little water in it right now), that is how fast this stuff grows, you can also see the thatch my mower leaves, (the white areas) doesn't cut very well, it leaves grass blades 4 to 5 inches long, that is another reason I want a ZTR, they seem to chop up the grass into fine pieces so as not to leave windrows of grass.



View attachment 22973

A ztr would have no trouble with that incline. You will be fine with either mower you choose. Commercial mowers have a higher blade tip speed. That's why they chop the grass up better. They also usually come with high lift blades. The blade tip speed of the snapper pro is a little over 18000 feet per minute. You will love the cut that either of the mowers leave.