The best Zero Turn under $4000 ?

[djdicetn]

I've seen some advertisements on craigslist for Dixie Choppers close to Chattanooga , I live in Lenoir city Tn . I had never heard of Dixie Choppers , so I didn't know if they were a good buy or not . I may drive down and look at them tomorrow . I may just wait till I sell my tractor now , since some people have told me the end of season sales would be the best all year , plus then it would be a cash buy giving me more leverage ... or I may just go buy that dang Kubota I looked at today !! lol , really liked it !

Yep, over the next few weeks(I bought mid-September 2012) dealers will be unloading 2013's and willing to give deep discounts, especially for a cash out-the-door sale!!! I saved over $1,000 off what MSRP plus taxes would have been and on top of that the 2013 same model had a $500 price increase so I look at it like I saved $1,500. That's a lot of beans!!!
The only "down-side" is you are limited to inventory on hand....if they have to order something not in stock from the manufacturer or distributor they use, they won't be so eager to sell it at a discount(or will make you foot the bill for shipping/handling).

 

[txzrider]

as another example, I ws quoted $600 off on a end of year Country Clipper for a total savings of $800 off the next year price... I did not buy it because I found the same mower with only 27 hours for $2300 on craigslist... saving me roughly $1500 overall. I did not have a clear understanding of non_repairable EZT's vs 2800's and above tho so I guess I have gambled... but I got it cheap enough that I can buy one if I have to. Also my 15 years of experience with my previous mower tells me they should be fine. But I have to say ... it has exceeded all expectations. The slide out fabbed deck is freakin' amazing.

 

[djdicetn]

as another example, I ws quoted $600 off on a end of year Country Clipper for a total savings of $800 off the next year price... I did not buy it because I found the same mower with only 27 hours for $2300 on craigslist... saving me roughly $1500 overall. I did not have a clear understanding of non_repairable EZT's vs 2800's and above tho so I guess I have gambled... but I got it cheap enough that I can buy one if I have to. Also my 15 years of experience with my previous mower tells me they should be fine. But I have to say ... it has exceeded all expectations. The slide out fabbed deck is freakin' amazing.

By all means, no one should imply that the HydroGear EZT trannies are "not good" or "not dependable"(or even not durable and/or long lasting). But there is a limit to the kind of mowing(where you are cutting large acreage in one cutting or adverse terrain) and the overall ZTR "regular maintenance"(which can cause other "worn components" to put a strain on the trannies) that delegate them to best serving a homeowner that (A)mows 1 acre or less at a time; (B)performs regular maintenance religiously and (C)averages 25-35 hours per season mowing. Under those "ideal" light residential usage you can most likely expect the Hydrogear EZT trannies to last a good 15 years or better(that would be 375 to 525 hours). The fact that the OP had 212 hours is quickly approaching the 15 years of 25 hour usage and he/she never responded back with how many years old the ZTR was. I'm "guessing" that 50 hours/year of large area/rough terrain mowing for 4 years would be a little hard on an EZT.

 

[txzrider]

you would be amazed at what I put my snapper through... at the end the hydros would whine a little when backing up... pulled my small sailboat and golfcart trailers, bushel carts... and my Lab loved to ride on the step area above the deck. so I am not too worried about the EZT's since my previous lowend residential ZTR held up so well.

 

[pepvol]

I guess just like many others I started out thinking get the best Zeroturn I can under $4000 , but like everybody else the more you research the more you want , lol . I'll be lucky now I guess to stay under $6000 !! lol

 

[txzrider]

yep and like something that was brought up in another thread... there is always a hot button... mine turned out to be the slide out deck on my country clipper. once I saw that... it was a done deal.

 

[afoulk]

Sounds like shopping for a ztr is a lot like doing work to your house...figure out what everything is going to cost you, then double that figure:laughing:

 

[txzrider]

mine came in under budget... that being said learning enough to understand what you need is the big hurdle. I lucked out with how well my Snapper did, before I knew anything... I really bought it for 2 things...it was only 33 inches so it would go through a gate and ... it had a joystick instead of lapbars ... which seemed too cool and to this day is my favorite way to steer a ZTR. The country clipper gave me the joystick and the slideout deck so it was perfect. :laughing:

 

[djdicetn]

I guess just like many others I started out thinking get the best Zeroturn I can under $4000 , but like everybody else the more you research the more you want , lol . I'll be lucky now I guess to stay under $6000 !! lol

I hear ya!!! I started out $4k-$5K, then after looking at a few in that range decided to bump it up to $5k-$6K. After seeing several and deciding that I wanted to invest an entry-level commercial with 7gauge deck, Kawasaki FX engine, ZT3100 or ZT3400 trannies, cast iron spindles, foldable ROPS and suspension seat I found myself settling into the $6k-$7k range(yeah, like someone said almost double where I started). But in ZTR's I truly feel that the old "you get what you pay for" saying is usually pretty spot on and if you want something that will give you a good return on your investment you are better off spending the maximum that you can the first go around, cause you won't want to have a similar outlay of several thousand dollars in 5-10 years. I hope you find exactly what's right for you with the level of components that gives you that much sought after "warm & fuzzy" feeling!!!

 

[Brucebotti]

I guess just like many others I started out thinking get the best Zeroturn I can under $4000 , but like everybody else the more you research the more you want , lol . I'll be lucky now I guess to stay under $6000 !! lol

I did the same. I saw ads in the paper for $2500 ZTR. By the time I did all my research (with a lot of help from the folks on here), I ended up just shy of $4000...:laughing:
Bruce