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Tractor or Zero Turn?

#1

T

Tuoms

I currently have a Husqvarna 46" that needs to be retired. I always told myself I was going to get a zero turn as my next mower, but now I'm not sure. I could get a heavier duty lawn tractor for $2k less than a zero turn. I have 1.5 acres to mow. Was looking at a gravely ZT/XL or Raptor XD.......


#2

B

bertsmobile1

All depends upon what you mow, the terrain you mow, how may obstacles you mow around.


#3

R

RayMcD

I sure there are pro's and con's for both, one thing for sure, given reasonably level yard the Zturn is certainly faster. I went from a 46" tractor to a 48" Zturn and it cut my mowing time in half, JMHO


#4

T

Tuoms

Its fairly flat, I do have a slope in the front yard. I’d also like to mulch, which I know slows down the speed, but I feel like you have to only mow one way to blow all of your clippings out. 36D82C28-FA7A-4282-8E5C-7E6F63AEFE9F.jpeg


#5

B

bertsmobile1

That drainage ditch will be a problem for a ZTR as it is too short to efficinetly mow in up & down and will slip & slide when mowing along it
The rest of what I see says ZTR
It might just be worthwhile to keep the tractor to do just the drainage ditch & use the ZTR for the balance of the yard .
Best of both worlds and you should never get caught without a mower as I imagine the grass grows pretty quick out of that ditch .


#6

T

Tuoms

bertsmobile1 said:
That drainage ditch will be a problem for a ZTR as it is too short to efficinetly mow in up & down and will slip & slide when mowing along it
The rest of what I see says ZTR
It might just be worthwhile to keep the tractor to do just the drainage ditch & use the ZTR for the balance of the yard .
Best of both worlds and you should never get caught without a mower as I imagine the grass grows pretty quick out of that ditch .
Click to expand...
If only I had room to store 2. I’ll have to talk to some neighbors bc plenty of them of zero turns and the same kind of slopes


#7

B

bertsmobile1

Some ZTR's handle slopes better than others
OTOH a garden shed just big enough for a tractor mower is about $ 200 US


#8

Tiger Small Engine

Tiger Small Engine

Tuoms said:
If only I had room to store 2. I’ll have to talk to some neighbors bc plenty of them of zero turns and the same kind of slopes
Click to expand...
If you want to enjoy mowing, making beautiful stripes, cut your mowing time in half, then buy a decent zero turn. Will probably last a long time if taken care of. If you don’t mind turning constantly, going slowly, and mowing the same boring basic pattern every week, then get another riding mower. Once you go to a zero turn, there is no going back. Also, zero turns hold hills very well, unlike a tippy rider. That little ditch is peanuts compared to some of the stuff I have mowed on a good zero turn.


#9

T

Tuoms

Tiger Small Engine said:
If you want to enjoy mowing, making beautiful stripes, cut your mowing time in half, then buy a decent zero turn. Will probably last a long time if taken care of. If you don’t mind turning constantly, going slowly, and mowing the same boring basic pattern every week, then get another riding mower. Once you go to a zero turn, there is no going back. Also, zero turns hold hills very well, unlike a tippy rider. That little ditch is peanuts compared to some of the stuff I have mowed on a good zero turn.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I mowed way steeper at my old house with my riding mower, to where I had to lean a little. This has been no problem with my rider.


#10

K

kirboom

I would absolutely recommend going with a Zero Turn. The speed, comfort, and maneuverability difference is night and day. I definitely agree with your initial choices of Gravely XL or the Raptor XD. Another you could consider is the Bad Boy ZT Elite, which offers commercial-tier components at a similar price point.

One of my hard lines for buying my recent ZTR was a serviceable transmission, which is only available with the ZT-2800 or higher. Most residential ZTRs use the "maintenance-free" ZT-2200 or equivalent. Unfortunately for my wallet, this meant looking at the higher end residential mowers such as a Toro Titan, Gravely XL, Raptor XD, Bad Boy ZT Elite, etc. Definitely worth it for the improved performance and longevity, though. Just one replacement ZT-2200 transmission would knock out any initial savings from buying one of the lower end residential mowers, and the rest of the mower is better too.


#11

T

Tuoms

I went ahead and got the Gravely ZT/HD


#12

K

kirboom

Tuoms said:
I went ahead and got the Gravely ZT/HD
Click to expand...
Awesome! Definitely a great machine!


#13

smalltimerpm

smalltimerpm

https://www.cubcadet.com/en_US/product-information/steering-wheel-zero-turn-advantages.html

Love this model! Drink your tea and drive with one hand and not have to worry bout tearing up terrain in most cases


#14

dalcombright

dalcombright

kirboom said:
I would absolutely recommend going with a Zero Turn. The speed, comfort, and maneuverability difference is night and day. I definitely agree with your initial choices of Gravely XL or the Raptor XD. Another you could consider is the Bad Boy ZT Elite, which offers commercial-tier components at a similar price point.

One of my hard lines for buying my recent ZTR was a serviceable transmission, which is only available with the ZT-2800 or higher. Most residential ZTRs use the "maintenance-free" ZT-2200 or equivalent. Unfortunately for my wallet, this meant looking at the higher end residential mowers such as a Toro Titan, Gravely XL, Raptor XD, Bad Boy ZT Elite, etc. Definitely worth it for the improved performance and longevity, though. Just one replacement ZT-2200 transmission would knock out any initial savings from buying one of the lower end residential mowers, and the rest of the mower is better too.
Click to expand...
the 2023 Gravely models are all serviceable now (ZTX and up).


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