Home

Export thread

Upgrading my mower

Mar 15, 2015#1

lawn mower fanatic

Well I have decided that this year I want to TRY to upgrade my mower. I tried this 2 years ago without any luck, so not sure how it will go. I'm gonna be looking for a commercial grade walk behind around the 28"-36" size. I am going to be looking used, because I don't want to spend too much money. I demoed a few mowers before, and they didn't mulch up to my high standards, so I ended up getting another Honda. So I hope I have better luck this time.

I will be looking for good deals, will let you know if I find any.

Mar 15, 2015#2

lawn mower fanatic

I found a pretty new Toro walk behind with low hours.... $1500. It was a great deal, but it has a 48" cut width so it won't fit on my 4 foot wide trailer. :frown:

Mar 15, 2015#3

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
I found a pretty new Toro walk behind with low hours.... $1500. It was a great deal, but it has a 48" cut width so it won't fit on my 4 foot wide trailer. :frown:

Went that way, Been there, done that. I don't think you'll be happy with a 36" walk behind and I don't think you'll find one that mulches to our high standards. If your looking for between a 28 and 36" you would be better off going with the 30" Turf-Master or Exmark. You would have Superior mulching benefits, it would be faster and lighter and more maneuverable to use and just as productive as a 36" and a whole lot cheaper to run and maintain.

Mar 15, 2015#4

Lawnboy18

Ric said:
Went that way, Been there, done that. I don't think you'll be happy with a 36" walk behind and I don't think you'll find one that mulches to our high standards. If your looking for between a 28 and 36" you would be better off going with the 30" Turf-Master or Exmark. You would have Superior mulching benefits, it would be faster and lighter and more maneuverable to use and just as productive as a 36" and a whole lot cheaper to run and maintain.

Really? Deeper decks won't mulch better? I doubt that! 2 words for you:

Velocity deck

And how about your loved Grand stand? You saying it don't mulch good?

Mar 15, 2015#5

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
Went that way, Been there, done that. I don't think you'll be happy with a 36" walk behind and I don't think you'll find one that mulches to our high standards. If your looking for between a 28 and 36" you would be better off going with the 30" Turf-Master or Exmark. You would have Superior mulching benefits, it would be faster and lighter and more maneuverable to use and just as productive as a 36" and a whole lot cheaper to run and maintain.

I will probably demo the Exmark Commercial 30, but its reviews are mixed.

Mar 15, 2015#6

lawn mower fanatic

I am now even more confused ... I see a lot of reviews saying the Turfmaster/Commercial 30 isn't good at mulching (which I can believe, because my Exmark Metro 26 I demoed was bogging down, and it had the same engine). But the 32" or 36" will probably be a pain in the butt with the side discharge.

Mar 15, 2015#7

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
I am now even more confused ... I see a lot of reviews saying the Turfmaster/Commercial 30 isn't good at mulching (which I can believe, because my Exmark Metro 26 I demoed was bogging down, and it had the same engine). But the 32" or 36" will probably be a pain in the butt with the side discharge.

The Turf-Master is a great mulching mower and it leaves one of the nicest cuts you'll every see. You can't compare the Metro to the Turf-Master even with the same engine, that would be like comparing your Honda to my Cub Cadet because it has a Honda engine. The Metro is a single blade mower and wasn't the best thing that exmark ever came out with. The Turf-Mater is a twin blade mower with a 18,000 BTS and a completely different deck, and it bags well. As far as side discharge goes that I can't really say because I've never really used it.

I had The G1336 Walk behind and sold it when I purchased the GS because it was a WB also And I didn't need two. To answer Lawnboy 18 The Toro Grandstand does an excellent job mulching the Turbo force deck is a better than any Velocity deck I've ever seen, but does it compare to the Turf_master, He!! no but then again no walk behind or ztr has a nicer cut than a push mower is going to have.

LMF the other thing I may add is to remember if you decide on a 36" WB is to make sure it's hydro drive and not Belt drive because the belt drive even though it has a reverse setting it doesn't have a real reverse, it operator assist which means you pull it out or backwards if you get into deep grass, they will work you to death.

Mar 15, 2015#8

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
The Turf-Master is a great mulching mower and it leaves one of the nicest cuts you'll every see. You can't compare the Metro to the Turf-Master even with the same engine, that would be like comparing your Honda to my Cub Cadet because it has a Honda engine. The Metro is a single blade mower and wasn't the best thing that exmark ever came out with. The Turf-Mater is a twin blade mower with a 18,000 BTS and a completely different deck, and it bags well. As far as side discharge goes that I can't really say because I've never really used it.

I had The G1336 Walk behind and sold it when I purchased the GS because it was a WB also And I didn't need two. To answer Lawnboy 18 The Toro Grandstand does an excellent job mulching the Turbo force deck is a better than any Velocity deck I've ever seen, but does it compare to the Turf_master, He!! no but then again no walk behind or ztr has a nicer cut than a push mower is going to have.

LMF the other thing I may add is to remember if you decide on a 36" WB is to make sure it's hydro drive and not Belt drive because the belt drive even though it has a reverse setting it doesn't have a real reverse, it operator assist which means you pull it out or backwards if you get into deep grass, they will work you to death.

Good points Ric. Another very important thing to me that pushes me away from a belt drive is that I mostly mow when the grass is wet. Which you can't do with a belt drive, but I don't know if you could do with the Turfmaster or Commercial 30 either.

Mar 15, 2015#9

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
Good points Ric. Another very important thing to me that pushes me away from a belt drive is that I mostly mow when the grass is wet. Which you can't do with a belt drive, but I don't know if you could do with the Turfmaster or Commercial 30 either.

If you can mow it with your Honda, I can mow it with my Turf-Master. You need to remember where I am, most of my mowing is done in the wet. Our humidity at 7:30 8:00 am is like it rained the night before. Our humidity right now is 48%, it was like 97% this morning when I got up this morning at 70 degrees. I mean you can do what you want but I'm telling you I don't think you'll be happy with a walk behind, there just not what there cracked up to be and putting a sulky on one is a real PITA.

The belt drives are not an issue when mowing in the wet, in fact I'd rather have a belt for wet with the walk behind because there adjustable for traction.

Mar 15, 2015#10

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
If you can mow it with your Honda, I can mow it with my Turf-Master. You need to remember where I am, most of my mowing is done in the wet. Our humidity at 7:30 8:00 am is like it rained the night before. Our humidity right now is 48%, it was like 97% this morning when I got up this morning at 70 degrees. I mean you can do what you want but I'm telling you I don't think you'll be happy with a walk behind, there just not what there cracked up to be and putting a sulky on one is a real PITA.

The belt drives are not an issue when mowing in the wet, in fact I'd rather have a belt for wet with the walk behind because there adjustable for traction.

Thanks for the info....I'm never going to make up my mind! :laughing:

Mar 15, 2015#11

lawn mower fanatic

I guess I'll start by demoing a Commercial 30 sometime in the spring.....and go from there.

Mar 15, 2015#12

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
I guess I'll start by demoing a Commercial 30 sometime in the spring.....and go from there.

If your worrying about the drive belts on the WB as being an issue when it's wet don't worry because most all your belt drives are adjustable. CC uses waht they called there Vari_Touch foot control so yo could adjust or increase belt pressure from like 8 to 24lbs for better traction.

Mar 15, 2015#13

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
If your worrying about the drive belts on the WB as being an issue when it's wet don't worry because most all your belt drives are adjustable. CC uses waht they called there Vari_Touch foot control so yo could adjust or increase belt pressure from like 8 to 24lbs for better traction.

OK. I might also demo the Exmark Metro 36, not because I want the Exmark, but because the Toro equivalent to that is what I am thinking about, but the Exmark dealer is more convenient to demo from. And that will give me a feel for what a commercial walk behind feels like, because I only have experience from the Billy Goat I bought...and returned (pic below).

Mar 15, 2015#14

lawn mower fanatic

The main reason I want to upgrade my mower is because I want to be able to expand a bit, which I am unable to do successfully due to it taking 45 min to an hour on a lawn. And the one lawn I do is over half an acre, so it takes me too long to feel like I am making a profit (though I charge accordingly).

Mar 16, 2015#15

Lawnboy18

lawn mower fanatic said:
The main reason I want to upgrade my mower is because I want to be able to expand a bit, which I am unable to do successfully due to it taking 45 min to an hour on a lawn. And the one lawn I do is over half an acre, so it takes me too long to feel like I am making a profit (though I charge accordingly).

You are probably making a profit. And probably an acceptable one since a 21" mower has less overhead. Once you whip out a 36" you will be faster and do the lawn in less time, but overhead will be a little higher. So it boils down to how fast do you want to go.

Anyways, I'd say if you have to dish out the greens to go with a 36".

Mar 16, 2015#16

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
The main reason I want to upgrade my mower is because I want to be able to expand a bit, which I am unable to do successfully due to it taking 45 min to an hour on a lawn. And the one lawn I do is over half an acre, so it takes me too long to feel like I am making a profit (though I charge accordingly).

If your wanting to upgrade your mower because you want to be able to expand I don't think I'd go 36" first and certainly not a walk behind. If you buy the 36" first you are just going to turn around in another year and buy a 48" or 54" ZTR. The 48" or 54" ZTR is where you will see your most gain in productivity. The thing is with the 30" or 36" walk behind mower your still walking/pushing a mower and your gain will be minimal. You've already covered your push mower needs with what you have so maximize for your biggest gain in productivity and then you'll start making money. Again you do what you want but like I said before, I've done what your wanting to do and it doesn't work, I found the 30" is more productive than the 36" because it's easier, more maneuverable and faster than the 36" for those reasons.

Mar 16, 2015#17

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
If your wanting to upgrade your mower because you want to be able to expand I don't think I'd go 36" first and certainly not a walk behind. If you buy the 36" first you are just going to turn around in another year and buy a 48" or 54" ZTR. The 48" or 54" ZTR is where you will see your most gain in productivity. The thing is with the 30" or 36" walk behind mower your still walking/pushing a mower and your gain will be minimal. You've already covered your push mower needs with what you have so maximize for your biggest gain in productivity and then you'll start making money. Again you do what you want but like I said before, I've done what your wanting to do and it doesn't work, I found the 30" is more productive than the 36" because it's easier, more maneuverable and faster than the 36" for those reasons.

When I say expand I really mean be able to accept more lawns. Not really different types of lawns. I don't really want to mow larger lawns, I just want to be able to cut my mowing time so I can accept more customer's that have lawns the 0.25 acre size I am used to, or maybe even smaller. I just need to be more efficient at each lawn. And yeah I am of course thinking farther into the future and thinking of a 48 in zeroturn, but I really can't not spend that much money at this point.

Mar 16, 2015#18

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
When I say expand I really mean be able to accept more lawns. Not really different types of lawns. I don't really want to mow larger lawns, I just want to be able to cut my mowing time so I can accept more customer's that have lawns the 0.25 acre size I am used to, or maybe even smaller. I just need to be more efficient at each lawn. And yeah I am of course thinking farther into the future and thinking of a 48 in zeroturn, but I really can't not spend that much money at this point.

When I say or talk about the most gain in productivity that's what I'm talking about, taking on more accounts. In order to do that you have to have the mower to do it with. A 36" walk behind for the lot size your talking about isn't going to give you the productivity gain your trying to find. I spent more time using or mowing a lawn with that G1336 than I did with my 21" cub cadet. Stop and think about what you're trying to accomplish? Just because something is or has a little wider cut doesn't necessarily make it faster. Spend your money once and you'll save a ton in the long run.

Mar 16, 2015#19

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
When I say or talk about the most gain in productivity that's what I'm talking about, taking on more accounts. In order to do that you have to have the mower to do it with. A 36" walk behind for the lot size your talking about isn't going to give you the productivity gain your trying to find. I spent more time using or mowing a lawn with that G1336 than I did with my 21" cub cadet. Stop and think about what you're trying to accomplish? Just because something is or has a little wider cut doesn't necessarily make it faster. Spend your money once and you'll save a ton in the long run.

Ok that makes me think. Thanks. That's why a demo will be beneficial.

Mar 16, 2015#20

Lawnboy18

V-Ride... Check that out.

A lot of LCO's use 36" mowers and also ZTR's. It really depends on what kind of yards you have. Fl is different than where you are. And where I am is different too. A 36" has it's advantages too.

Try out a few mowers, both 48" and 36" and see what suits you. The decisions is up to you.

Mar 16, 2015#21

lawn mower fanatic

Lawnboy18 said:
V-Ride... Check that out.

A lot of LCO's use 36" mowers and also ZTR's. It really depends on what kind of yards you have. Fl is different than where you are. And where I am is different too. A 36" has it's advantages too.

Try out a few mowers, both 48" and 36" and see what suits you. The decisions is up to you.

Yep you are right. And honestly if I had a larger budget I wouldn't hesitate with getting a 48" Exmark, Toro, or Scag zeroturn. But I don't have that kind of money I want to spend. But I heard the saying today, "You have to spend money to make money". And that's true. It's just how long I want to be "in debt" because of the large purchase.

Mar 17, 2015#22

Ric

Lawnboy18 said:
V-Ride... Check that out.

A lot of LCO's use 36" mowers and also ZTR's. It really depends on what kind of yards you have. Fl is different than where you are. And where I am is different too. A 36" has it's advantages too.

Try out a few mowers, both 48" and 36" and see what suits you. The decisions is up to you.

lawn mower fanatic said:
Yep you are right. And honestly if I had a larger budget I wouldn't hesitate with getting a 48" Exmark, Toro, or Scag zeroturn. But I don't have that kind of money I want to spend. But I heard the saying today, "You have to spend money to make money". And that's true. It's just how long I want to be "in debt" because of the large purchase.

Yeah I agree a lot of LCO's use the 36" and 48" mowers, I do myself, but that V-ride isn't a walk behind (BIG DIFFERENCE) It's a ZT rider just like the Grandstand 36" I use and both mowers up your productivity where as the 36" walk behind doesn't gets you a whole lot more than your 21" Honda and in some cases less. Ya know they call those things a Wide Area Walk Behind for a reason. If your worried about budget most of these company's offer the 42 or 48 month 0% financing and with the increase you'll get in productivity you'll be able to make the minimum payment and more and pay the mower off in no time especially if you were to use the money your going to spend for a down payment.

Depending on the mower you buy, your down payment, you could end up less than $100 a month, my payments on the Z-Master are $146 a month and with what the mower makes me I do $250 a month minimum. The way I look at buying mowers is you can do a couple of different ways. 1 you can buy new, buy warranty and in a couple of years have a turn around value or 2 you can buy used and buy someones Else's problems and pay for repair bills and in a couple of years have crap for value.

Mar 17, 2015#23

Lawnboy18

I don't see how a 36" would be counter productive on certain size lawns. If they weren't, companies wouldn't sell them. They have there uses and below 1 acre they can be pretty fast on a yard. They are sometimes faster than a Z. They are lighter, so they don't rut up a yard as bad. The Hydro ones turn on a dime, overhead is cheaper, etc. I mean if you are always mowing big yards 1 acre, 2 acres, etc then a Z would be good.

A 36" is good on small heavilly landscaped yards.

Mar 17, 2015#24

Ric

Lawnboy18 said:
I don't see how a 36" would be counter productive on certain size lawns. If they weren't, companies wouldn't sell them. They have there uses and below 1 acre they can be pretty fast on a yard. They are sometimes faster than a Z. They are lighter, so they don't rut up a yard as bad. The Hydro ones turn on a dime, overhead is cheaper, etc. I mean if you are always mowing big yards 1 acre, 2 acres, etc then a Z would be good.

A 36" is good on small heavilly landscaped yards.

Nobody said a 36" was counter productive. I said I agree a lot of LCO's use the 36" mowers. You'll probably find they buy them as a back up mower for there primary mower like Stander or ZTR. Most WB mowers are not as fast or faster than a stander and there certainly not as fast as most of the ZTR mowers made today. I used a 36" walk behind for two years and I can tell you there not as easy to use as you may think. I made the choice for the 167 lb 30" Turf-Master because I got tired of man handling a 460 lb mower with operator assist reverse and the difference in productivity between the two isn't all that great.

The point of productivity is to save as much time as you can per lawn and maximize your profit and the point I am trying to make is if LMF doesn't buy a mower that will put him in and out of a yard in twenty minutes or less he isn't making any money and your investment in your mower isn't paying off. You can't pop 4 lawns in an hour with a walk behind.

Mar 17, 2015#25

lawn mower fanatic

Thanks for everyone's input. Ric you say I could be paying $100 some dollars per month, that would take me over 2 years to pay off...I would rather just pay for it upfront honestly. But this had made my decision a lot harder. I guess I will demo both the Exmark Commercial 30 and Exmark Metro 36", and see how long it will take to mow my lawns. If it doesn't reduce my time by much OR if I don't like how they cut or operate, I have a serious decision to make.

Mar 17, 2015#26

lawn mower fanatic

Honestly now I am leaning towards the Exmark Commercial 30. For some reason I kind of want to stick with a walk behind, and I feel like I won't be happy with the cut of the true wide area walk behinds. Not that they don't give a crisp cut, more that I won't like the side discharge or the mulching isn't good. Ric- does your Turf Master save a decent amount of time compared to your Cub Cadet 21"? It would really be better if I bought the Commercial 30 rather than a true walk behind because I was going to go with a Toro 32 or 36 inch, due to the fact they are cheaper than the Exmarks, but my "hometown dealer" doesn't sell Toro. So I would have to drive farther for service. I just want the grass to start growing so I can demo some mowers!!

Mar 17, 2015#27

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
Thanks for everyone's input. Ric you say I could be paying $100 some dollars per month, that would take me over 2 years to pay off...I would rather just pay for it upfront honestly. But this had made my decision a lot harder. I guess I will demo both the Exmark Commercial 30 and Exmark Metro 36", and see how long it will take to mow my lawns. If it doesn't reduce my time by much OR if I don't like how they cut or operate, I have a serious decision to make.

I think anyone would rather just pay for it upfront but buying the mower at 0% interest is like paying cash for it or upfront. You can pay it off anytime you like with no penalty. My minimum payment is $146 a month on a $6100 loan and I generally make at least twice that and more depending on the months income.

The beauty in the whole thing is that I look at as I don't make the payments. I let the business and my clients do that with the money I make with it. I just use it and maintain it. It's a win win for everybody. The clients get what they want, I improved my productivity which improves my income which allows me to make larger payments so the mower is paid off quicker and put more money in my pocket.

:laughing: My minimum mower payment is $146 a month :laughing: You want ridiculous, My cable tv payment is $230 a month just so I can watch John Wayne

Mar 17, 2015#28

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
I think anyone would rather just pay for it upfront but buying the mower at 0% interest is like paying cash for it or upfront. You can pay it off anytime you like with no penalty. My minimum payment is $146 a month on a $6100 loan and I generally make at least twice that and more depending on the months income.

...

:laughing: My minimum mower payment is $146 a month :laughing: You want ridiculous, My cable tv payment is $230 a month just so I can watch John Wayne View attachment 25408

True....that is nice!! :thumbsup:

Mar 17, 2015#29

lawn mower fanatic

The thing is that $150 a month payment would be turned into a heck of a lot higher because if I get a zeroturn I am going to need a larger trailer, and a better vehicle to haul the trailer. So my trailer kind of limits my purchases as well.

Mar 17, 2015#30

Lawnboy18

You are at a point where you have to think about long term. Do you want to invest and do this for a living?
I have no clue how much $ you have. I recommend getting a 6x12 cash and finance the mower you want.

Mar 17, 2015#31

Carscw

I think for your needs the 30 inch would be best.
You take a lot of pride in your work and how the yard looks. I do not think you would be happy with a wider cut.
I believe if a yard takes you 45 mins with a 21 you should be able to knock 10 mins off that time with a 30
I have not used any of the mowers you have talked about so can not give any advice on them.

Mar 17, 2015#32

Carscw

I would get new. It will end up saving you money long term.

Mar 17, 2015#33

lawn mower fanatic

Lawnboy18 said:
You are at a point where you have to think about long term. Do you want to invest and do this for a living?
I have no clue how much $ you have. I recommend getting a 6x12 cash and finance the mower you want.

I don't know if I want to do this full time in the future, but I will definitely at lease do it part time. I love it, and after being my own boss for the past 5 years, it will be tough NOT being the boss. :laughing: I will probably get a larger trailer sooner than later (at LEAST 6x10), but I feel that since I got my trailer in December of 2013, I need to get some more use out of it. After the Exmark Metro 26, I am just hesitant of the Commercial 30. But it seems like it is a major improvement. The only way to find out is to try it. I figure I can always expand into an area with slightly smaller yards, where the Commercial 30 will be at it's prime. For some odd reason I want a mower where I walk behind it, I think part because I like physical fitness, and also because I like being able to be BEHIND a mower just to see how it performs and getting a view of everything going on with the mower. And at this point in my business maybe it's not smart to get a true wide area walk behind, until I can justify getting a true zeroturn.

Mar 17, 2015#34

lawn mower fanatic

Carscw said:
I think for your needs the 30 inch would be best.
You take a lot of pride in your work and how the yard looks. I do not think you would be happy with a wider cut.
I believe if a yard takes you 45 mins with a 21 you should be able to knock 10 mins off that time with a 30
I have not used any of the mowers you have talked about so can not give any advice on them.

Carscw said:
I would get new. It will end up saving you money long term.

I appreciate your opinion. Yes I do take tons of pride in my work, and a 30" might be better for me. I will need to time my mowing this year, maybe it takes around 40 minutes if I work quickly, BEFORE the trimming and blowing. Some yards I can knock out the mowing portion in maybe 30-35 if I am lucky. Honestly every lawn care business in the area uses a zero-turn on the yards I use a 21" mower, so any time improvement will be beneficial. Here is a picture of the average size backyard I do. It doesn't show the whole backyard, I have better pictures in some of my albums.

Mar 17, 2015#35

lawn mower fanatic

And what is the Commercial 30 going for...somewhere between 16 and 1800, right? Is there anyway to get that a bit cheaper?

Mar 17, 2015#36

lawn mower fanatic

I was reading some of the reviews for the Toro Turfmaster....and I've got to say a lot of them are not good! A lot of "Buyer Beware". I know a lot of people only post reviews if they have a problem, but that seems like a lot of thumbsdown. Some of the Exmark Commercial 30 reviews are better, but they still aren't great. Have you had any problems, Ric?

Mar 17, 2015#37

Lawnboy18

If it's Ric you can bet dollars to doughuts that he will say that it is very good and so on.

I have also red some iffy stuff about that mower. Too heavy, a pig to move, and tranny sucks (early version. The newer version is fine).

I say go 36"... But hey, it's just me.

Mar 18, 2015#38

lawn mower fanatic

Lawnboy18 said:
If it's Ric you can bet dollars to doughuts that he will say that it is very good and so on.

I have also red some iffy stuff about that mower. Too heavy, a pig to move, and tranny sucks (early version. The newer version is fine).

I say go 36"... But hey, it's just me.

This is why I hate making decisions.....it's so difficult! I don't mind a mower that is hard to move, I can get used to that. It's the mechanical problems that have me worried.

Mar 18, 2015#39

Lawnboy18

Mechanical? Once you work on it a bit you get use to the mower.

Mar 18, 2015#40

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
And what is the Commercial 30 going for...somewhere between 16 and 1800, right? Is there anyway to get that a bit cheaper?

lawn mower fanatic said:
I was reading some of the reviews for the Toro Turfmaster....and I've got to say a lot of them are not good! A lot of "Buyer Beware". I know a lot of people only post reviews if they have a problem, but that seems like a lot of thumbsdown. Some of the Exmark Commercial 30 reviews are better, but they still aren't great. Have you had any problems, Ric?

I learned a while ago that you can't really go by reviews. You know when I purchased mine (Turf-Master) and it was when they first hit the market. I purchased the first one the shop sold and yes I knew there was going to possibly be problems, just like anything new. Talk about reviews You said I was reading some of the reviews for the Toro Turfmaster....and I've got to say a lot of them are not good! A lot of "Buyer Beware" but that seems like a lot of thumbsdown. Some of the Exmark Commercial 30 reviews are better??????? That should make you think or question reviews a little bit and why, Think about it?

There the same frame, the same engine, the same deck the same belt set-up, for gosh sakes there made buy the same company so how is one going to be any better than the other. The big differences between the two mowers is the Toro has a different brush guard on it , the front end is enclosed and it has a two wheel height adjustment and the Exmark has a three wheel height adjustment an you buy either for $1699

People want to complain about there weight and yes it's 170lbs, but it's not a 21" mower but at the same time it's not a 500lb WB either.They like to complain about the drive, well guess what there adjustable speed and traction for the individual owner just like the WB.

I worked with the guys at the shop on the set up for the mower the first year I owned it and it was as new to them as it was me. Yes it had its problems and it popped a couple of drive cables, I went through a set of belts They even replaced the spindles with the Exmark and Toro with there recall cause they had a problem there but that was taken care of just like the re-call on the raptor when it hit the market. With the 3 year balls to the wall warranty I've never paid a dime for any part or labor.

The reviews you read are basically from close minded people not willing to except change. The Turf-Master and Exmark 30 are as good a mower as you want them to be. If you want a mower to get the job done and are willing to let it the mower do the job it's designed for it's a great mower but if you want to be one of those people who want to whine and complain and find fault about everything on a mower then you'll make the mower a problem, it wont be the mowers fault and I'd say don't buy it and don't think for one minute your going to take either of those mowers home and demo it and find out what you want and form an opinion because it ain't going to happen because your not giving it a chance. I've been very pleased with the mower and it's performance and its done me a great job and I sure wouldn't trade it for any other.

Mar 18, 2015#41

Ric

Lawnboy18 said:
If it's Ric you can bet dollars to doughnuts that he will say that it is very good and so on.

I have also read some iffy stuff about that mower. Too heavy, a pig to move, and transmission sucks (early version. The newer version is fine).

I say go 36"... But hey, it's just me.

Well you would be right and personally you can keep the dollars, I'll take the Doughnuts :wink:. I think after using the mower for 2 -2 1/2 years I can say or give an opinion on its Quality, Performance and Dependability or how well or how good the mower is or isn't. I don't have to rely on reading iffy stuff and someone writing reviews or talking about a mower I have no experience with. But hey, it's just me.

Mar 18, 2015#42

lawn mower fanatic

Lawnboy18 said:
Mechanical? Once you work on it a bit you get use to the mower.

I meant like the problems people are having with the cables, transmission, etc. I can get used to a hard-to-manuever mower, but not one that will break down.

Ric said:
I learned a while ago that you can't really go by reviews. You know when I purchased mine (Turf-Master) and it was when they first hit the market. I purchased the first one the shop sold and yes I knew there was going to possibly be problems, just like anything new. Talk about reviews You said I was reading some of the reviews for the Toro Turfmaster....and I've got to say a lot of them are not good! A lot of "Buyer Beware" but that seems like a lot of thumbsdown. Some of the Exmark Commercial 30 reviews are better??????? That should make you think or question reviews a little bit and why, Think about it?

There the same frame, the same engine, the same deck the same belt set-up, for gosh sakes there made buy the same company so how is one going to be any better than the other. The big differences between the two mowers is the Toro has a different brush guard on it , the front end is enclosed and it has a two wheel height adjustment and the Exmark has a three wheel height adjustment an you buy either for $1699

People want to complain about there weight and yes it's 170lbs, but it's not a 21" mower but at the same time it's not a 500lb WB either.They like to complain about the drive, well guess what there adjustable speed and traction for the individual owner just like the WB.

I worked with the guys at the shop on the set up for the mower the first year I owned it and it was as new to them as it was me. Yes it had its problems and it popped a couple of drive cables, I went through a set of belts They even replaced the spindles with the Exmark and Toro with there recall cause they had a problem there but that was taken care of just like the re-call on the raptor when it hit the market. With the 3 year balls to the wall warranty I've never paid a dime for any part or labor.

The reviews you read are basically from close minded people not willing to except change. The Turf-Master and Exmark 30 are as good a mower as you want them to be. If you want a mower to get the job done and are willing to let it the mower do the job it's designed for it's a great mower but if you want to be one of those people who want to whine and complain and find fault about everything on a mower then you'll make the mower a problem, it wont be the mowers fault and I'd say don't buy it and don't think for one minute your going to take either of those mowers home and demo it and find out what you want and form an opinion because it ain't going to happen because your not giving it a chance. I've been very pleased with the mower and it's performance and its done me a great job and I sure wouldn't trade it for any other.

OK thanks for your input. My dealer has a leftover 2014 model for sale for around $1800, IF I BUY IT BEFORE MARCH 31. The grass won't be growing by then, so I won't be able to demo a mower and then buy that with the discount. The new 2015 models are close to $1900 IF BOUGHT BEFORE MARCH 31. That really stinks because I need until at least the third week in April to have time to demo it. Can't imagine what the price will be after March 31.

Mar 18, 2015#43

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
I meant like the problems people are having with the cables, transmission, etc. I can get used to a hard-to-manuever mower, but not one that will break down.

OK thanks for your input. My dealer has a leftover 2014 model for sale for around $1800, IF I BUY IT BEFORE MARCH 31. The grass won't be growing by then, so I won't be able to demo a mower and then buy that with the discount. The new 2015 models are close to $1900 IF BOUGHT BEFORE MARCH 31. That really stinks because I need until at least the third week in April to have time to demo it. Can't imagine what the price will be after March 31.

:laughing: I purchased mine site unseen. When I got mine they had only been available for three months and nobody had one and my dealer had to order the thing and it took a week to get it to the shop. The reason I went with Toro was the bail design, It's a single and easier to use and the Exmark is a double and really don't like those. I've never had any problems with the transmission itself but like I said I've popped a couple of drive cables but that's no big thing and the belts when they need to be replaced are simple to do. I wouldn't worry about the mechanical part to much just use the manual and you wont have any issues.

Mar 18, 2015#44

M

mowerman05

I have the ex mark 30 and have only had to adjust the drive speed once since I have owned it. I bought mine right after Ric got his toro, mine was the first that the dealer sold also. Love it.

Mar 18, 2015#45

lawn mower fanatic

mowerman05 said:
I have the ex mark 30 and have only had to adjust the drive speed once since I have owned it. I bought mine right after Ric got his toro, mine was the first that the dealer sold also. Love it.

Do you mulch with it? I have heard lots of people say mulching isn't its strong point.

Mar 18, 2015#46

M

mowerman05

Mostly side discharge some bagging very little mulching however when I did I didn't seem to have a problem but I didn't go full speed either. Hope this help you decide. My past post are nothing but positive except that it is heavy but you do get used to it in a hurry.

Mar 18, 2015#47

lawn mower fanatic

mowerman05 said:
Mostly side discharge some bagging very little mulching however when I did I didn't seem to have a problem but I didn't go full speed either. Hope this help you decide. My past post are nothing but positive except that it is heavy but you do get used to it in a hurry.

OK thanks for the info. :thumbsup:

Mar 18, 2015#48

lawn mower fanatic

In the process of trying to find the price of the Toro 32 or 36 inch with pistol grips or T-Bar. I feel the Exmark Commercial 30 isn't too much of an upgrade from my Honda, for the close to $2000 price tag. As you can see I change my mind so many times. So we'll see what I'm thinking tomorrow. Haha. If I bought the 32 or 36 inch and put a mulching kit and gator blades on it, do you think it would leave a clipping - free cut?

Mar 19, 2015#49

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
In the process of trying to find the price of the Toro 32 or 36 inch with pistol grips or T-Bar. I feel the Exmark Commercial 30 isn't too much of an upgrade from my Honda, for the close to $2000 price tag. As you can see I change my mind so many times. So we'll see what I'm thinking tomorrow. Haha. If I bought the 32 or 36 inch and put a mulching kit and gator blades on it, do you think it would leave a clipping - free cut?

:laughing: YA know your going to beat yourself to death trying to make a decision on what to buy. You may as well just buy one because what ever you decide to buy and end up with you'll regret it and wish you had purchased the other. If I were you and as much as you are into the push mower thing I'd go with the 30" first and save my money and start working on a new trailer and ztr if you decide to continue with the business. The 30" will increase your productivity by 43% more cut area per pass over the 21" and that's what you were looking for correct and it will be new with a warranty not a used machine that you could end up putting a ton of money into in the future.

Mar 19, 2015#50

Ric

mowerman05 said:
Mostly side discharge some bagging very little mulching however when I did I didn't seem to have a problem but I didn't go full speed either. Hope this help you decide. My past post are nothing but positive except that it is heavy but you do get used to it in a hurry.

lawn mower fanatic said:
Do you mulch with it? I have heard lots of people say mulching isn't its strong point.

lawn mower fanatic said:
OK thanks for the info. :thumbsup:

Before cut/Mulching

After cut/ Mulching

The TM was set on 3.5 so you can see how much was cut and what was left and it was wet.

Mar 19, 2015#51

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
:laughing: YA know your going to beat yourself to death trying to make a decision on what to buy. You may as well just buy one because what ever you decide to buy and end up with you'll regret it and wish you had purchased the other. If I were you and as much as you are into the push mower thing I'd go with the 30" first and save my money and start working on a new trailer and ztr if you decide to continue with the business. The 30" will increase your productivity by 43% more cut area per pass over the 21" and that's what you were looking for correct and it will be new with a warranty not a used machine that you could end up putting a ton of money into in the future.

If I decide to go with the Toro wide area walk behind now that I think about it would not make sense to go with the 32". Because it would only be 2 inches wider than the Turfmaster or Commercial 30, and cost over $1,000 extra. But a 36" mower would be nice ....

Mar 19, 2015#52

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
If I decide to go with the Toro wide area walk behind now that I think about it would not make sense to go with the 32". Because it would only be 2 inches wider than the Turfmaster or Commercial 30, and cost over $1,000 extra. But a 36" mower would be nice ....

The 36" is a nice size if you buy the right mower. The problem I see for you is something you mentioned a little earlier in the thread when we talk about the ZTR and that was your trailer and the size you purchased. When you purchased that trailer you did the same exact thing I did, You didn't look to the future. Now you can't get a ZTR without buying a new trailer. Now again your talking about buying a walk behind that you have doubts about just like I did. I wished I hadn't gone through half a dozen mowers and threw away thousands of dollars to get where I am not that I don't have good stuff but when I think of what I could have had with the money I wasted if I had just done it right the first time.:frown:

The nice thing about the 30" is it's a small investment for the business that could stay with you for years, even if you drop the business you can keep for your personal use so you don't lose. The walk behind, I think that could be a losing proposition, I got half back of what I paid for mine. Hey I hope the pictures helped.

Mar 19, 2015#53

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
The 36" is a nice size if you buy the right mower. The problem I see for you is something you mentioned a little earlier in the thread when we talk about the ZTR and that was your trailer and the size you purchased. When you purchased that trailer you did the same exact thing I did, You didn't look to the future. Now you can't get a ZTR without buying a new trailer. Now again your talking about buying a walk behind that you have doubts about just like I did. I wished I hadn't gone through half a dozen mowers and threw away thousands of dollars to get where I am not that I don't have good stuff but when I think of what I could have had with the money I wasted if I had just done it right the first time.:frown:

The nice thing about the 30" is it's a small investment for the business that could stay with you for years, even if you drop the business you can keep for your personal use so you don't lose. The walk behind, I think that could be a losing proposition, I got half back of what I paid for mine. Hey I hope the pictures helped.

Yes the pictures do help. On one side of things I feel like what you just said is what I feel like as well, but on the other side of things I keep thinking that all of the other lawn care businesses in the area have zeroturns AND a wide area walk behind or a wide area walk behind and a push mower, so I feel like this is my first step into being like the "big boys" in the business. I kind of feel the 30" is just like half a step towards my goal, and that I should go bigger. I don't know.

Mar 19, 2015#54

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
Yes the pictures do help. On one side of things I feel like what you just said is what I feel like as well, but on the other side of things I keep thinking that all of the other lawn care businesses in the area have zeroturns AND a wide area walk behind or a wide area walk behind and a push mower, so I feel like this is my first step into being like the "big boys" in the business. I kind of feel the 30" is just like half a step towards my goal, and that I should go bigger. I don't know.

Now why do you think I purchased the 30"?? I was the only kid on the block with one :laughing: and being like the Big Boys ani't crack upped to what you think it is, it's just more work. I just hate to see you throw away money but the truth is I don't think I've ever seen any do it any different than I did or you want too. A ztr, a wb and a push that's what I've always carried and still carry because there's nothing you can't do with that combo.

Mar 19, 2015#55

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
Now why do you think I purchased the 30"?? I was the only kid on the block with one :laughing: and being like the Big Boys ani't crack upped to what you think it is, it's just more work. I just hate to see you throw away money but the truth is I don't think I've ever seen any do it any different than I did or you want too. A ztr, a wb and a push that's what I've always carried and still carry because there's nothing you can't do with that combo.

Ya, I think I have the "push mower" category covered with my Honda HRX....I can do some serious lawns pretty quick for the size of the mower. So now I think it's time to take a serious step up....to a larger mower. I am leaning towards the Toro 36" at this point, but it could all change after I demo one. I found out the Toro 32" is around $3200 (for the pistol grips OR T-Bar), still trying to figure out the price for the 36". Hopefully not too much more.

Mar 21, 2015#56

lawn mower fanatic

So I am hearing things about belt drive walk behinds not being "all they are made up to be". I know a hydro walk behind would be a heck of a lot better....but I just can't afford that right now. I recognize that a belt drive walk behind will be hard to adjust the mowing height, can't reverse well, and can't mow when the grass is wet due to belt slippage. But if I decide on this over the Exmark Commercial 30, is it worth it? Keep in mind I am using my Honda 21" mower now. Here are some pics of yards I do to show you the size. The largest lawn I do is around .6 acre and takes me an hour 20 minutes with my 21".

Mar 21, 2015#57

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
So I am hearing things about belt drive walk behinds not being "all they are made up to be". I know a hydro walk behind would be a heck of a lot better....but I just can't afford that right now. I recognize that a belt drive walk behind will be hard to adjust the mowing height, can't reverse well, and can't mow when the grass is wet due to belt slippage. But if I decide on this over the Exmark Commercial 30, is it worth it? Keep in mind I am using my Honda 21" mower now. Here are some pics of yards I do to show you the size. The largest lawn I do is around .6 acre and takes me an hour 20 minutes with my 21".

View attachment 25463

View attachment 25464

View attachment 25465

View attachment 25466

View attachment 25467

View attachment 25468

OMG

If I could ask a question, what is your purpose in wanting this 30 or36" mower???

Mar 21, 2015#58

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
OMG View attachment 25472If I could ask a question, what is your purpose in wanting this 30 or36" mower???

To save time. I can't be spending an hour per lawn. But both mowers have so many cons it seems.

Mar 21, 2015#59

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
OMG <img src="http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/attachments/mower-equipment-buying-pricing/25472-upgrading-my-mower-443791640-gif"/>If I could ask a question, what is your purpose in wanting this 30 or36" mower???

Sorry I'm so picky....but this is my biggest purchase for my business so I want to make the better decision.

Mar 21, 2015#60

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
Sorry I'm so picky....but this is my biggest purchase for my business so I want to make the better decision.

Doesn't have anything to do with being picky or making a decision, What's the purpose behind buying a new mower?

Mar 21, 2015#61

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
Doesn't have anything to do with being picky or making a decision, What's the purpose behind buying a new mower?

?? To replace another one? Upgrade?

Mar 21, 2015#62

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
?? To replace another one? Upgrade?

Ok I understand your wanting to upgrade to another and better mower but the purpose I'm assuming is to increase your productivity, to increase your profits and to do that you need to save time and steps per lawn. I look at your pictures and what I see are really nice looking, well maintained lawns but as someone who put together time schedules for crews to maximize productivity I see you losing money and basically giving or doing one lawn out five for free and as long as your doing that your upgrade will not amount to a whole lot.

Mar 21, 2015#63

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
Ok I understand your wanting to upgrade to another and better mower but the purpose I'm assuming is to increase your productivity, to increase your profits and to do that you need to save time and steps per lawn. I look at your pictures and what I see are really nice looking, well maintained lawns but as someone who put together time schedules for crews to maximize productivity I see you losing money and basically giving or doing one lawn out five for free and as long as your doing that your upgrade will not amount to a whole lot.

So you think a Commercial 30 would be better? Or do I have no chance of upgrading my mower until I can afford a commercial zeroturn, and have to stick with my Honda?

Mar 21, 2015#64

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
So you think a Commercial 30 would be better? Or do I have no chance of upgrading my mower until I can afford a commercial zero turn, and have to stick with my Honda?

Now I'm not trying to be nasty or anything like that but if your going to be in business the reason is to make money and to do that you max you productivity and that means using your time efficiently. The upgrade to the 30 or the 36 is fine and I gave you my opinion and upgrading and 30 or 36 will definitely help. The thing is I see a lot of wasted time in your pictures. Striping a lawn doesn't make you money it's only a waste of time, you could probably regular cut five lawns in the same time it takes you to cut and strip four. I mean really the only place strips on a lawn fit is in Yankee Stadium :smile: If your investing in upgrades for your business or company you can't afford to waste time because equipment doesn't pay for itself unless you use it correctly.

Mar 21, 2015#65

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
Now I'm not trying to be nasty or anything like that but if your going to be in business the reason is to make money and to do that you max you productivity and that means using your time efficiently. The upgrade to the 30 or the 36 is fine and I gave you my opinion and upgrading and 30 or 36 will definitely help. The thing is I see a lot of wasted time in your pictures. Striping a lawn doesn't make you money it's only a waste of time, you could probably regular cut five lawns in the same time it takes you to cut and strip four. I mean really the only place strips on a lawn fit is in Yankee Stadium :smile: If your investing in upgrades for your business or company you can't afford to waste time because equipment doesn't pay for itself unless you use it correctly.

Isn't striping the lawn the most efficient way to cut? Because chances are you are getting the longest length of the yard, and going back and forth that way, turning less times. But that being said I probably won't be able to stripe with the Toro because with side discharge I might have to go in a clockwise circle. So if that still makes the lawn look good, I am fine with doing it that way. I don't need the lawn to have stripes, I just want it to be cut and look good, and please the customer.

Mar 21, 2015#66

Carscw

I found that stripping is the fastest way to cut a yard.

I would not have any one work for me that cuts in a circle. Why have a zero turn if you just going around in a circle?

I will tell you what I have seen over the years.
The guys that only worry about being fast have to do twice the yards as the guys that do the better job. To make the same money.

A few years ago I only used snapper push mowers. Stayed in one subdivision.

Started out doing 4 yards at $25 per man hour. With 2 of us. the average yard took a hour and a half. All we did was full service.
In 5 months we had 50 yards every week. Took every one of then from the guys with big mowers charging $20 a visit.
We charged 3 times more then the other guys and took their yards.

Why? Because we made the yards look good.

Start cutting all your customers yards as fast as you can in a circle. Then tell us how things are going.

The others guys cutting in neighborhood they charge more or less then you?

You do good work don't sacrifice that for a extra $25 a day.

Mar 21, 2015#67

lawn mower fanatic

Carscw said:
I found that stripping is the fastest way to cut a yard.

I would not have any one work for me that cuts in a circle. Why have a zero turn if you just going around in a circle?

I will tell you what I have seen over the years.
The guys that only worry about being fast have to do twice the yards as the guys that do the better job. To make the same money.

A few years ago I only used snapper push mowers. Stayed in one subdivision.

Started out doing 4 yards at $25 per man hour. With 2 of us. the average yard took a hour and a half. All we did was full service.
In 5 months we had 50 yards every week. Took every one of then from the guys with big mowers charging $20 a visit.
We charged 3 times more then the other guys and took their yards.

Why? Because we made the yards look good.

Start cutting all your customers yards as fast as you can in a circle. Then tell us how things are going.

The others guys cutting in neighborhood they charge more or less then you?

You do good work don't sacrifice that for a extra $25 a day.

Everyone charges more than me. I don't want to be called a lowballer, but no one would take me seriously if I charged $50 to cut it with a push mower....the same price most "pros" charge in the area. I would love to keep cutting "back and forth" if my mower allows. My Billy Goat side discharge mower just was too messy to go back and forth, because there would be big rows of grass clumps.

Mar 21, 2015#68

Carscw

lawn mower fanatic said:
Everyone charges more than me. I don't want to be called a lowballer, but no one would take me seriously if I charged $50 to cut it with a push mower....the same price most "pros" charge in the area. I would love to keep cutting "back and forth" if my mower allows. My Billy Goat side discharge mower just was too messy to go back and forth, because there would be big rows of grass clumps.

Why are you charging less then the guys with the big mowers?
Do their yards look better then yours?

I know things are different everywhere.
Around here you would charge more then the guys with the big mowers.

People with really nice yards really do not want a big mower on it.

Mar 22, 2015#69

lawn mower fanatic

Carscw said:
Why are you charging less then the guys with the big mowers?
Do their yards look better then yours?

I know things are different everywhere.
Around here you would charge more then the guys with the big mowers.

People with really nice yards really do not want a big mower on it.

I would love to charge more than the guys with the big mowers. But the thing is people hire me for 2 reasons it seems. Because I do quality work, and because my prices are cheaper. I can not see people hiring me if they knew I was going to charge them $60 to cut their grass. Though I work in a nice neighborhood, people are cheap! This one customer of mine wanted me to put mulch in all the beds around his property for $10 an hour. Give me a break.

Mar 22, 2015#70

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
Isn't striping the lawn the most efficient way to cut? Because chances are you are getting the longest length of the yard, and going back and forth that way, turning less times. But that being said I probably won't be able to stripe with the Toro because with side discharge I might have to go in a clockwise circle. So if that still makes the lawn look good, I am fine with doing it that way. I don't need the lawn to have stripes, I just want it to be cut and look good, and please the customer.

No I don't believe it is the most efficient way to mow a lawn. Since when is going over a lawn twice every other pass to bend grass the opposite directions to reflect light efficient? All you do is waste time and time is money. I don't no where mowing in circles came from but nobody does that either, in-fact I've never seen a homeowner lawn here you could mower in a circle. You can do a good job on a lawn with any mower, a Stander,ZTR, WB or push because they all will do a good job but it really doesn't come down to the lawn being mowed as much as it does the detail work.

You said I probably won't be able to stripe with the Toro because with side discharge I might have to go in a clockwise circle, why would you do that? With G5 or G6 blades you can mow the direction you want because your clippings will be so fine your not going to see them and your lawn will look good. There are plenty of good mowers you can get for under 6K and be more productive than some of the people are talkin about.

Mar 22, 2015#71

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
No I don't believe it is the most efficient way to mow a lawn. Since when is going over a lawn twice every other pass to bend grass the opposite directions to reflect light efficient? All you do is waste time and time is money. I don't no where mowing in circles came from but nobody does that either, in-fact I've never seen a homeowner lawn here you could mower in a circle. You can do a good job on a lawn with any mower, a Stander,ZTR, WB or push because they all will do a good job but it really doesn't come down to the lawn being mowed as much as it does the detail work.

You said I probably won't be able to stripe with the Toro because with side discharge I might have to go in a clockwise circle, why would you do that? With G5 or G6 blades you can mow the direction you want because your clippings will be so fine your not going to see them and your lawn will look good. There are plenty of good mowers you can get for under 6K and be more productive than some of the people are talkin about.

One of the reasons I am hesitant about the 36 is because of the discharge. After using my Billy goat, it was just a mess, and I swore I would never side discharge again. So if you think it should be ok that's good. What about the Toro mulching blades. Just as good as Gator Blades?

Mar 22, 2015#72

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
One of the reasons I am hesitant about the 36 is because of the discharge. After using my Billy goat, it was just a mess, and I swore I would never side discharge again. So if you think it should be ok that's good. What about the Toro mulching blades. Just as good as Gator Blades?

THe side discharge on most any WB can be closed and at least the g5 blades added to mulch. I run the G6 on both the Stander and Z Master and run with an open chute and never leave any clippings unless of course your doing a foreclosure or a lawn that hasn't been done in a month. As far as the 30" Toro blades,( Atomic Blades I think is what Toro calls them) they do an excellent job and I've never mowed a lawn with the side discharge I've always used the mulching and occasionally bag.

Mar 22, 2015#73

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
THe side discharge on most any WB can be closed and at least the g5 blades added to mulch. I run the G6 on both the Stander and Z Master and run with an open chute and never leave any clippings unless of course your doing a foreclosure or a lawn that hasn't been done in a month. As far as the 30" Toro blades,( Atomic Blades I think is what Toro calls them) they do an excellent job and I've never mowed a lawn with the side discharge I've always used the mulching and occasionally bag.

Good to know. I have heard that in the heavy spring growth a mulching kit can make the mower struggle, so what I might do is put on an OCDC so I can change from "mulching" to side discharge whenever I need to, or to go around mulch beds.

Mar 22, 2015#74

Carscw

Why would you have to go over the grass twice every other pass to stripe?
All you do is make a pass turn around make a pass next to the previous one.

Mar 22, 2015#75

lawn mower fanatic

Carscw said:
Why would you have to go over the grass twice every other pass to stripe?
All you do is make a pass turn around make a pass next to the previous one.

Ya I'm a little confused with that. I still think striping the lawn is the fastest way....unless you choose to stripe North to South on a yard that is like 10 times longer East and West.

Mar 22, 2015#76

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
Good to know. I have heard that in the heavy spring growth a mulching kit can make the mower struggle, so what I might do is put on an OCDC so I can change from "mulching" to side discharge whenever I need to, or to go around mulch beds.

It's called an operator controlled discharge chute and it allows operator to manually open and close the discharge side of the deck from the seat for enhanced safety. It prevents objects from being thrown by the blades and keeps clippings from being thrown al over flowerbeds and mulched areas. They make them for Commercial ZTR and walk behind mowers, nothing for residential stuff and they run like $200 and up depending on the mower.

Mar 22, 2015#77

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
It's called an operator controlled discharge chute and it allows operator to manually open and close the discharge side of the deck from the seat for enhanced safety. It prevents objects from being thrown by the blades and keeps clippings from being thrown al over flowerbeds and mulched areas. They make them for Commercial ZTR and walk behind mowers, nothing for residential stuff and they run like $200 and up depending on the mower.

I'll have to see how it performs from the start, because a mulch kit is pretty permanent so I want to make sure I want it if I decide to go that route. That's why I was thinking about the operator controlled discharge chute.

Mar 23, 2015#78

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
I'll have to see how it performs from the start, because a mulch kit is pretty permanent so I want to make sure I want it if I decide to go that route. That's why I was thinking about the operator controlled discharge chute.

Most of the guys that I see use those are running the Dixie Choppers and I think they come equipped that way. I'd like to have one on my Z-Master But I'm not willing to pay the price they quoted me especially when the mower does the job with the G6 blades that it does. Lawnboy said I don't feel like buying a 6K 36" and then down the road a 7K zero turn. Personally I think 6K on a WB is insanity when you can have the best of both worlds for under 6K. I only paid $6800 for my 36" Grandstand. I don't know if you would be interested or not but you can get the World Lawn Venom 52 " Stander for the MSRP $5999 probably $5400 out the door maybe cheaper or the Encore Rage for the same price.

Stand On - Worldlawn Power Equipment, Inc.Worldlawn Power Equipment, Inc.

VENOM WYS52FX730V - Worldlawn Power Equipment, Inc.Worldlawn Power Equipment, Inc.

Rage - Encore

Mar 23, 2015#79

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
Most of the guys that I see use those are running the Dixie Choppers and I think they come equipped that way. I'd like to have one on my Z-Master But I'm not willing to pay the price they quoted me especially when the mower does the job with the G6 blades that it does. Lawnboy said I don't feel like buying a 6K 36" and then down the road a 7K zero turn. Personally I think 6K on a WB is insanity when you can have the best of both worlds for under 6K. I only paid $6800 for my 36" Grandstand. I don't know if you would be interested or not but you can get the World Lawn Venom 52 " Stander for the MSRP $5999 probably $5400 out the door maybe cheaper or the Encore Rage for the same price.

Stand On - Worldlawn Power Equipment, Inc.Worldlawn Power Equipment, Inc.

VENOM WYS52FX730V - Worldlawn Power Equipment, Inc.Worldlawn Power Equipment, Inc.

Rage - Encore

The problem is I don't have a Worldlawn or Encore dealer nearby. Even the Toro dealer isn't that close. There are TONS of dealers that sell residential Toro mowers nearby, but not the commercial lineup. The dealer I usually work with sells Scag and Exmark, and the dealer I get my Hondas from sells John Deere. But the dealer I'm talking to about the 36" Toro isn't that far, just not down the street.

Mar 23, 2015#80

Carscw

I have heard good things about worldlawn
Have not used one yet. Maybe you this year.

Mar 23, 2015#81

lawn mower fanatic

Carscw said:
I have heard good things about worldlawn
Have not used one yet. Maybe you this year.

Plus $6000 is a lot more than I want to spend. I just didn't make enough last year to want to buy something that's that large of a percentage of what I made last year. But this year I do want to "go big". Considering last year I didn't even hand out flyers.

Mar 23, 2015#82

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
The problem is I don't have a Worldlawn or Encore dealer nearby. Even the Toro dealer isn't that close. There are TONS of dealers that sell residential Toro mowers nearby, but not the commercial lineup. The dealer I usually work with sells Scag and Exmark, and the dealer I get my Hondas from sells John Deere. But the dealer I'm talking to about the 36" Toro isn't that far, just not down the street.

If you have a Toro dealer close that sell there residential stuff he should be able to order you the mower you want. The Worldlawn and Encore mowers are a well built mower, there just not as Fancy as the bigger name mowers but then again neither are there prices.

Mar 23, 2015#83

Lawnboy18

Ric said:
If you have a Toro dealer close that sell there residential stuff he should be able to order you the mower you want. The Worldlawn and Encore mowers are a well built mower, there just not as Fancy as the bigger name mowers but then again neither are there prices.

Dealer support... Nothing worse than buying a mower with no support.

Mar 23, 2015#84

lawn mower fanatic

Lawnboy18 said:
Dealer support... Nothing worse than buying a mower with no support.

Exactly. I have had only good experiences with dealers so far, and I hope this Toro dealer I might go through is the same.

Mar 24, 2015#85

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
Exactly. I have had only good experiences with dealers so far, and I hope this Toro dealer I might go through is the same.

Dealer support is a must and most dealers are going to back what they sell. Most dealers will also sell you any mower they can and tell you exactly what you need. I know to many people who buy or purchase mowers even after a demo that find out later down the road it's not what they want, needed or thought it would be and they end up losing a ton of money on the resale. From experience I can tell you that's what happened to me when I purchased the G1336 WB and It cost me $1400 to find out.

Mar 24, 2015#86

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
Dealer support is a must and most dealers are going to back what they sell. Most dealers will also sell you any mower they can and tell you exactly what you need. I know to many people who buy or purchase mowers even after a demo that find out later down the road it's not what they want, needed or thought it would be and they end up losing a ton of money on the resale. From experience I can tell you that's what happened to me when I purchased the G1336 WB and It cost me $1400 to find out.

Though I haven't demoed it yet, I'm sure the 36 will be a heck of an upgrade from my 21. You have experience with mowers that are better, but I am still using push mowers. So I look at things differently. I realize the belt drive isn't the most efficient, but I think it will suit me fine. If it cuts well.

Mar 24, 2015#87

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
Though I haven't demoed it yet, I'm sure the 36 will be a heck of an upgrade from my 21. You have experience with mowers that are better, but I am still using push mowers. So I look at things differently. I realize the belt drive isn't the most efficient, but I think it will suit me fine. If it cuts well.

I have experience with a belt drive walk behind too. Used the G1336 for two years. I've been where you are at that's why I know.

Mar 24, 2015#88

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
I have experience with a belt drive walk behind too. Used the G1336 for two years. I've been where you are at that's why I know.

I know that, but you made enough money to also buy a better mower. This is at the top of my budget.

Mar 24, 2015#89

Carscw

You are young the belt drive will be good.
I still use a 48inch belt drive.

Think about it. How often do you really back up?
Me maybe once a month when I get day dreaming.

You will have to practice your turns.

Mar 24, 2015#90

Lawnboy18

Carscw said:
You are young the belt drive will be good.
I still use a 48inch belt drive.

Think about it. How often do you really back up?
Me maybe once a month when I get day dreaming.

You will have to practice your turns.

You always make me laugh!

How big of yards do you do with your 48"?

Mar 24, 2015#91

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
I know that, but you made enough money to also buy a better mower. This is at the top of my budget.

No, I saved enough money using a Honda push mower and a LT1045 46" cut to buy a 44" Z Force which made me enough money to buy the G 1336 WB for a back up. The 44" was my primary mower when I actually started the business and after a bit I purchased the 48" Z force which brought the productivity level up which allowed me to sell the 44 and 1336 and use the money to buy the Grandstand. The turfmaster was an easy pickup and Thanks to the 0% financing so was the Z Master and it will be paid off by August (one year) and if I decide to stay in business next season my intentions are to sell the Z and replace it with the 48" Grandstand. Now with the process I went through along with the other Honda and Three CC 21" push mowers you can only guess How much money I wasted to get where I am.

Mar 24, 2015#92

Carscw

Lawnboy18 said:
You always make me laugh! How big of yards do you do with your 48"?

I use it on my small yards because I can go around the house and trees faster then with a ZTR.

On big yards we will use it and the toro or hustler.

It's main purpose is for hills and roadside ditches.

I like to use because it is a total body workout.
Keeps my sugar levels down.

Sometimes I have my headphones on. A good song from the 80s will play and I get lost thinking about what I was doing first time I heard the song.
My wife always knows I hit my head going under a tree daydreaming when she sees my hat on the ground.

Mar 24, 2015#93

Lawnboy18

Ric said:
No, I saved enough money using a Honda push mower and a LT1045 46" cut to buy a 44" Z Force which made me enough money to buy the G 1336 WB for a back up. The 44" was my primary mower when I actually started the business and after a bit I purchased the 48" Z force which brought the productivity level up which allowed me to sell the 44 and 1336 and use the money to buy the Grandstand. The turfmaster was an easy pickup and Thanks to the 0% financing so was the Z Master and it will be paid off by August (one year) and if I decide to stay in business next season my intentions are to sell the Z and replace it with the 48" Grandstand. Now with the process I went through along with the other Honda and Three CC 21" push mowers you can only guess How much money I wasted to get where I am.

Well put Ric! I don't always agree with you, but I agree on this! I have learned that also. Not as hard as you tho. I always buy commercial equipment now. Saves me time and money.

Carscw said:
I use it on my small yards because I can go around the house and trees faster then with a ZTR.

On big yards we will use it and the toro or hustler.

It's main purpose is for hills and roadside ditches.

I like to use because it is a total body workout.
Keeps my sugar levels down.

Sometimes I have my headphones on. A good song from the 80s will play and I get lost thinking about what I was doing first time I heard the song.
My wife always knows I hit my head going under a tree daydreaming when she sees my hat on the ground.

I thought belt drive was hard on slopes. What were you doing that first time you heard that song? ahahaha

Mar 25, 2015#94

Ric

Lawnboy18 said:
Well put Ric! I don't always agree with you, but I agree on this! I have learned that also. Not as hard as you tho. I always buy commercial equipment now. Saves me time and money.

I thought belt drive was hard on slopes. What were you doing that first time you heard that song? ahahaha

The belt drive is harder to use or drive on slopes than the Turf-Master or a ztr.

Mar 25, 2015#95

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
The belt drive is harder to use or drive on slopes than the Turf-Master or a ztr.

Luckily my lawns are mostly flat. And not bumpy.

Mar 25, 2015#96

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
Luckily my lawns are mostly flat. And not bumpy.

Have you ever used a belt drive walk behind??

Mar 25, 2015#97

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
Have you ever used a belt drive walk behind??

Yes I have. A 34" Billy Goat walk behind. What were you going to say if I hadn't used one before. Just curious as I still don't have much experience with them.

Mar 25, 2015#98

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
Yes I have. A 34" Billy Goat walk behind. What were you going to say if I hadn't used one before. Just curious as I still don't have much experience with them.

HaHa if that's what you call a Walk Behind you are in for a surprise. That Billy is like driving that CC 33" and if that is all you've had experience with you haven't drove a WB.

Mar 25, 2015#99

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
HaHa if that's what you call a Walk Behind you are in for a surprise. That Billy is like driving that CC 33" and if that is all you've had experience with you haven't drove a WB.

Well then hey, that's another reason to demo the 36", is it not? :thumbsup:

Mar 25, 2015#100

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
Well then hey, that's another reason to demo the 36", is it not? :thumbsup:

That Billy goat had a Trans-axle it wasn't belt drive. Do you even know how a belt drive works?

Mar 25, 2015#101

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
That Billy goat gad a Trans-axle it wasn't belt drive. Do you even know how a belt drive works?

Oh OK. I think I used the Billy Goat on like 4 lawns before A) it broke down and B) I couldn't stand it anymore. Yes I know the basics of how a belt drive works. Keep in mind I have used a 21" hydrostatic lawn mower and other 21" mowers for my whole lawn mowing life. So it's a learning process.

Mar 25, 2015#102

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
Oh OK. I think I used the Billy Goat on like 4 lawns before A) it broke down and B) I couldn't stand it anymore. Yes I know the basics of how a belt drive works. Keep in mind I have used a 21" hydrostatic lawn mower and other 21" mowers for my whole lawn mowing life. So it's a learning process.

Hydrostatic doesn't have anything to do with it and please tell me how you drive a commercial belt drive if you have the basics and if you couldn't stand after 4 lawns with the BG why in the world do you want something that weighs twice as much and is twice as hard to drive?

Mar 25, 2015#103

Carscw

A walk behind has a transaxle that puts power to both wheels. Turning is done by making one of the belts slip.

Mar 25, 2015#104

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
Hydrostatic doesn't have anything to do with it and please tell me how you drive a commercial belt drive if you have the basics and if you couldn't stand after 4 lawns with the BG why in the world do you want something that weighs twice as much and is twice as hard to drive?

I didn't say I was physically unable to STAND, I said I couldn't stand IT (the mower). First off, it didn't have any controls to turn the mower, so you had to use your whole body weight. But that didn't even bother me. It just sucked at cutting, and bolts were falling off all the time.

Mar 25, 2015#105

Ric

Carscw said:
A walk behind has a transaxle that puts power to both wheels. Turning is done by making one of the belts slip.

Yes it has a transaxle but not the same as the one he is looking at and I never turned a commercial wb by slipping a belt.

Mar 25, 2015#106

Carscw

Ric said:
Yes it has a transaxle but not the same as the one he is looking at and I never turned a commercial wb by slipping a belt.

On a belt drive walk behind when you want to turn right and move the lever or squeeze the handle it pulls the pulley away from the belt. The transaxle pulley is still turning.
Every time you turn just a little the belt slips.

Mar 25, 2015#107

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
I didn't say I was physically unable to STAND, I said I couldn't stand IT (the mower). First off, it didn't have any controls to turn the mower, so you had to use your whole body weight. But that didn't even bother me. It just sucked at cutting, and bolts were falling off all the time.

Well to begin with it will probably have the peerless 5 speed plus reverse operator assist drive that you'll have too grease every so many hours, I think mine was every 25hrs. It has independent wheel steering and steering is done by applying the brake to one wheel or the other and as long as you leave the tension on the belts to there lowest settings you should be able to steer it without to much problem but when you apply more tension to the belts to improve traction the paddles are twice as hard to pull to steer or apply braking to steer. Personally I used BIOFREEZE it worked well when I had my WB.

Mar 25, 2015#108

Ric

Carscw said:
On a belt drive walk behind when you want to turn right and move the lever or squeeze the handle it pulls the pulley away from the belt. The transaxle pulley is still turning.
Every time you turn just a little the belt slips.

You say belt slip, I say Brake, it all amounts to the same thing Your stopping or slowing down a wheel to turn the machine.

Mar 25, 2015#109

Carscw

Ric said:
You say belt slip, I say Brake, it all amounts to the same thing Your stopping or slowing down a wheel to turn the machine.

Right.

But think about this you apply the brake and the belt does not slip. Something has to break.

Mar 25, 2015#110

Ric

Carscw said:
Right.

But think about this you apply the brake and the belt does not slip. Something has to break.

This is per the manual:
10. Squeeze both steering/brake levers with both hands and
release the neutral latch levers from the neutral lock
position.
11. Slowly release the steering/brake levers and the mower
will move ahead in a straight line. To turn the mower,
squeeze the steering/brake lever on the side to which
you want to turn.
12. To stop the mowerç—´ forward motion, squeeze both
steering/brake levers until the mower stops and place
the neutral latch levers into the neutral lock

You steer with the brake levers by apply pressure to the brake to stop or slow the wheel for the direction you want to move. If the belts were designed to slip they wouldn't have or be ribbed belts.

Mar 25, 2015#111

Carscw

I guess you have to repair one or adjust them to know how they work.

Mar 26, 2015#112

Ric

Carscw said:
I guess you have to repair one or adjust them to know how they work.

I don't care how it works, that's not the issue. I asked do you know how to drive a commercial walk behind and to do that you use the brake levers and when you use the brake levers you apply the brakes. True when you apply the brakes you'll change the tension on the belt but you also apply the brakes at the same time. You have too to stop the machine.

Mar 28, 2015#113

lawn mower fanatic

I stopped by the Toro dealer today....I've got to say they make you feel at home without pushing you to buy something. I got to see the 36" mower, and I really like it! I was able to drive it around the parking lot, and set up a demo for later on. Here's some pics of it.

Mar 28, 2015#114

Z

zmister11

lawn mower fanatic said:
I stopped by the Toro dealer today....I've got to say they make you feel at home without pushing you to buy something. I got to see the 36" mower, and I really like it! I was able to drive it around the parking lot, and set up a demo for later on. Here's some pics of it.

<img src="http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/attachments/mower-equipment-buying-pricing/25559-upgrading-my-mower-forumrunner_20150328_114444-png"/>

<img src="http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/attachments/mower-equipment-buying-pricing/25560-upgrading-my-mower-forumrunner_20150328_114506-png"/>

<img src="http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/attachments/mower-equipment-buying-pricing/25561-upgrading-my-mower-forumrunner_20150328_114516-png"/>

It looks really nice. What's the price tag on it?

Mar 28, 2015#115

lawn mower fanatic

zmister11 said:
It looks really nice. What's the price tag on it?

Around $3200 after the $300 off offered by Toro

Mar 28, 2015#116

Z

zmister11

lawn mower fanatic said:
Around $3200 after the $300 off offered by Toro

That's not bad!

Mar 28, 2015#117

lawn mower fanatic

zmister11 said:
That's not bad!

I know!! Hope to pay it off before the busy time of the mowing season.

Mar 28, 2015#118

Carscw

How did it feel going around the parking lot?

Mar 28, 2015#119

lawn mower fanatic

Carscw said:
How did it feel going around the parking lot?

I liked it. It took awhile to get used to the turning of it, but I really like the controls over pistol grips.

Mar 28, 2015#120

Carscw

lawn mower fanatic said:
I liked it. It took awhile to get used to the turning of it, but I really like the controls over pistol grips.

Going to take some practice turning. And not sliding the inside tire.

I am sure there is a video.

Mar 28, 2015#121

lawn mower fanatic

Carscw said:
Going to take some practice turning. And not sliding the inside tire.

I am sure there is a video.

Yeah I'm sure if I buy it, it won't take long to master.

Apr 11, 2015#122

lawn mower fanatic

Just to give you an update. I am still undecided. I am waiting for the dealer to call me back for a demo of the 36, but I'm not sure I'm going to buy it. It just has such a specific use in my mowing route that I'm not sure if it's worth it. Ideally I would use the 21 for the front yards and the 36 for the back, because the front yards have lots of obstacles. But my trailer isn't big enough for both. If I put a 36 on the trailer I'm not even sure I could fit the trimmer and blower. Which makes me want to upgrade my trailer. But if I do that I need to get a better truck. And so you see its a never ending process. So I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Maybe I'll just keep my current setup this year and spend the money on a backpack blower for leaf cleanups. $400 is cheaper than $3500. I kind of have a niche with the mower I use now. People like the quality, and I don't want to sacrafice that. And in the summer I'm usually done mowing in the morning, and with the belt drive I wouldn't be able to start at 7:30 am like I do now. I know you are all tired of my indecisiveness, but I had to rant.

Apr 11, 2015#123

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
Just to give you an update. I am still undecided. I am waiting for the dealer to call me back for a demo of the 36, but I'm not sure I'm going to buy it. It just has such a specific use in my mowing route that I'm not sure if it's worth it. Ideally I would use the 21 for the front yards and the 36 for the back, because the front yards have lots of obstacles. But my trailer isn't big enough for both. If I put a 36 on the trailer I'm not even sure I could fit the trimmer and blower. Which makes me want to upgrade my trailer. But if I do that I need to get a better truck. And so you see its a never ending process. So I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Maybe I'll just keep my current setup this year and spend the money on a backpack blower for leaf cleanups. $400 is cheaper than $3500. I kind of have a niche with the mower I use now. People like the quality, and I don't want to sacrafice that. And in the summer I'm usually done mowing in the morning, and with the belt drive I wouldn't be able to start at 7:30 am like I do now. I know you are all tired of my indecisiveness, but I had to rant.

If you can start in the morning at 7.30 am with the 21" why can't you use or start with the 36? What difference does it make?

Apr 11, 2015#124

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
If you can start in the morning at 7.30 am with the 21" why can't you use or start with the 36? What difference does it make?

I have never heard of a mower being able to cut wet dewy grass like my Honda can. I have seen reviews on the Exmark Commercial 30 saying he tried to cut wet grass with the 30, and had to switch to his Honda 21". And I can't imagine the 36 would do great, considering its side discharge. The northern grass up here likes to clump.

Apr 11, 2015#125

Snapperfreak

I've put a lot of thought into what mower I'd buy if I ever bought a new one and it'd definitely be a Honda HRX217HYA. I like the set up of the controls, great engine, and can bag or mulch in damp or dry grass. Not that this helps u decide on your new mower but your Hondas are great.

Apr 11, 2015#126

lawn mower fanatic

Snapperfreak said:
I've put a lot of thought into what mower I'd buy if I ever bought a new one and it'd definitely be a Honda HRX217HYA. I like the set up of the controls, great engine, and can bag or mulch in damp or dry grass. Not that this helps u decide on your new mower but your Hondas are great.

Yeah that's why I'm thinking about sticking with the HRX for this year. I do love it.

Apr 12, 2015#127

Ric

Snapperfreak said:
I've put a lot of thought into what mower I'd buy if I ever bought a new one and it'd definitely be a Honda HRX217HYA. I like the set up of the controls, great engine, and can bag or mulch in damp or dry grass. Not that this helps u decide on your new mower but your Hondas are great.

And your saying that the Toro or The Exmark 30" or that 36"wont bag wet grass ??? Because you would be wrong on both counts.

lawn mower fanatic said:
I have never heard of a mower being able to cut wet dewy grass like my Honda can. I have seen reviews on the Exmark Commercial 30 saying he tried to cut wet grass with the 30, and had to switch to his Honda 21". And I can't imagine the 36 would do great, considering its side discharge. The northern grass up here likes to clump.

I know your a Honda fan and I was too, but I found out it isn't the mower I thought it was. I ran the 190cc Honda engine for a number of years and thought it was great but I can tell you it doesn't come close to the Kawasaki FJ 180 KAI commercial engine
For one the Honda your using isn't commercial, not even close. The 30' and 36 your looking at are far better mowers than the Honda you're using. You talk about the mower being able to cut wet dewy grass, well I start at 7:30 to 8:00 am everyday with 90 and 100% humidity and mow lawns that are so wet you would swear you had 2 inches of rain during the night and the 30" Toro cuts and mulches without issue.
You know that I'm not a fan of a belt drive WB but if you remove the High Lift blades and replace them with the G5 or G6 Blades you have a far better cut wet or not than your Honda will deliver.

Apr 12, 2015#128

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
And your saying that the Toro or The Exmark 30" or that 36"wont bag wet grass ??? Because you would be wrong on both counts.

Yes I'm sure the 30 and 36 bag great (if you want to spend hundreds extra on a bagger for the 36), but I can not handle bagging all of my yards' grass. I don't have room on my trailer for it and it costs $10 per trailer to dump it. I need a mower to mulch, which most can't do like my Honda.

Ric said:
I know your a Honda fan and I was too, but I found out it isn't the mower I thought it was. I ran the 190cc Honda engine for a number of years and thought it was great but I can tell you it doesn't come close to the Kawasaki FJ 180 KAI commercial engine
For one the Honda your using isn't commercial, not even close. The 30' and 36 your looking at are far better mowers than the Honda you're using. You talk about the mower being able to cut wet dewy grass, well I start at 7:30 to 8:00 am everyday with 90 and 100% humidity and mow lawns that are so wet you would swear you had 2 inches of rain during the night and the 30" Toro cuts and mulches without issue.
You know that I'm not a fan of a belt drive WB but if you remove the High Lift blades and replace them with the G5 or G6 Blades you have a far better cut wet or not than your Honda will deliver.

I'm sure the cut quality will be nice, but I just worry about leaving clumps. Also a lot of my houses have large windows and side discharge scares me.

Apr 12, 2015#129

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
Yes I'm sure the 30 and 36 bag great (if you want to spend hundreds extra on a bagger for the 36), but I can not handle bagging all of my yards' grass. I don't have room on my trailer for it and it costs $10 per trailer to dump it. I need a mower to mulch, which most can't do like my Honda.

I'm sure the cut quality will be nice, but I just worry about leaving clumps. Also a lot of my houses have large windows and side discharge scares me.

I never use side discharge with the Turf-Master. The couple of times I used the side discharge it did a great job. The 30" mowers cut grass so fine withe the side discharge chute on it doesn't leave a lot of clippings. The secret to the 30's is to let the mower do what it's designed to do and not push it. You adjust the mower to the speed you want to walk. The 36 inch will give you the same size clippings as the 30" if you use the right blades.
If you have clumping problems with grass then you've waited to long between cuts and your cutting to much grass.

Apr 12, 2015#130

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
I never use side discharge with the Turf-Master. The couple of times I used the side discharge it did a great job. The 30" mowers cut grass so fine withe the side discharge chute on it doesn't leave a lot of clippings. The secret to the 30's is to let the mower do what it's designed to do and not push it. You adjust the mower to the speed you want to walk. The 36 inch will give you the same size clippings as the 30" if you use the right blades.
If you have clumping problems with grass then you've waited to long between cuts and your cutting to much grass.

But the thing is I am always cutting too much grass off. The only time I follow the 1/3 rule is once the grass starts slowing down in like October.

Apr 12, 2015#131

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
But the thing is I am always cutting too much grass off. The only time I follow the 1/3 rule is once the grass starts slowing down in like October.

Well there is your problem. Your just like me you have to many accounts to maintain them properly. You need to do what your trying to do but are afraid to do, take the plunge. If you take the plunge you'll find your productivity rate will increase with either the 30 or 36, you'll get to your clients more often and each time you get there you'll cut less grass and your job will be easier and faster than with your Honda you're using now.
The HONDA is a good mower no doubt but it has it's place and commercially isn't it.

Apr 12, 2015#132

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
Well there is your problem. Your just like me you have to many accounts to maintain them properly. You need to do what your trying to do but are afraid to do, take the plunge. If you take the plunge you'll find your productivity rate will increase with either the 30 or 36, you'll get to your clients more often and each time you get there you'll cut less grass and your job will be easier and faster than with your Honda you're using now.
The HONDA is a good mower no doubt but it has it's place and commercially isn't it.

I don't have too many accounts, it's that people don't want me to come every 4 days. They want me to come every 7 days, and with rain they can be pushed off sometimes. I would gladly come twice a week, it would be a heck of a lot easier on myself and my equipment.

Apr 12, 2015#133

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
I don't have too many accounts, it's that people don't want me to come every 4 days. They want me to come every 7 days, and with rain they can be pushed off sometimes. I would gladly come twice a week, it would be a heck of a lot easier on myself and my equipment.

:smile: That's your fault. I used to think these LCO's were crazy when they said that if I take over your lawn it becomes mine to do and there client has nothing to say about it but I soon found out it's the only way you can keep them a good looking lawn. You need to call the shots and tell them how often and when your going to mow and why. If you let them call the shots you make less money and work twice as hard to get it. I know it sounds harsh or bad but the company you run belongs to you and you call the shots not your clients. I tell my clients when estimating the job it's once a week and if they start with well what I'd like is....... I say I have a schedule to keep and if you want that find the kid down the street.

Apr 12, 2015#134

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
:smile: That's your fault. I used to think these LCO's were crazy when they said that if I take over your lawn it becomes mine to do and there client has nothing to say about it but I soon found out it's the only way you can keep them a good looking lawn. You need to call the shots and tell them how often and when your going to mow and why. If you let them call the shots you make less money and work twice as hard to get it. I know it sounds harsh or bad but the company you run belongs to you and you call the shots not your clients. I tell my clients when estimating the job it's once a week and if they start with well what I'd like is....... I say I have a schedule to keep and if you want that find the kid down the street.

Yeah luckily none of my customers want it bi-weekly or anything like that. I think if I tried to get customers that lived in a little bit of a poorer area, then I would have problems with that. But still every 7 days in the spring is too long.

Apr 12, 2015#135

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
Yeah luckily none of my customers want it bi-weekly or anything like that. I think if I tried to get customers that lived in a little bit of a poorer area, then I would have problems with that. But still every 7 days in the spring is too long.

Seven days isn't to long if you have the mowers to do it with and either the 30 or 36 will do every seven days if your keeping them cut at 3 to 3 1/2 inches.

Apr 12, 2015#136

Carscw

I agree
Some times 7 days is to long.
We have yards we do once a week.
Last June/July grass was growing 5 to 6 inches a week.

Apr 12, 2015#137

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
Seven days isn't to long if you have the mowers to do it with and either the 30 or 36 will do every seven days if your keeping them cut at 3 to 3 1/2 inches.

My mower can handle it, I'm just saying I cut for than a 1/3 of the height off.

Apr 12, 2015#138

Ric

lawn mower fanatic said:
My mower can handle it, I'm just saying I cut for than a 1/3 of the height off.

The Trouble with that 1/3rd thing is what happens if it grows twice that from the last cut? You have to remember the higher you cut grass the faster it grows. The 1/3rd thing is a rule of thumb for a homeowner who can cut every four days like you say needs to be done. When you as a professional should cut the recommended heights for the type of grass your cutting. All grasses have recommended cutting heights. That's how you stay ahead of the game. Cutting at the recommended heights gives you more time between cuts.

Home

Export thread

Upgrading my mower

Footer Links 1

Footer Links 2