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I sold my old Turf Tiger a while back when I started having issues with it. Ended up with a Hustler Z4. Not nearly as happy with this mower as I was with TT. Buddy who has a mowing business has an 11' model TT w/ kawasaki 29 hp dfi 61" deck and 1500 hrs. Currently at dealer being gone through and new pumps being installed. He wants $5k for it. Would this be a good buy? Or should I be concerned about the hrs? Also have seen a couple low hr Tiger Cats w/ 61" deck around. How are they? I've heard before they are underpowered w/ small pumps. I'll just be mowing 2-3 acres at my place with it. What do you guys think?

Sonders said:

I sold my old Turf Tiger a while back when I started having issues with it. Ended up with a Hustler Z4. Not nearly as happy with this mower as I was with TT. Buddy who has a mowing business has an 11' model TT w/ kawasaki 29 hp dfi 61" deck and 1500 hrs. Currently at dealer being gone through and new pumps being installed. He wants $5k for it. Would this be a good buy? Or should I be concerned about the hrs? Also have seen a couple low hr Tiger Cats w/ 61" deck around. How are they? I've heard before they are underpowered w/ small pumps. I'll just be mowing 2-3 acres at my place with it. What do you guys think?

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The turf tiger is the most powerful mower in scag's line. It is over kill for 2 to 3 acres, but if that's what you want then you should be fine. Personally, if I were looking into getting a scag, and was considering spending $5k on a used tt, And wanted a 61" mower, then I would finance a new 61" tiger cat. It will cost more than $5k, but you will be getting a new commercial machine with warranty. Several on this site use them for their lawn care business and really like them. They have fx series Kawi engines, and zt3400 commercial hydros.

I agree with SHughes717. The TT would be overkill for your application and 1500 hrs is a lot of hours, but the Scag itself should still have another good 1500 hrs in it.
For your application, the Tiger Cat is even a bit over-kill, but you will be very happy with the performance and durability. Scag is very good at matching components for applications, so whomever suggested that the pumps were to small and it was underpowered has no clue what they are talking about. I wish I had 3+ acres to mow, I would definitely have a Scag Tiger Cat or Cheetah.

Happy Mowing!!

Thanks for the insight Shughes. I was actually thinking of calling the nearest Scag dealers and checking prices of the Tiger Cats. I've seen a few ads by two different dealers for promotional deals being ran on them; may have to see what thats all about.

Honda Tech I've been looking at the Cheetah's ever since they came out, just assumed they would be higher price then the Tiger Cat. I'd rather have plenty of mower than not enough. We are eventually going to be buying more property and building a new house, so I'm trying to plan ahead and have a good sized mower in case I end up with more to mow.

Shughes717 said:

They have fx series Kawi engines, and zt3400 commercial hydros.

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Unless they changed this year the Tiger Cats have separate pumps an wheel motors.

The Cheetah is considered a step up from the Tiger Cat an is more expensive.

You are correct. The Cheetah is a little more than a comparable Tiger Cat. The Cheetah has an isolated operator suspension system, which makes the ride much more comfortable on the rougher yards and they incorporate Heavy-Duty integrated Transaxles among the many other features.
The Tiger Cat , most models have a suspension seat and all have independent pumps and wheel-motors.
Either way, both drive systems are proven to be both durable and effective drives.
I would recommend a demo of each comparable models. If I were to use a comparison, I would say the Tiger Cat is like a Toyota and the Cheetah is like a Lexus.
They both use the same Velocity Deck, so cut performance is not the issue. The tractor itself is were the differences separate one from the other.

kwak said:

Unless they changed this year the Tiger Cats have separate pumps an wheel motors.

The Cheetah is considered a step up from the Tiger Cat an is more expensive.

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You are right. My apologies. The cheetah has hydrogear zt5400 hydros. Top of hydrogear's line. The cheetah has a high range for transport that can reach speeds of 16mph, and a low range for mowing (10 mph range). The cheetah will cost about $2k more. I think a 48" or 52" tiger cat would be in the best size for what the op has to mow.

Just to keep it honest. The Cheetah 48" & 52" use the Hydro-Gear ZT-3400 Transaxles and the 61" & 72 Cheetah use the ZT-5400 Transaxle which is a 2-speed....Fast and Faster!

Honda Tech said:

Just to keep it honest. The Cheetah 48" & 52" use the Hydro-Gear ZT-3400 Transaxles and the 61" & 72 Cheetah use the ZT-5400 Transaxle which is a 2-speed....Fast and Faster!

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Again, that is true. I wasn't even thinking of the smaller cheetahs. If I were going to purchase a cheetah over a tiger cat it would have to be at least the 61". The mower I own has the same zt5400 hydros as the larger cheetahs. Mine just doesn't utilize the high range option. Even in low range I can remove the lever adjustment bolts and reach speeds up to about 12 mph. Not going to get a very high quality cut at much over 8 to 10 mph though.

I think I'm going to stick with Tiger Cat for the money. Have found a few low hr machines around that I need to go check out. How does the Koehler engine compare to the Kawasaki on these? I've never owned anything with a Koehler.

Good choice!

Kohler and Kawasaki are both very good engines. Kawasaki has been the predominant commercial landscapers choice. Whichever you are more comfortable with and can get the support you need is the choice to go with if there is an option. It's the old Ford/Chevy thing. One will prefer Kawasaki and the next will prefer Kohler. Both have excellent dealer support.

Found one for good price with low hrs. It's an 08' with 25 hp Koehler. It turns out that it's a Tiger Cub though. Can you guys give me details on them? Not listed on the Scag website.

Hi Sonders,
The Scag Tiger Cub is very similar to the Tiger Cat. The Tiger Cat has a few refinements/upgrades over the Tiger Cub, but basically the same machine. My Tiger Cub is a 2008 and other than having to replace the engine, Briggs & Stratton, it has been a great machine.
Here are a few bits of info that may be helpful to you that are relative to Tiger Cubs. The hourmeters were problematic and Scag has replaced the original P/N with another hourmeter. The original hourmeters don't clock time correctly and a used 2008 Tiger Cub may have more hours on it than the hourmeter shows. Original hourmeters also have a sensitive LED screen and some will show 9,999.9 hours all the time and you have to touch it to get it to indicate the current hours.
The deck spindles take a different grease than the rest of the machine.
The recommended replacement intervals of the pump drive V belt is 400 hours or 24 months whichever comes first.
Tiger Cubs and Tiger Cats do not have fuel quantity gauges.
A 2008 Tiger Cub that has been fueled with ethanol fuel may need to have the fuel lines replaced due to deterioration of the interior from ethanol fuel use.
The hydraulic system oil and filter are also on an hour and calendar service schedule.
Just a few thoughts!
Mad Mackie in CT:smile::biggrin::laughing:

Thanks for that info Mad Mackie, lots of good info there. I've got the guy down to $4500 on it, but haven't made up my mind. Kind of leary now with what you said about the hourmeter. May hold out for a Tiger Cat.

$3,500 is about where a very clean, low time, well maintained 2008 Tiger Cub would be based on what I've observed recently. In 2008, Tiger Cubs were $6,200 to $7,000 or so new. A new Tiger Cat, 52" deck, Kawasaki power, mid level suspension seat, is around $8,700 here in CT. On promotion from Scag will bring down the price some.

Dang I thought I was doing good getting down to this price, guess I need to try to bargain a little more.

I have a new Tiger Cat Kwa, 52" deck. Mow a little less than you. It is my first ZTR. Have to say I'm real happy with it.

Mows great, runs great almost perfect. The only negative is no gas gauge. No idea on a mower of this price point why they left the gas gauge out.

Thanks for the info V6 pony. Glad you are liking yours.

I found another Tiger Cat, 09' with a little over 100 hrs on 25 hp Koehler as well with 61" deck. Leaning towards it. The local dealer has a Turf Tiger with 630 hrs on 35 hp Vanguard. Not sure what yr it is though, atleast an 08' looking at the features ot has in pictures. May check it out this week. No experience with Briggs Vanguard engine either.

I currently have two Tiger Cats on my business. We run them every day. Because we use them in so many different places and yard types we run the 54" decks instead of the 61" ones. The largest property we cut is 14 acres with about three or four acres of that being cemetery. If I were going to buy another mower tomorrow it would be another Tiger Cat just like the two I am running. Per dollar invested they are the best return on my money I have seen.

I bought my first one about this time last year. It is bumping 500 hours. I bought the second one the first of April this year. It is now bumping close to 400 hours as well.

The oldest one has not had a wrench on it other than normal adjustments and blades and service. The newest has had a problem with blowing charging fuses and is in the shop this weekend to be picked up with a new stator and regulator Monday AM.

I have never seen a mower that will cut stemmed grass with the Scag Mowers.

Both of mine are identical with Velocity Decks and Kawasaki motors.

V6Pony said:

I have a new Tiger Cat Kwa, 52" deck. Mow a little less than you. It is my first ZTR. Have to say I'm real happy with it. Mows great, runs great almost perfect. The only negative is no gas gauge. No idea on a mower of this price point why they left the gas gauge out.

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I too kinda of wish they had a gauge. However, we run on the right tank till it runs out. Then swap to the left tank and run it an hour or so and stop and refill with a can or either unload at a station wine moving from yard to yard and refill.

The right tank holds 4 gallons and the left holds 3.

Sonders said:

Thanks for the info V6 pony. Glad you are liking yours. I found another Tiger Cat, 09' with a little over 100 hrs on 25 hp Koehler as well with 61" deck. Leaning towards it. The local dealer has a Turf Tiger with 630 hrs on 35 hp Vanguard. Not sure what yr it is though, atleast an 08' looking at the features ot has in pictures. May check it out this week. No experience with Briggs Vanguard engine either.

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I ran a demo Turf Tiget with the 35 hp Vanguard. It was a beast cutting grass but for us it used too much gas to be close to being as profitable as the Tiger Cats with the Kawasaki motors. We run a lot more thought than it sounds like you are going to be running.

Thanks for the replies jekjr, very helpful. I'm not concerned about a fuel gauge, as most of the mowers I've owned have had dual tanks with no gauge. I always changed tanks each time I mowed to keep them somewhat balanced out, atleast in theory it sounded good haha.
I don't need a Turf Tiger right now, but like I mentioned earlier, planning on buying more property so kind of planning for future with my next mower purchase. Saving money for property purchase so stuck on fixed budget on mower purchase though or I would have already went out and bought brand new Tiger Cat. Everybody around here I've talked to about the Koehler engines have all had A squimish face when I mentioned them so I'm still hesitant to to buy one with the Koehler. I know Kawasaki's are awesome so hope I can find one. I could probably drop down a size in deck, but I really would hate to just for fact that I will be mowing more eventually.....

Sonders said:

Thanks for the replies jekjr, very helpful. I'm not concerned about a fuel gauge, as most of the mowers I've owned have had dual tanks with no gauge. I always changed tanks each time I mowed to keep them somewhat balanced out, atleast in theory it sounded good haha. I don't need a Turf Tiger right now, but like I mentioned earlier, planning on buying more property so kind of planning for future with my next mower purchase. Saving money for property purchase so stuck on fixed budget on mower purchase though or I would have already went out and bought brand new Tiger Cat. Everybody around here I've talked to about the Koehler engines have all had A squimish face when I mentioned them so I'm still hesitant to to buy one with the Koehler. I know Kawasaki's are awesome so hope I can find one. I could probably drop down a size in deck, but I really would hate to just for fact that I will be mowing more eventually.....

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We cut approximately 70 yards on schedule plus numerous work ins. I was running a ZD326 Kubota with a 60" deck. The Turf Tiger with the 52" deck is so much more maneuverable and just down right more nimble that it works great. I know of several people in my area running Kohler engines on Scag and other mower brands as well that have had problems with oil consumption. I have not run into anybody personally with a Kawasaki that has a legitimate complaint.

jekjr said:

I too kinda of wish they had a gauge. However, we run on the right tank till it runs out. Then swap to the left tank and run it an hour or so and stop and refill with a can or either unload at a station wine moving from yard to yard and refill. The right tank holds 4 gallons and the left holds 3.

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I thought everyone was getting away from dual gas tanks and switching over to a single tank with one point to fill up the 12 gallon tank.

Looking at two Turf Tigers currently. Both 11' models with 61" decks. One has kawasaki 29 dfi engine with 1500 hrs and I know the owner of it since it was new. Just got done at dealer going completely through it replacing everything that needed repaired or replaced. Other one has 35 hp Vanguard with 600 hrs at a dealer about 2 hrs away that I know nothing about and is $500 more. Would second one still be better option?

Don't pussy foot around. Find your nearest dealer that you feel you can work with and get the best deal you can on a new Tiger Cat with the Kawasaki engine. Do I think the Kawasaki is better?...I hope so because that is what's on mine but before that most commercial mowers I used before had Kohler or Briggs & Stratton and were excellent.

Sonders said:

Looking at two Turf Tigers currently. Both 11' models with 61" decks. One has kawasaki 29 dfi engine with 1500 hrs and I know the owner of it since it was new. Just got done at dealer going completely through it replacing everything that needed repaired or replaced. Other one has 35 hp Vanguard with 600 hrs at a dealer about 2 hrs away that I know nothing about and is $500 more. Would second one still be better option?

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I don't know what the asking price is on those mowers, but if you have the money to purchase one of them used then why not put that money down on a new tiger cat and finance the rest at 0% interest? You definitely know what you are getting then. Plus you get a warranty.

Don't want to take on any more payments, budget has been set. Trust me I'd love to go in to dealer and go ahead and get brand new Tiger Cat with Kawasaki; just not an option right now unfortunately.

Sonders said:

Don't want to take on any more payments, budget has been set. Trust me I'd love to go in to dealer and go ahead and get brand new Tiger Cat with Kawasaki; just not an option right now unfortunately.

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I can understand that one. I live on a tight budget myself. It was just a thought. As to the turf tiger mowers you mentioned. That is a tough one. The one that has more hours on it Could have wear in places that may not have been replaced. The one with 600 hours may not have been maintained as well and could have issues. I don't know if you are mechanically inclined, but if you are not then you should probably ask someone you know who is to go with you and inspect both mowers. I would take his advice once he has looked them over.

I'm pretty confident the one my buddy has with more hrs will be pretty nice. It's been at the dealer and they've gone completely through the mower. I'm still keeping a look out every day for any other ones though.

Can anybody give me an unbias opinion on the 25 hp Koehler that is offered on the Tiger Cat and the 35 hp Vanguard on the Turf Tigers. Only supporting info I have gathered so far is that the Vanguard is somewhat hard on fuel and nobody likes the Koehler but not reasons why.

Kohlers have had some problems over recent years. During manufacture, after drilling the pressure oil passages to intersect, a plug is pressed into the hole. This plug should have been a slightly larger diameter and when the engine gets hot after prolonged periods of operation, the plug can loosen and fall out which causes lube oil flow to stop and major internal engine failure, it happens very quickly.
Kohler has used a variable timing control module on some engine lines and this module has been problematic.
Kohler as other manufacturers has had other persistent problems, 30W engine oil being too thick has caused camshaft and valve lifter failures on some models.
A 35 HP engine will have more power than a 25 HP engine, but fuel consumption will also be more.
Many folks in their own minds determine a machines ability to perform purely based on engine HP and this is not a good standard to go by.
The HP race in the automobile world is back on again and this spills over to consumer attitude relative to anything that has an engine or motor on a product that they may be interested in purchasing.
Just some thoughts from Mad Mackie in CT:laughing::biggrin::smile:

Sonders said:

Can anybody give me an unbias opinion on the 25 hp Koehler that is offered on the Tiger Cat and the 35 hp Vanguard on the Turf Tigers. Only supporting info I have gathered so far is that the Vanguard is somewhat hard on fuel and nobody likes the Koehler but not reasons why.

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Bear in mind that the engines on Tiger Cats are vertical shaft and Turf Tigers have horizontal shaft engines. It is generally accepted that horizontal shaft engines live a longer life than vertical shaft engines because of design and other various reasons. Keep in mind that most or all small engine manufacturers have improved the effectiveness of the cooling systems on their engines as EPA emissions requirements have stiffened and the negative affects of ethanol in the gasoline have become more evident.

I wasn't comparing those two engines against each other in regards to Hp. Actually just trying to determine Koehler vs Kawasaki on Tiger Cub/Cat and vanguard vs Kawasaki 29dfi on Turf Tiger.

Sonders said:

I wasn't comparing those two engines against each other in regards to Hp. Actually just trying to determine Koehler vs Kawasaki on Tiger Cub/Cat and vanguard vs Kawasaki 29dfi on Turf Tiger.

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I don't have much experience with the 35hp vanguard, but my dad has the 32hp big block vanguard on his s200xt. I have not payed much attention to the fuel consumption when using his mower, but I also haven't noticed that it used an excessive amount of fuel either. He mows approximately 8 acres at times and can do so on one 5 gallon tank of fuel give or take. I have a 20hp fx series Kawi on my 48" s150xt and it burns about 3/4 of a gallon to the acre. I know that's comparing two different decks sizes as well as the big difference in horse power, but I don't think there is a massive amount of, if any, difference in the fuel consumption of his mower to mine.

How long has he had the mower Shughes? Have you looked at it close enough to be able to tell how accessible everything is on the engine for maintenance and so forth? I'm kind of leaning towards the Turf Tiger with the Vanguard on it. It looks to be in really good condition, but won't know until I see it in person for sure. Really like the 09' Tiger Cub I found with 164 hrs and 61" velocity plus deck, but it has that darn Koehler on it.

Sonders said:

How long has he had the mower Shughes? Have you looked at it close enough to be able to tell how accessible everything is on the engine for maintenance and so forth? I'm kind of leaning towards the Turf Tiger with the Vanguard on it. It looks to be in really good condition, but won't know until I see it in person for sure. Really like the 09' Tiger Cub I found with 164 hrs and 61" velocity plus deck, but it has that darn Koehler on it.

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His is a 2011. He bought it new. He has a little over 200 hours on it. Servicing the engine seems to me to be just as easy as servicing my mower. Has a oil drain hose to put down in a bucket and the filter is easy to get to and change. I can tell you that his mower is very powerful. He uses it as a bush hog at times around his shop and cow pastures. I have not seen it stall. Several lawn care businesses run mowers with the vanguard in my area. Pretty popular engine around here.

The TT is at a dealer almost 2 hrs away, so won't be able to go up there until Saturday. Was thinking about calling them friday and making them a cash offer on it before wasting the trip.

Sonders said:

The TT is at a dealer almost 2 hrs away, so won't be able to go up there until Saturday. Was thinking about calling them friday and making them a cash offer on it before wasting the trip.

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Might be worth giving that a try. If you have past experience with scag and have been happy with their performance then that's what you should go with. In the end your opinion is the only one that matters. It sounds like you tried something different with the z4 and have regretted it. You don't want to have buyers remorse again.

I liked the overall machine of the Hustler, but the cut quality just wasn't there. I had an 03' TT before it and it would go through anything. Had close to 2k hrs and it blew headgasket so went ahead and sold it.

clay45 said:

Don't pussy foot around. Find your nearest dealer that you feel you can work with and get the best deal you can on a new Tiger Cat with the Kawasaki engine. Do I think the Kawasaki is better?...I hope so because that is what's on mine but before that most commercial mowers I used before had Kohler or Briggs & Stratton and were excellent.

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The prices I have heard quoted in my area are in the $8300 range on the Tigercat with the 52" deck and the Kawasaki motor.

Same pricing here

Borrowed a buddys mower that lives down the street, Scag Wildcat, to mow my yard until I find one. After being on that Hustler for over a year It took some getting used to again haha.

Sonders said:

Same pricing here

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Sounds about right.

Does the Turf Tiger have wider rear tires than the 61" Wildcat and Tiger Cat? I noticed while using my buddy's Wildcat it wanted to spin and not turn real easy on my hillside thet was no problem for my old Turf Tiger.

Sonders said:

Does the Turf Tiger have wider rear tires than the 61" Wildcat and Tiger Cat? I noticed while using my buddy's Wildcat it wanted to spin and not turn real easy on my hillside thet was no problem for my old Turf Tiger.

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I don't think the tires are wider but I do think the width of the machine is wider. You can look at the two side by side and see that the Turf Tiger is lower slung so I would imagine it has a lower center of gravity which would make it hold hills better.

Mad Mackie said:

Bear in mind that the engines on Tiger Cats are vertical shaft and Turf Tigers have horizontal shaft engines. It is generally accepted that horizontal shaft engines live a longer life than vertical shaft engines because of design and other various reasons. Keep in mind that most or all small engine manufacturers have improved the effectiveness of the cooling systems on their engines as EPA emissions requirements have stiffened and the negative affects of ethanol in the gasoline have become more evident.

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Turf Tigers and Tiger Cats both have vertical shaft motors I think you will find.

Sonders said:

I wasn't comparing those two engines against each other in regards to Hp. Actually just trying to determine Koehler vs Kawasaki on Tiger Cub/Cat and vanguard vs Kawasaki 29dfi on Turf Tiger.

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We are running Kawasaki motors on our Tiger Cats. The oldest is now at around 500 hours. It has had no problems. I know several people who have had Kohler engines on zero turns and they had major problems with them. Most of the time they start using oil like crazy.

I demonstrated a Turf Tiger last summer for a few days and it used a whole lot more gas than the gas. It had a Vanguard 35 hp motor. It was indeed a beast though cutting grass.

I figured it should tell me something when the only used Tiger Cats I have seen have Kohlers. The Turf Tiger w/ Vanguard is sold already so that one is off thr radar.

jekjr said:

Turf Tigers and Tiger Cats both have vertical shaft motors I think you will find.

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Scag Turf Tigers have horizontal shaft engines!! Scag Tiger Cubs/Wildcats/Tiger Cats have vertical shaft engines!

Are the Tiger Cats alot slower than the Turf Tigers? When I ran my buddies Wildcat the other night it was SO SLOW. Hope the Tiger Cat isn't that slow too.

Sonders said:

Are the Tiger Cats alot slower than the Turf Tigers? When I ran my buddies Wildcat the other night it was SO SLOW. Hope the Tiger Cat isn't that slow too.

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I don't think 10 mph is slow for a mower. Sure, some of the other models and brands go faster, but the faster you try to mow the lower your cut quality will be. I actually turned the lap bar adjustment bolts on my s150xt to slow it down a little so I could teach my daughter how to mow with it without running over something. I could remove the bolts and make it cut up to 12 mph, but I don't think it would cut nearly as well.

I'm not concerned about cutting real fast; I mow a empty lot in our subdivision thats down a few blocks. Be nice to get down there to it quicker haha.

Sonders said:

I'm not concerned about cutting real fast; I mow a empty lot in our subdivision thats down a few blocks. Be nice to get down there to it quicker haha.

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Ah I gotcha. Just load it on a trailer and haul it. Lol

Truck n trailer is on other side of town at my parents haha

Sonders said:

Truck n trailer is on other side of town at my parents haha

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I hear you on that one too. I usually borrow my dad's trailer when I need to transport my mower as well. He lives about 15 minutes away.

Mad Mackie said:

Scag Turf Tigers have horizontal shaft engines!! Scag Tiger Cubs/Wildcats/Tiger Cats have vertical shaft engines!

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I was thinking one thing and saying another. That is correct. Sorry I had my wires crossed Again.

Sonders said:

I'm not concerned about cutting real fast; I mow a empty lot in our subdivision thats down a few blocks. Be nice to get down there to it quicker haha.

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The Cheetah is the one that has the hi range and runs 16mph n the travel speed.

Yeah I own the trailer but sold my truck when had tk start commuting to work. So now my dad gets to keep the trailer at his place.
I believe the Cheetah is out of my budget.

Well, here she is tucked away in the garage. Went with the 12' Tiger Cat with 600 hrs and Kawasaki FX730 engine.

Cleaned all the caked on grass clippings from under the deck left by previous owner before I started using it. Mowed the yard this evening for first time with it. Sure was nice being able to get a good cut with one cut. Striped descent, but I noticed after cutting that the deck is healed 1/4" lower in rear instead of pitched 1/4" forward which is how I thought they were supposed to be.