I was watching the mower guy today. I wanted to see how his ride on (a super spiffy commercial one, I must say) handled. I realize he had handles to steer rather than a steering wheel like I've seen on John Deers.
Which do you prefer on a ride on? A steering wheel or individual handles?
On a ZTR type mower ... you do not want a wheel.
You will eventually have problems with the hydro controls. With either a pair of sticks or a single twist stick there is far less to become a problem. KennyV
#3
grnspot110
I had a Bush Hog ZTR for 9 years, great mower, but too heavy for a house yard in wet seasons! I was told by a Country Clipper dealer (when doing research before buying it), not to get the "joy stick" if I would be using it on hills. Mine had the dual levers.
I now mow my "house yard" with a mid-90's, JD F525, with steering wheel (manual linkage). I like it much better for my purpose! ~~ grnspot110
Hmm....maybe that's why he seemed to take the incline (its slight but its there) so well. His looks more like, but not exactly like the picture on the left.
Our zero turn does not have a steering wheel, it took a little bit to get used to at first but I love it now. So I'm going with the handles and not the wheel.
ZTR Independent wheel driven with steering accomplished by changing the driven wheel speeds and or directions,
verses
differential axle drive with steering accomplished with a separate front or rear axle.
.KennyV
I have a country clipper and it has a joy stick on one side and you have to be carefull around building and take it easy don't get to jumpy and move the joy stick to much or you will be running into thing.its takes a little practice to get the hang of it but then it's ok. We have mostly flat ground with no hill, just a couple road ditches and it works fine.
I have no idea but I've seen the ones with the two sticks. They are pretty slick but I don't have that much yard to mow. I'll stay with my horrid little mower for now until I can find something better.
I stick with my push mower, but whenever I use a ride on I prefer handles. This is because I find they are usually on higher end better balanced machines. Not always, but my experience.
Depends on how much you have to cut and what kind of terrain you have. For pretty flat terrain and just grass in the 1-4 acres, you could do the cheaper lawn tractor type. If you get into the 5+ acres range, I'd suggest a zero turn mower.
We have 5 acres, lots of trees/bushes, and for years we were using a 18hp MTD garden tractor. It started needing repairs after the first couple of years because it just isn't built for that kind of wear and tear. I went to a kubota zd326 and haven't looked back. I can do my whole yard now in just under 3 hours, where it used to take 6-8 hours with the old tractor. And it uses a lot less fuel too. :thumbsup:
Mine has levers, so I'm not sure how well the joystick type would work.
I've never used a ZTR but have always thought they were super cool. lol I remember when I first saw one (a good 15 years ago?) I was amazed. It was so "futuristic" and made me think of the Jetsons. :wink:
#13
Ric
Ah, just a little insight guys they're not called sticks and they're not handles or levers. On ZTR's they're called Lap Bars. Most of which are fully adjustable.:smile:
Lol! I know 'em when I see 'em but I didn't know they had an official name! I will remember that then. Lap bars it is. :thumbsup:
#15
Ric
Well I guess you can call them what you want. I suppose different company's call them or have different names but in my Cub Cadet Manual they refer to them as Lap Bars. The one thing I can say is it makes it go. :smile:
