Been lookin a while at getting one and reading a lot of reviews. Not sure which one is the best bang for your buck though. I was leaning towards a Bad Boy or a John Deere. Others have said to get a Exmark or Cub Cadet...Will me mowing a few acres once a week with it..Any suggestions out there?
aggie87,
As pointed out by user scot47429, there are a lot of good brands to choose from(especially if you want commercial quality) and all the brands he mentioned are good choices. And, you will find that just about all users here will be a "little biased" and prefer the brand they own(myself included, just having bought a Gravely Pro-Turn 152). It's really all about how much you want to spend and which brand you can get the best deal from a dealer on with the features that are important to you. I, like you, googled reviews and joined this forum to get some guidance. I've got about the same amount of mowing as you, but one of my major considerations was that I am retiring in less than a year and I leaned towards an entry-level commercial ZTR because I didn't want a residential model that could possibly have some earlier and costly repairs post-retirement. I looked at ZTR's until my head was spinning, including Bad Boy, John Deere, Toro, Hustler, Dixon, Ariens, Husqvarna, Wrights, Gravely and Exmarks. I made offers to the dealers for the 54" Bad Boy Outlaw, the 54" Hustler Fastrak Super Duty, the 52" Dixon DX152 and the 52" Gravely Pro-Turn. I was already leaning towards the Bad Boy & Gravely for the most heavy duty build and thought I would get the dealer with the Dixon to take my offer(as it was the least expensive). When the Gravely dealer accepted my final offer(approx. $1,000 off MSRP) I jumped on it and have never looked back. The Gravely by far, in my opinion, had the best overall quality and warranty(another thing you will want to compare before buying). Take your time and let the dealers give you their best price, narrow down your selection and make an offer(a little less than their first "best price"). It's definitely the time of year where the buyer is in the driver's seat for getting a good deal!! Good luck on your endeavor!!