Zero turn mower for 1.5 acres

[lawyervon]

I'm looking to buy my first zero turn mower. I have 1.5 acres to mow, mostly flat with one small hill. I'm trying to stay under $5000 in this purchase. I've been looking at 50-54" models, but some say I should be open to 48".

In my research, I'm finding that I like the following specs:
- Kawasaki engine (should I also be including Kohler?) -- avoid Briggs & Stratton
- Fabricated or welded deck -- avoid stamped deck
- ZT2800 or ZT3100 transmission -- avoid EZT
- Foot deck control
- Low center of gravity
- Hitch option (my wife wants a hitch for a cart)

The models I'm paying liking the most right now are:

Gravely ZT XL 48" or 50"
Toro Timecutter 50" MX5060
Dixie Chopper Zee 2 48" or 54"
Husqvarna MZ 5225 (Kohler engine)
Hustler Sport 48" or 54" (downside: has EZT)
Hustler Raptor 52" (downside: has EZT)
John Deere Z425 (downside: has B&S engine)
John Deere Z445 (downside: has B&S engine)
Husqvarna MZ5424S (downside: stamped frame)


I've also looked at Bad Boy (no hitches), Big Dog, and Troy-Bilt. I really like the look of Big Dog, but there's not a dealership close. Troy-Bilt doesn't seem to fit in the same class, although Consumer Reports loved it and my son likes the feel of it.

I'm keeping John Deere in the running because there's a reputable Deere dealership down the road from me, so I know I'll have service for a Deere.

I've also searched Craigslist for commercial mowers in my price range, but I'm planning to finance about half my purchase and that doesn't work on Craigslist.

I'd appreciate any input to help me choose between these mowers or any mower in this format that I'm missing.

 

[Old Goat]

I voted for the Hustler Sport, ONLY because you didn't give me the Big Dog choice!

Don't know how far your closest dealer is but I'd go with the R or A series units, no matter what.
Best bang for the buck, made by Excel also. Pics in my album.

Can't say enough about mine. See post 11 here.
http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/gener...dog-r-series-powerbar-754-a-2.html#post103906

I'd avoid Kohler. Kawasaki best engine out there now I found out.

Charles

 

[lawyervon]

I've added the Dixie Chopper Zee 2 to the list as well. I realized we have a dealer nearby and it meets the specs.

 

[RSNovi]

I just bought a Hustler Fastrak for $4999 plus tax. They had a 2011 they were willing to sell a little cheaper.

 

[djdicetn]

I'm looking to buy my first zero turn mower. I have 1.5 acres to mow, mostly flat with one small hill. I'm trying to stay under $5000 in this purchase. I've been looking at 50-54" models, but some say I should be open to 48".

In my research, I'm finding that I like the following specs:
- Kawasaki engine (should I also be including Kohler?) -- avoid Briggs & Stratton
- Fabricated or welded deck -- avoid stamped deck
- ZT2800 or ZT3100 transmission -- avoid EZT
- Foot deck control
- Low center of gravity
- Hitch option (my wife wants a hitch for a cart)

The models I'm paying liking the most right now are:

Gravely ZT XL 48" or 50"
Toro Timecutter 50" MX5060
Dixie Chopper Zee 2 48" or 54"
Husqvarna MZ 5225 (Kohler engine)
Hustler Sport 48" or 54" (downside: has EZT)
Hustler Raptor 52" (downside: has EZT)
John Deere Z425 (downside: has B&S engine)
John Deere Z445 (downside: has B&S engine)
Husqvarna MZ5424S (downside: stamped frame)


I've also looked at Bad Boy (no hitches), Big Dog, and Troy-Bilt. I really like the look of Big Dog, but there's not a dealership close. Troy-Bilt doesn't seem to fit in the same class, although Consumer Reports loved it and my son likes the feel of it.

I'm keeping John Deere in the running because there's a reputable Deere dealership down the road from me, so I know I'll have service for a Deere.

I've also searched Craigslist for commercial mowers in my price range, but I'm planning to finance about half my purchase and that doesn't work on Craigslist.

I'd appreciate any input to help me choose between these mowers or any mower in this format that I'm missing.

lwyervon,
You do realize "most" votes you get will be because that voter owns that brand....right??? So you are NOT hetting a fully un-biased response(yeah, I voted for Gravely:0)
But, as an aside, If I were you I would NOT buy from a big box retailer(Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) because where would you go for Warranty Service if needed? And, if I were you(and I do have 1.5 acres like you), I would personally suggest the Gravely ZT HD series instead of the XL(the HD is high-end residential with some commercial-grade components). I started out with the same "budget" as you but sson learned that for $5K, some of those machines just weren't up to the task(not all, but many). One thing I would highly recommend is that you check out the Dealer Survey of manufacturers in the link below for all brands you are considering(not all may be included). If their dealer ain't happy with "Product Quality".....would you be????? Hope this helps!!!

http://www.msdeda.com/pdf/2013 Dealer Manufacturer Survey.pdf

P.S.
I believe both of those John Deeres have stamped decks too....that's an awful big chunk of change to not get a heavier duty fabricated deck:0(
If you raised the bar to a $5k-$6k budget, it would open up a BUNCH of possibilities for a really good, durable ZTR..just my opinion.

 

[Ric]

lwyervon,
You do realize "most" votes you get will be because that voter owns that brand....right??? So you are NOT hetting a fully un-biased response(yeah, I voted for Gravely:0)
But, as an aside, If I were you I would NOT buy from a big box retailer(Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) because where would you go for Warranty Service if needed? And, if I were you(and I do have 1.5 acres like you), I would personally suggest the Gravely ZT HD series instead of the XL(the HD is high-end residential with some commercial-grade components). I started out with the same "budget" as you but sson learned that for $5K, some of those machines just weren't up to the task(not all, but many). One thing I would highly recommend is that you check out the Dealer Survey of manufacturers in the link below for all brands you are considering(not all may be included). If their dealer ain't happy with "Product Quality".....would you be????? Hope this helps!!!

http://www.msdeda.com/pdf/2013 Dealer Manufacturer Survey.pdf

P.S.
I believe both of those John Deeres have stamped decks too....that's an awful big chunk of change to not get a heavier duty fabricated deck:0(
If you raised the bar to a $5k-$6k budget, it would open up a BUNCH of possibilities for a really good, durable ZTR..just my opinion.

I agree, people are going to vote for the brand they own and actually if your looking for a fully un-biased response based on the facts the Dixie Chopper Zee 2 / 48" is the best mower of the choices he put up in the poll. It has the Kawasaki Engine the 2800 drives and it's probably the best built out of the bunch. The Hustlers both are the EZT which is the bottom of the barrel so I'd discount those first off, the JD both have B&S engines so I'd dis count those and the Husqvarna has a stamped deck so that's gone.The other Husqvarna and as much as I'm a Kohler fan I'd say no to it so that leaves the Dixie,Toro, and the Gravely. Now as far as the Toro goes, IMO if your not buying the top of the line residential Titan at least your wasting your money. So now your down to two and I know your a Gravely fan and I'm a Toro fan but Imo it's Dixie by process of elimination. Now hows that for an un-biased response :smile:

 

[SCMCG]

Those Dixie Choppers are UGLY tho-IMO LOL! I just couldn't bring myself to buy one.

 

[RatRacer]

I'm going to offer my opinion as far as your Hustler choice's go, since my dealer is a Hustler/Big Dog/Snapper/Toro rep. I immediately gravitated to the Hustlers, so he would not even bother to seat me on a Toro or Snapper when I spouted my req's. My first desire and test was the FasTrack, given its solid stance and low COG for my hills. Then tested the Sport, then Raptor. While he went inside to get pricing, he pointed to the Big Dogs he wanted me to test and compare the Hustlers to.

The R series Big Dog compares to the Fastrack, with Sport pricing. ( if you try that one later)
The A series 346(I wouldn't go any smaller) compares to the Sport, with almost Raptor pricing, and has ZT-3100's

Build quality is the same on both lines. Big Dog factory reps are hungry, and will drag a machine just about anywhere and leave you to demo it for a couple weeks, if you're serious considering. They are running 0%/48mo now too.

I never tested any others on your list, so I'll leave those alone.

 

[djdicetn]

I agree, people are going to vote for the brand they own and actually if your looking for a fully un-biased response based on the facts the Dixie Chopper Zee 2 / 48" is the best mower of the choices he put up in the poll. It has the Kawasaki Engine the 2800 drives and it's probably the best built out of the bunch. The Hustlers both are the EZT which is the bottom of the barrel so I'd discount those first off, the JD both have B&S engines so I'd dis count those and the Husqvarna has a stamped deck so that's gone.The other Husqvarna and as much as I'm a Kohler fan I'd say no to it so that leaves the Dixie,Toro, and the Gravely. Now as far as the Toro goes, IMO if your not buying the top of the line residential Titan at least your wasting your money. So now your down to two and I know your a Gravely fan and I'm a Toro fan but Imo it's Dixie by process of elimination. Now hows that for an un-biased response :smile:

Ric,
You know I always thought the Dixie Choppers were pretty decent for the money but read a "scathing" user post on the Tractorbynet forum about his Excalibur(high-end model). You would NOT BELIEVE all of the problems he had with that ZTR from day one and the dealer had it more the first two years than he did. Also, in the "Dealership Survey"(see link below), the Choppers were rated 4.80 overall by their own dealer network(with the average for all manufacturers being 5.43). Toro had an overall 5.63 and Ariens(Gravely) a 6.10 overall. Snapper was another disappointing number at 4.04 overall. Even though this a "dealer" survey not an owner/end-user survey....if a dealer is unhappy with "Product Quality" or the other 11 rating categories.....do I want to buy one??? Another thing, locally here in Middle Tennessee, D.T. McCall purports to be the largest Dixie Chopper dealership nationwide. They are historically a furniture/appliance sales business that's been around for decades. Something about buying a ZTR from a furniture store kinda turned me off from the word go. Sorry, I have to disagree and personally I wouldn't take a chance on one. Survey link:

http://www.msdeda.com/pdf/2013 Dealer Manufacturer Survey.pdf

 

[djdicetn]

I'm going to offer my opinion as far as your Hustler choice's go, since my dealer is a Hustler/Big Dog/Snapper/Toro rep. I immediately gravitated to the Hustlers, so he would not even bother to seat me on a Toro or Snapper when I spouted my req's. My first desire and test was the FasTrack, given its solid stance and low COG for my hills. Then tested the Sport, then Raptor. While he went inside to get pricing, he pointed to the Big Dogs he wanted me to test and compare the Hustlers to.

The R series Big Dog compares to the Fastrack, with Sport pricing. ( if you try that one later)
The A series 346(I wouldn't go any smaller) compares to the Sport, with almost Raptor pricing, and has ZT-3100's

Build quality is the same on both lines. Big Dog factory reps are hungry, and will drag a machine just about anywhere and leave you to demo it for a couple weeks, if you're serious considering. They are running 0%/48mo now too.

I never tested any others on your list, so I'll leave those alone.

RatRacer,
Yep, the Big Dog R Series and the Toro Titan series mentioned by user Ric are VERY good high-end Residetial units!!! There are no Big Dog dealers around me but I "almost" bought a 2012 Toro Titan MX5480 before deciding on the Gravely and am quite certain I would have been happy with it.

P.S.
That survey I mentioned to Ric rated the Hustler brand(includes the Big Dog) at 6.26 which was the highest Outdoor Power Equipment manufacturer rating of all(higher even than Scag and other "preemo" brands).