Zero turn recommendations for 1 acre yard

[ts1520]

I'm looking for a zero turn mower for our relatively flat 1 acre yard. We have a lot of trees & shrubs to mow around. I've been happy with my John Deere X304 small turn mower but would like something that's a bit quicker to get the job done. Our John Deere and Toro dealers are the closest. There's also a Hustler dealer in the area. I'd like one with a grass catcher option so I can collect leaves in the fall. Of the 3 brands is there one that stands out or one that I should avoid at all costs. I'm new to the lawn mower buying business so I'm searching for pointers. Oh yeah --- the shed door is 60" wide so I'm probably limited to a 42 or 48" mower in order to get it in the shed. Thx.

 

[bertsmobile1]

It all depends upon your budget .You won't get anything for nothing and the transmissions are near 1/2 the cost in a ZTR because there are two of them .
like the EZT JD and the bottom end 335 would be more than big enough
Baggers on ZTR's make them quite cumbersome to use .
Things like Walkers or Grasshoppers would work well and having the flip up decks are a god send for maintenance.
Plenty of used commercials available that will cut your small lot for decades so long as you do the maintenance.
Shoving a big fan & chute on the right side is no where near as good as a rear discharge which keeps the mower quite narrow.

 

[ts1520]

I was looking to spend about 3500 (hopefully).

 

[Rivets]

My recommendation is this.

42" (107 cm) TimeCutter® Zero Turn Mower (75742)​

Your local dealers may have one they want to get out of inventory at the end of the season.