ZTurn question
- Thread starter lilguy
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At many’s suggestion Im going for a zero turn. 1 acre, garden islands, a small slope up frt. Found KUBOTA’s and JDs, looking for other.
figure 52 inch +/-. I have a tractor, to big to mow with, but nice for other tasks.
figure 52 inch +/-. I have a tractor, to big to mow with, but nice for other tasks.
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cpurvis
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Just my opinion, if you're only mowing your own yard, you don't need a commercial mower. What would be nice, though, is to move up to one with suspension or at least a pivoting front axle. On rough ground, rigid frame zero turns often will have no traction on the wheel you want to drive. But suspension or the pivoting axle is a luxury a lot of people do without.
the 400's are much faster. They are still, IMO, residential mowers. I know plenty of folks who use them commercially, and I also know plenty of companies who don't care of their equipment. THOSE--are the ones who always and consistently have to buy mowers every 3-4 years.
maintenance is key. If something is loose don't ignore it fix it. Valve adjustment is a requirement on the kawasaki and kohler as well. Keep the flywheel screens clean and make darn sure the air filters are serviced OFTEN. Leave the rockers run loose it'll beat up the top of the valves, the rocker arms, sometimes on the kawasakis the rocker arms will actually come off/loose from the head. Kohler is a little different design and that hasn't been seen at least not with my eyes.
I know plenty of guys who mow commercially, we speak often. The general consensus is that there are a few companies that dis Kubota for commercial use and there are a few that love them. Those that hate them? They have hired hands and their guys are minimum wage employees that couldn't care less about someone else's equipment. Ones that like them, actually take good care of them-including washing, blade sharpening, replacing worn deck wheels, etc-on a daily basis. Costs a little and takes time but it's almost guaranteed to prolong the replacement of the machine. One commercial customer I know of--has over 2700 hours on a Z421KWT, and it looks great. But he also make sure his stuff is maintained DAILY--meaning he don't run 500 hours on an oil change, and he don't let the flywheel screens get plugged solid with clippings.
maintenance is key. If something is loose don't ignore it fix it. Valve adjustment is a requirement on the kawasaki and kohler as well. Keep the flywheel screens clean and make darn sure the air filters are serviced OFTEN. Leave the rockers run loose it'll beat up the top of the valves, the rocker arms, sometimes on the kawasakis the rocker arms will actually come off/loose from the head. Kohler is a little different design and that hasn't been seen at least not with my eyes.
I know plenty of guys who mow commercially, we speak often. The general consensus is that there are a few companies that dis Kubota for commercial use and there are a few that love them. Those that hate them? They have hired hands and their guys are minimum wage employees that couldn't care less about someone else's equipment. Ones that like them, actually take good care of them-including washing, blade sharpening, replacing worn deck wheels, etc-on a daily basis. Costs a little and takes time but it's almost guaranteed to prolong the replacement of the machine. One commercial customer I know of--has over 2700 hours on a Z421KWT, and it looks great. But he also make sure his stuff is maintained DAILY--meaning he don't run 500 hours on an oil change, and he don't let the flywheel screens get plugged solid with clippings.
0-turns with large decks running on unlevel ground = scalping issues.
I don't see the full 1 acre. Must be in the back yard. From what you posted in your pics, a simple push mower with no self propel is perfect. What a small yard.
0-turns are very expensive when new. Just wait till the hydros fail on you $$$$. Plus you have to maintain that monster. Those are tough to get under the deck for maintenance. Finally with such a nice looking yard, a 1,300 pound 0-turn will rut the crap out of the turf. They compact the soil terribly. Hope you don't have hard clay like I do.
slomo
I don't see the full 1 acre. Must be in the back yard. From what you posted in your pics, a simple push mower with no self propel is perfect. What a small yard.
0-turns are very expensive when new. Just wait till the hydros fail on you $$$$. Plus you have to maintain that monster. Those are tough to get under the deck for maintenance. Finally with such a nice looking yard, a 1,300 pound 0-turn will rut the crap out of the turf. They compact the soil terribly. Hope you don't have hard clay like I do.
slomo
bertsmobile1
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For 1 acre particularly for the way yours looks a small ZTR would probably suit you best .
You can get a 36" to 42" deck in a lot for very tight spaces where you would have to cut with a push mower or line trimmer .
The time saved using those will be a lot greater than the time saved with a big deck.
Big decks are for football field lawns , not garden lawns.
I have commercial customers who can mow an acre on a 34" mower a lot faster than the owners can with their 61"
You can get a 36" to 42" deck in a lot for very tight spaces where you would have to cut with a push mower or line trimmer .
The time saved using those will be a lot greater than the time saved with a big deck.
Big decks are for football field lawns , not garden lawns.
I have commercial customers who can mow an acre on a 34" mower a lot faster than the owners can with their 61"