Anyone have a zero turn mower? I need a mower for my yard. Thinking of a zero turn but I heard that they are not good on hills. Would love to hear your experience with them especially on hills and the brand name and reliability. Thanks
Here is a recent discussion that includes some advice on zero turn mowers -
Thanks…I searched and didn’t find it!
Love my Grasshopper 721D - gets all my mowing completed effortlessly and beautifully!
- I love the damn thing ! :lol:
I do not have steep steep hills just lots of grass 
Around the house
Trails through the woods
Around the barns
Front lawn
Paddocks
Smaller pastures
- I only use the John Deere tractor w/ brush hog for largest pastures.
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You know…that link didn’t really address my questions about turning on hills… my neighbors zero turn will not turn going down hill and he’s run into the fence a couple of times. anyone experience this? I have two spots going downhill into a fence that i need to mow.
Sorry, I dont have any advice on the zero turns and hills, but I do know my husband test drove a few zero turns and some “regular” 300 series JD lawn mowers and he hated the way the zero turn machines handled. I know a lot of people rave about the zero turns, but he really didnt like it at all (he drives tractors, trailers and big machinery). He ended up buying the 300 lawn tractor and he loves it. He has put hundreds of hours on it already and its only a couple of years old! We also have a 6ft finishing mower for our big tractor and a bush hog for the bigger jobs/pastures, but we have some hills and quite a bit of property to cut. He also likes to mow the grass a couple of times a week so it doesnt get too long…
Do you know what brand/model your neighbor’s have? All zero turns are not the same, and a different brand/model than the neighbors have could make a lot of difference. As can how they handle it… Some people just do not consider logistics and gravity when operating “machinery”.
They are not great on hills. The platform base of the mower is just not set up for it. We tried just topping weeds in our slopey pastures and immediately had the mower platform jump the hook on one side which keep it seated to the base. I think you’ll want a garden tractor for hills.
I have zero regrets about buying a ZTR for mowing a number of years ago…remarkable difference from using a mid-mount deck on my compact tractor. I have no problem on hills with my SCAG ZTR (FreedomZ) There are different levels of quality on ZTRs, however, and that’s going to come into play when it comes to capabilities.
Friend’s husband went off a retaining wall onto asphalt on a zero turn. Apparently he misjudged on a area that sloped away from their house. Fortunately he wasn’t badly injured.
Exactly.
Anyone that thinks a rider is better for mowing has never spent, learned how to operate a Z-T. A quality one. Once the operator learns, becomes comfortable with one they will love it. There is a reason why everyone that cuts grass for a living use Z-Ts.
Mine has no problem with handling hills either. Yes, they will “skid” on wet grass coming down a hill. But so will my big tractor that has turf tires on it. If someone skids into a fence over an embankment that’s called driver error. Not the fault of the machine. Every piece of equipment has its limitations and or should be operated based on ground, terrain, weather conditions and experience, familiarity with its operation.
They have much better stability (roll over) on hills, turning on hills than a rider. They generally have a much wider wheel base and have a lower center of gravity.
OP and to others who start threads. REMEMBER to TAG the thread. So others can search for past threads on the topic. There are a bunch on Z-Ts.
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I guess the major questions I have are: how many acres do you need to mow, what mowers are you looking at, and how steep are your hills?
I mow about 6 acres in total, including pastures, with a zero turn. Since I mow pastures, I had two additional requirements - a smooth(er) ride and deck goes up to 5". The answer to that question is a Ferris with suspension seat. Ferris have 2-wheel or 4-wheel independent suspensions that really absorb the hits when you’re at speed. A regular zero-turn with a suspension seat is a distant second place, and I know this because I’ve tried both. On a horse farm, a $5000 Ferris IS1500z will out-mow a $10,000 Exmark because of the bumps and limits of human self-abuse.
I don’t have hills. I do mow my sand mounds with it, and the sides of them are maybe 30% grade? I go across the slopes and only when it’s dry. Even still it takes some skill and you have to go slow. The way the hydraulics are laid out, running mine across a hill won’t starve the pumps but going up a steep hill will. So don’t do that (check the mower hydraulic tank for yourself).
Zero turns exist because of their speed and maneuverability. It’s the best way to mow, if you can swing it. The turf on horse properties is hardly a golf course, so the speed of most zero-turns is governed by your comfort level. If your lawn is rough enough and your mower is solid enough, you will find yourself going just as slow as a lawn tractor and you’ve wasted your money.
$0.02
Moving to DC - my neighbor had a cub cadet…he hates it. The sales person that sells them in town said they are not good mowers and he doesn’t recommend them.
I have not driven one yet, but the one I was going to look at was a Troy Built from Lowes for $2300. Consumer reports rated it very well. The salesperson at our local equipment place thought i needed a small Kubota.
So…what kind of zero turn do you recommend then? BTW - i did tag this…did not know i could…thanks for the info!
With regards to acreage question - I only currently have 3.5 acres, but use my tractor to mow the paddocks. So, maybe an acre of yard? Not sure…maybe a little less. But, I do have a hill in the back yard that goes into a fence line in two spots. That is the only area that bothers me on the hill
Get a ZTR from a manufacturer and local retailer who stakes their business on quality machinery, not something from the Home Center which are built to meet a retail price point. SCAG, Hustler, ExMark, Kubota, Deere (real Deere, not home center Deere), etc. You’ll pay a little more, but you’ll get a machine that’s built to last.
I have a SCAG FreedomZ which while considered a “consumer” model in their line, is built to a very high standard.
We have an ExMark and it is seriously amazing. Cuts the mowing time down substantially.
I agree with Jim_in_PA, there is no comparison between machines sold at “big box” stores and those sold at local “tractor” dealers.
I am certainly not an expert, but I would think the Kubota would be a MUCH MUCH better choice than the Troy Built.
We have a small John Deere from Lowe’s, and it has served us well for 7+ years now, BUT! that is mainly because we take care of it properly and fix anything before it is 100% broke. The local Amish small engine repair shop says we have made it last 3x longer than the “norm”.
We also have a Ferris here in MD, and agree completely with DHCarrotFeeder’s recommendation.
For the farm in Kansas, we have a Hustler that we acquired 18 years ago for $500 from a sealed bid military auction. It will probably outlive me…
One thing that I have recently learned is that a very few XTs have a place on the rear where very light pieces of tagalong equipment can be attached. Hustlers may be the brand that the tagalong option is standard on. The only thing that has been keeping me from considering a ZT is that I have multiple pieces of lawn/pasture equipment that has to be towed.The equipment is very light, so my compact tractor wouldn’t work with it at all. An ATX or UTX would work, but that’s two machines when a garden tractor would be one. I’m willing to live with less that perfect mowing for what it would cost for something else besides the ZT to use as a garden tractor. Zero turns are also godawful expensive compared to most riding lawn tractors.
My JD lawn tractor is a 1976 model, and it’s had a couple of engines in that time. The transmission works but has its peculiarities and could use a rebuild or replacement. The deck has also been replaced. It’s very, very basic. But it’s 40 years old and still mows as well as it ever did. What I sort of yearn for is a JD 400-800 series lawn tractor.
All Troy-Bilts and Cub Cadets are built by MTD, as is much proprietary label stuff.
[B]Worth repeating … I love my
Grasshopper 721D … wonderful
zero turn
Use it for all my mowing except huge pastures .[/B]
Most brands that I have seen, at dealers and big box stores, have a bolt pattern where a basic hitch can be mounted. Not all of them come with the hitch as standard equipment, but you can order one and install it yourself. I think our JD hitch was $20, and the Kubota dealer provided a free hitch for our Ferris.
The heaviest thing we tow is ~500lbs, but it rolls so easy that we can move it by hand. I won’t tow something with a lot of traction, like a harrow or drag, but we routinely pull the boom sprayer and Newer Spreader with the little JD zero-turn.
