Every zero turn handles differently according to size, weight and design. I had a Cub M60 that handled hills like a billy goat. Now I have a Kubota ZD331 that handles like an aircraft carrier. It hates hills and slides sideways too easily. Too heavy, but makes up for it in sheer brute force. I think a Scag commercial is probably the ideal design for general heavy use.
We have a Scag commercial. Our property is pretty hilly. If it is wet it will slide a little. Ours is an older one that we got used from a professional landscaper that got out of the business. I would never go back to mowing with a tractor. Much faster.
We still have a tractor with a snow blower attachment and we use it for the cart. We have a 400 foot gravel driveway plus a parking area at the top so the snow blower is very nice. We have 2 acres and we cut most of it other than some gardens, house, driveway and a spa sized koi pond.
We have a JD commercial, bought at the JD dealer, not Home Depot, those are lighter made and ours takes a beating.
Zero turn mowers are the better mousetrap for light mowing, not for large weeds and acreage and miles of bar-ditches, then a bush hog is better.
Get the one you like best and have the better close dealer to service it if you need to.
Mr. IF bought a Bad Boy Maverick last month. He is thrilled with it. He is not easy on equipment and he killed his last ZT after 6 years of use. He did try out different models and really liked the Bad Boyâs suspension. We use a bush hog on the fields but he mows about 7 acres of open space each week with the Bad Boy.
I think Iâm getting a kubota kommander. its used, but a good price. and it handled the hills at this guys place like a dream. of course my handling skills need lots of help! should be getting it next week. thanks all.!
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I have a ZT that I use for everything. Itâs about 7 or 8 years old now. I mow not only the pastures but the rough area under large trees; I pull manure dumping cart; I drag my arena. My only complaint? It does not adjust high enough to really do the right cut on my bahia.
I was at one of the local Kubota dealers on Saturday morning picking up some replacement hydraulic hoses for my tractor and there was a Kommander parked next to where I parked my vehicle. It seems like a very nice machine. Best wishes to you with it!
thanks! iâm hopefully picking it up on Wed night! Now to learn how to drive it.
We have a Kubota zero turn (one of the large commerical diesel ones). I mow regularly on a hill (pond levy). It goes up and down just fine or I can cute sideways along the hill. However it does not turn well on the hill. For instance if you are cutting down the hill and try to turn while still on the hill it will usually slide some before making the turn. I usually just cut all the way down to the bottom, turn on flat ground and go back up. It is a very heavy mower and has never felt like it would turn over on the hill however this weight may be what makes it slide a little when making the turn.
Yea, there is a short learning curve, but honestly, it becomes pretty intuitive relatively quickly. The funniest thing was when I allowed my daughters and elderly father to try itâŠvery humorous. 
BTW, one hintâŠeven thought you CAN spin these things around on a dime, thatâs not necessarily the best thing for your lawn. Maneuvers similar to a âk-turnâ in any motor vehicle (sometimes with more iterations) will result in less wheel spinning when youâre working to cut close to a tree or turning around are best. Remember, when you turn, youâre changing the speed of one of the drive wheels faster or slower than the other drive wheel and in the extreme, that means youâre spinning around âonâ a tire thatâs not turning.
Good tips by Jim.
Zero turns are unlike any other machine available to the ordinary homeowner. The faster / heavier / more powerful ones require the most skill to drive accurately. Be patient with yourself - it took me months to master it.
Spring might be the trickiest season. I struggle to get enough mowing done in between rainy days, and not make a mess on the days I do get to mow.
A few others:
- Zero turns have tremendous torque on each wheel. When the ground might be wet, keep an eye on your front wheels and when they get wet, slow down and be careful.
a) They are terrible on mud. If you have to cross a puddle or muddy spot, just go through at medium speed and let your momentum carry through it.
b) The tires clog easily in mud. If you start to spin a wheel, just stop. Once the tire treads are packed with mud youâre stuck.
c) If you get stuck, read your manual before pulling it free, even if itâs just a few feet. Most zero turns have a relief screw on the hydro pumps that must be opened if you need to roll using an external source of power. Otherwise you will damage your hydro pumps. I know this from experience. - It took me a while before I could maneuver against buildings, fence posts, etc closely without touching. Just push mow your edges for a while until you develop your skills.
- Run the engine at full throttle. Iâm pretty sure your manual tells you this but check to confirm this.
- Keep your blades sharp. I remove mine and sharpen them with an angle grinder. I check blade balance using a ball bearing screwed to the front of my bench.
- I like to adjust my control arms until they nearly touch together. Then I hold them with a thumb across the gap touching the other. This makes fine directional control easier.
- Keep your mower deck cleaned out underneath, around the belts, and on the pumps and engine coolers. A short plastic kitchen spatula works great for scraping goop out under the deck. Check the fluids regularly since a leak isnât noticed easily when youâre mowing and there isnât a lot of fluid there in the first place.
- You might need to grease it regularly. Mine has at least a dozen grease fittings.
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Hustler makes a fine machine, China Doll. Congrats!
We have a Cub Cadet ZT and I donât like it though my husband does. I find it counterintuitive to steer.
I was circling our apple trees the other day, looked up and cracked my head on a branch. Instinctively
I pulled back as my head was whipped backwards. Wrong move - that just accelerated me into the tree.
I saw stars and needed to dismount for a while. For some reason, I can only circle left too.
Of course it is in the operator, but I handle the tractor and backhoe just fine.
Plus it is annoying to me to have to use two hands all the time - just tiring when you have 8 hours of mowing a week.
