We are thinking of getting a zero turn radius mower just for the front yard and barn yard (about 1.5 acres). Any brand suggestions? What do you like about that brand?
We are in the deep south so we cut grass 10 months out of the year so we need something that can handle that. No pasture cutting will be done with it.
We have a Gravely. That thing gets pounded and it holds up great.
I have a JD zero turn 54".
Works very well on the yard and weeds in the pens.
SCAG is what I have and use. Avoid “home center” ZTRs…they are not built anywhere close to the same standards as buying from authorized dealers for SCAG, Ferris, Husler, Deere, Kubota and others. You pay a little more at first, but you get a machine that will last and last.
You want something well built. I agree that Home Center ZTRs will not cut it (he he). Most of the big names will work great. Generally, the more expensive the unit within a brand, the better built it will be. Get one with a wide mower–at least 52", maybe 60". Cut more with fewer passes. Only downside is getting thru narrow areas (in between trees?).
Make sure the engine is strong enough to cut your type of grass–thickness, height, etc.
I have a Bad Boy, 52" with a 31HP Kawasaki engine. It can cut small bushes if need be! Love it.
We have a Toro mower, zero turn, 60" deck. This thing has taken a BEATING on our 2 1/2 acre lawn with gopher holes and rough spots (used to be an alfalfa field for many years). We’ve been super impressed with it.
We have two Ferris’ that we love. DH and I can do a 11acre pasture in about 3hrs with the two of them.
31 hp on a 52" deck, I bet you could cut down small trees, lol
I have a Scagg 61 but it is under powered for my purposes with only 25hp. Plan on swapping the out the engine to a 31-32 hp Kawasaki.
As others have said stay away from the Box store models. They have “names” on them, like JD Cub, Torro etc. But they are not the real deal. All of them are pretty much built by one company and painted with brand names colors to meet the store’s price model.
I prefer mowers what have PTO driven mower decks over belt drive. No lose of power, no belts to spin off with very uneven ground at times, no broken belts to replace. Which are expensive. Go was wide as you can afford. Just because the a deck is 48"± doesn’t mean you will be able to cut a full 48 inches Pretty hard to keep an exact overlap.
I second the comment about belts. We don’t have a ZTM but the belt is the main weak point of our pull-behind trail cutter. Our mower is 13+ years old and belt breaks getting more and more frequent, and you have to take the thing half apart to get to the pulleys you need to access.
We had a Gravely for our first zero turn. It lacked “guts” IMO, when you hit a patch of deep grass or weeds and would side slip badly on hills. It burned up in a fire and we replaced it with a HD model of a Hustler 54" mower…bought from a tractor dealer…not a farm store. I LOVE it to death!! Very powerful, NEVER chokes in deep weeds or grass and turns well, but not overly sensitive (Gravely would spin out and around if I reached one hand to wipe a bug off my nose!) It’s main purpose is for the lawns and jumping ring, but I have mowed up to 2 acre paddocks with ease. I LOVE this machine!! Cost effective, too!!
I have a Scagg Tiger Cub. It wasn’t cheap but I can’t kill the thing. It’ll mulch sticks/branches over an inch and a half thick (didn’t see it in tall wet grass), cuts 8+ inch tall grass in the rain (don’t ask LOL) and cuts my mowing time down to near nothing. I bought a tractor and a 7.5 foot mower for the fields this year, but last year I mowed the pastures with it too. I can’t say enough about it.
I have a 61" Turf Tiger, built like a tank. But is under powered with a 25 hp. What size is on yours?
I have the 48" deck (Cub version). I opted for that size for the maneuverability. It’s the exact same unit (including the same 25 HP motor) but I don’t have power issues with the smaller deck.
Yea, that’s the right HP for that size deck. Mine’s an early 2000. I think your’s is a bit more “upscale”. I’m going to swap out for a 30+hp before the summer. If you want a back up motor let me know.
Do you remember the old walk behind Gravely tractors? I have a few of them. If you put the 3/8" think brush blade on it you could cut down and mulch anything you could shove over, including small trees. I think the thickest I’ve cut down with one was a tree that was almost 2 inches thick at the base of the trunk. For many years I used them bouncing around behind them on a sulky lol I even have a Terramite 7 spool backhoe powered by a 7.6 (Super 7 with the electric start) Gravely tractor. Some of the really old implements look like death traps! Ever seen the saw mill/land clearing blades? LOL Lots of fun with those!
Back to your regular thread LOL
My husband is in love with his Bad Boy zero turn. He is abusive to his equipment to the point he has become a very good lawnmower repairman, but the Bad Boy has been too tough for him to break, yet. I am happy he feels compelled to fight nature and let him have the tools to do it.
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