Zero-Turn Mowers

[Raiderboost]

Hustler and Ferris are both good brands and either will be fine for his property. The old saying of you get what you pay for is very true on lawn equipment. All the brands have entry-level, mid grade and industrial models. You may very well have to pick a brand based upon which dealer you want to use.

So true about the models and getting what you pay for. We bought 4 different Stihl weed eaters when we mowed a couple likes. These were bought in 2006 and my dad and I still use them. I also bought a well used 52 Toro Walk behind about 21 years ago that we still used at the ranch up until recently.

 

[jbb2388]

Hustler and Ferris are both good brands and either will be fine for his property. The old saying of you get what you pay for is very true on lawn equipment. All the brands have entry-level, mid grade and industrial models. You may very well have to pick a brand based upon which dealer you want to use.

Fortunately I have a couple dealers closeby that offer most of the brands that have been discussed in this thread. The 0% financing offers that are available right now may allow me to stretch my budget a bit.

With the tree line something I wish I thought of and got was a front deck model as it’ll allow you to get under the branches without trying to lose an eye.

 

[gkeller813]

Fortunately I have a couple dealers closeby that offer most of the brands that have been discussed in this thread. The 0% financing offers that are available right now may allow me to stretch my budget a bit.

That 0% offer allowed me to go into a more mid level model, and I'm glad I did.

 

[rachunter]

I have a Cub Cadet Pro Z 760 that has been great with no issues.

 

[frontTsociety]

I wish I rented one before I bought it. I have two acres, with the typical obstacles (gardens, trees, two long slopes). I have a few trees in those slopes that proved to be the issue for the ZT, all it did was tear up the lawn on the down swings. On another note, if you’re going to buy an entry level unit, make sure your land is level and rolled. The increased speed is nice, but if the land is bumpy, and you don’t have a high quality suspension seat, your back will be screaming when your done.

Edit. I now have a JD 4WS ride on tractor that’s way better for the lawn and my back….

 

[jbb2388]

That 0% offer allowed me to go into a more mid level model, and I'm glad I did.

Hoping to be able to do the same. Would be great of the ZTM section of the ferris website wasn't down the last couple days

 

[jbb2388]

I wish I rented one before I bought it. I have two acres, with the typical obstacles (gardens, trees, two long slopes). I have a few trees in those slopes that proved to be the issue for the ZT, all it did was tear up the lawn on the down swings. On another note, if you’re going to buy an entry level unit, make sure your land is level and rolled. The increased speed is nice, but if the land is bumpy, and you don’t have a high quality suspension seat, your back will be screaming when your done.

Edit. I now have a JD 4WS ride on tractor that’s way better for the lawn and my back….

Thats why I am leaning toward the Ferris

 

[mts25]

A few thoughts. I mow about 2 acres residential. When I first moved here I was thinking along the same lines as you, wanting to stay at $5k cost or so. I got a Kubota 48". It was a nice mower, but it beat the crap out of me (I'm 55 years old now, but I was only 45 at the time). I was shocked at how bumpy my back yard in particular actually was. That's a pic of part of my back yard below so it doesn't "appear" near as bumpy as it is. Besides beating the crap out of me, it took about 1.5 hrs to mow with the Kubota 48"........and that was moving.

Anyway, I got sick of the beating I was taking, and the time it was taking and ended up demoing (actually had the dealership bring them out) a Scag Cheetah and and Ferris 2100z, both in 61". The Scag was nice, but the Ferris was a dream ride in comparison. So I sold the Kubota and bought the Ferris 61". It cut my mowing time in half vs. the 48" deck Kubota. I've owned the Ferris for 8 years now and it's been a tank. Just normal maintenance. So my thoughts for you:

1) See if you can demo a couple mowers on your lot.
2) Consider a 60/61" for 1.5 acres. It will really cut your mow time down.
3) Consider stretching your budget to get the nicest ZTR you can afford. You will likely own the mower 10+ years, maybe longer. After 8 years I only have 400 +/- hours on my Ferris and it's built to go 2,000 hrs without major problems. I may have it another 10+ years. When you start amortizing the extra cost of a nicer one over 10+ years, it's not that much.


So don't skimp with a cheaper 48/52 and end up selling it for a better one later like I did.

I love my Ferris. Good luck!!

 

[aaa1988]

I have a bobcat predator pro 60”commercial mower. I mow apx 4 acres. I love it it’s a beast. I wanted the kubota diesel but got a great deal on the bobcat

 

[jbb2388]

So true about the models and getting what you pay for. We bought 4 different Stihl weed eaters when we mowed a couple likes. These were bought in 2006 and my dad and I still use them. I also bought a well used 52 Toro Walk behind about 21 years ago that we still used at the ranch up until recently.

I have all stihl equipment. Chainsaw, trimmer and blower. Swear by them

 

[hadi05]

I have a SCAG Tiger Cat II. It was more expensive than what I needed. However, I bought something more robust and it’s made maintenance and reliability a better. I have a 61” deck. It makes mowing very quick.

 

[stryper]

Ferris seems to be the brand of choice for commercial guys around here. I don’t need commercial, so I went with a Simplicity ZT2500, a close relative of Ferris.

 

[NeverWiff]

I am beginning to look for a new ZT mower for my acre and a half. Would like to hear what you got, how you like it, what you'd do differently, etc. I am leaning toward a Ferris 300S in 42 or 48" but also considering a hustler raptor x which is significantly less expensive. Yard is relatively level and smooth and will be cut once a week.

There are many good ZTR's out there.... and Ferris makes good stuff... My suggestion, do yourself a favor and buy the largest deck you can afford (as long as it can cut all areas of your lawn, between trees, and around the house without issue). You will appreciate how much quicker the larger deck will get the job done and leave you more time for edging, cleanup or simply doing something other than cut grass.... like maybe play golf.

As an example.... when i moved in to our home, the prior owners left their old tractor (a smaller John Deere 317 with 48" cut). i thought they did me a favor... Absolutely not!! With a full 3 acres to deal with, it took 6 hrs. to cut the grass - It was ridiculous, but it was all i had, and hiring someone was not even an option. A new tractor was a priority. As soon as i had saved enough for my next "big" purchase, i picked up my current tractor with a 62" cut which brought my mowing time to a shade over 2 hours. (I've not done the math on this huge time difference but assume it's the larger deck size PLUS much faster drive speed with the bigger tractor.... No matter what, while not an inexpensive purchase, it's saved me a TON of time and was well worth it).

I'd love a ZTR to do my lawn/field but i need a machine with a front end loader to do additional work around the place and owning both machines is not an option.

 

[jbb2388]

A few thoughts. I mow about 2 acres residential. When I first moved here I was thinking along the same lines as you, wanting to stay at $5k cost or so. I got a Kubota 48". It was a nice mower, but it beat the crap out of me (I'm 55 years old now, but I was only 45 at the time). I was shocked at how bumpy my back yard in particular actually was. That's a pic of part of my back yard below so it doesn't "appear" near as bumpy as it is. Besides beating the crap out of me, it took about 1.5 hrs to mow with the Kubota 48"........and that was moving.

Anyway, I got sick of the beating I was taking, and the time it was taking and ended up demoing (actually had the dealership bring them out) a Scag Cheetah and and Ferris 2100z, both in 61". The Scag was nice, but the Ferris was a dream ride in comparison. So I sold the Kubota and bought the Ferris 61". It cut my mowing time in half vs. the 48" deck Kubota. I've owned the Ferris for 8 years now and it's been a tank. Just normal maintenance. So my thoughts for you:

1) See if you can demo a couple mowers on your lot.
2) Consider a 60/61" for 1.5 acres. It will really cut your mow time down.
3) Consider stretching your budget to get the nicest ZTR you can afford. You will likely own the mower 10+ years, maybe longer. After 8 years I only have 400 +/- hours on my Ferris and it's built to go 2,000 hrs without major problems. I may have it another 10+ years. When you start amortizing the extra cost of a nicer one over 10+ years, it's not that much.


So don't skimp with a cheaper 48/52 and end up selling it for a better one later like I did.

I love my Ferris. Good luck!!


View attachment 9243818View attachment 9243819View attachment 9243820

Awesome post! Thanks man. So many great thoughts. Will have to check with the dealers to see if I can demo, but I worry I need the machine by the time the grass exits dormancy. Usually late march, early apr around here

 

[jbb2388]

There are many good ZTR's out there.... and Ferris makes good stuff... My suggestion, do yourself a favor and buy the largest deck you can afford (as long as it can cut all areas of your lawn, between trees, and around the house without issue). You will appreciate how much quicker the larger deck will get the job done and leave you more time for edging, cleanup or simply doing something other than cut grass.... like maybe play golf.

As an example.... when i moved in to our home, the prior owners left their old tractor (a smaller John Deere 317 with 48" cut). i thought they did me a favor... Absolutely not!! With a full 3 acres to deal with, it took 6 hrs. to cut the grass - It was ridiculous, but it was all i had, and hiring someone was not even an option. A new tractor was a priority. As soon as i had saved enough for my next "big" purchase, i picked up my current tractor with a 62" cut which brought my mowing time to a shade over 2 hours. (I've not done the math on this huge time difference but assume it's the larger deck size PLUS much faster drive speed with the bigger tractor.... No matter what, while not an inexpensive purchase, it's saved me a TON of time and was well worth it).

I'd love a ZTR to do my lawn/field but i need a machine with a front end loader to do additional work around the place and owning both machines is not an option.

Thanks man. Yeah I am now leaning towards at least a 52" deck after reading all the posts. It was a common theme

 

[mts25]

Awesome post! Thanks man. So many great thoughts. Will have to check with the dealers to see if I can demo, but I worry I need the machine by the time the grass exits dormancy. Usually late march, early apr around here

I had the same issue when I bought mine. I traveled about 3 hours to pick the specific mower I wanted when the local dealership didn't have them in stock and had an unknown delivery time. This outfit is huge and always has a good inventory and good pricing:

SLE Equipment: Zero Turn Mowers, Concession Trailers

SLE Equipment features unbeatable prices on zero turn lawn mowers, concession trailers, chainsaws, trimmers, blowers, argos, utility trailers and more.

sleequipment.com

They are a little too far for you, but I am sure there is a similar place a bit closer to you if your dealer can't get what you want timely. I still have it serviced at my local dealer. You could also get them to rent you one while you wait if you have to order it. Our local dealer does that, but the draw of the short drive to get what I immediately wanted was too strong.......I'll never win an award for patience.

Just a thought.

 

[jbb2388]

I had the same issue when I bought mine. I traveled about 3 hours to pick the specific mower I wanted when the local dealership didn't have them in stock and had an unknown delivery time. This outfit is huge and always has a good inventory and good pricing:

SLE Equipment: Zero Turn Mowers, Concession Trailers

SLE Equipment features unbeatable prices on zero turn lawn mowers, concession trailers, chainsaws, trimmers, blowers, argos, utility trailers and more.

sleequipment.com

They are a little too far for you, but I am sure there is a similar place a bit closer to you if your dealer can't get what you want timely. I still have it serviced at my local dealer. You could also get them to rent you one while you wait if you have to order it. Our local dealer does that, but the draw of the short drive to get what I immediately wanted was too strong.......I'll never win an award for patience.

Just a thought.

Same here. I am impatient and impulsive at times but a large purchase like this makes me want to tread carefully. I just don't want to be in a position where the grass is 12" tall and I am without a mower. The rental option is a great idea I hadn't thought of as a contingency plan.

 

[jbb2388]

Anybody know anything about Stihl ZTRs? Are they just re-branded Ferris'? They seem pretty much the same.

 

[jbb2388]

Just took delivery today of this Stihl RZ 152. Built for Stihl by Ferris. It's essentially a repainted ferris 300S but was $200 cheaper. 4 years 0% financing

 

[gkeller813]

Just took delivery today of this Stihl RZ 152. Built for Stihl by Ferris. It's essentially a repainted ferris 300S but was $200 cheaper. 4 years 0% financing
View attachment 9251423

Nice! Enjoy the mowing!

 

[Bosco...]

I heard a rumor that if you drop the deck about 1-1/2” and spin it in circles, target greens magically appear.

 

[Daluteh]

Funny I see this thread, we were just talking about a mower for our new house - I don't think I'll be able to swing a zero turn, but we will see.

Love me a good mower.

 

[stryper]

Funny I see this thread, we were just talking about a mower for our new house - I don't think I'll be able to swing a zero turn, but we will see.

Love me a good mower.

With more and more budget friendly options coming to market all the time, zero turn is the only way to go.

 

[Bosco...]

I wouldn’t mind a yard big enough that I needed a zero-turn but small enough that I could get away with one of those electric jobbies. The beast I have now is nice, but I prefer only the amount of yard I can cut after dinner on a weeknight and be done before dark.

That’s my only demand for retirement.

 

[lester2]

Thanks guys. I figured exmark and scag out of my price range and mostly commercial grade stuff. Trying to keep the price tag under 5K. Haven't even considered front vs mid deck. Not terribly concerned about that.


Thanks J. Gross total. Prob closer to an acre minus everything and a planned 2500 sq ft garden. Half is flat, half mild slope. Very open. Few obstacles and mostly straight edges. Few trees. Would prefer it be less than an hour for sure

I have an ExMark Radius E series. It’s their entry level commercial machine. 708cc ExMark motor and 52” deck. I got it with the upgraded spring stroker seat which is very comfortable. $5800 out the door three years ago. Excellent, excellent machine for the money. Gives a very nice cut. The upgrade from my $2800 Cub Cadet homeowner model. Glad I spent the money, it will last the rest of my lifetime.