Bobcat ZTR

RatRacer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2013
Threads
3
Messages
216
Thanks much for your post as it not only puts my mind at ease but also gets me more excited. I actually would have preferred the Gravely with the same setup as red is my favorite color (I'm a born and bred St Louis Cards baseball fan). However, the Gravely dealer near me has no indoor space. Everything, including brand new machines, sit outside through rain, sleet, or hail - day in, day out. So I got my Bob-cat from the same dealer that I got my Wheel Horse from as they are great people with a nice shop.

Please find that thread and provide a link as I would like to read it. Thanks also for the beginner's advice.

Hey Man-
Give us the whole orgasmic 1st timers report. It may not be a '63 split window or ZL1, but the whole appreciation and gratification review for the expenditure is sure worth sharing (to a point...:eek:). Donut vids are worth bonus points!:laughing:
 

Tracker II

Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2013
Threads
4
Messages
23
Yah, it may not be a '63 split window, but it WAS six times more than I paid for my first car! (I still miss that '70 Super Beetle - bought it used for $1,000, put another 70,000 miles on it, and sold it for $1,000). Anyway, I will put in a report within the week as I have to mow today with the old mower.

You know, if you would have told me when I was younger that the major thrill of my summer would be getting a new mower, my first thought would be that it must be a pretty rotten summer. Good lord, I've become my father!
 

afoulk

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2013
Threads
25
Messages
228
You know, if you would have told me when I was younger that the major thrill of my summer would be getting a new mower, my first thought would be that it must be a pretty rotten summer. Good lord, I've become my father!

I don't think any truer words have ever been spoken:laughing:
 

fry

Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2013
Threads
2
Messages
32
You know, if you would have told me when I was younger that the major thrill of my summer would be getting a new mower, my first thought would be that it must be a pretty rotten summer. Good lord, I've become my father![/QUOTE]

Yes, I know EXACTLY what you mean! My first car was a 1970 Cutlass, best $350.00 I ever spent.......and now that I'm considering spending $5,000 on a MOWER....(just a few years later:smile:)...what a change!
Really wierd, isn't it?....turning into your parents.........feel the same way about music,do you? :)

On to my making my own thread.....
 

RatRacer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2013
Threads
3
Messages
216
You know, if you would have told me when I was younger that the major thrill of my summer would be getting a new mower, my first thought would be that it must be a pretty rotten summer. Good lord, I've become my father!

Lol! Ain't that the truth.
But you should see how we all act over on the air rifle (pellet guns) forums I frequent, we all become their sons again...:biggrin:

I don't think any truer words have ever been spoken:laughing:

You got that right!

Yes, I know EXACTLY what you mean! My first car was a 1970 Cutlass, best $350.00 I ever spent.......and now that I'm considering spending $5,000 on a MOWER....(just a few years later:smile:)...what a change!
Really wierd, isn't it?....turning into your parents.........feel the same way about music,do you? :)

On to my making my own thread.....

Yaaaay! MW pic, pics, pics........:thumbsup:
 

djdicetn

Lawn Addict
Joined
Sep 3, 2012
Threads
12
Messages
2,193
Thanks much for your post as it not only puts my mind at ease but also gets me more excited. I actually would have preferred the Gravely with the same setup as red is my favorite color (I'm a born and bred St Louis Cards baseball fan). However, the Gravely dealer near me has no indoor space. Everything, including brand new machines, sit outside through rain, sleet, or hail - day in, day out. So I got my Bob-cat from the same dealer that I got my Wheel Horse from as they are great people with a nice shop.

Please find that thread and provide a link as I would like to read it. Thanks also for the beginner's advice.

Tracker II,
OK, you asked for it:0)
In the thread I am providing a link to below, you can read Post#21 for a very humorous(and long) "real life" story(at the expense of my pride) about my very first ride on my brand new $7,000 ZTR. Then you will understand why my advice to you was just like what my father-in-law gave me(and I didn't listen:0) Get you a cup of coffee(so you won't go to sleep) and read about "what not to do the first time on a ZTR":0)

http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/mower-buying-pricing/12867-new-site-looking-buy-zero-turn-mower-3.html
 

Tracker II

Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2013
Threads
4
Messages
23

RatRacer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2013
Threads
3
Messages
216

djdicetn

Lawn Addict
Joined
Sep 3, 2012
Threads
12
Messages
2,193
Ouch, I winced upon impact just reading your story. Thanks for the link as I will be sure to go slow and give everything a very wide berth. I'll probably use up a whole roll of string on the grass trimmer over the next month as I stay clear of everything, but it's better than having a story to tell, lol.

Yeah, I can laugh now, but I'm certain I was visibly shaken when my father-in-law looked up when everything finally stopped!!! And again I was glad I bought Commercial grade or I would have had a hard time explaining to a dealer what happened to the new Cub Cadet RZT I purchased from him an hour ago(I doubt if the damages would have been considered reparable under warranty:0)
Taught me a brand new respect for the machine that I haven't forgotten. But don't worry, after mowing a few hours with a ZTR it is a lot easier to have a feel for how much forward/rear motion of the lap bars affects the speed/direction of the ZTR. But I'm still pretty "careful" after that!!!
 

Tracker II

Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2013
Threads
4
Messages
23
Okay, I mowed with my Fastcat Pro for the first time today, also my first time mowing with a ZT. All I can say is WOW, this thing truly is a beast! First of all, the noise, even with noise reduction headphones was almost overwhelming. The 24 hp Kaw with blades running sounded like what I would imagine a space shuttle sounding like lifting off. Then I started mowing and the bumpiness was a little more than I expected, especially with 23" tires. Being inexperienced, I then started jerking back and forth, left and right, trying to tame this monster. At this point, I started to wonder if I made a big mistake buying this machine.

Anyways, as the mowing progressed, I started to get a better feel for the mower and even started to enjoy it. When I finished, I pulled out my pocket watch and ... whaaa? I mowed the yard in 1 hour and 25 minutes? That's impossible I said to myself and kept staring at the fully wound watch. After all, it takes more than 2 1/2 hours on my Toro Wheel Horse 48" tractor. But it was true. For all my fumbling around with an unfamiliar mower, I still slashed my mowing time!

Anyways, I can't wait to mow again! The only negative is that I think I'm going to need inner foam earplugs in addition to the headphones as this thing just roars. But that's a small price to pay for a machine that is so much fun.
 
Top