Buying decisions? New member needing guidance.

Hammy

Forum Newbie
Joined
Jul 28, 2017
Threads
1
Messages
1
Hi all, new member, possibly new to zero turn.
Riding on a typical riding lawn mower is killing my back. I searched for better seats with no luck but I did discover suspension seats are available for some ZT mowers. I started looking at ZT's and like everything else there is a long list of brands and options. However not all have the proper mounting for a better seat. There is a Husquvarna dealer and Hustler dealer close to me and I prefer to deal locally. I have less than an acre, mostly flat and would rather buy used with a 42" or 48" deck. The Husq dealer has no used and the entry level new does not have the seat mounting needed for the better seats. Husq's are available at other dealers and on craigslist. The Hustler dealer has new and used and from searching even the entry level model will accommodate a better seat. He has a 2014 (929133) "Sport", 48", with mulch kit, B & S 21HP for $2175 with 30 day warranty. The entry level Raptor 42", 22HP Kohler is $2800. For me $2175 is better than $2800. Except for the brand of motor I did not see any significant difference between the used and new.? At this point my weak area is knowing which brand (all brands) offer the best overall value. So, here I am. I am hoping to get some education and guidance to help me make a sound decision. Just driving these two brands on the dealers lot does not give me a lot of experience. I believe the steering on the Hustler was better and the seating position more reclined which I assume would re-leave back pressure compared to a upright position of a regular riding mower. It felt that way for the short time I drove it. Felt comfortable. I would really appreciate any and all information and guidance from all of you.
Thank you in advance!
 

bertsmobile1

Lawn Royalty
Joined
Nov 29, 2014
Threads
64
Messages
24,647
If you have back problems check out the new Spartans.
They come with suspension on the mower and the seat.
Apparently it works quite well.
 

kipk

Forum Newbie
Joined
Aug 8, 2017
Threads
0
Messages
2
Hi all, new member, possibly new to zero turn.
Riding on a typical riding lawn mower is killing my back. I searched for better seats with no luck but I did discover suspension seats are available for some ZT mowers. I started looking at ZT's and like everything else there is a long list of brands and options. However not all have the proper mounting for a better seat. There is a Husquvarna dealer and Hustler dealer close to me and I prefer to deal locally. I have less than an acre, mostly flat and would rather buy used with a 42" or 48" deck. The Husq dealer has no used and the entry level new does not have the seat mounting needed for the better seats. Husq's are available at other dealers and on craigslist. The Hustler dealer has new and used and from searching even the entry level model will accommodate a better seat. He has a 2014 (929133) "Sport", 48", with mulch kit, B & S 21HP for $2175 with 30 day warranty. The entry level Raptor 42", 22HP Kohler is $2800. For me $2175 is better than $2800. Except for the brand of motor I did not see any significant difference between the used and new.? At this point my weak area is knowing which brand (all brands) offer the best overall value. So, here I am. I am hoping to get some education and guidance to help me make a sound decision. Just driving these two brands on the dealers lot does not give me a lot of experience. I believe the steering on the Hustler was better and the seating position more reclined which I assume would re-leave back pressure compared to a upright position of a regular riding mower. It felt that way for the short time I drove it. Felt comfortable. I would really appreciate any and all information and guidance from all of you.
Thank you in advance!

Lots of stuff to read here, but this may help you decide what type of mower to get.

I'm headed to 76 years old this month, so I have some experience with various types of mowers. I settled on cutting grass with a Snapper Comet for most of my life, because it was quicker to maneuver, the engine was in the rear which kept engine heat behind me, and they were incredibly reliable at that time..

Forward to 2001. The near 30 year old Snapper was giving up and needed to be replaced. . The Zero turns were what I was seeing most on the landscaping trucks, so I got a small one of those. Crashed into some obstacles and cut some things that were not supposed to be cut the first few times out. Was cutting about 3/4 acres of yard and some touch up in the 2.5 acres of fields, that was being cut with a tractor and 5' finishing mower. After becoming confident with using the Zero Turn I found that I was cutting the 3/4 acres in about 45 minutes where the Snapper had taken the better part of 2.5 hours. Lots of corners, fences, and things to go around.

One day while mowing the field with the tractor, my neighbor was cutting on the other side of the fence and was moving faster than I was, on his Grasshopper 48" cut Zero turn mower, and the cut looked better than mine. My Zero was just too small and light weight for the rough field. So in 2008 I investigated getting a heavier duty larger Zero turn. Drove a bunch of them and decided on a 52" Hustler Mini-Z when they were being discontinued. Got a $2000 discount and they threw in a free $500 suspension seat.

Started using that mower for the 3/4 acre yard and preparing the hard to get to places in the fields. One day I decided to cut the whole field, of near 2.5 acres.
It took 1/2 hour less time than the tractor took and there wasn't another 1/2 hour touch up to do because that was happening as I cut. Also I didn't need to remove an implement from the tractor and install the mower, and do that in reverse when done cutting. So that is another 45+/- minutes saved. The field got cut and saved me a total of 1.75 hours and a lot of aggravation.

In 2012 or so I started cutting my mother in law's 2+ acres. Used her nearly new Husqvarna lawn tractor. It is a model several steps up from the ones found at the big box stores. Used it 3 or 4 times and decided it was not for me. It took about 3.5 hours and the grass didn't look all that good. Lots of heat coming off the engine and the sheet metal surrounding the engine was too hot for my legs to touch while wearing shorts. The seat back was way too short and the top of it came just above my belt line. The steering wheel was way too small and required a lot of effort. Only thing good is that it had hydrostatic drive. I experienced a whole new meaning for back pain that stayed several days.

Started using my Hustler, and time was reduced to right at 2 hours. The Hustler blades spin a lot faster than the Husqvarna blades did, so I could travel faster and actually get a better cut.

One of our sons bought that house. He also bought a Hustler Raptor SD mower and after a few cuts installed G5 high lift blades. Beautiful cut!
He was pointing out to me the differences between the Standard Raptor and the SD model. The differences absolutely justify the differences in price.

For Christmas I got him a "Suspension" seat that is identical to mine except the color, at about half the price. Those seats are worth every penny. The backrest is plenty tall for good support and will tilt forward and backward, there is a adjustable lumbar support, arm rest height is adjustable , and the cushion is adjustable to the weight of the driver. You might say it puts the "FUN" back into grass cutting. Of course Zero mowers have no steering wheel, so no stress on the back and shoulders.

A quality mower can last you a life time if taken care of. Cheap mowers end up costing more over time and don't perform as well.

Your mileage may vary. :smile:

k
 

mhavanti

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2014
Threads
12
Messages
924
Kipk,

Amen brother.

Max
 

bertsmobile1

Lawn Royalty
Joined
Nov 29, 2014
Threads
64
Messages
24,647
Lots of stuff to read here, but this may help you decide what type of mower to get.


A quality mower can last you a life time if taken care of. Cheap mowers end up costing more over time and don't perform as well.

Your mileage may vary. :smile:

k

Think you can get that through the thick heads of the other 299,999,999 residents of the USA.
Do a good job and I will shout you an air fare down here to convert another 30,000,000:laughing:
 
Top