2 flat acres, 10K budget... Which Zero Turn?

BobbyV43

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I don't think I’m going to get the 61” deck for the reasons mentioned. One of the dealers near me sells Exmark, Scag, and Hustler so I will be able to look at a good variety of models.
 
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jekjr

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When you get down to where the rubber meets the road you are not going to find a better mower than the Tiger Cat Scag. You might find a more expensive one and you might find other people who have all sorts of ideas. We have three. If there was anything that is sold locally that would out cut one we would be running them. A 52" Tiger Cat will cut it in an hour or less. Excellent job.

Not sure how old you are but it could be the last mower you have to buy. I have one that is over 1700 hours that runs daily.

I have a friend with a Tiger Cub which is the predecessor to the Turf Tiger that is over 20 years old and runs like a top.

They are easier to change blades on than the competition and till take a pounding and come back for more daily. Just make sure you get the Kawasaki engine.
 

Darryl G

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I'm not a fan of Scag mowers. Yes they are well engineered, tough and cut well. But they are VERY heavy and rut like crazy. I'm in the business of maintaining lawns, not destroying them...
 

bertsmobile1

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And just to really muddy the water, I am currently grinding blades and replacing the shear pins on a 1998 Rider Pro ( 103cm bioclip deck ) with 1850 hours on the clock.
The owner ran over the hose and broke the shear pins on the blades.
The last time I looked at this mower was 2012 when I did a full service, including grinding the blades
Owner has an acre block on a corner with no footpath so they have a 4 yard wide mowing strip on 2 sides of the house plus 1/2 acre around the house and about another 1/2 acre of bush behind the house that they keep mowed as a fire buffer.
!4 Hp single cyl Kawaka uses very little fuel .
I have 28 of these ( or similar ) in my run & they cannot be faulted.
Dead easy to service rarely ever do a spindle bearing because the baldes are so short, pop up deck for access to the blades and mows to within 1/2" of anything so almost no hand trimming.
Overlapping blades give a perfect cut every time and never any mowhawking on the lawn.
Down side is they don't stripe but that does not matter here as most owners like to see their grass as a natural green carpet and not a foot ball field.
 

cell6ida

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Hustler ... all the way ... they are EASY to work on, and add stuff to if you want!
 

Mr. Ed

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As others have said, a 60" deck might be overkill. I mow 7 properties totaling 5 acres every week with a 48" Gravely ZTHD... in under two hours start to finish. The smaller deck lets me go through gates and between obstacles that would block a bigger deck. It also follows the ground counters a bit better than a bigger deck, so there's less scalping and fewer high spots.

If you only have two acres, you're looking at an hour or less to mow it with any ZT machine. Since you mentioned that the ground is bumpy, I'd recommend getting something with a suspension seat, and putting that higher up on your list of priorities than the deck width. Your back will thank you for it.

Also consider required routine maintenance. Some mowers have a bunch of zerk fittings, and some can be difficult to reach. Not saying that's bad... grease is good if used adequately... but if it's not, well, you might be happier with a mower with sealed bearings. i know that I am.
 

DK35vince

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My vote would be for the 60" deck.
 

John R

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When you get down to where the rubber meets the road you are not going to find a better mower than the Tiger Cat Scag. You might find a more expensive one and you might find other people who have all sorts of ideas. We have three. If there was anything that is sold locally that would out cut one we would be running them. A 52" Tiger Cat will cut it in an hour or less. Excellent job.

Not sure how old you are but it could be the last mower you have to buy. I have one that is over 1700 hours that runs daily.

I have a friend with a Tiger Cub which is the predecessor to the Turf Tiger that is over 20 years old and runs like a top.

They are easier to change blades on than the competition and till take a pounding and come back for more daily. Just make sure you get the Kawasaki engine.

I agree, the Tiger Cat is a great mower.
 

jekjr

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I'm not a fan of Scag mowers. Yes they are well engineered, tough and cut well. But they are VERY heavy and rut like crazy. I'm in the business of maintaining lawns, not destroying them...

A Tiger Cat is not going to run any worse than any other Zero Turn. In fact they are lighter than many.
 
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