Turf Tiger II 2018 STTII-61V-37BV-EFI (First Post)

qrtrhrs

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Hello all, this is my first post on this site. I recently learned that Scag will be offering a 37hp EFI Briggs on the Turf Tiger II for 2018. I have been getting my ducks in a row to buy a new Scag after the engine went on my 14 some odd year old mower. My local dealers are saying that they are expecting to see some of these around the New Year or so.

A little background; I don't have a huge amount of grass, just four acres of mostly horse pasture after downsizing from around 20. I want this model in a 61" deck for the six inch cut.
That and I expect that this will be the last mower I ever purchase.

That said, does anyone know anything about this new engine? Fuel consumption should be less over the 35hp carb version I would think? I expect the price to go up a bit? Has anyone seen one on the dealer's floor? Not that I have to mow this time of year though the area between my fencing and the wood line could use a trim:laughing:.
 

BlazNT

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EFI is not the same as in a car. I would not ever buy EFI. Your dealer will not even know how to work on it. Just my .02 worth.
 

BlazNT

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I guess I should explain a little more. I know a lot of the mowing companies here in town. 3 of them bought mowers with EFI engines. To date, only one still has the mower with the EFI. All 3 have had very bad experiences with them. Mostly finding someone who would work on them and fix them. One guy that is younger(races cars with EFI and hates carbs) thought it would be great to have EFI till his mower would not start and 6 months later he traded it off to the dealer working on it for a carb model. He lost lots of money on the rental mower and trade-in value of a broken mower is almost nothing. Cost him right at $6,000 to learn his lesson.
 

Boobala

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I guess I should explain a little more. I know a lot of the mowing companies here in town. 3 of them bought mowers with EFI engines. To date, only one still has the mower with the EFI. All 3 have had very bad experiences with them. Mostly finding someone who would work on them and fix them. One guy that is younger(races cars with EFI and hates carbs) thought it would be great to have EFI till his mower would not start and 6 months later he traded it off to the dealer working on it for a carb model. He lost lots of money on the rental mower and trade-in value of a broken mower is almost nothing. Cost him right at $6,000 to learn his lesson.

I'm in agreement with Chuck, (BlazNt) , I remember back in the "ol-days" when TV's first got away from "tubes" and went to transistorized/electronic models ( I remember the commercials, the Quasar-"works in a drawer" ) it had a pull-out panel on the front of the TV for the "service man" to change-out the electronics panel, did NOT go over very well as I recall. It took years for the industry to get their act together, AND I remember when a guy could open the hood on his car and actually work on it himself ( if mechanically inclined) I'm NOT against improvements, on the contrary, electronic ignition is GREAT, improvements in the carburetors was a welcome, better tires and transmissions are fine ( but 6-8 speeds in a "matic" ?? and 4 speeds with O/D is OK but lets get reasonable ) and what irks me most about cars today, is ALL the on-board electronics, to me it's hard enough to avoid an accident in the city and on X-ways with all these folks and their in-car displays and distracting gadgets, NOT to mention, the texters !! ENOUGH on that, THAT in itself is a can of worms I care not to open, Back to the mowers, First, does anybody with LESS than a few acres REALLY worry about fuel-consumption ?? I doubt it, and as Chuck mentioned, I doubt the EFI technology has really gotten into the servicing dealers YET ! I mean no intent to alter your intentions, only offering MY opinion about a new technology in the lawn-mower field, my thoughts are, I personally like to fix things ( within my capacity & knowledge ) I enjoy METAL frames, hoods, engine-shrouds etc, (try finding a plastic hood for some of these new J-D tractors, and the cost $$$$ if ya do ) all the plastic items on today's mowers either warp's, cracks, or self-destructs in short time,I think it's all about the bottom line, the quality is not what it was year's back, YEP I'm ol fashioned, but I sure have fun instead of headaches, and huge service bills. Guess I've babbled long enough, I would just offer, do some heavy-duty research BEFORE dumping a wad of bucks into a new machine, use the ol aircraft designers mentality, .. WHAT-IF "this" happens ???
 

qrtrhrs

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Thanks for the incite. Makes sense. I want one of the larger engines for the following reasons. The home we downsized to is not quite located where we wanted to be so if after a couple of years we decide to move again, we may go back to a larger property. That and depending on how fast our pasture recovers, thick grass can be tough to mow with not enough power. My previous mower with only 23hp and a 61" deck was way under powered.

This time of year I should be able to find a good price on one of the 35hp B&S models collecting dust on a showroom floor too.
 

Boobala

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Thanks for the incite. Makes sense. I want one of the larger engines for the following reasons. The home we downsized to is not quite located where we wanted to be so if after a couple of years we decide to move again, we may go back to a larger property. That and depending on how fast our pasture recovers, thick grass can be tough to mow with not enough power. My previous mower with only 23hp and a 61" deck was way under powered.

This time of year I should be able to find a good price on one of the 35hp B&S models collecting dust on a showroom floor too.

In YOUR case, a Z probably would be your best bet, although I used to cut 3 1/2 acres residential property we had, with a USED $400.00 MTD Yard-Man 21HP Briggs Twin, with a 46in. deck, and NEVER had a problem, other than routine maint. ,.. you could also sell it WITH the property, and buy NEW again, I just bought a used Briggs 24HP, 2014 model (engine only) ( 44R877-0001-G1 ) yep I found the Owners guide, Parts manual, and it uses the OLD Twin O/H manual, there's another fella (here on the site) has the same exact eng. we both have issues with the governor/throttle linkage, this particular model (some, mine being one, has a thermostat to control the choke operation) ( I THINK ) because I've searched for day's now (on & off) and I CANNOT find a single word about this "Ready-Start" stat equipped engines thermostat linkage set-up/adjustment, there's 5 different "control mounting brackets' for this SERIES (44R) engine, BUT no specfic info on which brackets and linkages go with what engine set-up I'm going to eliminate their "better-idea" B/S, and just put out the time and money to modify it to a good OL-FASHIONED manual choke lever set-up, RESEARCH, time consuming, HELL yes, BUT knowledge, determination, and some mechanical abilities are great tools ! Whatever you choose to do, may you have the Best of Luck and happiness !
 

cpurvis

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Probably not a good idea to buy the first-year of a new design engine from anybody, but especially Briggs and Kohler.

Let someone else be their guinea pig.

I do not believe that EFI has any advantage-to-the-user over carburetors on lawnmower engines.
 

Boobala

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Probably not a good idea to buy the first-year of a new design engine from anybody, but especially Briggs and Kohler.

Let someone else be their guinea pig.

I do not believe that EFI has any advantage-to-the-user over carburetors on lawnmower engines.

I'm a long time Briggs guy, and I have nothing against the other brands, It seems to ME, they've ALL, abandoned Quality, for B/S innovations trying to sell more product, there's REALLY old Briggs, and Tecumsehs, Honda's, etc. etc. still running strong to this day, I'm thinking these R&D guy's are trying to hang onto their jobs, everything is gettin farmed out overseas, and other countries because of labor costs. Nowadays , Made in USA usually means little, anything could be parts made here and assembled elsewhere or vice-versa, and if they built equipment that REALLY lasted, it would be tougher to sell new equipment, coupled to the fact ( in MY opinion) there aren't too many younger generation folks, interested in becoming mechanics..(EHhh, EXCUSE me ! ) Electro-Mechanical Equipment Service Technicians ! I fear soon, that parts for the older equipment will surely be (No Longer Available) as I find more and more each time I do a parts search, have you looked at some of the user-guides with this new stuff, drawings with arrows and or numbers, NO text explanations, or detailed information, EXCEPT where to buy ORIGINAL factory parts (IF available) but the warranty info is 40 pages long in texted print in about 26 languages ( that's called CYA , obviously written by a team of corporate @&^$#@$#@%$ lawyers ) I'm sure glad I'm in my "Golden years" and luckily for me I can still find the parts to keep my decrepid, antique, ol-fashion machines still runnin strong albeit the HUGE increases in prices to pay, (they know they have us by the "short-hairs", and wisely use it to THEIR advantage) and that's life !!
 

qrtrhrs

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The FreedomZ and LibertyZ from what the specs tell me do not have the six inch cut or the 62 inch deck both of which are a priority. I sat on the Cheetah to try to feel out what the ride would be like but there again the deck height is not there. Having had the 62 inch deck on my last mower, I would not want less.

I agree that all things mechanical are not easy for the average person to work on but I would also state that vehicles for one generally last longer with limited issues than they used to. Once they do die then all bets are off.

Anyway, I may also be using this mower to help others in need that can no longer do for themselves.
 

bertsmobile1

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EFi petrol is not a good idea for an occasional use engine that gets laid up for extended periods of time.
Way too many things to get stuck from gummed up fuel.
Go deisel if you want more grunt, just remember to run the engine for 15 to 30 minutes once a month when you are not using it to keep water out of the fuel.

If you are looking for a 6" cut height then it will have to be a commercial mower or perhaps something like an out front flail mower.
Flails are really good because most can be set up to mulch and will also clear out scrub.
people get hooked on rotary mowers and rotaries anr not and never will be a good way to cut grass. particularly long pasture grass that is thatching.
I gather you are on acres so have you considered a compact / sub compact tractor with an out front mower ?
Not cheap but built to last 30 + years and of course can come with trenchers, post hole diggers , real ploughs etc etc etc.
 
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