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I'm in the market for a new mower. I have 6 acres of lightly wooded grounds with flower beds, shrubs, and trees to mow around. There are some hilly areas also.

A local John Deere dealer has a 2014 cheetah with 275 hours on it for $7900. It has the Kohler ecv940 fuel inj engine and 61" deck. It looks almost factory new from what I can tell. Drove it around and really liked the ride. I have some back injuries so I need the smoothest ride I can get.

Priced a new one at the local scag dealer and he wants $10999.00 for the same thing with the smaller engine.

Story the dealer gave me was he traded it in because he didn't like the cut in wet grass. So he upgraded to a JD and 7 iron deck. I drove one of them around too, but the ride was too rough for me.

I'm currently using a 1995 Dixon 560 commercial with a 60" deck and 20hp Kohler Magnum. I saved her from the scrap dealer and have been using it for a few years now. It mows great, but the ride literally sends me to the emergency room...no exaggeration.

Would like some insight on what kind of issues I should look out for on the cheetah and if his price is acceptable. I did read the older Kohler 940 engines were prone to overheating.

Will try and attach some pics of my Dixon.
Thank you for any help you can give me.

Asymair95 said:

I'm in the market for a new mower. I have 6 acres of lightly wooded grounds with flower beds, shrubs, and trees to mow around. There are some hilly areas also.

A local John Deere dealer has a 2014 cheetah with 275 hours on it for $7900. It has the Kohler ecv940 fuel inj engine and 61" deck. It looks almost factory new from what I can tell. Drove it around and really liked the ride. I have some back injuries so I need the smoothest ride I can get.

Priced a new one at the local scag dealer and he wants $10999.00 for the same thing with the smaller engine.

Story the dealer gave me was he traded it in because he didn't like the cut in wet grass. So he upgraded to a JD and 7 iron deck. I drove one of them around too, but the ride was too rough for me.

I'm currently using a 1995 Dixon 560 commercial with a 60" deck and 20hp Kohler Magnum. I saved her from the scrap dealer and have been using it for a few years now. It mows great, but the ride literally sends me to the emergency room...no exaggeration.

Would like some insight on what kind of issues I should look out for on the cheetah and if his price is acceptable. I did read the older Kohler 940 engines were prone to overheating.

Will try and attach some pics of my Dixon.
Thank you for any help you can give me.

View attachment 32453

View attachment 32454

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Do yourself a favor and buy a new one. You never know what youll get with used.$8000 is an awful lot of money to pay for a potential lemon. That story about the wet grass is crazy. Go to youtube and watch some videos of cheetahs cutting wet grass. They do an amazing job.

Bear in mind that the machine and engine warranties are NOT transferable from the original buyer.

OK, thank you guys. Will look harder at a new one. The Mrs. Is having a hard time with the 11k price tag though. Wish they weren't so cotton pickin expensive.

Asymair95 said:

OK, thank you guys. Will look harder at a new one. The Mrs. Is having a hard time with the 11k price tag though. Wish they weren't so cotton pickin expensive.

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She'll get over it.

If the price of a new Cheetah is hard to stomach, you might look at a Tiger Cat II. It sports a different suspension than that of the Cheetah but it's a very smooth ride nonetheless. I picked one up recently with a Kohler ECV860 and a 61" deck for $9400 after tax. Mine has a little over 30 hours on it after roughly four weeks and it's been an absolute dream (even on my bone-rattling ground). It's a beast in wet grass too. So sure, I'm biased; you just might take a look at one though.

Thank you again for the advice. I went back to the dealer and drove a tiger cat, and it does ride very nice. I then drove a turf tiger...which was a mistake, because now I want one. The steering was very smooth and had the best ride yet, even better than the Cheetah in my opinion.

Can I get some thoughts on a price please. He is asking $12,400 for the turf tiger with a Briggs 35hp vanguard, and 61" deck. There is another one there with a 740cc Kawasaki on it for slightly less. I've read good things about the Briggs though. It seems kind of high to me.

I called some other dealers and they are on average $400 less, so right at 12k. They all advised me to buy local though, and won't deliver as I am out of their service area. Any help/advice would be appreciated. Thanks again.

The thought of paying $1100 in sales tax where I live would be enough for me to look for a used one. Or an out-of-state source.

So I have to wonder how the Mrs feels about the price of the Turf Tiger. I know MY Mrs' first reaction when we pulled up to the Scag dealer was "A ROLL BAR? Are you serious?!!" It was an uphill battle from there. Good luck.

So I called the guy back and he said he would come down to 12k plus a $100 delivery fee. Total is $13,078 out the door, which is still insane for a lawn mower.

He does have a cheetah for 11k, and a tiger cat for 9.5k both with 61" decks.

Asymair95 said:

So I called the guy back and he said he would come down to 12k plus a $100 delivery fee. Total is $13,078 out the door, which is still insane for a lawn mower.

He does have a cheetah for 11k, and a tiger cat for 9.5k both with 61" decks.

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... And I thought "what's an extra couple thousand over the course of several years?". Then my wife got over the roll bar thing and suggested we could maybe get the Tiger Cat II and still leave the ramen noodles on the grocery store shelf. I'm telling you, I'd still love to have the Turf Tiger. Then again, I'd love to have several other things that are out of my budget. I do hope you and yours are happy with whatever you figure out.

Sweats, do you have a tiger cat? How do you like it?

Asymair95 said:

Sweats, do you have a tiger cat? How do you like it?

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I put a response up earlier, page 1 of your steam. Some info on my mower is there. In a nutshell though, yes, and I'm really happy with. But, I have nothing but a friend's Toro to compare it to (I like mine more)

I have a Cheetah Kawasaki 61V deck and mow 3 acres with trees. It is nearly out of warranty and I haven't had any problems. Wish I would bought a Scag years ago. I was cheap for years and bought hardware store junk.

I keep my yard nice and I am mowing once a week in June. I get about about 50 hours a year on my Cheetah. It has 120 hours on it. I assume with 6 acres you will get about 100 hours a year on your mower. Should last nearly forever.

The Turf Tiger would eliminate belt maintenance and it is the top of the line. My best friend has a Diesel Turf Tiger and he loves it. One thing I really like about his Turf Tiger is we can change all three blades with a Air impact wrench. With my Cheetah, the gas tanks get in the way so I have to use a breaker bar on the outside blades.

When you figure how long you are going to have your new Scag, I would buy the new Turf Tiger you like and enjoy it. You will be glad you did for many years after the cost is out of your mind. I have learned to skimp on something else, not the mower. My 2 cents.

Ok, thank you for the help guys. Will look at the tiger cat some more. I was reading in another thread about the tiger cat having some problems. They also said they would avoid the 61" deck on that model because it's too big for the frame. I have zero experience, just going off what I read on here from the commercial guys who use them. I do like that it is 300lbs less than a turf tiger though. The price is much more reasonable too.

Asymair95 said:

Ok, thank you for the help guys. Will look at the tiger cat some more. I was reading in another thread about the tiger cat having some problems. They also said they would avoid the 61" deck on that model because it's too big for the frame. I have zero experience, just going off what I read on here from the commercial guys who use them. I do like that it is 300lbs less than a turf tiger though. The price is much more reasonable too.

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Asymair95, can you direct me to the thread(s) that reference 61" decks and frame size? I just compared the Cheetah frame to the Tiger Cat II frame and they look nearly identical. I've read that the Cheetah has a double tube frame, similar to the Turf Tiger, but that second tube is strictly sesigned to carry the suspended platform. I would think that if anything, that just adds more moving, shifting mass (read "stress") to the main frame. So I guess I'm saying, I'm not buying that argument until I get more info but I'm open.

On a separate note, mcdonell, I can appreciate not wanting to skimp on a mower. I sure know I don't like the idea of going substandard with lawn care (Skag mower, Stihl trimmers and pole saw, etc). I still have three very active school aged kids however who might question my priorities if I should skimp in their department. We all try to get it right.

Sounds like a TigerCat or TigerCat II is in your future. I've enjoyed mine for 3+ years now on a rough rocky/sandy 6+ acres and during the growing season with adequate rain mow 6 hrs each week. Its just too rough to mow fast and its more horse pasture than lawn. A Home Depot heavy duty Toro wouldn't hold up here. Don't believe a Bad Boy would either. My neighbor saw how my SCAG conquered the wild. I provided him with the phamplet and dealer contact I had and a week later he came home with a new Cheetah 61" for his 15+ acre horse pasture and sold his finish mower. I tried his Cheetah at high speed for only a short burst and decided I have no use for that feature. Too rough to hang on to. But sometimes I hear him over the rise running along his back pasture and can tell he's really moving. When he's along our common fence he goes same as I do. He loves his Cheetah. SCAG has homeowner models too. They wouldn't make it here any better than a Timecutter would. Get the model appropriate to where you'll use it. Don't shortcut or penny pinch. Maintain it according to the manual and do as much service as you can yourself and if its taking too long get it in to the dealer, let them fix it, suck it up and pay the tab and get back to work. Adopting this philosophy came hard for me due to the price tags but I believe now it has already saved me hundreds. After all the rough and tumble my SCAG is still roaring to go.

Clay, I looked for it but couldn't find it again. I found lots of threads about the belts breaking early, but I think this problem is fixed. I could be wrong though. The thread I was referring to was a few commercial guys saying how they have had problems with their tiger cat 2 and how they traded them in for something else or sold them at a loss because they were always breaking down. They said out of the three scag models it was the worst. Others were saying it wasn't meant for the 61" deck, but would work good with the smaller decks. I've seen lots of threads where people are happy with them too. I'm wondering if those guys got a bad batch of mowers or something.

That last post was for Sweats, sorry.

Clay, I will have a closer look at the tiger cat 2. I drove one, but felt it didn't ride as smooth as the turf tiger. I have some back injuries and need the smoothest ride I can get. I also liked the hydros better on the turf tiger, much more smooth. Even the cheetah felt notchy to me after the turf tiger.

I stayed with the 52" because of uneven ground and trees I wished to mow between. Less scalping although I wouldn't really bother over it. I do wish to improve the ground and replant in areas but in the end hope to arrive at a healthy field of native grass and keep the broadleaf in check. The nature of our soil leads me to believe it will never be a smooth ride but improvement from where it is now is possible. The only time I wish for the 61" is when I'm mowing close to some brush full of briars and I wish I could stay further away. :laughing:

It's beginning to sound as though you might be disappointed if you spend your money on a Tiger Cat. It looks like you're starting to make more and more of a case to buy a Turf Tiger. It would be a pity for you to talk yourself out of what you might really need in the end and then regret your choice.

I agree, I think I just need to bite the bullit and get what I really want. I guess I could justify it by saying I'll never have to buy another mower. I will be mowing between 6-8 acres twice a week during the wet months. Late July And August it is only once a week or so, and I leave it real long to prevent burning from the heat.

I need to check out the turf maintenance threads and get on some kind of regiment of fertilizer and weed control.

I drove by the John Deere dealer today and his Cheetah trade in is still sitting on his lot. Not sure if he has dropped the price yet or not, will stop this week and find out.

A few thoughts,
Scag Cheetahs have an adjustable suspension platform that includes both the seat and the foot rest area.
A Turf Tiger gives a better ride as it is a heavier machine than a Cheetah and Tiger Cat II.
Tiger Cats and Turf Tigers have separate pumps and wheels motors that drive the machines whereas the Cheetah has integral hydrostatic drives. This is not objectionable, it does bring different steering and control characteristics between the two different drive systems.
Almost all ZTRs have a rigid suspension system, exceptions are Ferris and possibly other machines produced under the Briggs & Stratton lines.
Generally, larger diameter and wider tires, both front and rear, give a better ride.
Having back problems, you may want to check out some mid to high level garden tractors.
I replaced the standard seat on my 2008 Tiger Cub with an adjustable suspension seat similar to the seats found on Tiger Cats and Turf Tigers. The adjustable lumbar support was the best thing in the new seat.
Bear in mind that with any machine, particularly a ZTR, as your skill of operation level improves, you will operate the machine at a faster ground speed. This in itself will decrease the operator comfort level.
When the Cheetah first came out, there were operators that loved them and operators that hated them, I'm not sure why as these operators didn't specifically state why.
As Scags are very popular in my area, I do see more commercial operators using Cheetahs, most with collection systems.
I suspect the reason for the increase in Cheetahs is that the price of a new Turf Tiger II with a collection system is close to $15,000.
Although Scag has an attractive financing program, the payments are still due monthly during the off season, just like boat and RV payments, none of which are able to plow snow!!!
Also bear in mind that Scag doesn't extend the warranty passed the original buyer.
The JD dealer that has the Cheetah for sale may give you a 30 day or longer warranty which they have included in the sale price of the preowned machine.

Thank you for the info and advice. The hydro on the turf tiger was like butter compared to any other mower I tried across all brands. About the only one I didn't try was Kubota, and Gravely. The Cheetah at the John Deere place has no warranty, its as is, where is. This is the only thing keeping me from buying it.

I'm in the process of building a 16 x 32 garage for my toys, once that is done I will be buying something, so maybe a few more weeks. Thank you again for all the help.