Toro MX5060 vs. Husky MZ5424S

[lonestarjeff]

I'm looking for a replacement for my old(late '90s)Dixon 42" ZTR to mow our 2.5 acres. I wanted something a bit wider cut(48-54")in a mid-grade machine. The old Dixon was such a good mower I expected to get another one, but I soon discovered they're gone. The old Briggs Vanguard engine never stopped running either, but has become a booger to start(compression release stopped working). I didn't see Vanguard engines offered on anything current. I haven't read much good about the Endurance or Intek series so far, so I've narrowed my engine choice to Kawasaki.

My search covered lots of brands, but my budget ruled out the commercial guys. It came down to Toro & Husky because they have quite a few choices in the mid-grade....& the upper end of those seem to have commercial grade build. The 2 models above have the same Kawasaki engine. The Toro mower is about 100# heavier(700 vs 795), but has a little smaller rear tires(20" vs 22"). The Husky has the ZT-3100 drives(which is a plus), but I can't pin down what drives the Toro wheels. The Husky carries more fuel(5 gallons vs 3) which is interesting considering the Husky is lighter. The Toro has the heavier deck(10ga vs 12ga)& I believe the Toro deck is welded whereas the Husky is stamped....not sure what to make of this considering my old Dixon was a stamped 13ga deck & seemed more than adequate for all these years. Both have adjustable high-back seats w/ armrests & adjustable control arms.

In the end I'm leaning toward Husqvarna because of the larger tires & heavier grade drive units. The extra 4" of cut doesn't hurt either. They are both right at $4k, so price was not a factor between them. I'd rather have to spend less, but I couldn't find anything below it w/ the big tires & heavy drive units. My budget was $5k & with the bagging kit either mower comes in around $4500.

Having said all that does anyone have any negative or positive experience w/ these mowers? What about the bagging kits?

Jeff

 

[djdicetn]

I'm looking for a replacement for my old(late '90s)Dixon 42" ZTR to mow our 2.5 acres. I wanted something a bit wider cut(48-54")in a mid-grade machine. The old Dixon was such a good mower I expected to get another one, but I soon discovered they're gone. The old Briggs Vanguard engine never stopped running either, but has become a booger to start(compression release stopped working). I didn't see Vanguard engines offered on anything current. I haven't read much good about the Endurance or Intek series so far, so I've narrowed my engine choice to Kawasaki.

My search covered lots of brands, but my budget ruled out the commercial guys. It came down to Toro & Husky because they have quite a few choices in the mid-grade....& the upper end of those seem to have commercial grade build. The 2 models above have the same Kawasaki engine. The Toro mower is about 100# heavier(700 vs 795), but has a little smaller rear tires(20" vs 22"). The Husky has the ZT-3100 drives(which is a plus), but I can't pin down what drives the Toro wheels. The Husky carries more fuel(5 gallons vs 3) which is interesting considering the Husky is lighter. The Toro has the heavier deck(10ga vs 12ga)& I believe the Toro deck is welded whereas the Husky is stamped....not sure what to make of this considering my old Dixon was a stamped 13ga deck & seemed more than adequate for all these years. Both have adjustable high-back seats w/ armrests & adjustable control arms.

In the end I'm leaning toward Husqvarna because of the larger tires & heavier grade drive units. The extra 4" of cut doesn't hurt either. They are both right at $4k, so price was not a factor between them. I'd rather have to spend less, but I couldn't find anything below it w/ the big tires & heavy drive units. My budget was $5k & with the bagging kit either mower comes in around $4500.

Having said all that does anyone have any negative or positive experience w/ these mowers? What about the bagging kits?

Jeff

lonestarjeff,
Why a bagger for a ZTR....does your Dixon have one??? A ZTR with 18,000fpm blade tip speed rarely leaves piles of grass clippings. BTW, they still make Dixons, it's just that Husqvarna bought them out and they're not quite the same quality as your 90's model. Yeah, the Vanguard was the best engine B & S ever made, but the Intek is junk(Ive had both a vanguard and Intek) and I'm not convinced the Endurance would be any better. You really need to get a fabricated deck if you are going to spend $4k-$5k and IMHO, you would be better off to invest the bagger cost into a better model ZTR. What Toro are you looking at(TimeCutter at a big box retailer)??? You need to look at the Toro Titan ZX or MX series. The ZX has the ZT-2800 and the MX the ZT-3100 trannies. If you give up on getting a bagger, you should be able to get into a MX4880(48" cut) within your budget and the Toro Titan MX was my first choice before I decided to "go Commercial". They are fine machines and come with a full suspension seat. post back exactly which Toro and Husqvarna models you have looked at(we'll try to make sure you are comparing "apples to apples" similar models across those two mfrs).
P.S.
Duhhhhhhhh, I didn't read your "Subject" or I would have know the Toro/Husky models:0)

 

[djdicetn]

lonestarjeff,

OK, after looking you are indeed looking at the Toro TimeCutter mid-grade residential series and MZ mid-grade residential Husqvarna. If I were you and had your budget, I wold be going to Husqvarna and Toro "delaers only"....not Aears, Lowes, Home Depot, etc. And I would be comparing the Husqvarna M-ZT 52(MSRP $5499) and the Toro Titan MX5480(I don't see a recommended MSRP on the Toro website, but when I was looking at the 2012 models last year the dealer quoted me a $5,300 price on the MX5480). If you stepped down to the 48" cut Toro you could do a litlle better than that. Noew that Husqvarna(M-ZT 52) is a fine machine with commercial cast-iron spindles and has the ZT-3400 tranny versus the MX having the ZT-3100 tranny and heavy-duty aluminum spindles. You would need to determine if that was worth the extra for the Husky to get "Commercial-quality" components for a little more. But the ZT-3100 is considered a Commercial quality tranny and would be fine. Hope some of my feedback helps!!!
P.S.
My guess(I never even looked at them) is that the Toro TimeCutters have the HydroGear sealed EZT trannies(not commercial grade or servicable). With 2.5 acres to cut, I'd stay away from anything less than the ZT-2800's(and would even lean towards the ZT-3400 instead of the ZT-3100) to make sure they are servicable.

 

[lonestarjeff]

Why a bagger for a ZTR....does your Dixon have one??? A ZTR with 18,000fpm blade tip speed rarely leaves piles of grass clippings....

No, I never had the bagging kit, but wished quite a few times over the years I did. I hate raking up clippings. I'm not sure what the blade tip speed is on the old Dixon, but in heavy cutting it would definitely leave rows of clippings when the discharge chute/deflector is down. Keep in mind my lawn is not devoid of crabgrass & other weeds. :tongue: I fear it may hinder the effectiveness of the bagging system.