ZTR or Tractor?

[Skydragon750]

Just got my 42" zero turn and it's a gravely. Never ever going back to a tractor. Second season in and got it 0% interest for 48 months. This commercial is a beast. Best investment so far for the business.

 

[Vanousb]

OldSalt I think you can make it work with your budget. just comb the classifieds and keep bugging your local dealer, for nice trades ins. as far as the color of the paint you'll never know who makes the ztr its the old Chevy vs Ford argument, does it really matter buy what works best for you and your wallet can handle.

Task is right. Your budget will get you a quality zt for the size your business seems to be right now. Dealer trade ins and craigslist if you are machanically confident, etc can got you bigger bang for buck. All big brands mentioned are going offer a version of quality mower and have their own selling points. Suggest you sit on and drive a few even if you dont buy new to get a feel for what feels right for you, then look for used to match. There are a few high end residentials with commercial features that could handle the job as you described. Not sure of your local, but saw a guy on here who lives in clarksville on tn/ky has an exmark he is selling before deployment overseas just to give you an idea.

 

[Ric]

$4k
Only been at this about 3 months so money's not exactly overflowing on the intake.

OldSalt I think you can make it work with your budget. just comb the classifieds and keep bugging your local dealer, for nice trades ins. as far as the color of the paint you'll never know who makes the ztr its the old Chevy vs Ford argument, does it really matter buy what works best for you and your wallet can handle.

I think at $4k you'll be fighting an up hill battle. Yes there are some Residential units available for that price but there not going to be much in the way of longevity or cut quality and as far as trying to find a good or nice trade in goes at the dealer I have yet to find a dealer who would even consider a trade in, they always say you'd be stupid to trade when you can sell the thing on craigslist for more money than I can give you on a trade which 90% of the time is true.

The thing about buying off Craigslist you have to remember is those mowers that are there are there for a reason and that reason is there worn out and have a ton of hours and if there not worn out you can probably go to the dealer and buy the same mower for the same price there.

Your best bet if you want a ZTR is to do the same thing as I just did and that's to forget budget and go to a dealer and buy the ztr you want, preferably a commercial unit that will last you a good number of years and handle any expansion of your business and go through GE or Sheffield and get your financing 42 or 48 months @ 0 interest. I just did that same thing and my payments on Toro My Z-Master run a minimum of $142.00 a month, and you can make any payment you want above that and pay it off as quick as you want. You get service and warranty along with it

 

[OldSalt]

A lot to think about here...
I think I'll swing by one of the local dealers here tomorrow or Saturday and take a look at things.

Thanks for all the advice so far.

 

[TaskForceLawnCare]

do whatever you want man, but I have yet to finance a mower. if you finance your already in the hole for whatever your payment is every month. I prefer to budget for new big equipment purchases every 3 years max 4 years. that's the typical warranty span, if your buying new. having said that I started my business with a used Dixie chopper I paid $4,500 for several years ago and my dad still mows his 3 acre yard with it and my grandmas 2 acre yard with it. the only things that have been done to it are normal maintenance items, belts, blades, oil, ect.. don't rush into it man do some homework figure out what it is thats best for the size you want to be next year. your truck, trailer and mower are the enablers to you building your lawn care enterprise.

 

[Ric]

do whatever you want man, but I have yet to finance a mower. if you finance your already in the hole for whatever your payment is every month. I prefer to budget for new big equipment purchases every 3 years max 4 years. that's the typical warranty span, if your buying new. having said that I started my business with a used Dixie chopper I paid $4,500 for several years ago and my dad still mows his 3 acre yard with it and my grandmas 2 acre yard with it. the only things that have been done to it are normal maintenance items, belts, blades, oil, etc.. don't rush into it man do some homework figure out what it is that's best for the size you want to be next year. your truck, trailer and mower are the enablers to you building your lawn care enterprise.

He can do what ever he wants it's up to him. It was just a suggestion and not ever having to finance a mower may be nice however, for some it may not be an option and with a good down payment his payments can be minimized and with 0% for 42 or 48 months with a $500 off the price tag from Toro it's basically the same as paying cash. The thing is that if financing a mower can can gain or increase your client list and increase your productivity, give you service and warranty it becomes a win win to me. I don't look at financing a mower as starting out in the hole, I look at at it as security for the business.

 

[OldSalt]

He can do what ever he wants it's up to him. It was just a suggestion and not ever having to finance a mower may be nice, however for some it may not be an option and with a good down payment his payments can be minimized and with 0% for 42 or 48 months with a $500 off the price tag from Toro it's basically the same as paying cash. The thing is that if financing a mower can can gain or increase your client list and increase your productivity, give you service and warraty I don't look at it as starting out in the hole, I look at at it as security for the business.

I dislike having to finance anything, and only wish I had all the money I need to get a bigger mower, but I may not have a choice but to finance something.
My current mower, a TimeMaster, is on an 18-month 0% interest plan with GE/Toro. What I have available to me at this time is $4k on a line of credit - so in the end if I get something right now I'm still having to finance the d@m# thing anyway. Which, again, is not my preferred payment method but is my only option at this time to get anything.

I'm not going to jump into anything. That was part of the reason I asked my initial question on this thread. All of you have a ton more experience on the Commercial side than I do. And, I do appreciated all the information. I have some decisions to make and, again, will not rush in to anything. There are several commercial mower dealers in my area here in North Florida that I plan to visit over the weekend to get a better idea of what inventory is available to me. In the end I need to get something bigger than what I currently have or I'm not going to make it on the business side. I like doing this type of work, but the bills still need being paid and my military retirement and VA disability check aren't enough to carry me.

 

[TaskForceLawnCare]

thanks for your service brother, I'm an OIF and New Dawn veteran. if you haven't done it already get VA registered you can do that through their web site. federal states that any government agency use tax dollars for contracting has to use at least 10% veteran business's.

 

[Ric]

I dislike having to finance anything, and only wish I had all the money I need to get a bigger mower, but I may not have a choice but to finance something.
My current mower, a TimeMaster, is on an 18-month 0% interest plan with GE/Toro. What I have available to me at this time is $4k on a line of credit - so in the end if I get something right now I'm still having to finance the d@m# thing anyway. Which, again, is not my preferred payment method but is my only option at this time to get anything.

I'm not going to jump into anything. That was part of the reason I asked my initial question on this thread. All of you have a ton more experience on the Commercial side than I do. And, I do appreciated all the information. I have some decisions to make and, again, will not rush in to anything. There are several commercial mower dealers in my area here in North Florida that I plan to visit over the weekend to get a better idea of what inventory is available to me. In the end I need to get something bigger than what I currently have or I'm not going to make it on the business side. I like doing this type of work, but the bills still need being paid and my military retirement and VA disability check aren't enough to carry me.

Yeah Nobody likes to finance anything but sometimes it can end up the only option. Check that credit line if your using that Toro Card. Even though you have the Time master @ 0% interest anything you add to that card may not be 0%. I got the Toro Card with my Z-Master but anything I add to it has to be paid off in full or I have to pay the Interest for anything I charge and I think it's like 23.99% if it's not paid off on the next payment. It doesn't effect the Z-Master interest rate just anything I add so needless to say I didn't activate the card.

 

[OldSalt]

thanks for your service brother, I'm an OIF and New Dawn veteran. if you haven't done it already get VA registered you can do that through their web site. federal states that any government agency use tax dollars for contracting has to use at least 10% veteran business's.

Thanks Task Force and thanks to you as well.
I was in from 1981 right before the USS Nimitz shot down those 2 Libyan Fighter jets off the coast of Libya, until my last West Pacific Deployment on the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) right before I retired in January 2010.

I registered with the VA Back in 2010. Will check on the contractor info - thanks