First Post and Question

Hello.

I'm considering upgrading from my 24 year old Craftsman lawn tractor to a ZT. However, my yard has 2 18 degree slopes in series with a total elevation change of 18 feet. The companies I have researched indicate this is too steep. However, when I talk to dealers, not box stores, they say no problem. Also, there are different opinions on towing capabilities. I sometimes tow a cart with 200 lbs of load (but not up the hills) and plug aerator.

Do these qualifications indicate a lawn tractor is a better choice?

If a ZT is OK, should I go to a serviceable type tranny?

Thanks, Mike

Hi Mike.

Welcome to the forum! :welcome:

I'm going to move this thread over to our mower and equipment buying and pricing section to see if we can find you some advice.

(bump) Welcome.. IDK, maybe others can chime in on this thread. I don't wanna give ya bad info.

I have used both residential and commercial Zero Turns and would use one on your property no problem. All mowers have a max grade and it will be close to if not the same on a lawn tractor as on a Zero turn. The real difference is the way they drive. 2 independent rear drive wheels are much different than 2 tied together drive wheels. It is a skill you will have to learn. It is not a hard skill to learn. On the serviceable drives, it will be up to you. By the way, all drives are serviceable no matter what they say. Manufacturers call them sealed units. That means during the life span you do not need to service them. And yet if you download the manuals for them they have a recommended service schedule. But if you want an easier service of the drives then get one with oil filter and small overflow tank.

BlazNT said:

I have used both residential and commercial Zero Turns and would use one on your property no problem. All mowers have a max grade and it will be close to if not the same on a lawn tractor as on a Zero turn. The real difference is the way they drive. 2 independent rear drive wheels are much different than 2 tied together drive wheels. It is a skill you will have to learn. It is not a hard skill to learn. On the serviceable drives, it will be up to you. By the way, all drives are serviceable no matter what they say. Manufacturers call them sealed units. That means during the life span you do not need to service them. And yet if you download the manuals for them they have a recommended service schedule. But if you want an easier service of the drives then get one with oil filter and small overflow tank.

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Chuck,
Thanks for the reply. Very helpful
Mike

I have a long 17 degree slope with about 25 feet of elevation change. The worst of it is about 400 feet long, it tapers near the end for another 200" or so feet. I "can" mow it with my Hustler Raptor SD 48" but I am upgrading to a stand on mower this summer. Was considering a walk behind, but got a good deal on a '17 Ferris stander still at a shop. Have not used it yet, but in my search, the FW35 and the SRS Z2 are both rated at 17 degrees in their manuals as being the safe limit. of course you can probably do more with them under the right conditions.

I'm opting for a bigger commercial mower because I want to be done faster. While I might not get done "fast" on the slope, the rest will go much faster that what I have now. While my ZTR did ok on that slope, it was slow going in the middle part or I'd lose traction and have to head downhill and start again. I'd mow across. I tried up and down, but it sounded like it was working harder than I wanted it to. I think the issue with mine was weight for traction.

on the subject of weight, I was also looking at a tow behind plug aerator that you add weight too. my mower and zt2800 hydros are rated for 1000lbs of vehicle weight, so with me and the mower (620 + 180) is 800lbs . Fuel add in about another 30 or so lbs so. That leaves me with 170lbs to work with. that's not taking into account drag on mower from plugs in the ground either. I decided i'm just paying someone to do fall aeration.

I used to have a lawn tractor. it was a simplicity with a 44" deck and that slope was a PITA. I'd have to lean so much it would cut out the PTO switch under the seat. I don't have that trouble on my Hustler, it's more a weight/tire/traction issue. It's a safe run off at the bottom for me, and I want to be done faster LOL but it really slows me down on that slope. It takes me35-40 minutes to do about an acre of flatter mowing with it, and that slope takes all of 45-1 hour by itself with my current mower.

Thanks Eric. Very helpful

I was originally thinking of replacing my lawn tractor with one that has locking diff. Husqavarna has a reasonably priced one. But dealers and individuals pushed me to consider a ZT

Depending on just how much time you'd have to spend on your slopes, i'd be inclined to go commercial machine for the weigh for traction and more substantial transmissions for longevity. If it's just a couple passes and you're done type hill, maybe save the money and be happy. but If it's something you'll have to spend some time on like I have, I'd go commercial. This slope is technically "ours" in about 2 weeks when we close. It was the church's across the street and i'd mow it on occassion for them. They had a big commercial JD that held the slope much better than my lighter machine. i've heard a lot of people mention grasshopper too for stuff like that. If I needed a large snowblower and things, I may have invested in something like that instead.

one option I was considering was keeping my mower and just getting a walk behind for the hill. But then it's 2 mowers to store etc and I got a good deal on one that would speed up everything for me.