Advice Needed - Buying ZT for ~1 acre

[boris317]

I wont be getting anything from HomeDepot. There are a few Ariens dealers around. I did find a place close by that sells Dixie but In general you don't see those mowers around here much. I dont know if I would have an issue with servicing and what not.

 

[djdicetn]

Hmm, there is a Bad Boy dealer about 30 mile from my house. Should I throw a ZT Elite on the table? Gaaaah, too many nice mowers at this price point!

I looked at the Bad Boys in 2012(made an offer on a 54" Outlaw). IMHO, anything in the Bad Boy lineup below the Outlaw is no where close to the quality of the other ZTR's you are considering. I saw a ZT Elite at the TSC and the new Kohler 7000 series engine on it looked.......well "cheaply made":0(

 

[djdicetn]

I wont be getting anything from HomeDepot. There are a few Ariens dealers around. I did find a place close by that sells Dixie but In general you don't see those mowers around here much. I dont know if I would have an issue with servicing and what not.

The Dixie Chopper Zee 2 is a worthy addition to your list to demo!!

 

[Shughes717]

I looked at the Bad Boys in 2012(made an offer on a 54" Outlaw). IMHO, anything in the Bad Boy lineup below the Outlaw is no where close to the quality of the other ZTR's you are considering. I saw a ZT Elite at the TSC and the new Kohler 7000 series engine on it looked.......well "cheaply made":0(

Agreed. Not a fan of the low end badboys either. However, boris317 you should at least take a look and compare them to what you have been looking at.

 

[djdicetn]

Hmm, there is a Bad Boy dealer about 30 mile from my house. Should I throw a ZT Elite on the table? Gaaaah, too many nice mowers at this price point!

I agree with user Shughes717, that you should look at the Bad Boys since you have a local dealer. Looking back at the prices for the initial ZTR's you listed that you had been looking at, for what you pay for a Scag or any of the others I would suggest that you look at the Outlaw at the dealer. It is an impressively built ZTR "beast"...has a massive 5gauge(yeah, a full 1/4" thick) deck, HydroGear ZT-5400 trannies, 11 gallon fuel capacity, swing-away tanks for easy access maintenance(the only downside I found was they only came with Kohler or B & S engines.....no Kawasaki option:0(

Just make sure you demo it because BB's historically have some love/hate reviews of the cut quality. Maybe that's a thing of the past, but even mixed reviews(with several similar negative reviews) always raised a red flag for me. Make sure you like the cut before you buy.

 

[boris317]

I'll be heading to Chappell Tractor in the morning and will most likely purchase the Kubota Z121s. There is still a slight chance I will get the scag instead. They are offering a rebate on the freedom Z so I'll make a decision while I am there tomorrow.

 

[Shughes717]

I'll be heading to Chappell Tractor in the morning and will most likely purchase the Kubota Z121s. There is still a slight chance I will get the scag instead. They are offering a rebate on the freedom Z so I'll make a decision while I am there tomorrow.

Fine choice either way you go. Let us know what you got and how you like it after you have mowed a few times with it.

 

[boris317]

Fine choice either way you go. Let us know what you got and how you like it after you have mowed a few times with it.

Taking delivery of a Kubota Z121s today!

 

[RetiredGuns]

Taking delivery of a Kubota Z121s today!

Nice looking mower congrats. I'd be proud to have that orange puppy in my garage as well!

 

[Shughes717]

Taking delivery of a Kubota Z121s today!

Kubota makes quality equipment. You should be set for many years with that mower.