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Big box store ZT's worth the money?

#1

G

gamecock66

I have 11acres only 1.5 of it I have been cutting with a GT 2254 Husqvarna garden tractor. I have started planting a lot of trees, flower beds and am expanding my cutting to at least 2 acres. With all the new turns and obstacles in the yard as well as the tractor not mulching good and pilling the grass up in ugly mounds I am thinking about a ZT. Are the ones that lowes and HD sale worth the money? If so what brand.

Also, right now it takes me 1.5 hrs to cut my yard with the 54" deck. This is in 5th gear out of 6 and although it is not that fast it is leaving high spots even with a level deck and new blades. If I go with a ZT can I sacrifice cutting width but gain speed and cut quality?

Thanks
Wade


#2

P

possum

Sounds like your grass is to tall and your speed to fast. Speed is not everything. Go find a ZTR to test. At least find a person who has one and will talk to you about it and or watch them use it.


#3

lawn mower fanatic

lawn mower fanatic

I agree with possum. For the amount you will be mowing I wold think you should go to a dealer, due to the fact they service what they sell, but also because they have more commercial models. Home Depot only has these:

Zero Turn Riding Mowers - Riding Lawn Mowers - Lawn Mowers - Outdoor Power Equipment - Outdoors*at The Home Depot


#4

exotion

exotion

I agree with possum. For the amount you will be mowing I wold think you should go to a dealer, due to the fact they service what they sell, but also because they have more commercial models. Home Depot only has these:

Zero Turn Riding Mowers - Riding Lawn Mowers - Lawn Mowers - Outdoor Power Equipment - Outdoors*at The Home Depot

I wouldn't buy a car at home depot why would I buy a large mower there.


#5

Ric

Ric

I have 11acres only 1.5 of it I have been cutting with a GT 2254 Husqvarna garden tractor. I have started planting a lot of trees, flower beds and am expanding my cutting to at least 2 acres. With all the new turns and obstacles in the yard as well as the tractor not mulching good and pilling the grass up in ugly mounds I am thinking about a ZT. Are the ones that lowes and HD sale worth the money? If so what brand.

Also, right now it takes me 1.5 hrs to cut my yard with the 54" deck. This is in 5th gear out of 6 and although it is not that fast it is leaving high spots even with a level deck and new blades. If I go with a ZT can I sacrifice cutting width but gain speed and cut quality?

Thanks
Wade

With what you have to cut the ZT at Lowes and Home Depot I'm afraid wouldn't hold up well. The thing I would be afraid of would be the drive units in those machines are the EZT transmissions and although they are acceptable for home use there are meant for small yards not two acres. I would think one of the higher end residential units with at least a twenty to twenty three HP engine and 2800 drives would be more what you are looking for, maybe the Toro Titan or Cub Cadet Z Force these units are for two to three acres, and there are some other makes and models available through most manufacturers. The other thing I would suggest is buying from a dealer because when you buy from a dealer you'll have someone who will back the warranty and a service there department for the work. The other thing you may want to look at is buying a used ZT off Craigslist or the like, with the money you're wanting to spend on the home owner HD unit you could come up with a good used Commercial unit. Your answer to your second question about sacrificing cutting width but gaining speed and cut quality would be yes IMO Your top speed on the Husqvarna is like 5 mph, with the ZTR your talking about eight and nine mph machines with 18 to 18,500 Blade tip speed and my guess is you'll gain in both speed and cut quality.


http://www.toro.com/en-us/Homeowner/Mowers/Zero-Turn-Mowers/Pages/Model.aspx?pid=TITAN-ZX4820-74841


http://www.cubcadet.com/equipment/cubcadet/zero-turn-riding-mowers/z-force-riders


#6

exotion

exotion

Plus you only mow 2 acres for now maybe at some point you want to expand more I mean you have 11 acres to play with you might want something more heavy duty to last a lot longer if you ever expand again


#7

G

gamecock66

Thanks guys this is pretty much what I was thinking. I looked last week at the lowes ZT s and non of them look durable. My Husqvarna in 5th gear I doubt it is even hitting 5 mph now. It is 7 years old and. Has been a good durable mower but cut quality has always been so so. Even with the deck at the highest setting, deck wheels set correctly and tires full of air, I have always had issues with it cutting too low on the outside of turns or missing thin tall sprigs of grass.

Is there a good site to compare the better quality ZT s and rank them?


Thanks
Wade


#8

lawn mower fanatic

lawn mower fanatic

...Is there a good site to compare the better quality ZT s and rank them?...

Yep here it is: Lawn Mower Forum - Popular Lawn Care & Equipment Community :laughing:

There really aren't other sites that rank them, but if you come up with a few mowers that you are thinking about, we can help you here. :smile:


#9

Ric

Ric

Thanks guys this is pretty much what I was thinking. I looked last week at the lowes ZT s and non of them look durable. My Husqvarna in 5th gear I doubt it is even hitting 5 mph now. It is 7 years old and. Has been a good durable mower but cut quality has always been so so. Even with the deck at the highest setting, deck wheels set correctly and tires full of air, I have always had issues with it cutting too low on the outside of turns or missing thin tall sprigs of grass.

Is there a good site to compare the better quality ZT s and rank them?


Thanks
Wade


As far as ranking mowers goes it's really hard to do. There basically all standard and what you need to look at are things like different manufacturers of engines, what type of drives are they using, Hydrostatic or Hydraulic what gauge and types of decks are they using, things of that nature and what you yourself would prefer to have to do the job you want to do. The problem with trying to compare or rank mowers is everyone is going to have a different opinion on which is the best or best quality. The thing is if you try to compare quality between mowers you are going to be soooo confused you wont no which way is up. :smile:


#10

G

gamecock66

I found this one. How would you all rate this mower with the assumption that everything works? What about the price, high, low, avg?

Toro Zero Turn 60"


#11

lawn mower fanatic

lawn mower fanatic

I found this one. How would you all rate this mower with the assumption that everything works? What about the price, high, low, avg?

Toro Zero Turn 60"

What I think's funny is the title says Toro Z-Master (which it is) but the profile says Lazer Z (Exmark). They are pretty much identical mowers, anyway. It has a fair amount of hours, but that mower is a great commercial mower. Assumming everything looks/works good..it's definitely one to think about. I think the price is fair... compare it to these:

http://www.tractorhouse.com/list/list.aspx?ETID=1&Manu=TORO&MDLGrp=Z+MASTER


#12

E

edd

toro timecutter will do what you want....can get them at home depot or a dealer....bought mine from a dealer because it was same price and he did warranty work for the toros that home depot sells.....said if i bought from him it would get looked at first....very good mower


#13

Ric

Ric

Thanks guys this is pretty much what I was thinking. I looked last week at the lowes ZT s and non of them look durable. My Husqvarna in 5th gear I doubt it is even hitting 5 mph now. It is 7 years old and. Has been a good durable mower but cut quality has always been so so. Even with the deck at the highest setting, deck wheels set correctly and tires full of air, I have always had issues with it cutting too low on the outside of turns or missing thin tall sprigs of grass.

Is there a good site to compare the better quality ZT s and rank them?


Thanks
Wade

You said you have had issues with your mower cutting to low, something to keep in mind when you decide to buy is that most of the home owner version mowers cutting height setting range from like 1" to 3.5" or maybe 4" in height, most commercial mowers can mower up to the 5" range and give you a little more adjustment to play with if that would make a difference to you in making your decision.


#14

G

gamecock66

You said you have had issues with your mower cutting to low, something to keep in mind when you decide to buy is that most of the home owner version mowers cutting height setting range from like 1" to 3.5" or maybe 4" in height, most commercial mowers can mower up to the 5" range and give you a little more adjustment to play with if that would make a difference to you in making your decision.


So this is the same model and quality? Toro TimeCutter SS5060 50 in. 23HP Kawasaki V-Twin Zero-Turn Riding Mower with Smart Speed-74632 at The Home Depot . The only reason I was looking at the box store is the amount of time you have at 0% and since I already have an HD card I would not have to open up another credit account which I don't want to do.

If I can get a better quality used ZT for 2500 or less then that is the ways would probably go. But if this is quality enough then it may be an option even if from a box store.

Wade


#15

djdicetn

djdicetn

So this is the same model and quality? Toro TimeCutter SS5060 50 in. 23HP Kawasaki V-Twin Zero-Turn Riding Mower with Smart Speed-74632 at The Home Depot . The only reason I was looking at the box store is the amount of time you have at 0% and since I already have an HD card I would not have to open up another credit account which I don't want to do.

If I can get a better quality used ZT for 2500 or less then that is the ways would probably go. But if this is quality enough then it may be an option even if from a box store.

Wade

If you buy a ZTR at Home Depot, etc. for $2,500 with your mowing requirements you need to consider it a five year at best($500/year) investment as it has been pointed out that a majority of these are light residential disposable mowers. If you go to a dealer for a reputable brand and up the budget a bit you will find something that if well maintained will last you twice(or three times) that long. With ZTR's........the saying that you get what you pay for rings very true when it comes to quality/durability. A big box ZTR that will last is a gamble.


#16

Grassbandit

Grassbandit

For 2500 bucks i'd recommend a Gravely ZT. It's priced about 2700 but a 200 dollar difference cant hurt considering the quality and durability of the machine.
Hopefully, there's a dealer nearby enough that you can get one from.


#17

txzrider

txzrider

I used a low end residential for 15 years and was very happy with it, however I used it less than 50 hours a year if that... you are talking about much more useage and given what I learned, it was so useful I used it much more that I thought I would. I cut neighbors lawns when they had back problems, I used it to tow a cart to carry mulch... etc... the max I would look at a light duty ztr is about an acre. Any more and all the things that wear on the mower need to be heaver. Better hydros( by the way I could not find what kind of drives were on that 5060 , probably etz's) better spindles, I do like the kawasaki tho! good luck with your choice. I almost bought that toro (actually its little brother the 4260). For my purposes it would have been fine, yours ... only time will tell.


#18

G

gamecock66

Thanks all for the input. I cut my grass yesterday and once again it looks "ok" but still not what I would like. My Husq has been a great mower that I have beat up on for 7 years. I think it is starting to show its age. I will check a few dealers around here and keep an eye on craigslist.


Thanks,
Wade


#19

txzrider

txzrider

fwiw, I bought my Country clipper off cl with only 27 hours and about a $1500 savings.


#20

djdicetn

djdicetn

fwiw, I bought my Country clipper off cl with only 27 hours and about a $1500 savings.

So I'm curious.....had you paid MSRP for that Country Clipper new would it not have been a $4K(or close to that) ZTR??? My opinion is you need to approach the $4K price range on Residential ZTR's to get anything that will hold up.


#21

exotion

exotion

So I'm curious.....had you paid MSRP for that Country Clipper new would it not have been a $4K(or close to that) ZTR??? My opinion is you need to approach the $4K price range on Residential ZTR's to get anything that will hold up.

It will hold up as long as you maintain it...


#22

djdicetn

djdicetn

It will hold up as long as you maintain it...

My point exactly...if you buy a $3K ZTR it will have the sealed EZT trannies. How can you maintain a component that is sealed and not serviceable???


#23

txzrider

txzrider

My original Snapper disproves that theory. It cost $2700 and had sealed eaton 7800 hydro's. I did annual oil changes and greasings, It was very abused the 1st 3 years. Less than 25 hours a year for the last 12. It sat outside much of the time. (which I dont recommend) Now it could be the Snapper was atypical of the current breed of low end residential, however short of abuse exceeding what I was capable of in its early years I would expect the sub 3k mowers to do as well or close anyway. I learned the 1st week to be careful with hitting the deck on things as it could be bent. The typical owner that just mows a large yard up to 1 acre once a week or less should be fine. Again that is only my experience and it could be atypical. The country clipper is closer to a 4k mower with fab'ed deck and heavy duty spindles and a much higher blade speed than the snapper had. were it not for my chance discovery of the slide out deck of the country clipper... I would not have hesitated buying another snapper ZTR.


#24

djdicetn

djdicetn

My original Snapper disproves that theory. It cost $2700 and had sealed eaton 7800 hydro's. I did annual oil changes and greasings, It was very abused the 1st 3 years. Less than 25 hours a year for the last 12. It sat outside much of the time. (which I dont recommend) Now it could be the Snapper was atypical of the current breed of low end residential, however short of abuse exceeding what I was capable of in its early years I would expect the sub 3k mowers to do as well or close anyway. I learned the 1st week to be careful with hitting the deck on things as it could be bent. The typical owner that just mows a large yard up to 1 acre once a week or less should be fine. Again that is only my experience and it could be atypical. The country clipper is closer to a 4k mower with fab'ed deck and heavy duty spindles and a much higher blade speed than the snapper had. were it not for my chance discovery of the slide out deck of the country clipper... I would not have hesitated buying another snapper ZTR.

I think the older Snappers were atypical when compared to many other brands 15 years ago. I'm not certain when Briggs & Stratton purchased Snapper, but would guess that yours came before that. Not saying that today's Snappers(or Simplicity or Ferris mowers....also made by B & S) are not good machines, but I think the "original Snappers" were better machines. Similarly, the Dixon ZTR's have a heritage of quality construction and components but they just aren't quite the same machines now that they are a "blue Husqvarna".


#25

B

Brucebotti

My Sears GT (Kohler Command Twin) is about 15 years old and has about 750 hours on it. I changed the oil/filter every 25 hrs; cleaned the K&N every 25 hrs; lubed everything possible every 25 hrs also. It has the 6-speed manual and I have used it for everything including pulling a car trailer around (no car on it). It still runs great and I will keep it to drag around my DR Lawn vac for the leaves. The only reason I replaced it is because I had to always mow in one direction (CCW) to not create mounds of grass. The cut was never very good, and the grass buildup underneath was terrible. I guess what I am trying to say is that you can get Big-Box store residential units to last.
Bruce


#26

txzrider

txzrider

DJ you have a point, when I looked at the Cub cadet RZT S I really liked it but the deck looked much thinner than my Snapper. I still kinda wish I had a kawasaki engine... but I am convinced my B&S will be fine. All that being said... I am convinced with proper care and maint., and buying a large enough mower for the job... i.e. dont try to make a 38 inch deck mower mow 5 acres a week... these mowers will hold up.


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