Do I want a Zero Turn mower?

Sears is selling the GT6000 for $2650+/-
That's almost $1,000 off list.
And it comes with the G730 Hydro Gear tranny.
It weighs just shy of 600 lbs.

What to do?
 
I must need to measure the angle of my slope. When I tried a JD717A , at one time or another, the front wheels were off the ground almost all the way up the hill . It was very unsettling. I went for the B7800 with MMM instead.

I am unconvinced the ZTRs are as good as a 4WD CUT on a steep hill, but then again what is the definition of 'steep'? In Oregon I suspect 30 degrees is a 'mild' hill.
 
buster57 said:
I must need to measure the angle of my slope. When I tried a JD717A , at one time or another, the front wheels were off the ground almost all the way up the hill . It was very unsettling. I went for the B7800 with MMM instead.

I am unconvinced the ZTRs are as good as a 4WD CUT on a steep hill, but then again what is the definition of 'steep'? In Oregon I suspect 30 degrees is a 'mild' hill.
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Their is NO WAY that a ZTR will climb as well as a 4x4 anyone who thinks it can is a fool.

A ZTR can climb as well as a tractor with 2 wheel drive and open differential.

The ZTR is very light on the front so if you are not careful you will wheelie a tractor is much more likely to spin out rather than wheelie.

The fact that the front is light is why a ZTR will climb good all the weight is on the drive tires but their is no way it can climb as well as a 4x4.
 
"The ZTR is very light on the front so if you are not careful you will wheelie a tractor is much more likely to spin out rather than wheelie."


Funny-that is exaclty what I told the JD dealer. "I was popping a wheelie all the way up the hill!". He looked at me funny but knew real fast what I meant. I loved the JD717A but there was no way it would work on my hill. The JD dealer took it right back.
 
I'm not going to try and talk anyone who does not need one into a Ventrac, but the attachments are mostly drive up and attach (no lifting involved). Check out their web site. It usually takes me anly a min. or two with very little effort to change attachments. Anyone would not need a stool to get on or off the Ventrac (either the 3000 or 4000 series) because of the articulation there is a step thru entrance/exit.

If you have some land (especially with slopes) and could use multiple attachments, check out the Ventrac machines. :thumbsup:
 
vettebob1 said:
I 'was' looking at a 'garden' type tractor. The reason being is I live in the mountains, so to speak, and my 1/2 acre of mowable area needs a machine that can handle the inclines.
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I have a mostly level yard with some steep areas. One area is a driveway cut through a bank from the highway. I couldn't mow it with a compact tractor and finishing mower. It would slide down the slope, and there was a ditch at the bottom. Going across the slope would have been suicide. With a push mower, even it would turn up on its side when mowing across the slope. Needless to say, this slope is well over 15 degrees. It is difficult to walk up. From construction work, I don't think of slopes in degrees, but in the rise ratio. This slope approaches a 2:1 (one foot of rise per 2 feet of horizontal distance). Cars, trucks, mowers, and tractors handle 3:1 slopes with caution.

I bought a Cub Cadet Zero Force 60" with steerable front wheels. It sits on the slope well and climbs it with no difficulty. While other zero turns might also sit and climb as well, the problem is the front wheels. On steep slopes the uphill drive wheel loses traction, and the caster wheels of most zero turn mowers "go with the flow." On the Cub, the front wheels allow me to turn with confidence up the slope without worry about losing traction. (I also slide the seat forward and tilt the steering wheel upright to put more weight on the front.)
 
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