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I'm looking to go in with my parents to buy a mower. I have about two acres to mow, and they have just under one acre to mow. We live next door to each other. We are looking at a zero turn model.

Our budget is about $4,000 (each pay $2,000). A local dealer carries Cub Cadet, Gravely, and eXmark mowers. My current mower is a Cub Cadet rider, 2000 series, 48" deck. I have a really bad taste in my mouth with Cub Cadets, as the belt that runs from the PTO to drive the blades frequently failed. Maybe a newer zero turn would be better? Anyway, the models I am considering are:

Cub Cadet Z-Force
Gravely ZT XL
eXmark Quest E-Series

My dad has deferred the purchase decision to me.

Any experiences, insight, thoughts, or opinions on one brand vs. another would be appreciated.

Thanks! Bob B.

i bought a used Exmark Lazer and have never looked back i dont know alot about the quest but i love EXMARK good luck

I think you'd be well advised to look into Big Dog mowers also.

I drove my self nuts for a year and a half trying to decide, until I stumbled on them. Made by Excel Industries which also makes Hustler, the ORIGINAL ZTR mower.

I wound up with a R754 for $4800 + Tax, but it's a 54" deck. Heavy duty residential mower. Best bang for the buck for me! Very, very pleased. Very well engineered and built.

Excel Indstries, Inc.

Residential and Commercial Zero Turn Radius Lawn Mowers and Tractors - Big Dog Mowers

Charles

Bob B. said:

I'm looking to go in with my parents to buy a mower. I have about two acres to mow, and they have just under one acre to mow. We live next door to each other. We are looking at a zero turn model.

Our budget is about $4,000 (each pay $2,000). A local dealer carries Cub Cadet, Gravely, and eXmark mowers. My current mower is a Cub Cadet rider, 2000 series, 48" deck. I have a really bad taste in my mouth with Cub Cadets, as the belt that runs from the PTO to drive the blades frequently failed. Maybe a newer zero turn would be better? Anyway, the models I am considering are:

Cub Cadet Z-Force
Gravely ZT XL
eXmark Quest E-Series

My dad has deferred the purchase decision to me.

Any experiences, insight, thoughts, or opinions on one brand vs. another would be appreciated.

Thanks! Bob B.

Click to expand...

For mowing 3 acres on a regular basis, you & your parents may want to consider upping the anty a bit. $4K is kinda slim for a ZTR to handle that. The Big Dog mentioned by user Old Goat would be another one to consider, and I would recommend that you step up to the Gravely ZT HD(a 48" with a Kawasaki has a $4999 MSRP) and the Pioneer series in the Ex-Mark(don't know the pricing on those). You are looking at some solid reputable ZTR's in all those brands, but just make sure you compare the engines, trannies, deck gauge and build across different brands to ensure you are comparing apples to apples(price alone won't do that). Dixie Chopper is another relatively low-priced but quality ZTR that you may want to see if you have a local dealer for. Good luck(there are a lot of good ZTR's out there and it's not an easy decision).

Bob B. said:

I'm looking to go in with my parents to buy a mower. I have about two acres to mow, and they have just under one acre to mow. We live next door to each other. We are looking at a zero turn model.

Our budget is about $4,000 (each pay $2,000). A local dealer carries Cub Cadet, Gravely, and eXmark mowers. My current mower is a Cub Cadet rider, 2000 series, 48" deck. I have a really bad taste in my mouth with Cub Cadets, as the belt that runs from the PTO to drive the blades frequently failed. Maybe a newer zero turn would be better? Anyway, the models I am considering are:

Cub Cadet Z-Force
Gravely ZT XL
eXmark Quest E-Series

My dad has deferred the purchase decision to me.

Any experiences, insight, thoughts, or opinions on one brand vs. another would be appreciated.

Thanks! Bob B.

Click to expand...

With a $4000 budget You may want to consider Craigslist and buying a used low hour commercial unit. Like a Hustler super Z, a good low hour commercial unit would probably do you a better job and out last any of the units mentioned.

HUSTLER SUPER Z ZERO TURN COMMERCIAL GRADE 54"

[url]http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/grd/3711309276.html
[/URL]

Ric said:

With a $4000 budget You may want to consider Craigslist and buying a used low hour commercial unit. Like a Hustler super Z, a good low hour commercial unit would probably do you a better job and out last any of the units mentioned.

HUSTLER SUPER Z ZERO TURN COMMERCIAL GRADE 54"

[url]http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/grd/3711309276.html
[/URL]

Click to expand...

Ric,
Good suggestion...I never really considered buying used, but for that money those Hustlers look pretty good!!! The first one for $4,000 is a little rougher looking(but not real bad) and doesn't give the hours, but that second one for $4250 with 1100 hours would probably be well worth that.

djdicetn said:

Ric,
Good suggestion...I never really considered buying used, but for that money those Hustlers look pretty good!!! The first one for $4,000 is a little rougher looking(but not real bad) and doesn't give the hours, but that second one for $4250 with 1100 hours would probably be well worth that.

Click to expand...

Yeah that's not a bad price for that mower, it probably runs between 8 and 10 K new and it doesn't have a ton of hours and I thought it looked pretty clean. There was a 60" Super Z that just sold for $3500 and it looked mint. This time of year there are a lot of guys that have mowers for sale on Craigslist and you can find some good buys.

Have you thought about a Bad Boy? I don't know if you have any dealers in your area. There are two or three in my area and they are filling the countryside up with them. I don't have any experience with them, but I know more than a couple guys with them and they love them. Seems like Tractor Supply here has one with a lower 20-something horse engine and 48" deck in your price range. I'm thinking last year it was $3,995, but I haven't looked at it this year. They seem to be very well built using heavy gauge metal.