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Hi everyone,

New home owner and I'm having an impossible time finding a ZT mower in my area, and the few options available from dealers are all prosumer/commercial grade (Gravely/Scag higher end: 6-9k). The used inventory near me is incredibly minimal, and the "best" option right now is Home Depot/Lowes/Tractor Supply which most people say to avoid.

To make matters worse, the dealers near me cannot guarantee stock for next season, so I can be in the same predicament that I'm in now, next year (paying a landscaper and burning money I could have put towards a mower).

Some dealers are being honest and saying the options they are suggesting are overkill for ~1 acre, while others are suggesting that paying less for an entry level ZT isn't worth it due to the corners they cut and things like non-serviceable transmissions.

My head says there's no way I should ever pay 6k for a ZT mower for 1-acre, but at the same time, "saving" the ~1k I will pay a landscaper for the rest of the season makes it 5k, and who knows about next season.

I'd be interested in what you think and appreciate any input you can provide!

Thanks!

Well I mow 5 to 7 acres on the farm with 2 of the as they call it non serviceable transmissions. (Hydros) I know people that have over 1000 hours on them non serviceable HYDRO GEAR EZT 2200 transmissions. It all depends on how there treated. My 2015 has just under 600 hour's and my Wifes 2017 just under 300 hour's. They both seem to work fine. Hydros do not like water or heat. Keep both away from them and they will last a long time. And if You have any mechanical abilities. The EZT 2200 HYDROS are kind of fun to work on. That Hydro is the least I would go with as it has 1 inch axles. I bought the 2015 new from tsc. Not one thing has ever had to be replaced or has broken. The 2017 bought it at dealer. Same exact machine as the 2015 from tsc. The 2015 is a better built and weighs 20 pounds more. So when anyone says the dealer machines are different and built better there full of you know what!

Also both machines are 54 inch manufactured decks. And is sad compared to what the price of zero turns today. These were 2850 each. Both machines total price was 5700.00 that's mowing atleast 100 inches a pass. Pretty cheap.

Get a lawn tractor instead of a ZT?

The big box store ZT's are not as horrible as some posts claim, if you use them as intended. For 1-acre mowing you are going to be using it for 1-1.5 hrs each mow. I you do what maintenance is recommended they will perform for you for quite awhile. I would avoid the new battery powered units ....just not sure they will hold up with all that plastic. The units with the bigger tires will get better traction. Check the decks to see how they are hung and if they are easily able to be adjusted for level. will they perform as well as the Pro models...no!. Will they cut your lawn and leave it looking nice......you will have to test them out.

Put your name on the list at your local dealers. Let them know what you are looking for. They can usually tell you if they have any scheduled to be delivered.

I will put it this way
Dad paid 6 weeks wages for a petrol powered push mower back in 1962
My sister still has it and her neighbour mows the common area of her block of flats ( 3 floor walkup appartments to some ) plus 3 more on the main street & a couple down the side st
I have a yard full of mowers that the owners paid 1 or 2 days wages for that are less than 3 years old all needing major repairs
I almost never do anything to the Honda mowers that cost 1 to 2 weeks wages other than routine servicing & blade changes.

On the cheap big box ZTR mowers, I charge near double for doing the same job on a commercial or top of the range ZTR because they take a lot longer to fix & are substantially harder to work on.
For small yards I always recommend the small JD's .
Lots of "cheapness" like the parking brake that pushes a bar into the tyres like mum's 1945 baby stroller did, but fool proof and very low maintenance
I think the smallest one now days is the Z335
I have 2 customers who use their Z255's commercially & have been doing so for better than 5 years , both have needed strengthening of the lift arms but not bad for JD's bottom end ZTR
Next up would be the Toro TimeCutter .
Nicely thought out , well constructed but has a "fool proof" electronic parking brake that regularly gives you grief .
Nothing else in the residential end is worth touching and in particular everything made by Husqvarna ( craftsman , Poulan . Yard pro etc ) all total garbage which is a shame because they took over Dixon that made great residential grade ZTR's & closed them down .
The Cub Cadets again spend almost as much time in my shop as they do on customers lawns and every repair is an expensive one .
I don't see any other MTD made ZTR's so perhaps we don't get them down here
So don't be scared to open you wallet because "he who buys cheap pays thrice" and this is doubly true when it comes to mowers
Remember a ZTR has 2 hydros & a ZTR hydro is about 80% of the price of a tractor rear end ie 160%

I appreciate everyone's input! After searching about 2-3 hours away from me, I was able to locate a Gravely ZT X, ZT XL, and ZT HD. Leaning towards the ZT XL, but I'm waiting to hear back from the ZT HD dealer. The ZT HD is certainly overkill, but the ZT XL dealer is tacking on a ton of random fees that make them a lot closer in price than they should be. The ZT HD dealer also appears to be significantly better and an overall great crew, as well as significantly closer.

Tough decisions, but I am hoping to have one within the next 1-2 weeks. Once again, thank you very much!

ztmowerhelp said:

I appreciate everyone's input! After searching about 2-3 hours away from me, I was able to locate a Gravely ZT X, ZT XL, and ZT HD. Leaning towards the ZT XL, but I'm waiting to hear back from the ZT HD dealer. The ZT HD is certainly overkill, but the ZT XL dealer is tacking on a ton of random fees that make them a lot closer in price than they should be. The ZT HD dealer also appears to be significantly better and an overall great crew, as well as significantly closer.

Tough decisions, but I am hoping to have one within the next 1-2 weeks. Once again, thank you very much!

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The dealer should always be considered when making a purchase. If your closest dealer also carries Ariens mowers, check out the Ariens Apex. The Apex and Gravely ZT HD are very similar. There are some subtle differences. The engine offerings with be slightly different.

Well, here's the long and short of it:

Gravely ZT XL 48 vs. ZT HD 52 - the ZT HD 52 out the door, delivered, tax included is exactly $900 more than the ZT XL 48. I am leaning towards spending the extra money for it, but before I do, figured I should ask here.

Thoughts? Thanks again!

ztmowerhelp said:

Well, here's the long and short of it:

Gravely ZT XL 48 vs. ZT HD 52 - the ZT HD 52 out the door, delivered, tax included is exactly $900 more than the ZT XL 48. I am leaning towards spending the extra money for it, but before I do, figured I should ask here.

Thoughts? Thanks again!

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Before buying a 52” Gravely, have the dealer fire it up and engage the blades. Some of the 52” Gravelys have presented a bad deck vibration. This issue was supposed to be addressed by Ariens Co. Do the same test on the 48” and the 52” decks.

MParr said:

Before buying a 52” Gravely, have the dealer fire it up and engage the blades. Some of the 52” Gravelys have presented a bad deck vibration. This issue was supposed to be addressed by Ariens Co. Do the same test on the 48” and the 52” decks.

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I can definitely do it for the 52", but the 48" is about two hours away and would be handled over the phone (drove it already but didn't engage the blades). I have read about the deck vibration though, so definitely something that I can look into. Thanks for the input!

fixit1ddh said:

Also both machines are 54 inch manufactured decks. And is sad compared to what the price of zero turns today. These were 2850 each. Both machines total price was 5700.00 that's mowing atleast 100 inches a pass. Pretty cheap.

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100" is pretty small these days. You got to keep up with the Jones' family. They have a 246" deck.

A 52" deck os pretty big for a 1 acre block
Anda big deck is no time saver if you have to use a walk behind for 1/3 of the yard because it won't fit past obstacles in your yard .

bertsmobile1 said:

A 52" deck os pretty big for a 1 acre block
Anda big deck is no time saver if you have to use a walk behind for 1/3 of the yard because it won't fit past obstacles in your yard .

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Great input, thanks! The yard doesn't have any major obstacles and I am entirely limited by the current inventory. There was one Ariens Ikon XD 42" that was perfect, but sold. Other than going with a big box store unit (which I am still considering), there aren't any 42" mowers in stock where I live. Smallest I can get is the 48" ZT XL.

believe it or not I have had 2 customers abandon their ride ons in favour of a 24" walk behind I loaned them because it was mid season & I was snowed under.
One of them was on 1 acre & the other 1/2 acre.
Both found the 24" Victa 2 stroke was faster than their 54" & 60" ride ons because 1 tank of 2 stroke did the whole yard & it went everywhere & cut close enough to avoid having to use the line trimmers every mow and being a 2 stroke it cuts everything from 1" diameter saplings to fine couch grass and they could cut all of the steep slopes any which way.
To be fair, both had a lot of trees & would have been fine with a 42" deck or smaller .
Big decks only cut faster on foot ball field lawns

Thanks for the info. A walk-behind is just not an option for me. It would take way too long and my yard can actually take advantage of a larger deck, though I admit that the ZT HD is completely overkill. Truthfully, if I could get my hands on a 42" or 52" Ariens Ikon XD, it's probably "best" for me, but none are available around me. Still debating on buying it from a big-box store though.

believe it or not I have had 2 customers abandon their ride ons in favour of a 24" walk behind I loaned them because it was mid season & I was snowed under.
One of them was on 1 acre & the other 1/2 acre.
Both found the 24" Victa 2 stroke was faster than their 54" & 60" ride ons because 1 tank of 2 stroke did the whole yard & it went everywhere & cut close enough to avoid having to use the line trimmers every mow and being a 2 stroke it cuts everything from 1" diameter saplings to fine couch grass and they could cut all of the steep slopes any which way.
To be fair, both had a lot of trees & would have been fine with a 42" deck or smaller .
Big decks only cut faster on fllot ball field

MParr said:

Before buying a 52” Gravely, have the dealer fire it up and engage the blades. Some of the 52” Gravelys have presented a bad deck vibration. This issue was supposed to be addressed by Ariens Co. Do the same test on the 48” and the 52” decks.

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So to make a long story short, the deck has a rattle at idle, but not with the blades engaged. Dealer says it's normal and they're all like that (which appears to be false, though I'm sure he's trying to make a sale). On one hand, I don't think I should be paying north of 6k for a mower that has a rattle at idle. On the other hand, it's a lawn mower and I'll be using noise-cancelling headphones 95% of the time.

What do you think? I think I've narrowed it down to this or paying landscapers. I've called all the dealers in my area and there's no inventory, so I can't keep driving myself nuts on a daily basis and trying to predict inventory for 2023.

Thanks for the input!

If the deck is not rattling with the blades engaged and wide open throttle, I wouldn’t be too concerned. With any mower you look at, make sure the engine sounds right at all engine speeds. Personally, I think that a 52” mower is a little large. A 42” to 48” deck would probably be all that you need.
Do the math. How much will it cost for a lawn care company to do your lawn once a week during the mowing season. Weigh the cost of a new mower vs. the cost of a lawn care company.

The rattle is likely metal rubbing metal or a belt that may not be tracking properly due to assembly issues. It will probably not be a serious issue but it could be the beginning of something that will become a bigger problem later. If the dealer is aware of the problem, he should be able to point to the problem so you know exactly what it is and you can decide if you are willing to live with that issue. Metal on metal will become a wear issue. Will that become a replacement part issue or a welding issue? A belt not tracking properly will never heal itself. Higher RPM's may disguise the situation but it won't fix it. If it is a known problem then what are the plans from the factory to fix it? If there are no plans to fix it, your stuck with it. Nothing worse than owning a lawn mower that you compromised with and have regrets down the road. If you are going to spend that much money you deserve a properly manufactured machine. Even with a discounted price, you have to deal with it every week that you own it. It's kind of like buying a used car and finding out later it has mechanical issues. You will beat yourself up over and over. Be patient, You may be better off to continue to use a mowing service awhile longer until you find exactly what you want.

MParr said:

If the deck is not rattling with the blades engaged and wide open throttle, I wouldn’t be too concerned. With any mower you look at, make sure the engine sounds right at all engine speeds. Personally, I think that a 52” mower is a little large. A 42” to 48” deck would probably be all that you need.
Do the math. How much will it cost for a lawn care company to do your lawn once a week during the mowing season. Weigh the cost of a new mower vs. the cost of a lawn care company.

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That's what's kind of getting me at this point. There isn't much grass right now as it's mostly weeds, so cutting it every two weeks has been fine. With the weeds, I'm looking at around $800 for the season and a $500 fall cleanup. I planned on doing a lawn reno in the fall (which is one reason I wanted the mower), and assuming that I do, I would project around $1500/year with a $500 fall clean up for weekly mowing. At this rate, I am looking at a break even point of 4-5 years.

The other physical limitation is my size. I'm 6'6 and don't fit on half of the "smaller" mowers. The Toro Timecutter for example (dealer near me has a 42") hits my knees when I drive forward. Tractors have the opposite problem, where my knees are up near my face and the steering wheel is down too far. Don't really want a walk/ride behind either.

Not trying to overcomplicate this, but truly at a loss at this point.

bkeller500 said:

The rattle is likely metal rubbing metal or a belt that may not be tracking properly due to assembly issues. It will probably not be a serious issue but it could be the beginning of something that will become a bigger problem later. If the dealer is aware of the problem, he should be able to point to the problem so you know exactly what it is and you can decide if you are willing to live with that issue. Metal on metal will become a wear issue. Will that become a replacement part issue or a welding issue? A belt not tracking properly will never heal itself. Higher RPM's may disguise the situation but it won't fix it. If it is a known problem then what are the plans from the factory to fix it? If there are no plans to fix it, your stuck with it. Nothing worse than owning a lawn mower that you compromised with and have regrets down the road. If you are going to spend that much money you deserve a properly manufactured machine. Even with a discounted price, you have to deal with it every week that you own it. It's kind of like buying a used car and finding out later it has mechanical issues. You will beat yourself up over and over. Be patient, You may be better off to continue to use a mowing service awhile longer until you find exactly what you want.

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I appreciate the info. I am not against waiting until next year, but the dealers near me have been extremely blunt that I could face the same issue with inventory next year. Supposedly they all ordered mowers in early 2021 and almost all of them were pushed to 2023. It also doesn't help that all the dealers "close" to me sell Gravely/Ariens almost exclusively.

Is there a Simplicity or Ferris dealer near you?

bkeller500 said:

Is there a Simplicity or Ferris dealer near you?

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There is one dealer that sells both of those near me. I called last week and believe they said they only had commercial mowers in stock, but I will give them a call tomorrow.

I have the 2021 Simplicity Courier XT model, which is a clone of the Ferris 800. Excellent unit. Worthy of a look. Another thought you could search the internet and have one shipped to you for a couple hundred.

Hi guys,

I have in my possession in the UK an 'Everride Scorpion ESKH2352S'.

This mower was a Groundcare project with JCB hence the JCB colours etc The Groundcare division at JCB did not take off. The mower has done only a handful of hours.

I would be really interested in your thought and the best avenue to sell it?

Chris

ztmowerhelp said:

That's what's kind of getting me at this point. There isn't much grass right now as it's mostly weeds, so cutting it every two weeks has been fine. With the weeds, I'm looking at around $800 for the season and a $500 fall cleanup. I planned on doing a lawn reno in the fall (which is one reason I wanted the mower), and assuming that I do, I would project around $1500/year with a $500 fall clean up for weekly mowing. At this rate, I am looking at a break even point of 4-5 years.

The other physical limitation is my size. I'm 6'6 and don't fit on half of the "smaller" mowers. The Toro Timecutter for example (dealer near me has a 42") hits my knees when I drive forward. Tractors have the opposite problem, where my knees are up near my face and the steering wheel is down too far. Don't really want a walk/ride behind either.

Not trying to overcomplicate this, but truly at a loss at this point.

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I currenlty have a Toro Timemaster but have been considering a Toro Timecutter to help lessen the misery of caring for a new neighborhood lawns in the Florida summers. I'm 6'4" and am concerned about your comment that the Timecutter is on the smaller side. Do you think it wold be a problem for someone my height as well?