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Thread: New Zero Turn Mower

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
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    Medina Ohio
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Selzer View Post
    Dealer, dealer and dealer is what counts when buying a zero turn mower.
    You can buy upgraded suspension seats for about any mower
    Hustler has a Flex Fork option for their mowers as well as a lot of other brands
    Dealer makes/breaks how good a mower is when you have problems
    Worked over 20 years now in 2 different school districts buying and maintaining everything from push mowers up to 16' 80+ hp diesel riders
    Worse zero turn came from a large JD dealer took all summer to get to 8 hrs on clock, 5 trips back to shop. Identical mower bought 6 months before with higher serial number went over 2000 hrs with no problems at all.
    Dealer, Dealer, Dealer is what counts, as any brand will make a bad one sometime
    You are so right. My brother in law had a problem with his John Deere z turn and they sold him a new battery when they had it but it was a safety switch that was the problem that they should have caught when it was in. He had to have it go back in for that switch and they charged him for pick up and delivery each time even though they never fixed it the first time.

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Elyria, Ohio
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    45
    2 years now with a Hustler Raptor SD 54" welded deck with the 23hp Kawasaki engine, mowing 1-1/4 acres. Love it! When I buy another one it will be another Hustler. FYI, they invented the ztr mower.

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
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    8,957
    The same "air ride" (or at least that's what some call it)seat is available on most of the high end mowers, including on top of the Ferris suspension. You probably have to test drive one to really appreciate the difference. I had narrowed down my other choice to the Scag Cheetah, but found there to be a noticeable difference between big rubber bushings, that the Cheetah seat platform sits on, and real shock absorbers. I have one 7/8 mile run between spots that need cutting. The 16 mph hour top end on the Cheetah sounded good, but I decided the extra time for the 12 mph on the Ferris would be bearable, after riding one.

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
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    Somewhere in the Land of Lincoln
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom M King View Post
    The same "air ride" (or at least that's what some call it)seat is available on most of the high end mowers, including on top of the Ferris suspension. You probably have to test drive one to really appreciate the difference. I had narrowed down my other choice to the Scag Cheetah, but found there to be a noticeable difference between big rubber bushings, that the Cheetah seat platform sits on, and real shock absorbers. I have one 7/8 mile run between spots that need cutting. The 16 mph hour top end on the Cheetah sounded good, but I decided the extra time for the 12 mph on the Ferris would be bearable, after riding one.


    So true Tom. No spring loaded seat compares to the whole machine being suspended.

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
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    9,810
    The idea of mowing a lawn is only a little more then 100 years old. I wonder if it is a fad that will disappear in my lifetime? Certainly in the west the gravel front yard is making a comeback.
    A mowed lawn only became common after the machine age invented lawn mowers without hooves.
    Bill D.

  6. #36
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    The idea of mowing a lawn is only a little more then 100 years old. I wonder if it is a fad that will disappear in my lifetime? Certainly in the west the gravel front yard is making a comeback.
    A mowed lawn only became common after the machine age invented lawn mowers without hooves.
    When I was young we used to harvest the lawn for our salad. Somebody would always come along and eat it. Nowadays people put chemicals on it, I don't know who would eat that.

  7. #37
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
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    Somewhere in the Land of Lincoln
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    Actually Bill it's been around a little longer than that.
    The first lawn mower was invented by Edwin Budding in 1830 in Thrupp, just outside Stroud, in Gloucestershire, England. Budding's mower was designed primarily to cut the grass on sports grounds and extensive gardens, as a superior alternative to the scythe, and was granted a British patent on August 31, 1830.

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    New Hill, NC
    Posts
    2,568
    I’ve used a Scag Turf Tiger for 19 years here on the farm. We beat the tar out of it - not only mowing the yards but pastures, ditches, you name it. I honestly think that it will be the last mower that I ever buy, and anticipate 40 years of use before I’m done with it.

    I recently upgraded it to a torsion bar front suspension (about $400.00), which makes it a bit smoother.

    Can’t say that I’ve ever been concerned about dealer support because it’s never been back to the dealer. Replaced a drive belt, all the tires, normal filters, lots of blades and one spindle in 20 years (spindle damage was my fault). It wasn’t cheap, but when you factor in the longevity the price point wasn’t bad.

    Recent new rear non-turf rear tires have all but eliminated getting stuck in wet spots or sliding around on the ditches.

    86166194-EBB8-4989-94CA-43DF742AAB77.jpeg

  9. #39
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    Oct 2006
    Location
    Minneapolis, MN
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    5,406
    Quote Originally Posted by Ole Anderson View Post
    Sounds like you have had a bad experience. You would think that with service like they would go out of business. But they haven't. Actually I am not sure what servicing a competent DIY'er couldn't do. I sold my Saber hydrostatic lawn tractor (Made by Deere) to my neighbor and it is still running. Only had to help him change a mower belt in all these years. It has to be going on 20 years old. Not saying they are in the same league as a commercial ZT that costs twice as much. Each of them has been in the shop exactly once in their lifetime.
    The issues with John Deere are with their big stuff, not their lawn mowers. The big stuff is heavily computerized and John Deere refuses to supply any of the software required to connect to the computer(s) to independent mechanics. John Deere has even gone so far as to state the software in the units still belongs to John Deere and not to the owner. There are calls for right to repair legislation over this.

  10. #40
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    Oct 2006
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    Minneapolis, MN
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    The idea of mowing a lawn is only a little more then 100 years old. I wonder if it is a fad that will disappear in my lifetime? Certainly in the west the gravel front yard is making a comeback.
    A mowed lawn only became common after the machine age invented lawn mowers without hooves.
    Gravel yards work out west because of the arid climate so weeds don't grow much in the gravel. A gravel yard in Minnesota would turn into a fight against weeds in no time.

  11. #41
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Medina Ohio
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Elfert View Post
    Gravel yards work out west because of the arid climate so weeds don't grow much in the gravel. A gravel yard in Minnesota would turn into a fight against weeds in no time.
    And then they become mine fields if you try to mow.

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