I have a Cub Cadet Ultima ZT2 50". It does the job.... But I wish I got something with some suspension, if I had to buy another I'd be buying a Ferris. Probably a 48" 300S with the Kawasaki motor.
Considering purchasing a Toro Zero Turn
- Thread starter Donald
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Look into a Ferris. Just purchased a Ferris 500S with a 52inch deck and this mower is nice! This is to replace a smaller 42inch deck Simplicity Courier. Its considered a residential mower but is equipped with 25hp commercial Briggs engine, Hydro Gear ZT-3100 serviceable Hydrostat transmissions (also commercial grade), fabricated/welded deck and Ferris patented suspension.
Look up the owners manual and go through the maintenance section. Hydrostats should have their break-in fluid changed out early (hopefully twice) just like engines & transmissions. If there's no drain plug it's not a good sign.
Price ?
I've got that motor on a small 42' Timecutter. I did quite a bit of research on lawn maintenance and dealer forums before buying. It seems solid and the Exmark version appears identical although it's rated a couple horses more. It is made by Loncin, but there are a few differences from the version HF used to sell.
Apparently Ferris was running a sale for the month of February and the dealer where I purchased it knocked another 2% off the sale price for a cash purchase. Paid $6460.
Thank you. Seems like a good price for near-commercial level machine.
I'm semi seriously looking for a way to cut my 3/4 acres quicker than with a 42" lawn tractor (old but works well). Price becomes significant in this case, especially since I won't be living here in 10 years.
The Titan has the zt2800 hydros that are servicable. The Titan Max has the zt 3100 hydro which is the next step up.
The Titan and Titan Max both use a 5/8 width deck belt, the Timecutter uses a 1/2 deck belt.
The Titan Max has a Kohler engine, the Titan Max Myride has a kawasaki engine.
I would prefer the kawasaki engine.
Lots of options and opinions. How much ground do you need to mow? 1/4 or 1/2 acre? You said flat ground, So almost anything will work. More ground than that and you may consider stepping up in caliber to something with serviceable hydros. Another consideration is blades - some mowers (Cub Cadet) use these chinsy thin blades that wear easily and bend if you look at them wrong - and they're expensive to boot.
Good equipment that's maintained will hold value. Sell whatever you buy in 10 years and you'll have spent more on fuel / maintenance than the machine.
Buying with a neighbor. We each have 2/3 of an acre.
of grass. He has a shed for the mower. My garage is filled with tools and OPE. No room for a riding anything.
Not going to buy any flavor of MTD.
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Amen to that!
I went to Lowes website and read owners manual for the Toro MAX and Titan models of their ZTR. Neither mentioned anything about lubrication beyond engine oil and a few Zerk fittings. Nothing about the hydraulic drive motors. Yet I think each has an oval cutout over fill plug for the hydraulic motor on each side.
Maybe a call to a Toro dealer?
Maybe a call to a Toro dealer?
Residential models tend to not have readily serviceable hydros.
My neighbor and I bought a used Gravley Pro Turn Z with 315 hours. The guy had it on Facebook Marketplace and in his yard about 1/4 mile away.
It has a grass & leaf catcher that attaches to the chute and has a pulley driven blower/chopper to shred everything and push it into the containers at the rear of the mower. Never seen anything like that before.
We split the cost, it will stay in his shed and each of us will use it for maybe 1 hour a week.
It has a grass & leaf catcher that attaches to the chute and has a pulley driven blower/chopper to shred everything and push it into the containers at the rear of the mower. Never seen anything like that before.
We split the cost, it will stay in his shed and each of us will use it for maybe 1 hour a week.
I had a Scag Freedom Z with Briggs 26hp ELS engine for 19 years. It was still running fine, but it had zero suspension and was killing my back. I gave it to my nephew, who is still running it, and bought a Bad Boy Maverick HD with suspension system and suspension seat with a Kawi FX691V. It was a year-old model and got a great deal. It absorbs all the bumps and ruts, but it took some getting used to because the Bad Boy is a brute, and I had to learn to deal with the mass of the Bad Boy. The caster wheels are twice the size of the Scag. It's smooth sailing now.
