Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Sorry about a newbie question, but what is it about a zero turn mower that allows it to do the job faster?
They tend to have faster ground speeds. That, in combination with the maneuverability *should* equal get it done faster for you.
To the OP, I had a 2010 model year Cub Cadet Z-Force with a fabricated 44" deck. For MTD/Cub, this was considered high-end residential. It did have nice components on it. The HydroGear ZT2800 drives were serviceable and each had it's own spin-on filter. Everything was greaseable and it had good size wheels and tires on it. The hardware was all pretty substantial on it and the deck was one heavy chunk of metal.
The bads? It was a rough ride and tough to use on rough terrain. The deck was incredibly LOUD as well. It was marginal mowing on inclines, once you got a pattern down. After about 1.5 seasons of use, I HATED it compared to my Cub 2544 garden tractor.
My point is; Look/feel/component quality of the machine is only part of the equation. You need to go high-end if you want a ZTR for rough terrain. The bigger, heavier units ride and handle better in that situation.
FWIW, I don't own either of my Cubs anymore. In mid 2011 we moved to more home, less property.
Problem is, you can't touch a decent used commercial ZTR in my area for $3500 this time of year, unless it's totally beat with a ton of hours on it. Off season, maybe. Obviously this will vary by region.