Zero Turn Mowers

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Tribe21

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VA - Virginia
Been interested in getting a zero turn commercial mower for a while, now ready to to finally do it. Prefer to find something used thats in good condition. Im just mowing my personal yard no commercial use. Will be putting between 35 to 50 hours a year on the mower. In my area 95% of people run john deere, I'm not really partial to a particular brand but like exmark, hustler and scag. Found and exmark in my area and would like some opinions about it, good price, engine, etc.

http://roanoke.craigslist.org/grd/5700906371.html
 
Gravely has some good mowers that are cheaper than exmark and scag. The link didn't work. Personally I wouldn't buy another gravely because I don't like how all their models for the most part have really narrow tires, but if you're just cutting your own yard it's ok because you can wait for it to be dry. They also have those stand on mowers if you're interested in that. Instead of having the 18" of engine behind you the engine is in front, which instead of having a mower that's 80" long you have one that's 65" long.
 
I couldn't get your link to work?

Any of the brands you listed would be perfectly fine. At the small amount of hours you would use it annually, anything you mentioned above would last you a very, very long time. Go to the dealers and see if they have any used or demo models and give them a spin. Try some out that people are selling locally. See which one you would like best. Another important thing to consider is dealer support in your area. I've found this out the hard way. The only eXmark dealer near me has had my mower for 2 months and keep telling me it's almost ready for weeks. It was originally going to take 2 weeks. I'm going to just go pick it up and take it the dealer 60 miles away. But anyway, see what dealers have the best reviews, that way when you need parts or have to have service performed, it will be done in a timely manner. Good luck!
 
Whoops? Forgot to add that I have been using my cousin's Yazoo Kees Mid Max, I like it a lot. I also have a Snapper Pro 48" ZTR and I absolutely hate it. Can't hold a hill worth a darn, and the B&S 27 or 28hp engine is very thirsty compared to the 21hp Kawi in the Yazoo.
 
I have owned a John Deere 757 for 5 or 6 years now, and it has just over 1700 hours on it. It was a former commercial mower and I bought it with around 1400 hours on it. Our area John Deere dealers take them in on trade, makes sure they're sound, and resells them with a warranty (usually to acreage owners like myself). The 60" deck and fast speed make short work of the 3 acres that I finish mow each week (or twice a week like this year). I also mow for a neighbor on occasion. It takes about an hour to mow my 3 acres minus the house, outbuildings, shop, garden and driveway.

The only issue I've had was a head gasket last summer. It's easy to work on, and I pulled it apart around noon or so, went down to the local Deere dealership who had all the parts I needed except I replacement head (I elected to replace it rather than resurface it). They ordered up a head from another nearby Deere dealership and they dropped it off at the house later that day. I had it buttoned back up and running about 6 hours after I started working on it.

The biggest factor (in my opinion) is finding a brand that has good local support. Most of them will do a decent job, but when the day comes that you need parts it's nice to have everything available so your downtime is minimal.
 
I recently purchased a lightly used snapper 550z with the commercial Briggs engine and 61" deck. So far I am very happy with my purchase but being this is my first zero turn I don't have much to compare it too
 
Exmark is top of the line and very well respected in the lawn care industry. I have never seen a metal discharge chute on an Exmark, so I would figure out whats going on with that. Join lawnsite.com, get the model and serial number, and those guys will fill you in with knowledgeable details.

My workplace Exmark is about 7 years old. Its built like a tank and has been nearly flawless (2 belts, besides normal maintenance). I agree with others that it is best to go with a brand that has local support.
 
The thing with these commercial mowers is a lot of guys hire guys who beat the [censored] out of them for 2 or 3 years then trade it in on a new one. I find it strange the owner of that mower doesn't know the year, although it's easy to figure out by looking at the serial number tag. That's a lot of hours, so it was probably used commercially. Not that the machine is worn out or anything, but I'm just saying a lot if it was used at home.
 
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I have a Hustler Z that I bought new in '06. I own 5 acres and have put about 550 hrs on it so far. It's been a great mower.

Dad bought a Exmark back in the' 90s and it was a great mower as well. After nearly 20 years and 1,000 hrs of use, the switch and clutch that engage the blades started acting up. He used that as an excuse to trade up for a new Kubota. The Kubota was junk. Constant problems and always in the shop. The deck had some type of issue and he was constantly breaking springs. It got so bad a Kubota rep had to come out to look at it. The dealer finally offered him a reasonable trade in price and he got another new Kubota. This one hasn't been much of an improvement since it likes to die after the engine gets hot and has also been in the shop several times. Dealer also talked into a smaller deck width which he now regrets. It looks like he might trade in next year and go back to an Exmark. Based on what I have witnessed my old man going through, I can't recommend the newer Kubota mowers. I know several people who own late `90s and early 2000 models and they have been great but the more recent models appear to have some issues.
 
Tribe- At only 35-50hrs/year, any flavor ZTR given decent care is going to work well for a long time for you. Worst case scenario, it would take you 20yrs to accumulate 1000hrs! If you like serviceability, I would make sure the unit at a minimum uses HydroGear ZT-2800 drives on it. They use spin-on filters and are serviceable. Engine choices are not nearly as important to me as the drive system. If it's a lesser quality machine, another key is to never let the cutting deck bounce around on the ground. Keep it set so it's gauge wheels only touch on high/uneven spots and the unit will last.

In our previous home, I had a 2010 model year Cub Z-Force with a 44" fabricated steel deck and Hydro Gear ZT-2800 serviceable drives and a Kohler V-twin engine. It was a well built machine, but I didn't care for it on the very hilly, not so smooth, 2 acres I had to mow there. I preferred a conventional riding mower for that particular property, but a larger, heavier more commercial duty ZTR would have probably done better in this situation. End of the day though, there's no disputing the fact that the most efficient way to mow grass is with a ZTR.
 
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