Zero turn recommendations for hilly yard

[Skippy722]

We’re going to be in the market for a new mower, the old 2005’ish Craftsman DGT6000 with a 48” deck is starting to nickel and dime us.

We have 2.1 acres to mow with a couple of hills. What should I be looking for? The Toro’s with suspension look nice, and I think Ferris had some with suspension. Does it actually work though? What are some things I should look for in a zero turn?

We’d like to be under $5,000, and I’d like to avoid a giant deck/mower because it needs to fit between the cars in the garage like this.

 

[MParr]

To start with, you currently have a 48” mower. It evidently fits in your garage. What is the maximum width that you can get in there? Normally, the total outside width of a mower is 1” to 2” more than the actual cutting width. I would caution you about buying the entry level Toro Timecutter series that is sold at dealers and big box stores. Those mowers are hard to get the deck leveled correctly. I had one and traded it. I could never got it to level. Step up to the Timecutter HD or Titan series, they are easy to level. The Timecutter HD has been discontinued and the Titan took it’s place. Exmark has a similar offering. Exmark is a Toro company. Hustler makes some good mowers, too. However, they don’t have a similar seating system. They can be found with suspension type seats.

48" MyRIDE® TITAN® Zero Turn Lawn Mower | Toro

The Toro TITAN MyRIDE 48-inch zero turn riding mower features a powerful 24.5 hp commercial V-Twin engine.

www.toro.com

Hustler FasTrak® | Commercial Zero-Turn Mower

Perfect unit for starting a landscaping business or maintaining 5+ acres of property. The combination of engine, transmissions and tires allow speeds up to 8 mph.

www.hustlerturf.com

At a minimum, the mower needs to be equipped with the Hydro-Gear ZT-3100 hydro transmissions.
I recommend that you buy your mower from a servicing dealer.
Limiting yourself to being under $5,000 isn’t going to get you what you want.

 

[thastinger]

As a Ferris owner, the suspension isn't a gimmick, it works, as does the suspension seat.

5K is going to get you out of the pro/pro-sumer segment and back to big box mowers with a common hydro axle or small hydro units that aren't going to handle hills very well.

 

[Skippy722]

How much should I look to spend? I’d really like to avoid a 5 figure mower, just cannot justify that.

 

[MacManus99]

I was able to find a used (200 hr) Gravely 260Z for $5k. That said, I have not had the best experience with its Kohler Command Pro engine, in both performance and reliability.

 

[cpayne5]

You mention the hills - are they steep enough to where they would make the front end of a traditional zero turn kick out? I live in a very hilly area and that was a consideration for me. We've had Scags and the castered front wheels don't provide any lateral stability on hills.

My current mower is a zero turn with a steering wheel. It's a Cub Cadet Pro Z. It solves the front wheel caster issue for me and holds hills like a traditional riding mower.

Just wanted to let you know about the option in case the hills are a real issue.

 

[Barkleymut]

definately need to see how steep the hill is and what is your goal when mowing? Do you want a beautiful lawn or are you trying to knock the weeds down? I ran a Dixie Chopper 60" and it could hold a hill fairly well, but it would tear up the grass if it was even slightly wet and would always leave ruts if I mowed a steep area on a regular basis. This is fine at the back of a parking lot at a factory, but obviously not good in an area with nice tall fescue. I also ran a 52" Exmark and it held the hills pretty well and did not seem to tear up the grass as much. The Dixie had tractor type rear tires whereas the Exmark had turf tires.

 

[DriveHard]

It sounds like you actually have a pretty reasonably sized yard. I mow a similar amount of grass, and I just purchased a smaller 42" ZTR "consumer grade" mower with Hydrogear transmissions for less than 2K (new). The best upgrade I did was to put aggressive tires on it to allow for better turning on the hills. This is the best time of year to make this type of purchase...just watch for deals!

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[MParr]

How much should I look to spend? I’d really like to avoid a 5 figure mower, just cannot justify that.

Skippy, your not wanting to spend $5,000 or a little more is going to put you right back at Lowe’s or Home Depot. You will end up with a cheap Toro, John Deere, Craftsman or Troy Bilt. These are light duty residential mowers and are throw away units. You may as well get you another traditional rider, like a Husqvarna. Check with your local mower dealers, they may have something to offer. Please stay away from Lowe’s and Home Depot.
Hustler has a Raptor SDX that will put you right up to your limit. It is a good unit and comes with some aggressive rear tires. I wouldn’t hesitate buying one.

Hustler Raptor® SDX | Residential Zero-Turn Mower

The Hustler Raptor SDX comes with staggering 22" Big Bite rear tires and a Kawasaki FR series engine. Save time, enjoy mowing, and make your neighbors jealous.

www.hustlerturf.com

 

[JTK]

I wouldn't go with a lap bar ZTR for hilly mowing. As cpayne5 suggested above one of the steering wheel equipped models would be great IMO.

I had had bought a 2010 model year Cub Z-Force ZTR w/ a 44" fabricated deck for mowing my hilly 1.5 acres and I didn't care for it at all. Definitely not a commercial machine, but way better than residential ones at the time. It was relatively heavy and had decent sized wheels/tires. It slipped and tore the ground up too much for my liking and I'd never buy a lap bar machine again. Just don't care for it.

The HydroGear unitized ZTR drive systems are pretty nice. My Z-Force had ZT2800s that had spin on filters, etc.

 

[OilMagnate]

Another vote for Hustler. And a strong vote for a Kawasaki engine.

Just ignore Kawasaki's oll recommendations. They're stuck in <2005.

 

[JTK]

How much should I look to spend? I’d really like to avoid a 5 figure mower, just cannot justify that.

What exactly is wrong with your 15yr/old craftsman? That could give us some insight into what the weak points are for your specific usage.

My belief is, pretty much anyone can make a $2000 box store riding mower last 20+ years. It's all on how you use it, maintain it and store it.

The #1 thing to do is keep the cutting deck set so that it does not ride on the ground when you're mowing. Higher end mowers can be designed and setup to have the deck ride on the ground, but that's usually not the case in the
#2 is keeping it clean and dry when not in use.

 

[MParr]

OilMagnate
Agreed! That Raptor SDX is a great unit. If Skippy is worried about hills, he can add some weight to the front end. I have a ditch out by the highway, that I mow. I can mow just about all of it, except the very bottom. I get that with the weed whacker. When I first got my ZTR, I tore up the ground pretty good. After a while, I got the technique down. I hardly ever tear up the ground now. By the way, I have a Toro Timecutter HD 54. This is now the Titan 54.

 

[thastinger]

How much should I look to spend? I’d really like to avoid a 5 figure mower, just cannot justify that.

There are a ton of very good mowers in the middle of 5 and 10K. I don't mind paying for something that is going to last me the rest of my life.

For commercial units, you should have a local dealer that will bring mowers out for you to try. My local dealer brought me 4 mowers to try out, different deck widths, models, engines etc.
I have 9 acres to mow, some is nice zoysia and some is reclaimed pasture. I have zero hills. For MY needs, the suspension on the Ferris was the seller, because of the reclaimed pasture. I say MY needs because you are like me, you're mowing the same area all the time, you don't cut commercially, so if you're picking a mower to do just one property, it'll be tailor made to do it.

I paid 6399 for my Ferris back in 2014, not sure what they go for now. Most commercial units are going to come with a 4 year bumper to bumper homeowner warranty.

 

[loneryder]

I have a Ferris 61" and love it. But I don't think a zero turn mower is going to fit in your garage as pictured. They are much wider than your type mower.

 

[RhondaHonda]

I have a 52” Ferris FW35 walk-behind and mow 2 acres with lots of steep hills. I use a Trimmer Trap Bull Rider sulky and can ride 85% of my yard. If I got some weights for the front end, I could probably ride 99%. I know you are looking for a zero turn but if you have steep hills, a walk-behind is best.

 

[apwillard1986]

Kubota z200 is in your price range with room to spare. Upgrade to the 48in model and you get the 3100 series hydros and it will be $700 over budget. I have had a z121s (previous model) for a few years and it has been great.

Best way to test on the hills is call a dealer and try one out on the property.

 

[Skippy722]

I’ll spend more if it’s truly worth it, but I’d still like to be under $10k. I didn’t know there was a huge step up in quality!

There’s a wicked hill leading do the road, we just weed whack that, but you can see the other 2 here big ones here, bonus dog pic.

As for what’s wrong with the current mower, it runs fine till it gets warm, then every so often it bogs down real bad, smells like it’s crazy rich, and threatens to stall, but then clears up. I’ve done a new air filter, plugs, oil and filter, new fuel filter... maybe the valves need adjusted? We’ve only had it for a year, we traded a 55 gallon aquarium and a 65” TCL for it. As for how we mow, we were mowing as short as we could without digging the blades or deck into the ground.

 

[wag123]

A ZTR mower is not really the best choice for yards with hills. When mowing along the side of a hill they are nearly impossible to keep tracking in a straight line, and when mowing up steep hills you risk tipping it over backwards if you don't mount weights on the front. IMO you would be better off with a lawn tractor like the Craftsman (Husqvarna) T240 "Turn Tight" 22 HP Kohler Hydrostatic Drive 46" tractor. They are far more maneuverable than a regular tractor and can be purchased at LOWES for a budget friendly price of under $2000.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-T240-Turn-Tight-22-HP-V-twin-Hydrostatic-46-in-Riding-Lawn-Mower-with-Mulching-Capability-Kit-Sold-Separately/1000706016

 

[skyactiv]

Get a stand on. They have a smaller footprint.
I have 3 acres to mow on my 5 acre property. I have a Ferris stand on. Stand on mowers are the most productive.
The Toro Grandstand Multi Force looks really appealing as you can remove the deck and attach a 5' plow and a few other things.