# Nothing to do with hay or tractors!!



## C & C Cattle and Hay (Sep 6, 2011)

I have been looking to purchase a good zero turn mower in the 60 inch deck range. I don't know of anywhere else to ask this question so I'm gonna ask it here. I figured all of us hay guys still have to cut the yard!! Why not do it right!!







So who makes the best 60 inch zero turn mower?? not looking to spend 12 thousand dollars so exclude diesel mowers....


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## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

Lot of Hustlers around here my sis has one and a Dixon likes the Dixon due to size and maneuverability. but is getting use to the Hustler told her if she hates it that much it could be stored at my place!! lol


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## C & C Cattle and Hay (Sep 6, 2011)

Neither of those brands are very popular around here the big ones I see are Kubota, Deere, Exmark, Bad Boy, Dixie Copper!!


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

You don't have to spend a small fortune on a mower. The fall of 2008 I attended a inventory reduction sale at our local dealer and picked up a Woods Zero Turn for $2900. Turned around and dropped another $800 in it over the winter. Changed any bushings that showed wear, installed new bearings and seals in the gear box and all new bearings in the deck. Haven't done a thing to it since but change blades. I mow enough I usually wear at least one set out a year. Best part was somebody changed the motor in it and after looking it up on the net, it was a much newer model engine than the original. 26 hp diesel Kubota, if I can keep up with the mowing I usually don't even burn three gallons doing all the yard, the ditches and around all the grain bins and buildings which is almost 5 acres total, used to take at least 4 gallons of gas with the old mower to just do the yard.


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## stan223 (Feb 16, 2011)

Ferris Industries Go The Extra Yard! - Commercial Mower Specialist - Independent Suspension Mowers


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## hay hauler (Feb 6, 2010)

Grasshopper.... or walker.... seem to be good ones. dont know the prices...


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

I would say the majority of commercial landscapers / lawn maintenance guys in my area use Exmark. Kinda pricey for me in the 60" size.

I see a lot of homeowners with Cub Cadets. Probably because that's what Home Depot sells.

Let us know what you decide on because I'm wanting a zero turn pretty bad myself


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## TheFastMan (Sep 3, 2011)

I sell Cubs and lower end Bad Boys at work and am pretty impressed even with Bad Boy's homeowner models. They build them pretty heavy. I'm told they are made in the U.S. which is a plus. I've been told (by the know-it-alls who stumble into the store) that the spindles on these don't hold up, but we have sold tons of these things out of our store and have had no major complaints or reoccurring problems. The one we sell has electric lift on the deck which some guys don't like, but no problems with those either. I wouldn't even consider a Cub unless its an older one. The new ones are just stamped MTD junk. Compared to the Bad Boy, they drive like crap (too touchy) and just seem low quality.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

FYI, Grasshopper used to build (or still does?) zero turns for Woods. Depends on what your mowing as well, at times I would prefer a mid mount deck for hillsides, but for visibility, getting under fences, or under equipment, a front mount deck like I have can't be beat.


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## Greyhorse (Jun 22, 2009)

I have a Scag Tiger Cub with 48" deck. I can get my lawn and around barns etc. done in about half the time I could with the Kubota front mount mower I had with 60" deck....... it was way faster that a rider. A 60'' zero turn is a big fast mower so you may be able to get by with smaller than you think. Whatever you get I would get one of the ones geared towards lawn care businesses, not a homeowner model. Pick the best engine you can too, my choice would be Honda, Kawasaki, Kohler....... in that order. Mine has a Kawasaki and it seems to be pretty good so far. If you can find a low hour used one go for it, mine was a trade in from a homeowner with 150 hrs on it...... $2500 less than new.


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## Flashpoint (May 23, 2010)

I own a landscape company and we use Toro and Scag. I have ran Ferris ,Howard Price,JD, Kubota and several other brands. 
For quality of cut the Toro is the best . The overall best control ,ride i think the Toro is more comfortable.
My mowers have between 190 all the way to 2600hrs on them.
Kohler are the motors i run Kawasaki parts are more expensive.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Does Toro manufacture their own mower? I know MTD seems to make mowers for everybody else these days.


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## cornshucker (Aug 22, 2011)

A friend of ours who is also a customer runs a hardware store and sells Simplicity and Husquvarna told me when we were considering getting one to stay with the commercial models and stay away from the Department Store models in that instead of a separate hydraulic motor on each wheel they have one side of a hydrostatic transmission from a lower end mower (MTD) on each wheel and stamped steel decks on instead of heavy guage steel decks. We ended up buying a 6 ft. finish mower for a Tractor we already had but in our situation this suited us better (not a lot of trim work and tight places, mostly staight down and back and we already had a good tractor type mower for the yard at the house.) But I can see from a couple of people that have the Z-turn mowers they do one heck of a job. He also said stay with the higher end engines as they are actually like most other things cheaper in the long run. He recommended Kohler and Kawasaki. I would recommend talking to somebody in the lawn care business that has used the kind you are interested in as most of them get a lot of hours on the mowers and and usually know pretty well what is the best. As with any type of equipment dealer service is probably the single most important thing you can look at because even a great machine with poor dealer support is usually asking for a bad experience.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

I've got a little Deere EZtrac that I bought when my wife said she wanted to do the yard because she didn't like the way I did it.....I think she's used it once and complained that she got sunburned. It's fun and fast but I only use it when the grass isn't very high. It's a side delivery so it creates windrows with the clippings. I prefer to use a 6' finish mower. It takes a bit longer but it does a better job and the clippings lay down pretty evenly out the back. Z-turn mowers are dandy for landscapers and people with forests in their yards, but for me it's just something else that I have to maintain and it takes up space.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

I use a John Deere Z trac 737 commercial. I have had it for 6 years and the only thing I have done to it is to change the oil, grease and keep the air filters clean on a seasonal basis. I change the blades out (sharpen) 2-3 times per season. It is a side discharge but it blows the clippings so hard out the side that there is no windrow effect. I keep the discharge deflector in a upright position. It is a absolute great mowing machine and is by far the best mower that I have ever owned. It cut my mowing time in half.

Regards, Mike


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

If it's leaving windrows the disharge chute needs "modifying". Don't take it off of course as with the blade speed on these they will really chuck something.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

mlappin said:


> If it's leaving windrows the disharge chute needs "modifying". Don't take it off of course as with the blade speed on these they will really chuck something.


Thanks.....another project for the winter!


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Originally my Woods would create windrows as well. I looked at the new decks, compared them to my deck, then about 15 minutes with the plasma cutter and wire welder I had a "new" deck. No windrows now, even mowing in the rain it blows it out nice and even and doesn't leave any clumps either.


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