Anyone here in the know about zero turn mowers? I'm looking for a used commercial zero turn, with a budget of $3000+/-. I figure used commercial is better than a new residential mower. They just don't seem to last. What would be some brands/models I should be looking for. I'd prefer to have a 60" deck, but 48" will suffice if the price and quality of the machine is there.
I have a 52” husqvarna I like it for the most part I got the commercial model. The only negative I’d have to say might be more related to the tires then the drive system. When I’m making snap turns low or high speed my inside tire will spin leaving a mark. I have never driven any other zero turn so I can’t compare to anything else. I think it’s tires but not buying new ones just because of that. I think I’m into the mower and bagger system for just over 4K I got it new. I have had it for 5 years. No problems. I just change the oil and filter. I have 2.5 acres I mow once a week. Well my front tire just started going flat that’s annoying as **** if you want to count that hahaha.
I've been reading up quite a bit and I've heard a lot of people complain about the tires on the husky mowers not getting traction. That would definitely be irritating.
We had a Kubota ZG227 at work and you could definitely peal grass with the tires if the conditions were right. I can’t help you too much on what to look for. Obviously hours and signs of abuse (usually broken plastic or bent metal). You can also check the bearings in the casters/rollers and the deck pulleys as both are high wear items. I wouldn’t expect a commercial machine to come without a lot of wear because if it was still serviceable/earning income, they’d still be using it.
I think we are about to buy a tractor. She has close to 5 acres that need mowing regularly and 50 acres total with horse pastures and trails. We decided it will be best to just buy a tractor and get a smaller cheaper mower for the places the tractor doesn't fit.
Well at the moment I'm completely rethinking and leaning towards a scag liberty z 52 inch. It's technically a residential mower but it has a lot of commercial features. And I can't find anything bad about it online. The only issues people were having were with the Kohler motor. The model I'm looking at has the kawasaki. I'm gonna keep doing my homework and check back.
Haven’t personally used a Scag, but I do hear good things about them. I feel like many issues arise when guys just starting out in mowing as a business use a residential model mower that wasn’t made to be used all day every day. For a handful of hours every week most should be fine.
The biggest problem with big box store residential mowers in my experience is the quality and availability of parts. They're not designed to last. Stamped metal and cheap plastic components. I have a Briggs and Stratton lawn tractor that's 15 years old. The motor is solid, but there's constantly parts breaking. Nothing really expensive, but when 3-4 times a year you're trying to hunt down a spring or other $10-15 part, and it takes weeks to finally get the correct part, you get jaded. I just want something quality, that if something breaks, I can get the exact part with no issues. And if I can't, a good service center is close by.
I've stopped by a local dealer/service center and spoke to the guy who owns it. Seemed pretty straight forward. He basically said what I've been hearing, that the upgraded residential models offered with commercial parts are pretty good values for people like me. A true commercial model might be better built still, but for the amount of time I'll use it I might not see a return on my investment. Plus new models come with a three year warranty and a five year warranty on the motor. I'm hoping I get a few more months out of my tractor so I can continue researching.
We, I mean she is getting a 50hp Kubota and a 6' bush hog. Hopefully by the weekend. I will just use my Husqvarna lawn tractor for now in the smaller areas until we find a deal on a used zero turn.
Now I'm looking at the ferris 400s. It's a 48" model but the seat and suspension look amazing. I really wanted a 52-54" just so the blades would stick out a bit beyond the rear tires for trimming edges. The 48" models are dead inline with the rear tires. On the other hand the smaller profile will be easier to maneuver. And it's $400 less. It's still a coin flip so I'm trying to do more research. I figure I'll end up happy with either one, but for the money I'll be spending I wanna be damn sure.
Well I decided I still needed a zero turn, just because of the time it was taking me to mow with the lawn tractor and bush hog combo. By the time I get her place and mine done it is time to start over. I have been watching the local farm machinery auctions and even bid on a few mowers. Most of them looked like retired golf course machines, some of them were pretty rough. They were selling for more than I was willing to pay for the condition they were in. I had pretty well decided that I wanted a John Deere with the 7iron deck so I kept watching the used mower ads at a semi local dealer. Yesterday I bought a 2015 z960m for $2000. They were asking $2200 and I even felt that was a pretty good deal based on the mowers selling at the auction. This thing is a monster.