| Author | Message | ||
     Blackbelt |
so i am in the market for a new mower... I convinced the wife to let me get a zero turn (have 2+ acres to mow) i have a budget of $3300ish... I am looking at a couple options... Cub Cadet, Husquvarna, and Simplicity... any thoughts? | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Motor. Drive system. Parts availability & price. I buy stuff I can get parts for cheaply & easily & repair myself. Hydraulic drive is all well & good, but belts & bearings are cheap off the shelf. | ||
| Well_ridden |
Is your lawn somewhat level? I had a cub cadet at my previous residence and the dealer was kind enough to give me full credit towards a "lawn tractor" Now I mow about 2 acres, level ground w/ a Grasshopper - 60" deck, in less than an hour. I think the basics are all the same, and w/ winter coming you have some shopping time til you really need it. A friend of mine has an Xmark and its' held up well for him. He's abusive ! lol | ||
| Boltrider |
I'm partial to Scag. We have a few at work that just keep going and going...... | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
I'm partial to Scag.  I wouldn't be saying that in the UK, that's admitting you like heroin!  | ||
| Boltrider |
Those dang local dialects.  | ||
| 6gears |
Kubota ZD331 Diesel..Oh wait, you need to add 10k to your 3300. I would look for a used dixie chopper or scag in the 60" variety. Dixies are stone reliable and if they do break you can usually fix them with parts from TSC. | ||
| Britchri10 |
Hey, Grumpy. That's a real smack in the eye! | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
DO NOT get anything powered by a Kholer Triad series. I've recently rebuilt a 16hp from a Walker and an 18hp from a Grasshopper. 90° air-cooled v-twins. On a mower. With dirt and grass clippings filling up the cooling fins. Then there's the fact that both cylinders, both heads, and the intake manifold are all one solid cast piece. It's not much fun splitting the case and pulling the crank for a "simple" ring job.  (Message edited by pkforbes87 on September 26, 2012) | ||
| Two_seasons |
I used to run an active landscaping business. I used Scag and Stihl exclusively. Find yourself a used 52" with a sulky. 60" scalp alot and 72" is too darn big. With a 52, you'll be done in 2 hours no sweat. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
Nothing runs like a deer, John Deere that is | ||
| Skntpig |
Used Dixie Chopper. You can mow at about 20 mph. | ||
| Ourdee |
Skags are good. 2 acres don't really justify one though. Trick to skags and choppers is sharp blades. | ||
| Fast1075 |
My boss owns a bunch of rental property. About 10 years ago he bought a Dixie Chopper. The only time it ever broke down was when some yoyo at the mower shop forgot to put lube in the "T" box at a maintenance check. That thing is double tough. Other than regular maintenance, he has worn out a bunch of blades, some tires and three seats. | ||
| 6gears |
Sorry Cyclonedon, but Deere is pretty much crap when it comes to mowers anymore. We have done side by side comparisons over and over and they just pretty much suck. The only thing they beat anybody on is trade in value on another crap deere. The last decent deere mowers were the 300 and 400 series tractors...... | ||
| Blackbelt |
Thanks for all the input... yeah I have a friend that has a Scag (not heroin grumpy), and won't stop talking it up... lol. I am looking at the Husquavarna MZ5426 or like model Simplicty, etc... my lawn is fairly flat, back yard has a bit of a slop, but not too bad... takes my current Craftsman 42" tractor 2 1/2 hours to mow.. hence the upgrade... and when we buy 2 more acres that will suck even more.. lol with a budget like mine, the better higher end models are out of my reach. I found that unless you get the commercial grade Deere mowers the mid and entry level ones SUCK.... basically MTD's with the Green paint... | ||
| Crackhead |
If it comes from a bog box store don't bother with that big of a yard. How much stuff do you mow around that you need a z-turn? with 2 acres, I am guessing you could also use a snow blower/ blade and a small trailer so a regular lawn tractor might be better. Check craigslist, you never know what you will find on there. | ||
| Scottorious |
I would check to see if you can find a used Ferris ztr locally. A used IS500 or really an IS2000. I used to work at a Ferris dealer and it just was hard to beat. If you havent heard of Ferris check them out. The IS2000 is a full suspension mower and the IS500 has a cheaper version of the suspension. I now work for City of bloomington parks and we have a kubota diesel and a Ferris Diesel. Hands down the Ferris is the favorite. It mows about twice as fast as the Kubota and its a caddy compared to any rigid frame mower. If your yard is rough at all, look into a ferris. On a yard that small its harder to justify but it would be the last mower you ever bought. Simplicity has some identical mowers also. Engine wise. Ive seen the Kawasaki engines last and last. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
My neighbor is moving and he just sold me his John Deere GX335 for 800 bucks. It was $7300 new! It only has 325 hours on it. 54" mower deck. After doing a little research on the net, it looks like they were in production from 2002 to 2005 and current prices range from 2500 to 4500.... I just bought a mulching kit for it and had to replace the joint on the end of the power steering cylinder. Tilt wheel... built in tool box... lights that are bright enough to keep mowing after the sun goes down... I think I'm gonna like it! I just had to chime in.... I know you are not looking for a Deere... but I got one of the older ones thats built like a tank... for $800 bucks!! WOOT!! You may ask yourself why he sold it to me for so cheap... other than being a good neighbor, I turned him onto USAA insurance and saved him over $3000 dollars a year. 800 bucks!!! and he also gave me the 5x8 trailer he used to haul it on to get serviced. now I just hope the grass needs mowed one more time.... | ||
| Nukeblue |
you get what you pay for and $3300 doesn't buy alot of quality new mower. might want to look used. i got a simplicity this spring (just in time for the drought!) but it's a big one. it was $7500. it seems to be a great mower. don't know much about their smaller stuff though. the xt4000 maybe? don't remember how much that one is though. simplicity has pretty good bang for the buck from what i've found when shopping |
