OT - Zero Turn Mower?

firstbase

 I have 2 acres, residential with no real slopes to speak of in the yard although I have to cut our drainage ditch by the road and the sides are pretty steep. I narrowed my choices to a tie between Toro and Gravely. Ended up with Toro as they came out with a $500 rebate.  I have a 48" deck because I need to mow between some trees. Keep that in mind when choosing a deck size.  Takes me right at an hour to mow the lawn with the 48".  What I learned was that there are some more important specs:

1) Kawasaki engine (probably a little arguable but I have never heard anyone say the Kawasaki was rated any lower than tied for #1)
2) Fabricated/welded deck and not a stamped steel one
3) Floating deck (better cut)
4) Hydrostatic transmissions, bigger is way better. Hydrogear 2800 at a minimum, 3100 if you can afford it.  These give you reasonable towing capability without too much worry about burning them out. 
5) Some sort of floating suspension for the seat. 

Last I guess would be a welded frame.  That's all I know! 

RRP

OneNole03 said:

I do agree that you would be best served with a commercial grade mower. Especially when I am assuming that you will be mowing over a lot of sandy terrain which can eat up a deck in those residential grade mowers. Toros are generally considered the cadillacs and feel you probably don't need something that nice or that expensive. My family owns a landscape business and own everything from Huscvarna, John Deere, Scag, XMark, and Gravely. Out of my experience I would recommend a Gravely. We like the XMarks but after a few years we have had numerous deck issues. I think Gravely would be a nice compromise on price and features.

Also look into demo'd machines as well for further price savings. 

I have a neighbor who bleeds Gravely! I swear he has every attachment they make and I've seen him take it to tasks where any other machine would be trashed. He has 10 acre pasture for his horse and keep the grounds picture perfect. He also plows snow, sweeps his road and splits wood using the power take off! 

texaswig

I would make sure what ever you got. Just make sure it has a serviceable transaxle. I've been looking and a big dog . Same as a hustler. 

BBQbutler

I have 2 Gravelys ( 2011 and 2012 )not happy with the quality of gravely bearings and I have 6 Toros ( 2013 through 2016). I prefer the quality of the Toro, although I have a better relationship with the closer-gravely dealer.    All have Kawasakis except for one Toro has a Koehler EFI.   Mine are all run commercially in Florida.  Also have a few T-bar Toro walk behinds. 

Toxarch

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I'll likely avoid diesel since I have nothing else that is diesel. Just makes it easier to keep cans of one type of fuel for everything. Right now I have a 46" deck lawn tractor and it can squeeze between most of the trees. If I'm going bigger, might as well be a 54" or 60" and I'll deal with between the trees with a weed eater or something.

I don't have to worry about pushing snow. I'm in North Texas so it rarely snows. If it does, it turns to ice and/or melts within a day or two. No need to tow anything with it, I have an ATV (4 wheeler) for that. A PTO might be interesting for something like a log splitter. But also not necessary, our oaks are small and I have a big fire place that only gets lit 3 or 4 times per year. If the log is too big, it doesn't get burned.

Locally I know there's a Kubota and a couple of Deere dealers, Bush Hog, a couple of places listed as Toro dealers, but don't know if they carry stock. I'm not far from Fort Worth so I can probably find a few dealers there as well. I'll have to talk with a couple and see about trying out a demo.

YukonRon

DMW said:

theyolksonyou said:

Kubota diesel 

According to your father-in-law...

And his MIL could also supply a recommendation for trimmer and leaf blower, too.
I am not bitter, nor envious, just sayin'. However, @theyolksonyou has got lawn care nailed.

billt01

Exmark Lazer 

fishlessman

mowing is bad for the environment, get a bigger beer fridge seriously, ten acres, i have 1 tenth of an acre around my camp that gets weedwacked every other year or so. i did get a big dr weedwacker but.....

noarmysargent

I cut 4 acres of grass. 2 1/2 of it is manicured. The rest is more field cut. If you like a manicure look, you do not want an oversized deck. I have cut with a 60" cut. Its fine on the field. When i cut the more manicured, the larger deck shows more imperfections in the ground. Which means dark and light spots. What i would recommend is a 48" or 52" cut.  You are cutting your own yard. Its not like time is money. More importantly, buy a true mulching kit. Meaning not just the blades. Get a true mulching kit. The grass is cut very finely and becomes natural fertilizer.  I have an Exmark 48" mulcher. I cut with a Snapper Pro for 12 years. Great mower btw. The Exmark only has about 25 hrs on it.  It has a seat that you dial you weight in and takes a good bit of shock out when you hit a hole or bump. 

noarmysargent

One other thing, don't buy a mower that does not have a local dealer. When i had my Snapper Pro, i found out that regular Snapper dealers would not work on them. Only the Pro dealers would. Stay away from the big box stores. Those mowers are not going to last you with that amount of grass you have. 

Toxarch

I'm not worried about a perfectly cut yard. I just want it cut and I want it done fast. The only ones who see it is my family and the UPS/FedEx drivers. The zero turns are a lot faster than my riding lawn mower. I live on top of a flat hill with trees all the way around.

4Runner

tarheelmatt said:

4Runner said:

Bush hog...but I'm sure commercial guys cut way more than 3 acres a week. Still overkill for residential. 

You'll get it done much faster with a ZTR as long as it's managable. 

I was simply pointing out that 3 acres a week doesn't need a commercial grade mower.