Zero Turn Mowers

[lannie]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

You aren't buying an actual commercial unit for anywhere $9k today. The 2024s that I looked at were all in the $20k range. We lucked out , because the dealer had the new 2022 model in stock.

I agree.

[ruger300]

Wow, glad I bought when I did. Thought 9K was a lot of money just to keep the ranch yard trimmed up.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by ruger300

Wow, glad I bought when I did. Thought 9K was a lot of money just to keep the ranch yard trimmed up.

High end residential mowers are $12-15k now

[ruger300]

Changed oil in the Kawasaki yesterday, new blades got installed today. Only 143 hrs on the unit. Been good to me so far. Wife likes it better than the 2 lever types. Should keep cutting grass around here for a long time with regular maintenance.

[ditners]

Had a Country Clipper 52” Wrangler (discontinued model would be very similar to the boulevard), was high end residential unit. Nice mower but was not quite big/fast enough for my place. So in 2017 I upgraded to entry level commercial unit 60” Challenger, paid $9100 which was sticker shock at the time but figured my time wasted on a slower/smaller unit was worth it. Looks like the today this unit is worth north of $13000 depending on what engine you get. My only complaint is the seat, while nice, is a bit lacking however the new models have upgraded seats with better suspension in them. The joystick lever and flip up deck makes it awesome to use and work on.

However, if I was to replace this unit I would really look at the Cub Cadet zero turn with the steering wheel. The problem with all normal zero turn mowers is that front wheels only point to where they are being pushed by the back wheels which makes steeper side-hilling a challenge. With the steering wheel the front wheels are held in position and supposedly completely alleviates this problem, though I’ve never driver one.


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[gordfishing]

Curious if anyone has entertained the idea of a
Toro Grandstand mower !!!!
From my experiences this would be a great acreage mover
They are a commercial unit but you could also put a snow blade on for the winter months

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by ditners

Had a Country Clipper 52” Wrangler (discontinued model would be very similar to the boulevard), was high end residential unit. Nice mower but was not quite big/fast enough for my place. So in 2017 I upgraded to entry level commercial unit 60” Challenger, paid $9100 which was sticker shock at the time but figured my time wasted on a slower/smaller unit was worth it. Looks like the today this unit is worth north of $13000 depending on what engine you get. My only complaint is the seat, while nice, is a bit lacking however the new models have upgraded seats with better suspension in them. The joystick lever and flip up deck makes it awesome to use and work on.

However, if I was to replace this unit I would really look at the Cub Cadet zero turn with the steering wheel. The problem with all normal zero turn mowers is that front wheels only point to where they are being pushed by the back wheels which makes steeper side-hilling a challenge. With the steering wheel the front wheels are held in position and supposedly completely alleviates this problem, though I’ve never driver one.


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The Challenger is listed as a commercial mower, but it is very light duty compared to most. It has smaller engines, aluminum spindle housings and a 12 gauge deck, while the heavier duty commercial mowers , have larger engines, 7 gauge decks, and cast iron spindle housings. The Challenger weighs under 1000lbs, while most commercial mowers of that size weigh 25-40% more, because they are much heavier built.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by gordfishing

Curious if anyone has entertained the idea of a
Toro Grandstand mower !!!!
From my experiences this would be a great acreage mover
They are a commercial unit but you could also put a snow blade on for the winter months

We never considered a stand up mower, because it would not be feasible for the older, people that would be mowing to stand up and take the bouncing and jarring for hours. For a younger operator, with a good back/knees, it might be a much better option. As well, the Toro gas models only go to 52", too small for our application.

[7magtime]

Originally Posted by ditners

Had a Country Clipper 52” Wrangler (discontinued model would be very similar to the boulevard), was high end residential unit. Nice mower but was not quite big/fast enough for my place. So in 2017 I upgraded to entry level commercial unit 60” Challenger, paid $9100 which was sticker shock at the time but figured my time wasted on a slower/smaller unit was worth it. Looks like the today this unit is worth north of $13000 depending on what engine you get. My only complaint is the seat, while nice, is a bit lacking however the new models have upgraded seats with better suspension in them. The joystick lever and flip up deck makes it awesome to use and work on.

However, if I was to replace this unit I would really look at the Cub Cadet zero turn with the steering wheel. The problem with all normal zero turn mowers is that front wheels only point to where they are being pushed by the back wheels which makes steeper side-hilling a challenge. With the steering wheel the front wheels are held in position and supposedly completely alleviates this problem, though I’ve never driver one.


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I run a 2018 Cub Cadet with a 54” deck, Kawasaki engine and the steering wheel.
Works great for sidehilling on my walkout and ditches.
I have about 170 hours on it and it’s been very reliable with just regular maintenance so far.
I would have a hard time going back to levers….lol

[Pixel Shooter]

I run a Country Clipper Challenger 30hp, i have nothing bad to say, luv the joy stick, ease of cleaning deck was a big seller as I had a JD previously and it was painful to do. Have about 240 hours on it. When it dies will buy another one. Prices have definitely jumped the last few years that's for sure

[amosfella]

Got a Cub Cadet Pro Z 560. Pretty good mower when coming from a 3pt hitch mounted mower. Cuts in less than 1/3rd of the time.

Only complaint is that it doesn't go under the trees as nicely as the tractor mower. Looks like I'll be pruning trees and adding landscaping cloth and mulch.

Got a cub dealer 15 min from me. Anything else would have been an hour+ drive for parts. Only thing I have needed so far is blades. Lots of rocks and chunks of steel sticking out of the ground.

[elkhunter11]

On Friday, I mowed the entire range, minus the action bays, something that I haven't done in years, I used to leave most of the big wide open stretches for another fellow with the Kubota and 72" mower. I completed mowing in 2-1/2 hours, which I have never done in less than 4 hours. The action bays were reseeded last summer after extensive berm work, and have not grown back enough to mow yet, but they will only add 15 minutes at most. The 60" zero turn is faster than the 72" behind the tractor, because of the much faster ground speed while mowing. I did add 20 liters to fuel the zero turn , which is almost twice what I usually added to the old zero turn, so the new mower burns almost twice the amount of fuel per hour, but it mows almost twice as much ground per hour. Overall, the new zero turn is a huge time saver , and it is much more comfortable for the operator as well, with the much better seat. The quick release guards and removable floor section also make cleaning out the belt drive system much easier after mowing, which should help to extend belt life. One
more mow, and I will change oil, as per the 8 hour break in schedule, but so far, the new mower is a faster/easier to operate, and to clean/maintain, which is a big advantage for a volunteer run range like ours.

[catnthehat]

Our club has 6 Troy Built lawn tractors with 48" decks.
They wok very well for our range as we have some very large stretches out to 1K .
We often tow a trailer with picks and such for rocks, and extra gas, ad a chain saw for downed trees along the edges of the range.
They are cheap, easy to operate and reliable.
Cat

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Our club has 6 Troy Built lawn tractors with 48" decks.
They wok very well for our range as we have some very large stretches out to 1K .
We often tow a trailer with picks and such for rocks, and extra gas, ad a chain saw for downed trees along the edges of the range.
They are cheap, easy to operate and reliable.
Cat

We have a Kubota diesel wirh front end loader and blade for cleaning snow, moving gravel lifting things etc. We have a 72" mower for it as well, but I don't see it doing much mowing now, with the 60" zero turn being faster.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

We have a Kubota diesel wirh front end loader and blade for cleaning snow, moving gravel lifting things etc. We have a 72" mower for it as well, but I don't see it doing much mowing now, with the 60" zero turn being faster.

Yeah, our New Holland rarely gets used these days at all!
It's much easier to use the Troy Bilts for the grass and we have a Volvo Skid steer with various forks, snow blower, bucket, and sweeper attachments as well as the auger.
It makes the farm tractor totally redundant!
Cat

[WV911]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

We have a Kubota diesel wirh front end loader and blade for cleaning snow, moving gravel lifting things etc. We have a 72" mower for it as well, but I don't see it doing much mowing now, with the 60" zero turn being faster.

They are not only faster but more powerful. I have been able to cut pastures you would think you would need a bushhog.

I have 910 hrs on my 920M and had 700 on the one I sold for this one and besides oil and hydraulic changes the only repairs on either one were drive belts that gave out around 750 hrs.

i don't find getting under the deck for blade changes that much of a issue.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by WV911

They are not only faster but more powerful. I have been able to cut pastures you would think you would need a bushhog.

I have 910 hrs on my 920M and had 700 on the one I sold for this one and besides oil and hydraulic changes the only repairs on either one were drive belts that gave out around 750 hrs.

i don't find getting under the deck for blade changes that much of a issue.

The 960, is 31hp, a huge step up from the old 23hp. If it wasn't for the clay targets, cartridge cases etc, I would install self sharpening blades.