Jeffbecky1
Super OPE Member
- Local time
- 8:59 PM
- User ID
- 2546
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2017
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- Location
- Scott County, Kentucky
Any opinions on zero turn mowers with steering wheel?
Any opinions on zero turn mowers with steering wheel?
I found a good used (2016) Toro with steering wheel zero turn. I have some hills in my yard. So far I like it.Many of the "pro" mowers around here in the hills of west central PA have switched over to the PRO series KW S Cub Cadets. I see many on trailers and out working. I know a few of these fellows and asked them what they thought of the steering wheel / front wheel turning. Their replies were unanimous - better control on hilly terrain. Now these were all the PRO series - not the standard steer homeowner models. One group had the top of line 35 HP Kawasaki, dual rear wheels and 72" deck. He said it was the best mower he never had and had been mowing professionally over 20 years. He said that they contract mowed a flood control area and with this unit they could mow straight across instead of how they used to mow up and down the 30+ degree banks. Several years ago - our cemetery association bought 2 of them - one a 560 PRO with 27 HP Kawasaki 60" deck and a smaller 48" deck steering wheel model with the Kohler engine offering. We traded 2 John Deere 4 wheel steer units in on them - or should say we gave them away lol. The 2 fellows that mow almost full time with them love them. I looked them over pretty good and spoke to mechanics at 2 different Cub Cadet dealers in our area. Pretty good reviews with the Parker pumps and both the higher end Kawasaki and Kohler engine offerings. Zero problems with either the power or manual steer models. One of the pro mowers that I spoke to had 1700 hard hrs on his 560 KW S with just routine maintenance. That was good enough for me - I bought the boss her own 560 PRO KW S so she could take over the grass mowing duties now that she is retired (and loving everyday of it). We have a 25 degree slope on the back of our septic sand mound and she mows it straight across without a hint of a wheel slip or spin. She is extremely comfortable with it and it mows perfectly and to watch her zip our our 2 acres of grass down is worth a fortune. I'm not dissing traditional zero turn mowers and there are tons of them around - especially the pro series. But they are just limited in their ability to mow banks and slopes without sliding. My opinion is that the front steer zero is superior although pricey for the average user. Cut quality is the same - comparing apples to apples with engine size, blade type and deck size all factored in. I do all my own maintenance - on all our equipment - nothing on this new Cub that I can't handle so we are looking for the long haul on the 560. I'm not retiring my 2 John Deere 140 tractors or my New Holland compact with Landpride 3 PT finish mower and brush hog, but they will be working a lot less now.