Zero turn vs lawn tractor

[Stump Shot]

@Stump Shot ain't long bought a pretty nice lawn tractor/mower. Maybe he can sling up a pic or two and tell ya a little about it spec-wise.

Cub Cadet XT2 GX50 the top of that line before going to the XT3.
It was special ordered early spring, missed having enough parts the first production run and just made enough for the second. Not sure just what will be produced this year, I hear the lineup is being reduced.
It's kinda a tweener between the XT1 and XT3 and was a good fit with some of these features that should help it last longer in service.
23hp FR691 Kawasaki
K58 tuff torque hydrostatic transmission
50" Welded deck with extra nose roller
Front wheel bearings instead of sleeves
Cast iron front axle
AGM battery instead of lead acid
Brush guard

I hear only Kohler engines will be on this year's lineup which isn't a bad thing either.
Overall it's a nice little tractor and has the thirty year old Mighty Crapsman beat in every conceivable way. All in all it was worth the wait.
And seems to live up to it's high rating among consumers.
You'll just have to look and see what this year's models are available to you.


Took this when it was brand new as it'll never look that good again. Lol

 

[Stump Shot]

You can use a zero turn on those slopes. It will just take some time to learn how to without rutting it up. Zero turns are hard on the ground, exspecially going across hillsides. The 2800 units are a decent unit. I have the 3400's in mine. The Kawasaki FR engines are a nice reliable engine. Just keep the cooling fins clean or the heads can overheat and drop the valve guides. I have the Kohler confident Zt730 on my unit and it has proven a very reliable and strong engine so far at 3 years and 160 hours.

Your yard is probably better suited for a lawn tractor in my opinion. there are not many well built units out there unless you go with a high end john deere. I think cub has the XT3 series that is shaft driven and stuff. I'm not real up to date with the lawn tractors. It's true, once you get a decent zero turn, you will never touch a lawn tractor again.


I am a toro guy.


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If I was to go with a zero turn, I'd want a Toro for sure.

 

[MG2186]

I'll share the 2 cents my buddy gave me years ago.

"Can't hold a beer on a zero turn."

Yes you can, my Country Clipper is a single joy stick control!

 

[Stevetheboatguy]

ZTR if you can afford what you want.

You sound way more educated on the products available than I ever did. We went through several different mowers before I landed a right place right time deal. Fell into a deal on a scag turf tiger and never looked back. Thing is fast....... Smooth (full suspension seat) drives like a go kart.... And will mow grass as fast as you can stand to drive it. Or cap off the discharge and mulch as slow as you want to.

Only drawback I have found is deck removal. If you don't have a easy way to lift the mower...... You will be hating life when you go to service it. (I have a way to lift at my disposal).


Steven

 

[Dub11]

Yes you can, my Country Clipper is a single joy stick control!

Ain't never heard of that brand. We just poor white trash around here.

 

[ElevatorGuy]

@Stump Shot i did look at those, on top of the nice features it’s yellow! I really like that haha. It may be total unrelated but I had a cub ltx1050kw, I worked that sucker way hard than it was ever built for before I bought my 1025. I absolutely hated the deck on it though. Poor cut quality and it ate belts like it was at a cheap buffet. On top of that I do not have a dealer locally for the higher end models so they’re a no go. I appreciate the input!

 

[ElevatorGuy]

ZTR if you can afford what you want.

You sound way more educated on the products available than I ever did. We went through several different mowers before I landed a right place right time deal.

Steven

Watching my old man replace cheap machine after cheap machine growing up taught me to research everything. He only looked at horsepower, Never a thought on a trans etc.

 

[PissRev]

At the time of the purchase it was one step up from the Liberty Z. It still has the 2800 hydros though.

 

[PissRev]

One thing that will affect the cut quality more than anything is the correct RPM. Your machine should be running 3600 RPMs with the blades engaged. It makes the most horsepower & torque at that RPM which gives you the best cut quality. You would be surprised how many dealers send zero turns and lawn tractors out without being set up properly.

 

[Maintenance Chief]

I believe that the Grasshopper has the hydraulic deck that lifts a tilts so blades and deck can be worked on in a standing position.

 

[ElevatorGuy]

One thing that will affect the cut quality more than anything is the correct RPM. Your machine should be running 3600 RPMs with the blades engaged. It makes the most horsepower & torque at that RPM which gives you the best cut quality. You would be surprised how many dealers send zero turns and lawn tractors out without being set up properly.

My dealer is awesome, I actually text with the owner and have met his main mechanic. The mechanic actually demoed the 1025 for me. He sets them all up so it was a much better demo than a sales guy. They’re the dealer for JD, toro, scag and Stihl here locally. I’ve tried to get pricing from my local gravely dealer but they have not responded. My work schedule has been nuts so I haven’t been able to swing in.

The scag liberty z is around $5500 and the x380 is around 5k with the 48” deck.

 

[Matt Ellerbee]

If the liberty z is anything like our turf tiger 2's you'll be happy. Do you have a way to lift mower to change blades? The TT2 is a big ass bolt all the way through the spindle with a nut on top. Sorta a pain with out the mower well off the ground.

 

[ElevatorGuy]

I don’t have a auto lift but prior to my 1025 I used a motorcycle Jack to lift my cub for blade changing and deck cleaning. I’ll admit I’ve been spoiled with the drive over deck on the Deere . On and off takes 30 seconds, lift it with the loader and hold it completely horizontal at eye level is a joy for cleaning and blade swaps. Not sure how I’d do it with a zt but I’ll definitely figure it out. That scag paint is really growing on me! Dealer should have both machine I’m interested in soon.

 

[MG2186]

Ain't never heard of that brand. We just poor white trash around here.

They’re made in Shanondoah Iowa, Kawasaki motor, fabricated deck, they have $3000- $20000 just like the rest. The 2 features for me buying it over others is the single joystick control and the front folding deck. The deck is a great feature for ease of cleaning and changing blades

 

[WillG]

Love my Scag Liberty Z 48. Kawasaki engine, 2800 serviceable hydros and fabricated deck. Cuts beautiful. Was right around 5500 out the door

Sent from my E6910 using Tapatalk

 

[Agr516]

One thing that greatly improved the stability of my zero turn mower was replacing the rear tires with a chevron shaped "tractor" style of tire. The factory tires on my Husqvarna would slip and spin so easily that I had bald spots in my yard near fenceposts where I maneuver around them each time I mow. The chevron tread tires grip the ground much better, slip less, and make the mower feel more stable on side hills.

 

[srcarr52]

I believe that the Grasshopper has the hydraulic deck that lifts a tilts so blades and deck can be worked on in a standing position.

Hustler has a flip up deck on their Raptor series (higher end home owner). The Super-Z series are extremely fast and handle well on side hills. A zero takes some time getting used to, turning while going down hill is the hardest to get them to do followed by backing up hill.

 

[Al Smith]

I've had a Toro Titan 54 for soon to be 8 years .Other than a few incidental small problems it's been trouble free .23 HP Kawasaki engine ,welded deck .Actually I use it quite often as a little tractor ,Raise the deck and it will go just about any where within reason .

 

[ElevatorGuy]

I’d be considering a toro if they still offered the Kawasaki.

Dealer says he has 2 liberty z’s and an x380 otw due next month.

 

[Al Smith]

Now then another observation .The Grass Hopper with the lift up deck and out front mower is both good and not so good .The good is ease of blade and deck work plus you can swing it right under a tree or bush .One of the bad with the front power wheels and trailing caster wheels they won't hold a ditch bank very good plus they stick in the mud very easy .My dad RIP had one and had to resurrect his old rider with a 16HP single engine to do the banks .BTW that 16 Kohler had a piston the size of a small block Chevy. Cylinder worn out of round it smoked like a freight train but would lug down so low it sounded like a John-Deere tractor .