Budget Zero Turn Mowers? What Engines and are they worth it?
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- Опубліковано 15 чер 2024
- Budget Zero Turn Mowers? What Engines and are they worth it?
Craftsman Z5200: tinyurl.com/2yxbazqw
- Kohler KT715: tinyurl.com/28uku3ng
TroyBuilt Mustang: tinyurl.com/25p9ta4g
- Kohler EZT725: tinyurl.com/2ba4j589
Toro TimeCutter: tinyurl.com/28vdz97c
- B&S EX: tinyurl.com/25f6z4g2
Snapper 360Z: tinyurl.com/2lugsjc4
- B&S EX: tinyurl.com/25f6z4g2
Cub Cadet ZT1-42: tinyurl.com/2xqzkg8a
- Kohler KT715: tinyurl.com/28uku3ng
John Deere Z320M: tinyurl.com/2bm9pou9
- Kawasaki FR61V: tinyurl.com/2bbvfwbj
Ariens Edge 915283: tinyurl.com/266sluw7
- B&S EXI: tinyurl.com/28vkddhs
Bad Boy MZ Magnum: tinyurl.com/2yyaqslb
- Kohler KT725: tinyurl.com/2anqsd8m
Husqvarna Z248F: tinyurl.com/2agmmx8k
- Kohler KT745: tinyurl.com/22zx36kh
Ryobi 100Ah: tinyurl.com/27xmo9zz
Ryobi 80V: tinyurl.com/2p4msg3c
Greenworks 60V: tinyurl.com/229ffvec
Ego 56V* amzn.to/4342MZU
Hart 80V* tinyurl.com/3xmb3t5a
TroyBuilt 30": tinyurl.com/23z7yzxj
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I’m no mower or engine expert but my old John Deere has a Kawasaki engine and that thing has been a jewel. I think it is a 1998 model. It’s been used every year since then. About 10 of those years I used it to mow around 8 acres every two weeks. I’ve just keep the oil fresh and replace filters on a regular basis. Next mower I buy will definitely have a kawi motor in it. The motor actually out lasted the frame. Had to have the frame welded back together around 2015.
Wow, I didn't expect a video about my question. Thanks for taking the time to make it! Definitely gives me something to think on as I decide if I want a zero-turn for my less than acre lot...faster the better. I'm curious how many yrs you could get out of the battery pwr zero turns?
I am on my 8th year Bad Boy MZ series 48" with a Kawasaki FR engine been awesome no issues ever.
I have had ZTRs for 20 years now. Started with the entry level ones, hate the stamped decks. You hit ANYTHING with them it is bent and you must replace the deck. Not cheap. Tried out and destroyed many mowers, landed on X Marks. Good, solid mowers. Last a while. Had one for 14 years [almost 2000 hours on it], sold it and it is still going 2 years later. I now own 2 of them. 48 inch decks, good engines. And I mow at least 5 acres a week. If I do the local junior colleges baseball and softball fields, up that another 3 to 5 acres. That said, I can see me swapping to electric for ZTRs in a few years. Have a ECO self propelled push mower and it is as good as any trim mower I have ever owned. And that goes back 55 years. Yes, I am a old cuss, lols. Good video, Shine On!!
I have a john deere 145 Automatic, its a 2005, have had few problems over 1000 hours. Good maintenance helps i change oil and filter twice a season (a Briggs 2 cylinder 22 horsepower) replaced the PTO, spindle bearings every 2 years, change spark plugs every 2 years. Air filter once a year. Replaced the drive tires, and belts a couple of times. ( I use Lowe's belts)
I have a 54 inch Badboy with the Kohler. It’s a beast! And I agree with your description of the Badboy stuff.
I bought a EGO mower 2 years ago, it is fantastic.
I purchased the yellow one with a 50 inch deck. It's awesome!
(Cub Cadet ZT1)
Yeah, kind of leaning towards a Cub Cadet zero turn with the 50 or 54 inch fabricated mower deck. I think it'll hold up a lot better. I had no issues with my Cub Cadet XT1 42" lawn tractor with the Kohler 5400 series 18HP engine.
Just what I needed to see! Thank you so much!
Great video but you missed what is probably the most important issue? What brand transmission do they have?? Which units have separate pumps and drive motors, which ones have have the junk sealed "all in one" type trannys that you can't even change the oil in? This is a make or break issue no matter the engine that powers it all.
Last year I bought an Ariens Ikon 52" Special Edition Kawasaki 691V engine manufactured deck. The thing is a beast!
Thank you for this video, I’m not into zero turns, but I have neighbors who are, two of them have Bad Boys & are happy. I have a Craftsman T1800 lawn tractor 42” deck with the 7000 series Kohler motor, it’s five years old no complaints from me. One of our neighbors had a JD lawn tractor but traded it for a Bad Boy. Prices for any lawnmower is outrageous. Jeff I always thought that a push mower or walk behind were the same thing. You’re still walking, what am I missing?
I bought the ego z6 42 inch zero turn mower a couple years ago. I love it!
Just bought a ZT1 Cub Cadet 42" (bigger wouldn't fit my little trailer) for about 2\3 of an acres mow 2x a week. So far satisfied with the quality just wish it had a hour counter on it but thats very minor. Threw on the mulch kit and it works fantastic.
Great follow up from our livestream Monday nite.... I like that Bad Boy also, My main go to was the Ex-Mark with the Kawasaki and Briggs and Stratton Vanguard commercial line engines , Even though I am a Briggs dealer , I like the Kawasaki also.... the prices I was showing competed well into the overall average ..... Take Care Mon Ami ..........
Thanks for your comparison! I bought a used Husqvarna 48" with 400 hrs on it, Kawasaki 24 hp engine, for $1000.00, and have mowed two acres for eight years with the replacement of, one spindle, one idler pully, one deck belt, one drive belt, snd one muffler! I just ordered a new 54 in Bay Boy, keeping ole reliable for backup!
It's crazy how these mowers are double the pre COVID price. I wonder if the price will go down any
I'm sure voting the same will improve things.
I doubt prices will ever go down, the globalists want you to pay more and have less money.
Country is going through a massive 10+ yr change… globalism is dead… work is coming back, long term to North America, and it’s gonna take a decade for industry to scale up, inside America …
Labor nationwide, is winning worker contracts… wages are climbing…
Things have to cost more…
Long term it’s all gonna be good
Cub cadet also has Kawasaki motor options I got a 2014 cub cadet z force zero turn with steering wheel with Kawasaki
One of the problems with ZTRs is people run them too fast. The idea is to cut the grass not lay it over. I've run that and 3 deck Jacobson mowers that run roughly a 90in cut. I'll take the big deck. I got in a lot of tight places by raising a deck or 2.
2023 John Deere Z330R/54"/23hp. Kawasaki here, can't wait to grow old with this thing. Could not be happier.
Home depot online has toro time Cutter with welded deck and a kawasaki. Great mower
Thanks for bringing up John Deer’s Right to Repair issues. It’s why people like me now avoid them. They need to see the consumer push back if they are ever going to change. Their policies are the very reason I donated my trashed John Deer stuff to a small engine and tractor repair shop after they were crushed in a tornado and I no longer had a place to use/store them. At the very least they now have a lot of good parts for fixing similar equipment.
My family is farmers, and we need zero turns for our yard size, we have a hustler super z lawn mower, but said that if we need to get a new lawn mower, then we’d get a John dere for our lawn mowers, and but we get case ih for basically everything else
I just purchased a Bad Boy MZ/Magnum 54" up here in Maine it has a Kohler 740 rated for 25 hp not bad huh?
That Aires mowers with a great machine with Kas motor is great I like the 23 hp . I got a huster 48 inch and a skag 48 in both with 23 hp Kas
No one certain zero turn is necessarily going to meet your individual needs. Acreage is very important but also as important is type of terrain. Large level well-drained areas you can use a heavy wide decked mower . I have seen many times heavy built mowers early in the mowing season rutting yards getting stuck . There is an advantage to a lighter zero turn . With proper maintenance and care a deck of 10 or 11 ga. steel will last for many many years .
I have a hustler renegade with a Kawasaki engine and other than maintenance and just had to get a battery it’s been fantastic for 3 years
I’ve been running an Ariens for 15 years with the Koehler courage in it and have never had an issue. That said it’ll probably be electric in a few years when I need a new one.
Excellent video brother 👍
Serviceable transmissions is a must.
Awesome video. What are your thoughts on the Bad Boy MZ Rambler 19HP Briggs and Stratton?
Briggs and Stratton is junk anymore, wouldn't waste money on anything with a Briggs engine. Kohler, Kawasaki, Honda would be my choices of engine.
I’m the average person with a yard you talk about. I resisted the battery powered yard tools for years. I finally invested in the ego line and have everything except the mower. Absolutely wonderful! One thing I would say to anybody still on the fence is imagine just picking up your blower and blowing out your shop or garage and then just hanging it back on the wall. It’s a game changer. My neighbor does lawn care for a living and when I got me ego weed-eater he was skeptical until he tried it.
I am well invested in the Ryobi system (mostly 18V), but if I needed the best, I would be swapping out to EGO. Absolute beast of a mower.
I have the Ego self propelled walk behind mower advertised as a 21" its a 20", and I'm not impressed for the price, I expected better. I also expected to get a 21" mower that it was advertised as. Batteries are ridiculously priced, the whole mower is plastic...its currently for sale as I don't think it'll last long on my rough yard LOL.
The last couple of electric trimmers I had were not the best. I decided to go with an echo weedeter that is 2 cycles. I enjoy that way more
Just ordered a JD Z735M. Compared to what else is available in my area, it was the best built for the money.
so what is your recommendation for gas and for battery?
Im actually looking at gettinf a budget zero turn like so.e of these this year myself to see how well they work
There are a couple of youtube small engine repair shop channels that go over the common problems with the entry level ZTR's - transmissions and spindle/stamped deck issues are most common. I have personally had Much better luck with the Kawasaki engines over the Kohler or larger HP B&S ones. Hour meter got broken on my rear engine JD GX70 w/ Kaw 9hp at 1,920 hrs, and is still running great. Bought a Cub Ultima ZT1 w/ Kaw engine last year (wanted a Bad Boy, but after over 5 week wait for backorder delivery, needed to get something) pretty happy with it, and Cub had a 0% interest for 36 month financing offer which was nice. Biggest complaint about the Cub was it didnt come with hour meter ($40 add-on kit), that I feel is a necessity for tracking maintenance.
have you any experience with the Murry Cruz 42 inch sold by Home Depot? I have only a 5000 sq ft lawn but my knees and hips are now shot full of arthitis, so walking mowing just wont work.
I have a 2006 JD with a KAW engine no problems still mowing with it.
I think the Snapper in the pic had a welded deck. That’s a plus on it even with the smaller engine. Might explain the price.
Had a JD lawn tractor (D125) which worked great for a one acre lawn with lots of trees and some slopes. Had a family member suggest a zero-turn was the best thing since sliced bread, and I needed one. Well I eventually decided to get a cub cadet ZT (MTD + Kohler) and sell the JD tractor. Mistake. The ZT just cannot handle going on even the slightest slope - and forget it if the grass or dirt is damp or slick. It will just slide & skew down the slope.
Also, #1 dirty-little-secret of “zero-turns”: you can’t actually do a zero radius turn without tearing up patches of your lawn due to the way the tires have to pivot to perform an actual zero turn. Not to mention that it vibrates like crazy, and kicks up an inordinate amount of dust/dirt compared to the old lawn tractor. So ZT is a big dud for me.
My dad got the cub cadet. I used it a few times, very disappointed it doesn’t have arm rests.
After all the Den Of Tools videos I've seen, never saw this one, until it popped up after the Zero Turn research began, haha.
So far I'm leaning Cub Cadet, Ariens or Bad Boy.
I did a video of the Hart riding mower last year and compared it to the gas mower sitting right next to it
Thanks bear I'm going to look at the greenworks electricals Lawn mowers
I just got the JD z320r no regrets
Can you make a video like this with garden tractors? Home Depot has a bunch that all look the same but have different names. Like the bronco, pony, and all the John Deere’s. Strangely I see 1 Murray mower there, cheapest one at $2000, never heard of them. It was very small for a garden tractor. Looks like it would make a good starter mower for a kid.
The fabricated mowing deck on the snapper I think really makes it worth the extra
I heard the deck and blades on the Greenwood was weak what's your take
what about the steering wheel zero turn cub cadet? some even have welded decks
thanks
I could wholeheartedly recommend the cub cadet ZT 54 inch. I have had two of them they all worked flawlessly 26 hp Kohler engine, there’s really nothing wrong about them. The first one I got rid of because I thought it was broken turned out all I was was a spring on the transmission it popped off so I sold it to a friend for 1500 bucks and bought a new one now we’re both happy.
As far as electric riding mowers are concerned, I haven’t found one yet but I think I can trust to do my 3 acres. The worst offender was one made by DR mowers, it’s a 60 inch mowing deck it cost $12,800 and comes with no batteries. It can mow up to 35 minutes on one battery and it can hold up to three batteries. The batteries cost $1500 each.
I'm thinking of getting a zero turn mower next season, and been thinking about a Cub Cadet. I had a Cub Cadet XT1 42" lawn tractor with the Kohler 18HP 5400 series engine, no problems with it at all in the 5 years I had it. It went to my uncle after my grandfather passed away, so now I'm mowing with a plain old 21" mower. Hoping next year I can afford to get a riding mower of some sort.
I've had a couple of Toro mowers in recent years, pure garbage, they don't mulch worth a damn contrary to what Toro advertises they are not worth what Toro wants for them....my plain old Poulan 21" push mower mulched great, as does my Troy Bilt 21" push mower....Toro has gone way down hill in the past decade or so in quality and they no longer do what the company advertises that they do.
@@wildbill23c ZT will change your life! You will never use a tractor again.
@@TexasScout I have a feeling a zero turn won't be any better than the lawn tractors I've had in the past for the front yard because of the trees and bushes that I have to mow around, but for the rest of the property I think it would be better. I use a 21" push mower to mow around the trees and bushes, and perimeter of the yard then I'd use the lawn tractor for the rest...I don't see the zero turn being any different in that aspect.
@@wildbill23c That’s just it, a ZT will cut your mowing time by a third at a minimum. The are so maneuverable you may not even to weed eat. You don’t have to switch to reverse either.
I bought a Cub ZT1 50-inch cut, Fabricated deck, 25 HP Kawasaki back in 19 from HD. Paid about $2300 after the military discount. 6% inflation my ass. Over 100 hours now and it's been a great mower so far. I keep up with the maintenance and don't abuse it. Cut about 3 acres weekly over the season. April-Oct. Also, have a Craftsman Pro 54-inch with the Kohler 7000 26 HP. 250 hrs, no issues so far.
Bought my ZT1 54" in 22 for $3799. The pandemic supply chain crunch made these far more expensive. Now that isn't a problem, companies aren't lowering their prices. They're leaving thrm high to boost their profits. Greedflation.
On the subject. Last year I bought a mtd/yard machine zeroturn mower with a 22hp engine, 42 inch cutting deck and a 4 gallon gas tank. With extended warranty it ran me about 3.400$
Does anybody have a spreadsheet of the cost breakdowns for the push mowers and batteries/run time? I know I saw somebody make this but can't for the life of me figure out where that was or what channel .
I use a 2016 bad boy zte elite for my lawn business and still using it. I bought it new.
zte elite is a prosumer ztr, nice unit for the money.
Never had good luck with kohler engines. Love my Gravely ZT52HD with the Kaw engine. Seeing new prices now is insane 😳 I got mine with 34 hours for 3k. Granted it was from a guy who just got divorced and his wife got the lawn😅😮💨
How many years till the m18 tractor?
I'm not really surprised that the Ryobi is lead acid.
I work in the same town as the SB&D headquarters. They cut the grass of every business in the town for free. In the late 2000's (2007-2009 some time when they were still MTD) they were testing their tractor style mowers with like 4 car batteries on a pull behind trailer.
That John dear a good conbation with brush hog. But it's having the right tools for the job if you have tight area that brush won't fit. Plus that brush won't fit .
Good video Jeff.
Since Jeff is not familiar that much in that area I figured why don't I do it since I know several people that are in the small engine community
The tractor snapper 42 has 23 hp pretty awesome for a tractor mower just as strong as zero turns
Good topic 👍🏽
3 years great service on an Ariens xd52 with the Kawasaki engine. Not sure if others are getting the same result.
I have 2 cub rzt l54 bought 1 one new in 2015 and had to buy Wife Her own in 2017 new. 2015 has over 600 hour's. 2017 has around 300. Both have Kohler 7000 engine. Other then oil and oil filters. They both have all have original parts and belts that they came from factory with.
What about the transaxle?
10 or so years ago I bought a Hustler 42” with a 17hp Briggs. Engine lasted two years. Replaced the Briggs with Kawasaki twin cylinder and have had no trouble since. Mower was $3,000.00, Kawasaki engine was $400.00. Just bought another 42” Hustler with a Kawasaki for $4,000.00 for my daughter. The decks are welded steel, not stamped. There are other cheaper residential (entry) Hustlers that have Briggs, but I would stick with the Kawasaki.
Less than 2 years ago my friend bought his wife a brand new Kubota ZTR for under 4K out the door. Only issue with ZTRs and why I didn't go with one was that they can't tow anything of any real weight like a riding mower can.
Mowers went stupid in price 2 years ago because they were selling like hotcakes with all the stimulus money. I wanted to upgrade to a new mower but there was nothing available. Now I'm wanting a Kubota BX or other similar sized unit as they are basically a big riding mower that thinks it's a little tractor and there is a bucket and backhoe for it and most importantly an available cab that is air conditioned. My yard is super sandy(and silty) and it's miserable to cut. I'm almost at the point of wearing a tyvek suit and a full face mask. If I mow without goggles I spend several painful days getting sand out of my eyes. Not much better than running a mower on the beach..
I have a Kubota BX2680, it ain't a riding mower buddy. Its a tractor. The problem is people buy them thinking they can go out and do big tractor stuff with them, and that isn't what they are for. They're for small properties. I have an acre, the BX2680 is great, and with the loader I can put other attachments on it like pallet forks, grapple, post auger, etc. I do have a 60" mid mount mower deck for it, but where I park the tractor it don't fit with the deck installed so I have to take the deck off when I'm done, so its pretty inconvenient.
The Kubota BX23S is the model with the backhoe. None of the other BX machines have the backhoe option. I don't have enough use for a backhoe to justify the ridiculous upcharge for that model. Even the BX2680 with the attachments I have was almost $26k...and that isn't with a cab...would be nice but once again $12k for a heated and air conditioned cab is ridiculous, and that was in 2021 when I bought the tractor so I'm sure those prices are almost double now.
John Deere's 1 series is somewhat comparable except its a physically larger size than the Kubota BX series. That's where Kubota wins, the BX is small enough to fit in places larger tractors simply don't fit. Many other brands out there that have compact tractors but they're all physically larger than the Kubota BX, and heavier too.
Really good video for some of the basics, but I would really like to add a few things people should consider when buying a mower. Engine and horsepower are very important, but I'm not sure I would rank it as high as transmission. Before buying a mower, do a little research on the different kinds of transmissions they come with. They are usually more likely to fail than an engine and can be very costly. Another thing to look at is the quality of the deck itself. One good thing to look at is mower deck thickness. If you look at some of these models they come with cheap stamped decks. Compare them to something like the bad boy mower and you start to understand why the bad boy costs more. If I'm correct that bad boy comes with a seven gauge steel welded deck. Also you want to look for a flat deck that doesn't collect much water, especially if you live somewhere where rust is prevalent. It will also be easier to clean a flat deck. While we are talking about cleaning the mower deck, look for accessibility to the top of the mower deck. Some mowers will have floor panels that lift up easily so you can clean out grass, leaves and dirt from the top of your mower deck. Others you have to get down on your hands and knees to clean it out. And lastly, it's always a good idea to buy a mower brand with a certified dealer repair shop nearby. It's not completely necessary, but it sure helps if warranty work does need to be done.
Serviceability is a huge thing too, don't matter what brand, if you can't get to the oil drain plug, oil filter, etc. very easily you are gonna be inclined to just skip the regular maintenance items and have a very short lived machine. Seems like so many videos on these zero turn mowers show terrible oil drain placements, with one recently that the oil drain tube goes directly over the exhaust, great place to spill a bunch of oil LOL. Couldn't simply run it out the side with a simple plug to remove and drain into a container. Serviceable hydro motors are a must as well....a lot of entry level stuff is deemed non-serviceable, but oftentimes they are serviceable but they of course tell you they're not in order to induce failures pushing you back to the store for a new machine every few years.
I'd also go with a fabricated deck over a stamped deck...deck washout ports forget that crap, just clean the deck...better yet don't mow when its really wet. Get a set of Gator mulching blades, G5 or G6 series, they're thicker and heavier and last a heck of a lot longer than most OEM blades and aren't really anymore expensive to buy. I keep 2 sets of blades, one on the machine, and the 2nd set is sharp and ready to go. When I change blades, I sharpen the ones on the machine at some point after swapping the blade sets...and put them on the shelf for the next service so I've got sharp blades ready to go.
I'm looking at getting a zero turn next year, can't afford it this year, but I'll be getting one with the fabricated 50 or 54 inch deck.
Oh, another thing too, most mower spindles aren't serviceable, they're sealed....if you find a mower with greaseable mower spindles buy it. That's something that is going to make those spindles last longer is being able to keep them greased to keep moisture out of the bearings.
I can’t fit anything wider than a 42” deck through my fence gate.
Stamped decks for me😁
My experience is about every manufacturer has roughly the same at similar price, i’ld skip the big box store and buy from the local dealer, plus you can probably drive it before you buy it. Or use your veteran discount at BB for a JD. Or take a vacation to Montana or Alaska and buy it, what you save on sales tax might pay for the trip😂.
I just got a CC at a CC dealer (instead of HD) Got the ZT2 with 50" fabricated deck and 23HP Kawi engine for $3500 (was the regular price). It sounds SO much better than the Kohler or B&S engines.
I just got the same thing. But for $4500, plus tax. I still like it.
I’m definitely going bad boy.. just caught up between the Mx magnum 54 and zt avenger 60.. I want the 60” (64”w actual) but trailer is only 60”w and I need to transport from time to time so 54” (58”w actual) is going to be the one I guess 😔
What about a replacement for the rear engine rider for a normal sized suburban yard and someone who is having trouble walking?
Gathering info but have about half an acre and looking at resedential lawn tractor or zero turn. Liking badboy and cubcadet from what ive seen or hustler (now owned by black and decker/mtd)...
The no# 1 issue with zero turn mowers is the fact that you can NOT enjoy your favorite beverage while mowing or doing anything, other than sitting on it. A drink holder on a zero turn is essentially a device for warming and shaking your bee-- um Pepsi. For anyone asking why not. both hands required to operate .
There are new Zero Turn mowers with suspension. You gonna pay for them though
@@DavidWhite Suspension would be nice. it's the hands on the sticks at all times that cuts into my lawn drinking. Ha.
Push. I one hand my cub all the time. Small hands too. Pull sticks together and straddle with one hand.
Key is keep it in control. U start getting out u might as well stop n reset.
But u can do this and enjoy your... Water
@@nickabel8279 Great info. Im on it. Were there is a will there is a way. Water is the first ingredient listed on a beer label . I dont know, just what ive been told. Ha
Under 3500 - Husqvarna zt248F is where it's at for Residential grade. Kawasaki motor and hydrogear EZT hydro's. 10ga Fabricated deck. Made in America 🇺🇲 👍
I have a flat 3/4 of an acre. I don't need a big mower, it can be 30" but nothing bigger than 42", because right now I use a push mower, while that is great for a excellent work out, I'm not getting any younger (60 yrs) and anything is better than walking for 3 hours especially in a North Carolina summer. By the way, I don't need to have a Zero Turn mower, just a solid and not expensive vehicle. Thank you for your suggestions!
36" Walk Behind Scag would be what I'd go with if you wanna still walk. Scag makes some great mowers my uncle has a 36" belt drive Scag from 1989, Kohler Command 14HP engine, still going strong and it used to mow 3 acres of steep hills and brush.
Scag has some great zero turn mowers too if you wanna switch to sitting LOL....although you better be prepared to pay....they're expensive, but you'll be leaving that mower to your kids/grand kids it'll outlive you.
@@wildbill23c , I looked at the price, very expensive. Might as well get a riding lawn mower. Thanks
@@erichvonmolder9310 Expensive, but after replacing your riding mower every couple years it won't be as expensive as you'd think. If you got a nice smooth yard fine, otherwise these box store mowers rattle themselves to pieces quite quickly :(.
Lawn tractor is the choice of many because of ease of use, and they're pretty stupid proof LOL. Zero turns take some getting used to, and they're extremely fun on hills LOL.
Buy from a local dealer who services what they sell...
I look at those Ego zero turns every time I go into Lowe’s. Price is hard to swallow. But also the fact they have the cheaper stamped decks. But do like the thought of no gas, spark plugs, or oil to mess with.
Battery/cordless sounds great, until you realize you will have a higher electric bill from recharging those batteries, plus the components used to make those batteries are far worse for the environment than running a gas or diesel mower for decades.
I run a lawn service. I use John Deere E170. Much cheaper and I’ve had zero issues. I even use it as a small brush hog. It articulates better than a zero turn and handles extremely steep terrain. Has big HP Deere engine and big tires on a 48” deck. If you are going cheap, don’t go zero turn. The money is better spent on a tractor and will save you thousands. Zero turns also require two hand to operate. A steering wheel with a spinning knob is just one hand and can cut fast tight turns almost as tight as the deck width. Plus you have a free hand to move limbs and dog toys.
I used to work for a company with two John Deere mowers with 72 inch decks…diesel. We ran those hard all day, every day with zero issues. As long as we kept the spindles greased and oil changed/topped off, they ran like a top!
I will run circles around any riding lawn/garden tractor. With my Cub Cadet zero turn.
@@jackylsmith8138 Time for a mow off. I’ll out mow a zero turn any day and do it with a beer in my hand and thousands of extra dollars in my pocket while you get stuck on hills and bog down in brush and wet grass. You’ll also be pushing a mower after getting everything you missed because your deck wouldn’t fit. I’ll be slinging obstacles out of the way with one hand as I fly by and you’ll be stopping and getting off the machine. You’ll be hitting rocks and shaving the grass on every knoll while I adjust deck height on the fly.
I can cut my property in 2-1/2 hrs with my 46" deck lawn tractor or save an hour using my 42" kubota ztr. No contest. Now if i am mowing a field. I use my Branson 4815 ch with my rotary cutter and can take down saplings with it.
Lol, those john deeres are the same price as an entry level zero turn, pass
Chickanic said a lithium mower caught on fire at a showing. They had to bury it because they couldn't extinguish it. Thank you for your reviews.
It was a prototype commercial mower.
Why not include the 54” Cub Cadet with fabricated deck and 22 hp engine for $3,899. I bought one when it was $2,899 a few years back. It’s been great.
I just got the John Deere z370R battery powered mower it a good mower deal
Okay, now for the big question: Any suggestions- besides storing it in a shed - for discouraging theft?
Locks, dogs, motion activated lights, spent shell casings all over the ground?
The thing about your cheaper mowers with stamped decks isnt that they are bad mowers its just not likely that they will make it very long before they tear up so most likely cost you more money in the long run but if your only cutting your yard and keep it cut every 2 weeks then you may get over 5 years out of them especially when you keep it maintenanced properly i had a 42 inch cut ariens mower with 17.5 horse briggs for over 6 years and the only thing that happened to it was the deck had holes in it and my gear shifter started to get stuck but anyway take care of what you have and generally it will last you ......god bless you all
I'm still trying to decide between a cub cadet and a bad boy. I wish there was a place by me where I could rent both and try them out.
I'm leaning towards cub...
Same situation here. Which did you go with? I would probably go Bad Boy, but I only need a 42", and that one comes with a smaller engine. I like the idea of serviceable Trans on the Bad Boy, but was looking for the Kawasaki, or at least the Kohler motor.
Purchased the Cub Cadet ZT1-50 with Kawasaki FR engine and fabricated deck online at Home Depot 3 years ago. That is when they stared coming out.
IM LOOKUNG AT ONE. you still running yours? how do you likeit>>
That’s a decent mower for a home owner actually that’s what I started with years ago actually
So which one between the green works and bad boy? Please help me choose.
Oh wow, sorry man that is all you. Personally I would lean electric but that's me.
I can’t really speak for the other models, but I would like to share my experience regarding Husqvarna. I bought a Husqvarna zero turn mower last year and it turned out to be a nightmare. 23 days in less than 5 hours of use the drivetrain went out. Trying to get a hold of a live person at Husqvarna is impossible. They have it set up to where all communication is through online chat and email. if you call the one 800 number it’s just a recording, there is no one to answer the phone. I went to my local Husqvarna repair shop and they told me that even though the mower was less than a month old would have to pay to find out what exactly was wrong with it and then I had to pay for the repair. after three weeks of battling them, I finally got my money back. Their customer service is absolutely horrible and if you have to order a part, then plan on waiting at least a month if not more for it to come in. Next time I am going with Toro.
1st early SNAFU is qualifying "Stamped" mower deck as "Fabricated". A welded deck is fabricated. I've used a 42" Hustler Raptor with an honest fabricated deck for several years; having a carp Kawasaki FR651 21.5HP Engine. A major engineering disappointment is the FR series engine, which today is still installed in several major brand ZTR mowers, such as John Deere and others; yet, unavailable as a replacement engine. I'm going off-brand Electric this time around as the carp FR651 pervades the industry and I won't have another. I believe it is the compression release mechanism on the cam shaft, also a flaw of Briggs and Stratton, that is carp in the FR651. Whether the same flaw exists in larger FR series engines I've no knowledge, but I suspicion so.
Dixon ZTR from the late 70's.
It doesn’t matter how fast it says it will mow if it is bucking like a wild bronco and you’re holding on for dear life because it’s riding so rough. I have tried just about every brand under the sun over the last 35 years or so, and have been on the zero turn bandwagon since it’s beginning, I finally threw my hands in the air a Few years ago and bought a Scagg with a Kawasaki EFI engine . It’s a commercial brand so finding parts and reputable service shops is not difficult. And since they’re used to working on commercial mowers, they are used to getting them back out to the owner quickly. Granted, it’s an expensive mower! But it’s built like a tank, will mow at a speed faster than I’m comfortable with and I have found that when I’m done mowing my 3 1/2 acre lot I’m not worn out and sore. I also believe this mower will last me twice as long as most of the mowers you’ve mentioned, so paying twice as much sort of evens out in the long run. This is just my opinion. My son has a Gravely zero turn and he mows a couple of acres and he loves it. It also has the Kawasaki engine.
I think the speed is determined by the transaxel not the engine size. Those are all gonna have the cheap self contained ones. My worry is that those can't handle the weight of a rider over 200 pounds. My biggest question is can one buy the cheap mower and upgrade it to the beefier servicable transaxels. Will they bolt in place of what they come with?
If they can be upgraded, not worth the time and money. 800 bucks for each transaxle, and labor cost. Better to just spend more. Buy once, hurt once.
Landscape and lawn Maintenance pro here. Buying a mower from Lowe’s or HD is a mistake. Good luck parts or service for a mower, they usually will farm those out to a local dealer, and my local dealer is pushing them to the back or not servicing those at all. Kawasaki engines are amazing, Koehler are good, no issues with them, their big blocks are amazing. Buy from a dealer, not the big box stores.
Agree 100% big box don't do the warranty work. Another thing to research is are the hydro drives rebuildable I have found out the hard way
There’s a cub cadet dealer near me. Would that be fine to buy from?
@@KTKLC Cub Cadets are junk unless you are buying a true commercial mower. CC is owned by Briggs & Stratton who makes mtd, briggs, cc, craftsman, husqvarna mowers, all equally bad stuff.
The two twin zero-turns I like are the ariens apex 48/52/60 and gravey zt hd 48/52/60, expensive @$5-6k, but have commercial serviceable hydro's, 7 -10 gauge decks, box frames, better seats, better warranty, bigger tires that can handle rougher terrain, non-flat front tires, grease zerk spindles/front casters which will make them last longer.
Save your money, buy a new/used commercial mower, and it will last much longer for the home user.
@@fiily1 my dealer has a welded deck with a 24 horse Kawasaki is that’s not a Briggs is it? For a zt1 50 inch zero turn
I have used commercial scags, Toro, JD with Kohler, Kawies and some commercial Briggs, Briggs is not my favorite but they never gave me any major issue honestly. Kawies are my favorite but Kohlers run very strong maybe strongest. But Kawie for me. I have also had a few residential quality z turns all Toro, and though they cannot hold a candle to the commercial mowers. If your yard is realitivly smooth and level without alot of ditches and inclines and your not rough on equipment and you work on your own equipment then they are fine.
I’m admittedly biased here because I work for Deere but I’m on year 6 or so with a Deere z335E with zero issues. It has the Briggs engine which I was concerned about because I have blown nearly new Briggs engines on push mowers before. The two complaints I have is when I change the oil the filter spills all over the place because you can’t get a pan under it anywhere and the drain tube is about an inch too short to drain out in a catch pan. Whenever I change the oil I look up the engineer who released those parts, write them a nasty email and then I delete it. It doesn’t accomplish anything but I feel better afterwards.
I know a guy that used a z225 JD with small Briggs and it was reliable. He used it for several years I know with minimal parts replaced
It’s not just the engine you wanna look at, it’s the stamped deck, steer clear of those, two stumps away from needing a welder. Actually the main thing to look for is the hydros under the back, that’s first, then the engine cause they all come with half decent engines these days, but home owner air cleaner set. Yea the Troy built, craftsman, and cub cadet all same mower with different fit and finish but the frame is almost exact design
I gotta push mower with 15 hp, that’s like the lowest timecutter model they prolly offer, and that 36” snapper is a gate mower, specifically for people who got gated backyards and can get thru them and not be push mowing that’s what that’s for, the John Deere’s they offer at depot and made out of construction paper. Their a joke trust me. They offer like one decent farm model with rops bar and 60” deck. Actually the only mowers worth a …. Is that cub but 50” fab deck, 23hp Kawasaki. Next that biggest Deere. And then they also offer a toro titan HD that’s like 6,800 and comes with a badass stance, decent hydros like 3400’s, and a 23-28hp. Then main stuff is the dewalt stander or zero turn they offer also, you have to order them, but their stander dewalt offers is a cub cadet rebranded and for the money it’s not a bad entry level mower.
Ariens is the big box store version of gravely, same company, same quality actually, just a side note 📝.
Quick down the bad boy link and it was $4600. Wow that's a big difference.
Actually it was the SINGLE cylinder Kohler Courage engines that had the problems. The V-twin Courage engines were fine...I have a 25HP one on an '08 Gravely 60" ZT, and it's still going strong mowing 6 to 7 acres every week 6 months out of the year that I keep mowed off as a lawn.
I would say you got very lucky with your courage engine. My friend bought a new craftsman lawn tractor with the Courage engine and it blew up at 100 hours. He's a good mechanic, and very easy on his mower, mows about an acre with it. Her only used Royal Purple motor oil in it also. Sears technician came out with a new engine, and was fixing to install it, and told him I'll be back in another 100 hours to replace this motor. My friend asked him if he had a better engine, and he said I'll put you on a Kohler Command on it for 100 dollars more, he took that engine back and brought the Command, no more issues at all. My neighbor has husqvarna 54 inch cut with the Courage also. It smokes bad when starting it cold, and leaks oil bad at crankcase gasket, and both valve cover gaskets. One thing for sure, the frame will not rust out with all the oil that stays on it..
@@garylittle8985 Interesting. I've always heard that it was just the single-cylinder Courages that had the problems. Guess I've been very lucky with mine. I even use my li'l Gravely with the Courage to mow stuff that my diesel(Kubota) Grasshopper can't handle. Funny thing is, my Gravely with the Courage was owned by a lawn service before I bought it- They put 800 hours on her. After reading your post though, now I'm scared!
@bobbylibertini it doesn't take much research to see all the problems the Courage has had. It even has the nickname of Discourage. Kohler had so many problems with it, they have discontinued that engine, and replaced it with one called the Confidant. Haven't heard of any issues with it or the 7000 series, time will tell.
@@garylittle8985 Ironically, the only motor I've ever blown was a B&S 17HP on a Crapsman riding mower (Also ironic: The only machine I ever bought brand new!)- but it had over 1200 hours on it...and I abused the hell out of it...mowing steep slopes sideways, etc. (Before I ever had a real tractor or a zero-turn)...and the hydrostaic tranny was getting weak anyway, so I wasn't too upset. RIP li'l gray Crapsman!
Ive got an old gravely with a courage 22 engine on it. Still running strong.
In went electric push mower along time ago, after spend a day trying to fix my gas mower.aint going back.
It’s not about speed to most common folks but price of equipment
Bear u don't even mention the dewalt, how will my swk monthly calls ever recover