Zero Turn Recommendation

ShootnBlanks

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I couldn't find a thread about this, but my mower shit the bed and I'm looking for a new zero turn. Wondering if anyone has positive reviews of what they use. I'm currently looking at the 60" range and around $4k. The Troy Built Mustang has my attention. I'd like a commercial one but not about to spend $10k or more
 


espringers

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I got a used Deere bout 6 years ago for 3k. Thing has been bullet proof. But, lots of good zero turn mowers these days. So, interested to hear the responses.
 

AaronJ

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I bought s Gravely this spring. Not a ton of use yet; but have been pleased. My FIL has used Gravely for the last 10 + years with great luck in horrible mowing conditions. I'd suspect that zero turns are much like boat/vehicles.... Some fan boys; but service after the sale would play into a lot of decisions made. Gravely in Devils Lake is sold/serviced by Bobcat and they have a very decent reputation.
 

Taylorman55

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In laws bought a new John Deere zero turn last year or year before. Been an awesome machine for them. Throughout ND everyone was asking 6500-6999 for the machine. They ended up purchasing out of Rapid City and saved well over a grand. Might be worth to take a look and a mini vacation a couple hours south to get one.
 


Big Iron

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Bought a 54" Hustler Raptor SD ($4K) last year. Still practically brand new but absolutely love it so far. Cant chime in on longevity yet.
 

north14

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Find a good used ExMark commercial mower and don't look back. Commercial grade is the way to go if you plan on mowing a fair amount. Deeper deck = less trash sticking underneath, better blades, better spindles, heavier hardware.
 
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SLE

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I was in your shoes about 10-years ago. I didn't want to break the bank but wanted to get a zero turn for our 6 acres of mowing. A good friend of mine at the time worked as a dept manager for a local rental company. I was pretty much all set to buy a new Toro Time-cutter thinking new with a 3-year warranty would be the way to go. He talked me out of the residential grade zero turn and told me I'd be much better off with a good used commercial mower. By the time the warranty runs out, the residential units are ready for the scrap pile and are expensive to fix if you use them much. He said by 500 hours the hydros are weak, and the overall build of the machine just isn't there, and the majority come with cheap stamped decks. Said a good commercial unit will go 3k-5k hours with decent maintenance. This cost him a sale because they didn't have any good used commercial units. Ended up getting a lightly used Gravley ProMaster 152Z and put 500 hours on it with nothing more than regular maintenance, a couple of belts, and 2 deck springs. After 10-years it still looked and worked fantastic. Just sold it to buddy and made the jump to a Gralvey Pro Turn 472 a couple of weeks ago.

I'd say find a good used commercial unit and don't look back. There a several good brands out there and they all have their pro's and cons. a few good names in the commercial sector include Scag, Exmark/Toro, Deere, Hustler, Ferris, Grasshopper, Dixon, and of course Gravely. find something with less than 250 hours, have it serviced up, and you'll be good to go for many years.
 

Platinum

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I decided to replace my 18 year old John Deere LT155 and am picking up a new Gravely today from Ironhide/Bobcat in Devils Lake. They are made in Wisconsin and part of Ariens, which is the make of my snow blower. Like said above service after the sale is important and they do a good job.
I did notice they had a couple used Z-Turn sitting on the lot.....a couple of them were the larger Pro series I believe.....might be worth checking into if you'd like a larger commercial style unit at a "price point".
 

sierra1995

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i bought a used John Deere last fall, only a 42" with a 20 HP briggs motor. So far it works well, i bought it used with 90 hours on it. It is the smallest size residential model, but so far has worked well for what i need. When i bought mine, i was looking exclusively for JD, Toro or Exmark.
 


PrairieGhost

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I had a Dixon for hmmmmm maybe 10 years. It was a great mower, but we lost that dealership and a year later a new guy took it over. After he ordered parts four or five times and still couldn't get it straight I bought a John Deer. I have had that about five years now. Have not had any repairs so far. I mow two acres and around about 40 trees.
 

slippery

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I bought the same unit your are looking at in 2007 I mow 3 acres, the mower has worked great changed the belt twice and blades of course. Maintenance has been easy I buy all my parts on ebay way cheaper than lowes, just my 2 cents......
 

onpoint!

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When my craftsman gt5000 bit the dust (150 hrs) i bought a JD-Z. Four years and $4,300 later, it's awesome/bullet-proof. Neighbor just picked up an Xmark 60" and it is really impressive... agree with the brands above; for the use you're putting it through, I'd go commercial (Xm) or heavy iron with Deere or what SLE advised above, although with their financing incentives and warranties, i'd buy new again rather than save some money with a used/refurbished unit.
 

BrokenBackJack

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We ran Woods when on the farm. Mowed 7-9 acres with hundreds of trees. We ran diesel and had no problems. They make gas models too. Ours had the electric flip up deck which was nice as the early ones were manual raised and lowered.
Like everything else keep them serviced! Blow out the air filter after every mowing and clean the bottom of the deck. We also sharpened our blades and power washed it after every mowing. Don't wash until it has cooled down or your spindle bearings won't last long. Then give it a shot or two of grease and you are good to go. When we traded the one we were trading in it was already sold by the dealer to a customer as people knew who owned it.
We kept 3 extra sets of blades. One new set and the other two we would switch after each mowing so didn't have to sharpen the one set right away and could sharpen it between mowings. Overkill i know but could afford it.
Keep the oil changed regularly is key to the motor lasting a long time. Also water cooled will last much longer too.
 
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SLE

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Food for thought, but a commercial unit is just getting broke in at a couple hundred hours where as a a residential unit maybe half or more used up by that time. Also, nothing wrong with woods, just missed that one, lol. I priced new units and by purchasing the Gravley PT 472 as a 2-year old used unit with 172 hours on it, I saved around $5k. The old PM152Z was the same way although much cheaper. It was 2-year old unit with 42 hours on it and I saved about $3k or about 40% off what a new unit cost. Don't hesitate to drive to find one. This last one came from Ironhide in grandforks.
 

BrokenBackJack

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Forgot to add that residential in town yards don't nearly have the dust that a rural farm yard will have. Most residential ones the yards are irrigated and the farms ones usually are not. So oil stays cleaner longer and the air filters don't get as dirty either. Meaning the motor will usually last much longer! So if you can buy one that is used in town go with that if buying used.
 

MULEDEER

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Recently purchased a bobcat xrz 52 it is a commercial mower. It was around $6800. I had a Dixon 46 speedster there is just no comparison bye a commercial now you will save houndreds in the long run I wish I would have gone commercial right away. The bobcat Has a 600 hour 3 year warrenty on the Commercial mowers.
 

WormWiggler

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How does one determine the hours on a mower? We have a Toro Timecutter for last 7 years, seems to be holding up considering all the grade mowing, about half our yard (around an acre) is at 30° - 40° angle, you actually slide down the hill, a lot, basically out of control. Takes a bit of a learning curve lol. If this one craps out, I am thinking I would get one with a steering wheel vs. the dual joysticks. 1. because can't drink beer very well with two hands on the joystick (but it can be done ;)) 2. the wife has had many wrecks where going around tree or bush the joystick next to the bush catches and pulls her in. Does anyone run a steering wheel version?
 

pluckem

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Said a good commercial unit will go 3k-5k hours with decent maintenance.

I'd say find a good used commercial unit and don't look back. There a several good brands out there and they all have their pro's and cons. a few good names in the commercial sector include Scag, Exmark/Toro, Deere, Hustler, Ferris, Grasshopper, Dixon, and of course Gravely. find something with less than 250 hours, have it serviced up, and you'll be good to go for many years.

I have been looking for the last few months and have seen this advice over and over. The problem is any used commercial mower with 200 or even 400 hours is priced so close to new machines.

The other thing I question is the 3-5k hours you mentioned. You look at enough dealers and many have a quite a bit of units 2-4 yeas old in the 1100-1400 hour range. It is pretty evident that these were used in a commercial manner. Why would they be trading them in for new machines if they only reached 25-45% of there life? I am sure there are machines that have that many hours without a doubt, but to get to that point how much $$ in new parts and maintenance is needed? I have no idea just a thought
 


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