Zero-turn mowers

So, school me on these things. My 25 year old snapper 16hp twin cylinder finally died last night.

Budget is $2500. HD has a 42" Toro, and i know Toro is a quality brand. Any other options/opinions?

 

How big of a yard?

 

an acre, with virtually no trees. I know a zero turn will work just fine, and i dont want over a 42" cut, been using this garden tractor with a 33" cut for 25 years. What im looking for are opinions on quality of the different manf.'s.

 

We have a lot of Gravely units, but those are a good bit over your price point. We also have Husquevarna.

 

yea, Xmark and the like are more professional/commercial grade models, no way i'll spend that much on one. Those things are designed for everyday use/abuse.

 

ive looked at the Toro's, Cub Cadet's, John Deere (tho im told the JD models they sell at HD and Lowes are junk)

 

My Toro rider has been bulletproof. It's not a zero turn but still under the name so should be representative. For what it's worth, I remember hearing at one point that the mowers sold at HD and Lowes weren't the same as those sold at the actual Toro shops. I can't confirm that but I remember hearing it at one point. May not be the same anymore.

But I wouldn't think twice about Toro. I really like mine.

 

Toro or Cub would be my recommendations.

 

I have the Bobcat walk behind 48" deck with the sulky attachment. It makes short order of our 1.8 acre lot. It's a beast of a mower and takes a little getting used too.

Do you want a walk behind or a sitting mower?

I got it in 1993 and the thing still rips. It hasn't needed any major repairs. Early on, I took it to the shop for maintenance and they always seemed to beef up what needed to be done. I have been the only one doing maintenance on it for a very long time.

 

yea, i bought a Toro walk behind last year, and its a pretty solid unit. Ace is a Toro dealer, and sells the exact same ones HD does. Im told the HD Toro units are no different there than anywhere else. Its the JD's that make a model specifically for HD and Lowes, and to much lower quality standards.

 

im old. i wanna sit on my ass. and i definitely want a zero turn. A standard tractor (what ive had for 25 years) just doesnt maneuver as well as the zero turn does.

 

That's it, the JD's. I just looked at the reviews for the Toro I think you're talking about at Lowes and seems to have really good responses from people.

 

yea, i read those last night. But, sometimes the dealers that sell an item "load up" their site with "good reviews". So i was just curious out of the 50K+ users here on the beeb, how many have any real life experience with any of these that HD or Lowes sells.

 

I get the zero turn if you cut for a living, but for the life of me I can't understand why Joe Homeowner wants one.

My neighbor and I both have 2 acres. He got the zero turn while I have a conventional Cub Cadet. I dig cruising around my yard with the Beats headphones on and a cold one in the cup holder.

He's on the other side flailing his arms in all directions and generally looking like he's getting beat to hell.


On the other hand, I think he needs the exercise.

 

I'll say this. My Toro rider came from Lowes and I bought it about ten years ago. Maybe even more. And it still cranks first time out and cuts just like the day I bought it. If I were to replace it, it would be another Toro, hands down.

 

+1 on the Husky I bought a standard front engine 42" cut from Northern 7 years ago and haven't had a minutes trouble out of it. Hell it had the same battery in it till this year lol.

 

The box store versions aren't the same as a mower stores version. Toro, skagg, Dixie chopper, husler.

Cub is home owner shit.

I'd find a low hour used machine from someone who thought they wanted to start a business, and it will last you forever.

I went from a JD 42" riding mower to a 62" Toro Z-Master and went from 3hrs of cutting to 45 minutes. I scored the mower on CL for $1000.

 

then he's an idiot and still hasnt figured out how to operate the damn thing yet.

ive used both, and i just like the cut and looks of the yard after using the zero turn. Nice straight lines. Doesnt look like i was sitting back drinking a six pack of beer, half drunk weaving all over the place.

 

already checked on the Toro's, and (at least here in ATL), its the exact same model at the mower stores as at HD.