Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Anyone Here Own a Zero Turn Mower?

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Posted by Joshua Waaland (Member # 287) on 06-30-2009, 08:08 PM:

Okay, so I have had my eye on one of those commercial zero turn mowers for a few years since my brother-in-law got one and I took it for a spin. He bought a John Deere commercial zero turn and a friend bought a Scag zero turn about the same time. I have done quite a bit of research and the Scag seems to be the standard in the industry and the best built zero turn mower out there, but dang are they expensive.

We own just over one acre and only half of that is grass and the rest is woods. I know it would be overkill but I want one anyways. It may only take five minutes to mow but it will be a fun five minutes! I used to push mow and bag so it took me several hours to do the yard. Then a few years ago I bought a used MTD cheapo rider and it cut my time down to one hour or so. It has some carburetor design problems and it floods a lot so I am always tinkering with it. Now that I have a kid and every minute must be squeezed out of the day, a zero turn would cut that time down drastically again and it would make me actually look forward to mowing again. [beer]

So I was wondering if anyone here has one and what they think of it. Here is the one I have my eyes on. Isn't she beautiful?

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 06-30-2009, 08:11 PM:

Zero turn = it only goes in a straight line? That must be one wide mower!

Posted by Marc Hansen (Member # 705) on 06-30-2009, 11:42 PM:

BUY ONE!

I have about 1.2 acres, 4 buildings, lots of trees. With a conventional rider it takes about 2.5 hours without bagging, with my zero-turn (Ariens 1640)1 hour 15 with bagging. Also since it is all hydraulic and controlled with the handles you arn't worn out when you get done. You essentially have power steering and no clutching or shifting. Most of them have a power bagger available, well worth it, bags much better. The power bagger sucks up power however so get more horsepower if possible. Mine is a 16HP and 40 inch cut. If I knew then what I know now I would have got the 18HP 36 inch cut. It's so fast the cutting width is not real important. I would never go back.

As a side note, check out the dealer before you buy it. The dealer I bought from had the most incompetent service department I have ever seen and I'm in the automotive industry and I've seen some really bad car dealers. The mower had 3 items that needed to be repaired under warranty. It took 23 trips to get it done right. However I got to know there delivery driver quite well, he used to manage a multi for Edwards

Posted by Dennis Udovich (Member # 1066) on 07-01-2009, 12:16 AM:

I have about 2 acres of lawn to cut. Often my wife and I cut lawn at the same time "TO GET IT DONE!" It takes a total of 4 hours. So if we both cut, it only 2 hours apiece.

Back in 1999, we purchased two new Simplicity mowers. One a 16 hp lawn tractor with 44" cut. My wife wanted the 16 hp ZT zero turn mower with 44" cut.

I prefer a tractor, as it can be used for many other uses.
My wife enjoyed using the ZT. The only problem is cutting under trees with low branches. You CAN'T take your hand off the handle to keep the branches from hitting you. That would be my grip about a ZT.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 07-01-2009, 02:33 AM:

Ummmm... why does it have a roll bar?

Posted by Joshua Waaland (Member # 287) on 07-01-2009, 09:19 AM:

Because it is so cool they thought it needed a rollbar. [Cool]

Seriously though, they are built with an extremely low center of gravity and wide footprint but it's for added saftey since many commercial landscapers have to deal with steep hills and inclines. It's part of the ROPS (Roll Over Protection System). You don't have to get it with the rollbar, it is an add-on.

Here is a video of it in action for your viewing pleasure. [Wink]

Scag Turf Tiger

quote: Dennis Udovich
The only problem is cutting under trees with low branches. You CAN'T take your hand off the handle to keep the branches from hitting you. That would be my grip about a ZT.

In that case you can go with something like this:
Gizmo

The Gizmo has a steering wheel.

I hate low hanging branches and I cut them off whenever my wife lets me near my chain saw. I can get kind of overzealous when I start trimming the trees. [evil]

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 07-01-2009, 09:38 AM:

I've got a Zero Turn mower I use at the theatre.. it's amazing. Cut my mowing time in half as opposed to the old standard riding mower tractor.

I bought a Cub Cadet RZT 50 (50" cut) with a 23 hp Kawasaki engine on the back. My mower is a residential duty mower, and the drive-in really beats the shit out of it. I've never had any problems with the engine or the hydrostatic transmission pumps. I've only had problems with my consumables (belts, tires, spindles, etc.) If all I did with my mower was mow my 1.75 acre neighborhood yard, that mower would probably outlive me. Since I'm demanding my residential duty mower to handle the abuse of a commercial application, I will more than likely be replacing it within a few years. I'm just asking my mower to do stuff it just wasn't designed to do.

That SKAG you have pictured is a fantastic mower... ExMark is a pretty good brand too. The commercial landscaping dealer up the street from my office sells a brand of commercial duty ZTR's called "Bad Boy". They are built like a Sherman Tank.

Posted by Joshua Waaland (Member # 287) on 07-01-2009, 09:49 AM:

They sell the Bad Boy brand at the TSC Farm Supply stores in our area. I looked at them and they are built pretty heavy but nothing like a Scag. If you ever get the chance to see a Scag up close check it out. They are built like a Norelco DP70. They rust away before they die. I have seen some on ebay with well over 4,000 hours on them. That would outlast any person using it for residential purposes and probably even their grandchildren.

Most residential riders only have a life expectancy of about 500-1,000 hours max depending on the model and how much you spend.

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 07-01-2009, 01:51 PM:

An organization I'm a member of has a grounds of about 25 acres. We bought a Scag about 7 years ago. The entire area gets mowed about once a month April thru October, plus an extra cutting before each of our two main events, that means it runs a couple hours a day 3 or 4 days a week at minimum during that time. Aside from flat tires, filters, oil changes and I believe one broken belt and a leaking hydraulic hose it has give no trouble.

Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 07-03-2009, 08:06 AM:

quote: Adam Martin

Zero turn = it only goes in a straight line?

I was wondering, too. Apparently it means zero turning radius, i.e. it turns on a dime.

--jhawk

Posted by Joshua Waaland (Member # 287) on 07-03-2009, 09:01 AM:

Yes, that's what it means. Most zero turns are controlled by two levers like in the picture above. Each lever controls the flow of hydraulic fluid going to independent hydraulic motors on each rear wheel. If you push the left lever forward and pull the right lever back, the left wheel moves forward while the right wheel moves in reverse. This will make you spin in place in a clockwise circle. If you push both levers forward equally then you move forward in a straight line. If you move both levers forward and the right lever is pushed further than the left, then you will move forward but curve to the left because the right rear wheel is moving faster than the left rear wheel.

It's a very simple but great idea. The only thing you have to be careful of is actually trying to "turn on a dime". If you come to the end of a row and you stop the left wheel completely and drive the right wheel forward so that it does spin with a zero turn radius, then you will turf your lawn. The grip of the non moving rubber tire (in this case the left) on the grass while it is spinning but stationary will tear out the grass and leave a bare spot.

Scag recommends turning like this:

quote:
How can I turn with my zero turn riding mower without tearing the turf?
Although zero-turn mowers can turn on a dime (or in very tight circles), it is not the best practice to do so on the grass. Even tight turns have the potential to cause turf damage. The best way we have found to prevent and/or greatly minimize turf damage is to:

•Use 3-point / Y-turns at the end of a mowing row rather than zero-turns to change direction. It is still a fast maneuver and will reduce the potential of turf damage greatly.

1. At end of mowing path, turn toward next mowing path.
2. Reverse while turning slightly in opposite direction to align mower with next mowing row.
3. Proceed into next mowing path.

•On "tight" turns, pay special attention to the inside drive wheel. This wheel will naturally spin slower than the outside drive wheel. It is important to keep the inside wheel turning at all times. If the turn is made to cause the inside wheel to stop turning, this is when turf damage can occur.
We have found that by using both of these methods, turf damage is all but a thing of the past. Over a short period of time, it becomes second nature and overall productivity can be increased.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 07-03-2009, 01:48 PM:

Bah! You can't do a "zero turn" without tearing up your grass? That's ridiculous. They should put some sort of levitation into the machine so when a zero turn is required, the entire machine levitates slightly to save the lawn. THAT would be cool. [Razz]

Posted by Robert Minichino (Member # 3495) on 07-03-2009, 01:54 PM:

So like a ride-on Flymo? If only there was a way to avoid pushing down the grass you're trying to cut.... [Smile]

Posted by Jake Spell (Member # 5294) on 07-03-2009, 06:59 PM:

I love my Zero-Turn mower. I can cut my 2 acers in 30 min. But it can tear up the grass if youre not carful, and they Hate water, but waht mower dosent.