Zero Turn Mowers - What brand?

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Just moved onto a country lot with about a half acre of grass, the ancient JD 180 with 42" that came with the house is not long for this world, so we were looking at mowers in town and has a good session with a fellow who sold these new fangled (to me) Toro "Timecutter" units that look to have a lower centre of gravity than the tractor type - any reason that those of you who have experience in these machine would push me toward a John Deere, or Ariens, or Husqvarna?
I am guessing that they are all pretty much reliable and that the deciding factor would be the dealer experience and secondly parts availability.
Also looking at Stihl straight shaft Kombisystem for trimming, especially for the sides of the creek/drain along the side of the lot. Any one have bad experiences with these?
 

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In 30 years I have owned two cub cadets. The latest is 12 yr.s old and still doing it. Neither were/are zero turn, rather the tractor style.
The newest neighbor has a Hustler and really likes it. He would mow every 4-5 days last year. Covered approx 3 1/2 acres. This year he came over wanting to know if I would hay the parts he doesn't mow. Like the other three houses.
It isn't any of my business but I will make the observation that those folks go through alot of mowers. Green, yellow, black and other colors.
At 1400 to 2000 a pop I've always wondered why they don't find a nice small tractor and 5 ft. brush hog or a 7 ft. sickle bar mower. Yes the little bride has a riding mower but 85% of the time I catch most of the open area with a 28 hp ford tractor and 7 ft sickle mower.

No experience with the combination units, but I own 3 Stihl chain saws 4 if you count the pole saw, none are newer than 15 yr.s old and a weed eater that the only place you can find parts for is e-bay. Stihl makes good stuff. This is the smallest saw we have and I'm making the point to my son that it may be 40 yr.s old and little but it isn't the size of the saw that makes wood. You just gotta get your butt off the couch.


 
I have a 6' pull-behind bushhog, similar to this.
Mower02.jpg

Heavy, pivoting blades, it'll grind thru tree branches, and bounce off rocks. If I razor-edge the blades, it's almost as good as a finish mower. But, has two serious drawbacks.

First is that the tractor's wheels crush the growth before the mower can get it.

Second is that I have so many nooks and crannies between trees and such, that I spend a lot of time mowing in reverse, the only way to get the mower in those tough spots.

So, to address those issues, what I've been wanting is a front loader attached mower, probably self powered, like this:
Mower03.jpg

That'll get into those tight spots, and avoid trying to mow over crushed vegetation.

With all that in mind, here's a mower that has a front mower deck:
Mower01.jpg

And, here's a 2017 zero-turn guide:

http://homewaresinsider.com/best-zero-turn-mower-reviews/


17 years ago, I went all-out on the Ryobi combo.
Ryobi.jpg

Works quite well, put many hours on it. At the time, the attachments were interchangeable with Homelite and John-Deere, a bonus in my mind, gives better choice. Since then, I believe Echo has dominated the market down here. I haven't had to shop for this stuff for 15 years, so all this may be useless info.

My tree branch boom chainsaw is Stihl. Excellent. But, chews thru chains, because of all my oak trees...
 
Thanks 2M for the link. Who knew there were so many brands!
All that front end loader mounted unit needs is a air conditioned cab.
Or maybe a standard cab and an employee.
 
You only have a 1/2 acre? small is handier for trimming. if the land is smooth a dixon will prolly work, I have an ancient woods zero turn front mount. the belly mount zero turns are more popular now but SUCK for getting under bushes and trees to reduce string trimming. (hosta is your friend!) That Woods is hands down the toughest thing I have ever owned, the briggs motor puked and I found a deal on another but aside from standard maintenance, shaft bearings etc building up wear with weld, it is like an energizer bunny. I use it for trimming under the fences in my pasture and mow shrubs, small trees, rocks etc. on a regular basis. The mower is 22 years old I've owned it 12 of those. I'm due to replace the 4th set of blades and am still on the original spindles and bearings.
I ended up making special shaft guards/long grass cutters, because of winding really tall grass around the shafts and u joints til the mower stopped or the smoke got so bad I couldn't see to mow. LOL
For trimmers; the stihl 4 mix are the only game in town, half the fuel consumption of 2 strokes, they will idle forever without fouling. Are much quieter and have less vibration. Get the loop handle type for string trimming and the bicycle bars for brush cutting with a blade. I scored a second one for basically free and now have one for string, one with the blade. I'm a long term cheap ass but drink the Stihl Kool-aid.
The current list, only the pole saw was bought new, the rest were CL finds.
2 FS90 trimmers
024, 361, 044 chain saws, just snagged the 024 and 044 at a garage sale two weeks ago, couple hours of cleaning and tuning and used them to cut a massive 40" trunk maple into firewood, both are keepers.
the adjustable 4-mix pole saw.
a gas hedge trimmer ( in a collection of beat to death Stihls I bought and rescued)
and a leaf blower.
I've had a good dozen stihl saws come and go. That 361 has cut 5 plus cords a year for at least ten years now with no repairs. I bought it used after a disastrous brand new 390 purchase.
4 mix tools can be found real cheap sometimes, they need to have the valves adjusted now and then, if not adjusted, they get hard or impossible to start, an hour of easy work, they run like new.
 
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Thanks Gary. Looks like Stihl is winner hands down for accessories. I maybe should stick with the old John Deere for a couple more cuts; no sense running out to buy 3 or 4 grand worth of lawn equipment without a lot of shopping around.
 
I was at TSC last weekend. There was a guy eyeing the mowers for $4000-$5000. The guys lady friend/wife says, "honey, do you want one of those?" Guy says, "Hell no, for that much I could have a new barn".

Scott
 
Guys,
what you need is a grass & weed removal device that is self driven, self replicating and don't use gas.
It's called a sheep.
And if you fall on hard times you can eat the bastard.
 
with the zero turn it will depend on your block , a lot of them don't like steep slopes especially if damp or wet (doesn't take much to lose traction ) otherwise their the ducks nuts , I have about 2 1/2 - 3 acreas to mow and if wasn't for the steepness would buy 1 tomorrow (have seen contractors using them on my block) twice as quick as any of my rideons
 
Update. A new 42" Toro Timecutter with bags on it has been on the lawn for a while now. A steep learning curve for the two steering handles, but I will master it, (look where you want to go still works); emptying the bags is a nuisance and I know about mulching and just leaving the clipping as they lay, but there is more than me to make decisions around here.
Machine does a good job; may well be the last one I need to buy.
 
DIXIE CHOPPER. Forget what they say on TV. It really is how "Fast" you mow.
images
 
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