Looking for suggestion

[betarace]

Hey all- I am new to the board, and I am very close to makeing a selection on a Zero Turn Radius Mower. I have a 15 acre lawn and would like opinion/prices in the field for the following "short list"


1. Kubota ZD21 60"
2. Snapper ZM2500 61"
3. Skag Cougar 60"
4. Toro Z Master 287L or Z253/255 (all in 62")

Criteria
Maintenance
Cut Quality
Price
Features
(in this order)

I am looking for one (and I think all of these have) with a rear bagger for the "in close" 5 acres.

Feel free to email me betarace@earthlink.net

[accuratelawn]

Wow you are considering bagging 5 acres! You might rethink this. I believe you would save time by cutting the close in areas more othen, rather than bagging.
I have been happy with my Exmark Lazer.

[John DiMartino]

Given your choices,Id go with the toro,and get some gator blades to chop up clippings real fine.I wouldnt bag 5 acres,unless it was nt tall.

[Wood Lawn Man]

All I can give you information on is Scag's, but I've been using them for 9 years. First off, they don't make a 60" Cougar. And to get more bang for your buck and really decrease your mowing time, I would go with a 61" Turf Tiger with a 27hp Kawasaki engine. It has one of the highest productivity ratings in the industry with 27 acres per day and should be available for under $8,000. Also, as far as bagging, with a good set of gator magnum mulchers, you should probably never have to bag. If you find this to be a necessity, they have a spindle-driven bagger available.

[David Gretzmier]

I have heard of problems with the couger, but agree on the midmount skag listed above, except our price is around 8300 here. we are buying on next week. there is also a bagger available for thet model, although I'd muclh it as well. of the rest of your list, I'd say the toro is the least likely to break, and have a bagger available. the snapper and kubota are either new or break prone, and the couger doesn't bag with the 60"deck. side sischarge only. everbody here worships dixie choppers, but we don't run them-yet. no dealer here. or near. Dave g

[Atlantic Lawn]

Well I like Toro, they have a great dealer support system around here. I would mulch not bag 5 acres it's better for the lawn and for you.In your case go with the brand that you can get the best customer support on.

[Russ]

From the ist of choices, I would chose the Scag. If dependability and features were at the top of the list I'd look very seriously at a Dixie. Bagging should not be necessary with either mower. I do a couple of 5 ac. propertys that I think I would walk away from if bagging was required. But thats just my 2 cents.

[sdwally]

We just did a demo comparsion on about 8 different units, including the one you listed, except for the Kubota. Scag came out on top. If you are mowing one 15 acre area you might consider a 72" ZTR. This way you could as compete for other larger jobs. 72s get a little pricey however.
You also need to ask the repair techs what are some of the common problems with each and what a normal repair bill cost on each brand.
Scag 72" Sabre Tiger is super heavy duty one piece frame(not bolted in the middle. Some units have the engine and power train built by one company and bolt their pieces to them to make a ZTR. The new scag deck are triple plated across to top for strength. Every thing is easy to get to to work on! Also on many units you have your choice of engines. HP and Torque ratings can make a big different when mowing heavy thick turf and/or mulching grass.
Scag 72" Sabre Tooth Tiger with mulching kit and a 31hp Turbo Charged Diesel is around $15,000. Excel Lazer 72" with a 27hp diesel came in second, however it was cheaper.

[65hoss]

consider only midmounts. The toro mid mount still doesn't have a factory bagger, but who cares. Forget bagging. I would probably go test the kubota and the toro and make my choice between the 2.

[trimmer]

I own a toro and really happy with it. It cuts as smooth as a baby's butt. I used to bag quite often until this past year one of my goals was not to bag at all, so far I have been very succesful, so I would try discharging if you could. As far as the snapper goes I will never buy another one. I bought a rear engine rider to cut my property with and the paint began coming off the deck around the spindles, I took it to the dealer for him to look at it, he called snapper and they told him to give me a can of red spray paint. I will never again by one of there products or promote it. I have heard many bad things about the cougar. I would suggest the toro because I have one but I have great reviews about the kubota. I would look into them two.:blob3:

[betarace]

Thanks to all of you... my list is down to Scag (front runner), Exmark and Kubota, the dealers for these are no less than 1 mile apart, so the weekend should bring some S-E-R-I-O-U-S netgotiations. One of the dealers has the Toros, but after reading *nearly* ever post of the subject, they have fallen into 5th place.

No Dixie dealer w/in 75 miles of me. I did try, maybe next time.


Will advise! and thanks again!

:)

[Vibe Ray]

Exmark!!!! I love my new Lazer Z HP!!!! I feel Exmark mowers are the best all around deigned mowers.

Hey SDWally, you said that SCAG has a 31hp Turbo Charged Diesel??? Who makes that engine? Daihatsu? I thought Daihatsu only made a 31HP liquid cooled gas and a 27HP liquid cooled deisel? Is the deisel really turbo charged??