Rookie just Starting

[precision72]

Looking to purchase a zero turn mower - Scag Tiger Cub with Briggs ELS 26hp engine. I need feedback before I spend $6500.00.
I also want feedback on a blower and weed eater.

[jasdebcr]

just starting? and spending 6500? how many account do you have? one big hint. pay cash!!!!! do not borrow money for a mower. if need start out with a 1500.00 mower. ware it out making the money to pay cash for bigger and better. customers may not stay with you even if you have a contract.

[PlatinumLandCon]

Buy small or a big used one. Thats a big outlay for a new guy but we don't know your current financial situation. Buy for cash is always the best advice you'll get when starting out.

[retrodog]

Hey, you can get a Bad Boy ZT with a 26hp Briggs motor for $4495. $6500 is alot for the cheapest motor out right now, and that is not even a commercial mower! I don't know about the whole used deal, with the way financing is today you can buy a mower for around $130 to $180 a month with 0 down for 36 to 48 months and have a brand new machine with warranty. For $6500 I would recommend a Bad Boy Pup with a 30hp kohler and a 52inch deck. It is a full blown commercial machine with a 3000 hour life expentancy, 5 guage steel deck with electric lift, 7 guage throughout mower, etc. The Scag you are looking at has a 1200 hour life span!

[ponyboy]

stay away from briggs look for kawis

[tb8100]

The Scag is a nice mower, but you can get alot more mower for $6500 if you look elsewhere (like Bad Boy). The Pup holds almost twice the fuel the Tiger Cub holds, has a stronger frame, better accessibility, and has much better engine options ($350 more will land you a Pup with a 31hp Kawasaki!!). The Briggs ELS is what, a 1200hr engine? I know I would rather have a 30+ hp Kohler or Kawasaki over a B&S ELS. Again, it's good for what it is, but why not invest in a mower that will last you alot longer?

check out www.badboymowers.com if you wanna read up on them (or run a search on here).

[stevenf]

I am fairly new to this myself and I have also been looking into a ZTR. I dont mind finacing one because I have a brand new trimmer, bp blower, and trailer and dont owe anything.
I was originally looking at the same scag mower but I have since been leaning toward the Ferris IS1500. It is the cheapest ztr rider around here and they have pretty good reputations.
I know the feeling lol! Hard to choose which one.....

[tb8100]

I am fairly new to this myself and I have also been looking into a ZTR. I dont mind finacing one because I have a brand new trimmer, bp blower, and trailer and dont owe anything.
I was originally looking at the same scag mower but I have since been leaning toward the Ferris IS1500. It is the cheapest ztr rider around here and they have pretty good reputations.
I know the feeling lol! Hard to choose which one.....

Shoot, I dunno about the Ferris. It holds 6 gallons of fuel, has aluminum spindles (Bad Boy and Scag have cast-iron spindles), though the engine specs are decent. I would personally take a Scag over a Ferris, if you have a good dealer near you, but I would take a Bad Boy over either. :drinkup:

[mowing grass 1111]

there is a guy on here selling a 2007 exmark with a little over 400 hours on it for $ 5,500 thats the way i would go
here is the link http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=210685

[landvet]

Your setting yourself up if you don't first look into whether you can actually afford it. You haven't answered the question of "how many accounts do you have?" At the very least, total your sales for a week, multiply it by 4 for a month, and then see if you can afford the monthly payment along with your truck, insurance, fuel,etc... Don't start out massively in debt. Not trying to be negative, It's just smarter to start off spending a little more conservatively. If you got the cash then go for it, or if a family member is willing to give you a low or no- interest loan. Good luck!

[Edmond_Dantes]

I don't think starting off in debt is a good idea either:nono:, however I'm going to do so this year. My salary job will help support the business for the first couple of months until it becomes self-sufficient. I'll be mowing yards in the afternoon until summer starts, so I'm going to buy a 52 zero in order to be able to handle the amount of accounts I want for the summer.

Let's face it, I'm not going to get anywhere with my personal 42 inch Craftsman. If this guy has income coming in from somewhere else, he should be fine until his accounts buildup to a full time gig.

[tb8100]

Your setting yourself up if you don't first look into whether you can actually afford it. You haven't answered the question of "how many accounts do you have?" At the very least, total your sales for a week, multiply it by 4 for a month, and then see if you can afford the monthly payment along with your truck, insurance, fuel,etc... Don't start out massively in debt. Not trying to be negative, It's just smarter to start off spending a little more conservatively. If you got the cash then go for it, or if a family member is willing to give you a low or no- interest loan. Good luck!

This is all good advice, and of course we're assuming he's not just a rookie to the lawn care service, but a rookie to business as well.

If you're a good businessman and manage it well, getting into debt isn't as big of an issue. If you're totally new to working for yourself, I would advise against it.

[precision72]

I am new to cutting lawns but currently run a business for myself. I asked a few clients if they would be willing to have me mow their yards and they agreed. My clientele are mostly older customers that are currently paying others far more than they can afford. I was cutting three of their yards last season with my standard 54" 22 horsepower B&S ELS Southern States mower (over an hour each yard)and this is what prompted me to try the business. I have looked at several mowers in my area of Virginia and so far scag looks the best to me. The engine is the same as my current mower, but the Kohler pushes the price beyond what I can pay cash for. I figure since I have purchased land in the area that I need to maintain (3 acres) and my current home has .48 acres that I could just do a few yards to pay for the mower without keeping me away from the family.

[precision72]

just starting? and spending 6500? how many account do you have? one big hint. pay cash!!!!! do not borrow money for a mower. if need start out with a 1500.00 mower. ware it out making the money to pay cash for bigger and better. customers may not stay with you even if you have a contract.
I only have two accounts currently. Side by side properties of 3 and 1.5 acres mostly flat with limited trees. They are located less than 2 miles from land I just purchased and need to maintain.

[stevenf]

Would yall consider the Bad Boy zt a commercial mower? If so, I think Ive found my mower lol

[retrodog]

Would yall consider the Bad Boy zt a commercial mower? If so, I think Ive found my mower lol

Its not considered a commercial unit per say, it still has a 7 guage deck, I would consider it a "souped up homeowner". The hydros and motor have around a 1200 to 1500 hour expended life span. You can add the 23hp Vanguard to it to make it semi commercial, but I would spend the $6000 for the Pup and get the full blown commercial unit. The hydros are unbelievable on them, and you will have a 3000hr expected life span then. Had 2 people sign up for one today!

[tb8100]

The ZT is every bit as much of a commercial mower as others in that price range, but the Pup isn't much more and it's an even better value. Take a look at the components on a comparable Scag, Toro, etc. They're not any heavier duty. The ZT has a 26hp B&S ELS option and a 23hp Vanguard option. I've been getting on their case to drop in a 23hp Kawasaki and they seem to like the idea, but the Vanguard is an excellent option and has a 3 year warranty on it. For 2008, the ZT has ZT2800 transaxles and holds 14.5 gallons of fuel, making it extremely competitive. It also has 1.5" cast iron spindles, a Warner 225lb-ft clutch, electric deck lift, and of course Bad Boy's optional foot assist pedal. You can even get the Pup seat on one as an option. It's a strong contender in the commercial mower class, but if I was in the business, I would run at least a Pup due to the better engine options, heavier deck, and better accessibility.

[Exact Rototilling]

Your setting yourself up if you don't first look into whether you can actually afford it. You haven't answered the question of "how many accounts do you have?" At the very least, total your sales for a week, multiply it by 4 for a month, and then see if you can afford the monthly payment along with your truck, insurance, fuel,etc... Don't start out massively in debt. Not trying to be negative, It's just smarter to start off spending a little more conservatively. If you got the cash then go for it, or if a family member is willing to give you a low or no- interest loan. Good luck!
+1

Unless you have a bunch of accounts already lined up get yourself a decent WB mower 32". 36", 44" or 48" with a sulky-step saver etc. and a good decent commercial or higher end pro-summer 21" mower for trim work.

I wish I could say I was debt free [even if it is all 0%] but I do have enough indicators that show I will be out of the red by August or the end of the season based on very conservative projections.

No plans for a slick riding ZTR mower just yet. That will be 2009-2011 and beyond along with a Chevy or GMC 2500HD crew cab and a bigger trailer etc. Need to have serious cash flow under my wings before I make such a huge jump.

[precision72]

I will give the Bad Boy a look on Saturday, I have until next season to make a purchase anyway, but a special thanks to you guys for honest opinions and guidance. I'm really glad I found and signed up to this site.

[tb8100]

I just wanted to clarify that Retrodog's post about the Bad Boy ZT transaxle refers to the old Hydrogear IZT, not the ZT2800 which they now use.

[Raven386]

Have you looked at Stihl trimmers & blowers? We use both Echo & Stihl, and the echo trimmers usually stay in the garage all summer. The stihl is very powerful and always starts on the first pull. the echo takes a while to get started and is somewhat underpowered for thicker weeds and overgrowth where as the stihl blasts right through it. we also have a br600. best blower i have ever used, very powerful and lightweight.

theres been countless posts on other trimmers and blowers. but what it all comes down to is dealer support, IMO.

[retrodog]

I just wanted to clarify that Retrodog's post about the Bad Boy ZT transaxle refers to the old Hydrogear IZT, not the ZT2800 which they now use.

Hey tb, what is the difference between the set-ups, I'm not real familiar with with the Zt's, we mainly sell the pups and up.

[stevenf]

I used echo trimmers and I noticed you cant use .105 trimmer line. It robs the power ALOT! my SRM-210 and SRM-230 work fine with .90. Still, getting an echo started is a pain sometimes.

[tb8100]

Hey tb, what is the difference between the set-ups, I'm not real familiar with with the Zt's, we mainly sell the pups and up.

The ZT2800 transaxle is a more rugged design than the residential IZT, and is rated as a commercial quality transaxle. Exmark, Scag, Hustler, Dixon, and others all use this transaxle in their lower end commercial units (Hustler uses them on their Trimstar WB). It costs more than the IZT, though Bad Boy did not up the price of the units for 2008 (which I was very impressed with). Alot of people want to hate the ZT2800, but I haven't heard of one instance where they have failed yet. Run a search on the ZT2800 on here, and you'll find people wary because they're still an integrated drive transaxle, but not one complaint of one failing.

The ZT2800 on the Bad Boy ZT was custom engineered to operate smoother with all the HP that the ZTs put out, particularly in the 36" and 50". :weightlifter: