Walker's claims against midmounts!!!

[Lawnworks]

I was reading my Grounds Maintenance mag and I saw a Walker ad that stated why one should buy a Walker over a midmount. I have had a little experience w/ Walker mowers and I have never got back on one. It felt like I was riding a bull and just trying to stay on.:) Plus I would shoot myself w/ their max afterstock speed of 6.5. Here are some of Walkers claims:

"Mid-mounts have inherent design limitations to quality cutting. Heavily weighted front caster wheels track and mash the grass down before cutting and the mid-mount deck is more rigidly connected to the tractor, giving less deck suspension than the front cut"

Hmmm, I have never noticed this with my Chopper. I wonder why Walker doesn't state their blade tip speed.

"Don't be fooled by the popular idea that the mower with the fastest ground speed always finishes first."
"While many midmount 'Zs' have a higher top speed than the Walker, the Walker often wins the job time race."

Ok, so my chopper has a top speed that is twice that of a Walker and the Walker will still win the time race. That makes sense.:confused:

"A comparison will show the mid-mounts cannot match the easy maintenance of a Walker. There is no access to the underside of the deck and many working parts require disassembly for access on these designs"

I thought mechanics love Choppers b/c of their easy access.

"The mid-mount operator sits ahead of the turn radius and is jostled side-to-side when turning, and since the deck is positioned underneath, the operator has to look to see the mowing area. Holding steering levers in postion does get tiring."

That is funny, I thought it was the trimming that made me tired. Want a rough ride? Try a Walker not midmount.


I just wanted to let you guys know some of the propaganda Walker is putting out there. I think Walker is going to go out of business. I just hate it when they say stuff that is not true. Walker's are good for bagging and getting under trees and that is it. Period. Exmarks and Choppers and possibly Hustlers are the future for lawn maintenance.

[SCAPEASAURUSREX]

So let me get this straight >>>> You can cut at 13 mph on your chopper ?? And it looks good ??

[lawrence stone]

In Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote:

that in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper stata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily, and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think that there may be some other explanation. For the grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying. These people know only too well how to use falsehood for the basest purposes.

[Fantasy Lawns]

don't hold your breath .....Walker has been around since 1977 ... is all OVER the world .... over 5,000 international ...... distributed in over 15 Countries outside of USA ....

most Walker owners ..... I know own more than 1 & many have a larger mid mount ZTR ..... each has it's own niche

ground speed is great on open terrain .....on open areas my 60" mid mount is faster .... but cut a commercial or large estate with mult beds ......narrow entry's or lawn terrain ....hilly rolling burms ....n the walker saves time

smooth terrain = smooth ride .....regardless of mower type

walker will pop a wheelie in reverse ...... but any ZTR can do that in foward

either way I own both n love both

[Eric ELM]

Originally posted by SCAPEASAURUSREX
So let me get this straight >>>> You can cut at 13 mph on your chopper ?? And it looks good ??

http://www.elmlawnsite.com/images/010829-012.jpg

[trimmer]

Eric I like how you answer questions.
:D

I have tried to pop wheelies on my Toro and have yet to be successful.

[landscaper3]

Heres my 2cents. We own 3 Walkers 4 Toros each have there pacific reason in our company. (1 up here in Maine you cant cut any faster then 9mph mabey in your area but not MINE!! 2nd Walkers are buy far mine and all our companys employees favorite on residential properties due to they cut down alot of trimming time over our Toro mid-mounts. 3rd Walker has tons of impliments and decks heck we can go from a 48GHS to a 52 or 62 Side discharge in 90seconds!!!! We can go from our snowblowers to aerator to bucket loader in 2 minutes!!! Hill side stability is awsome and with speedup kits put it at 7.6mph almost the fastest you can cut up here on residential and commercial irrigation fed lawns!
4Th our outfront zmasters are very important on long open areas like the 150,000 sqft athletic fields, schools, and any wide open areas or areas not visible with clippings left behind, these are buy far our favorites mowers in these areas but we will buy and buy Walkers for there ability to give a great mower for our needs! And buy mid mounts for there pacific ability. And for a mowing company thats been in business for over 25years and still retains 80% of there original concept is a great feat! Why is it other mowing companies have tried to COPY!!! a Walker only to go through many-many changes and at times stop making the product (Toro's version, Scags version, Bunton/Textrons version, and others.) So it all depends on -YOUR- company needs on what to buy. But we own all types, front mount, mid mounts and walkbehinds so we can justify there there statement! OH YEAH OUR WALKERS ride much smoother then our mid mount Z's we own. At least our 2001's Walkers with the Cushen seat. But we could have and should have ordered at least 2 for our Z's

[HOMER]

I witnessed a Suburban Turbn' (2 engine Chopper) riding wheelies at at least 10 mph and for at least 75 feet at a time.

Thought that was pretty cool!

[accuratelawn]

Each mower has its place. Having several thousand hours in the saddle of a mid-mount and only about 50 with my Walker , I have found a great combination. Lazer 60 and Walker 48 GHS.
The Lazer will out mow a Walker in large scale mowing.
The Walker is very agile on smaller 5-7k lots. The out front deck does reduce alot of trimming and the deck does follow the ground better than a mid mount.
The finish cut of the Walker is great.

[MOW ED]

You make sure and let me know when Walker is going out of business because I will stock up.

Sure you don't agree but its their ad. Why don't you complain to the company. I know Bob Walker would personally respond to your letter as has been his practice since the company started.

A few company owners of Z's are starting to realize the personal contact over the big business fascade too. It looks like they learned from the best.

If I could afford it, I would own a select few mowers and I already have my Walker.

[LJ lawn]

Mr. ELM,does that customer pay you extra to double cut like that or ? just wonderin'.

[Lawnworks]

Walker owners to the rescue!!!

[cantoo]

Take some of that pile of cash you make with your midmount and buy a Walker, you'll have the best of both worlds then.
PS, you better hurry I hear they are going out of business.

[HOMER]

It's only natural for an owner to defend his investment...........we're all guilty of that.

If we had the postage stamp yards like some areas do I wouldn't mind having one..................most of mine are larger so I know it wouldn't benefit me.

I'm sure Mr. Walker would spend time with you, his name is on the machine. There are other family owned business's that will take the time to show you what they have perfected as well. That's what you get when you buy from a manufacturer that has his nose in his business rather than a C.E.O riding high in the corporate chair.

[scottt]

Lawnworks,
You obviously didn't read the entire ad. You just got mad and only remember the parts you want to remember. The ad never says it is faster on ALL properties. Walker's aren't made for open areas, they are made for tightly landscaped areas. The ad says it is SOMETIMES faster, not in mowing time but in total time because of reduced trimming needed because the decks trim on both sides and the deck being out front. You talk about blade tip speed, who cares what it is as long as the cut quality is good. Walkers do usually leave a better cut than a DC. By the way, I don't own a Walker, I own a Dixie Chopper. A DC is better for the type of properties I maintain, BUT a Walker would be faster on some of the properties I maintain. I just hate it when narrow minded people bad mouth another machine when they have had in your own words, "little experience".

[RMDoyon]

scottt,

Kudos!
A succinct and gentlemanly response.

Roger

[Eric ELM]

Originally posted by LJ lawn
Mr. ELM,does that customer pay you extra to double cut like that or ? just wonderin'.

No he doesn't pay for a double cut, that is just one cut one week, another cut the next week. Email dochere, a lawnsite member and ask him if I double mow it to make it look like that. He came down and watched me mow that exact same lawn and others.

[65hoss]

No doubt in my mind that if you plan to handle grass all the time, the Walker is the best at it. I think having one for certain type properties and leaf season would be great. Just can't justify that price yet.

[TLS]

How can a Walker trim better than a Z? Maybe a few inches up front due to smaller caster tires, no biggie. I sit in the same relationship to the deck on a Walker as I do a Z. So going under trees is the same. Cut quality better....I highly doubt it. Tight areas...look at all the mower that is behind the drive tires just waiting to swing into that mulch bed or worse yet...HOUSE! If all you have is 1/4 acre heavily landscaped lawns that REQUIRE grass collection, then the WALKER IS your best choice. I personally dont have any of these types of lawns, so I chose my Lazer Z as my mower of choice.

The only thing Walker is doing with this negative advertising campaign is comparing apples to oranges and getting Z owners that may have wanted to purchase a Walker all pissed off!!!

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by TLS
How can a Walker trim better than a Z? Maybe a few inches up front due to smaller caster tires, no biggie. I sit in the same relationship to the deck on a Walker as I do a Z. So going under trees is the same. Cut quality better....I highly doubt it. Tight areas...look at all the mower that is behind the drive tires just waiting to swing into that mulch bed or worse yet...HOUSE! If all you have is 1/4 acre heavily landscaped lawns that REQUIRE grass collection, then the WALKER IS your best choice. I personally dont have any of these types of lawns, so I chose my Lazer Z as my mower of choice.

The only thing Walker is doing with this negative advertising campaign is comparing apples to oranges and getting Z owners that may have wanted to purchase a Walker all pissed off!!!

DITTO!!!!!!

[Runner]

I can KIND of see how one of these mowers can trim better because of this: With the deck out front, (like my Gravely, and any walkbehind, this allows you to be able to just "glide" around a tree or small (24 in. or less) bed in one even swoop. With a Z, it takes a little pivoting or else it tears the turf a little. I sure can't see how they claim this to follow the groung contour better than a free floating deck on a Z unless it's because of the fact that they are comparing a 48" deck to a 60 or 72' on uneven terrain. As far as their claim of "holding the steering levers does get tiring", well I think it is much more comfortable to have the levers up in front of me at a perfect height, with my arms resting gently on armrests, than to have my shoulders shrugged and my hand, or hand(s) down between my legs all day. Other than that, if you are cutting tight ares that have to be bagged, or cutting small islands (if you can get up on top of them with the minimum ground clearance available), then these mowers are the package for that.

[MOW ED]

Its like everything else in the business;
We can debate about blowers, trimmers, open trailers, blades, it goes on and on but for the most part we use what we "think" works best for what we are doing. If that isn't the case then we either cease to work or work poorly.

Put yourself in the place of a company that has to sell a product (oh I guess we all have some experience doing this). All mowers cut grass, thats a fact.
All lawncare companies cut grass too.

You do what you can to put your company in a better light than the competition. We do it as LCO's, Pepsi does it to Coke, 10-10-220 does it to 1-800-CALL-ATT. This is just one of the many ways of advertising.

So I could really care less about what mower everybody runs, its a matter of preference.
What I look for is what A MACHINE can do for me and the amount of return (to my pocket) of investment it generates.

So quit tryin to change minds here, it aint happenin.

[captdevo]

Lawnworks

have you owned one? operated one for a while?

no......

Then shut up!!

have a mid, have a front, have the best of both worlds

Eric, there is no way you could mow every property at 13mph. the wide open areas you have look excellent, but in tight spaces you know as well as i do the Walker is quicker.

hmmm.....Ford or Chevy......maybe Dodge...decisions---decisions

BTW.... what are your mowers doin' this winter?????

[TLS]

BTW.... what are your mowers doin' this winter?????

Sleeping in a warm garage!

This whole thread is turning into a brand war. Not just a brand war, but a type-of-mower war.

As pissed off as you Walker owners are about us Z people bragging about what our mowers can do, is exactly how pissed off the Walker advertisement makes us Z owners that just cant justify owning a Walker.

What we have, like many stated, is a Manufacturer that is darn proud of his product. That manufacturer is also trying to pry the eyes of Z owners or Future Z owners to look over the fence. "Look, Look, how green it is over HERE in Walker land!!! Come on over!!! Your side is crappy, let me tell you why...." Well, it may be working for them to use this advertising. How many of us have read the pull-out ad that were talking about? Probably most of us here. Thats what Walker wants, an eye catching ad that people WANT to read.

As was said before, they are a well built heavy duty bagging machine. Buy them if you need them.

I personally will never own a lawn mower with more than 4 tires. Been there, done that.

Peace

[Eng Mwr Guy]

And by pissing people off it gets people talking about Walker's which helps eventually sell machines.

I thought it was a well written advertising piece.

Barry
Gravely Guy

[hustlers]

Hail Walker, My mechanic had a dixie chopper in the shop
and it took 2 months for some parts and it was
a nightmare to remove engine.

I have a midmount 2 but my walker
is the luxury BMW and
the mid-mount is the beefed out old 70's mustang
that old people hate cause there so loud and it
looks like your in a race to mow the grass or get to the strip and sqwak tires on the strip !!!!!!!!

[Richard Martin]

hustlers wrote:
..........................
My mechanic had a dixie chopper in the shop and it took 2 months for some parts and it was a nightmare to remove engine.
..........................

Puh-leaze!

Sometimes parts can take a while to get. But that is the case with any mower. You just need to ask for the wrong part at the wrong time.

If your mechanic had difficulty removing a gas engine from a Dixie then he's in the wrong business.

[scottlawns]

I just bought a walker 48in GHS this fall for leaf clean up......and it in my opinion will make a leaf clean up look better than any yard out there and it made my life easy...we use danes for mowing and my buddys use danes and lazer Z but for clean ups they all know that the walker is the Best,if i only use it in the spring to dethatch and the fall for leafs its still worth every penny i paid for it ,for me this walker is by far the best purchase i ever made,i will say they take a little getting use to but I LOVE IT.

[Lawnworks]

Scottt said:
"You obviously didn't read the entire ad. You just got mad and only remember the parts you want to remember. The ad never says it is faster on ALL properties."

I read the whole thing and I had it right in front of me then and now. And your right it does not say ALL it says many which is still not true.

"Walkers do usually leave a better cut than a DC."

Say what!!!! Looks like you need to sharpen your blades!!!

"I just hate it when narrow minded people bad mouth another machine when they have had in your own words, "little experience"."

Uhhh, I just pointed out the false ideals that misrepresented midmounts in the ad! I guess I can be narrow minded but at least I am RIGHT!

captdevo:
Do Walkers come with seatbelts? They need to. My mower is miraculously turning leaves into dust this winter.

[lawrence stone]

Please lawnworks you are NEVER going to change the minds of walker owners that their overpriced machines are not the best thing since sliced bread.

Their mindset is that of a fundamental religious zealot. They have been brainwashed from reading issues of Walker talk.

Plus I think they like to keep their hands near their lap.

[captdevo]

captdevo:
Do Walkers come with seatbelts? They need to. My mower is miraculously turning leaves into dust this winter.


why would they need seatbelts??????? i must have missed something.


Stoner'

with the crap that you have, i think i'd sit back and read. it's so good, you are always trying to revise it

[lawrence stone]

Originally posted by captdevo


Stoner'

with the crap that you have, i think i'd sit back and read. it's so good, you are always trying to revise it

See how rabid these folks are? The Capt. (of the head) got so excited he double posted!!!

I was out with my "crap" today. A 10 year old traction unit with a 15 year old 52" mowing deck turns leaves into dust.

Plus I stand on a sulky vs. sitting and killing your back. You see the ladies just love my fully developed legs and azz.

For you see real men stand when they "do it" and women and girls sit.

[tlcgrounds]

I think this guy is a little wet behind the ears... Don't you guys agree!!!!!

[Lawnworks]

captdevo:

They need seatbelts b/c it is like riding a blasted bull.

[scottt]

lawrence stone,
If you look at my reply you'll see I don't own a walker, I own a dixie chopper.

lawnworks,
I sharpen my blades after about every 10 hours of mowing and I know I'm not going to change your mind. That's fine, but it doesn't mean I agree with you.

[landscaper3]

Funny I thought real men in jail did it standing up!!!!! LOL on the brain wash you better do some in house evaluation first! If you dont own one how can you rate one we own fronts and mids and feel we can rate them all fairly so if you dont own its all opions like some we know that has to many of them!

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Barry (from Gravely) said it correctly, now you will never forget the name "Walker".

I've used or owned most of the improved technology over many years and puchaced the ones that fit MY needs.


BTW my Lazer with a Peco Vac does excellently picking up leaves, if not I would have bought something else!

It all falls to the right thing for the job.

HAIL ALL MOWERS

[Scag48]

Dang, another out of control thread. People need to just CHILL out and just figure out that you can't just think that your mower is best. People need to figure out that different companies have different needs. Okay, I'll use the construction versus landscaper. Okay. I'll try to make this work. The construction guy got himself a brand new Deere 120. Take in mind that this is a 12 ton class excavator. Okay. The landscaper has a Bobcat X331 which is like 3-4 ton class and the construction guy tells the landscaper guy that he needs a Deere 120. The construction guy is Walker, the landscaper is DC, midmount, etc.. This is like comparing apples to oranges. The 120 is great in larger landscapes where large amounts of excavation needs to be done, where the Bobcat is nice where superior manueverability and preciseness is required. They are 2 different machines for 2 different jobs. It's that simple. Take it easy guys. The slowing season is making you guys restless. Just calm down and enjoy it. Peace out.

[cantoo]

Results of searching by keyword
Dixie- 1156
Exmark- 1943
Walker- 1062
Lazer- 1579
Gravely- 368
Kubota- 343
Dane- 439
Grasshopper- 382
John Deere- 630
Toro- 1701

Wait this means nothing, kind of like evaluating something you have never used or owned.

[casey]

In our area, if you're smart, you either use a Walker or WB's. I love watching the idiot LCO's trying to cut small residentials with their Z's. And they wonder why we can undercut them by so much.

[HOMER]

Casey,

You've matched the machine to the property. Nothing wrong with that.

I have seen one company come into town with a Walker and mow several hundred feet of hiway frontage that is a couple hundred feet wide...................he did not make a wise decision. Looks like a turtle out there.

Any business owner with a little common sense will spend money on equipment based on his or her needs. If he/she doesn't then they are easily led or plain ignorant.

The mowing business as I see it is one that is based on time and productivity. By purchasing the right piece of equipment for your needs the average times might be the same across the board............but you might cut 10,000 sq. ft. or less and I might cut 20,000+ lawns. If we swapped equipment for a week then we're both gonna suffer.

This debate could go on and on and still wouldn't accomplish anything.

[Eric ELM]

Originally posted by HOMER
[BThis debate could go on and on and still wouldn't accomplish anything. [/B]

I agree with you 100% Homer. ;)

The main reason there are so many different brands is the same as for automobiles or trucks. We all have our opinions on what is best for our needs and wallets. :)

[65hoss]

Very true Eric, but we all know Ford is the best. :D

[Eric ELM]

Originally posted by 65hoss
Very true Eric, but we all know Ford is the best. :D

:D
http://www.elmlawnsite.com/img21.jpg

[strickdad]

Originally posted by cantoo
Take some of that pile of cash you make with your midmount and buy a Walker, you'll have the best of both worlds then.
PS, you better hurry I hear they are going out of business. take some of that pile of cash you made with your midmount and by a walker???? the reason i have a pile of cash is because i "dont" have a walker to slow me down.

[WREBELMACHINE]

HUSTLERS

Our mechanic replaced a blown 22hp kohler on our old d/c flatlander with a 22hp robin we brought it in at noon on a friday and picked it up at 4pm on that same day! Sounds like you need to find a new mechanic.

As far as the walker ad If you use it in a small area I beleve its a good machine. however were I am it's a large area mowing and the few walkers that run in this area experience gear box and premature engine failure. Also we do a lot of hillside mowing and I think the walker does fairlly well on smooth slopes. but any ruff mowing on slopes you never see a walker in this area.

As far as production mowing there has never been a walker that will outmow my new bladerunner or any of my old d/c's on any of my accounts!

However if I bagged any of my accounts I would look a little closer at a walker because they do have a good bagger system!

[crs]

I don't own a Walker but I do have a rear discharge Huslter 251k. Not really a comparable machine but as far as the triming capabilities of a rear disharge deck you can't beat it. You never throw grass in a bed or on a house or car unless you back up to it. I can't say that for my midmount.:blob1:

[WREBELMACHINE]

By the way there is an old joke down here that concerns walkers. let me now if you would like to here it.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by WREBELMACHINE
By the way there is an old joke down here that concerns walkers. let me now if you would like to here it.

Is it "If you can't walk use a Walker"

[WREBELMACHINE]

LAWNGODFATHER

no thats not it, but I can't resist posting it. So here goes!


Question: What do people in old folks homes and slow mowing crews have in common?


Answer: They both use walkers!


This joke is just for entertainment and not to degrade people in old folks homes or people that use walkers or walker mowers!

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Hey I was close.

[Double D]

This is going to be one interesting and FUN winter!:D

[cantoo]

strictdad, guess I didn't make it clear enough. I meant to buy a Walker and KEEP your midmount then you could do any type of property efficiently. I have both and we use whichever one is the best for the conditions. Right now the midmount sits in the shed most of the week, the Walker is used on most properties for cleanups. Next year this will change, my peco will be on the mid mount and it will be used more.. But I will still have both.

[Lawnworks]

The object of this post was not to determine that midmounts and walkers each have their own niche!! The object of my post was to show the lies in Walkers advertising and hopefully get under the skin of some Walker owners!!;)

[HOMER]

I think you accomplished one of your goals anyway!

[lawrence stone]

Originally posted by HOMER
I think you accomplished one of your goals anyway!

Lawnworks give yourself a pat on the back.

Anytime you can smoke Capt. Nimrod out of his hole to foam at the mouth it is an accomplishment.

[yardsmith]

Let me add to the fire;
I read the ad again the other day & was fuming a bit too. I have demoed walkers considerably & almost bought one, but went with the junky midmount like all the other brainless types.
A few guys in our town bought walkers a couple years ago, but traded them in for exmarks. They were too slow.
About the hill hugging ability of the walker, that is flat out BS!!!
I watched a guy try to ride alongside a gentle slope & he was spinning the whole time, & yes he knew how to drive it. He'd had it a few yrs. My Bobcat will walk across a hill like a billy goat, & so will my steiner. Walker sucks on a hill because the weight being supported by the back wheel takes away from that weight being on the drive wheels, which reduces traction considerably, unlike what their ad says. I had the same problem taking a walker across any kind of slope.
As for bagging, that is the walkers niche. It is a hard to beat machine for spring & fall cleanup. However my Bobcat has a trac vac on it which is still somewhat primitive, but does the job, & now I can bag at 61" instead of walker's 48". And still have more ground speed.
For regular mowing (non bagging), a walker takes up over 8 feet of space to get turned around in small yards. That was the 1st thing I griped about when I demoed it in smaller yards-always backing up or looking for a place to turn around. My WB was 2-3 times faster.
Also, with the walker, you have to drive it up your trailer to dump into the truck bed or what ever contraption you have to build to accomodate getting the leaves where you want them, unless you buy the bag to dump into; but then you're handling the leaves twice each time. That adds up over a weeks time period.
Trac vac- take the trash can out of the holder & dump it into the bed or at the curb, throw it back in & go. Much easier & cheaper.
Also the walker frame & carriage rides to close to the ground- good for stability, but remember they won't climb a hill anyways. The only thing it's good for is to get buried easier if you get into soft stuff, which is about the 1st 2 months of season here. Or to bottom out on uneven terrain.
Anyways, every route is different. I wouldn't mind having a walker, but #1- its too expensive. #2-it wouldn't be my front line weapon. Maybe a used (not abused) one would fit my bill better.
Buy what you need according to your route- I did.

[MOW ED]

Smitty,
I am not looking to change your mind but I did notice one thing in your post that I can clarify.
I do some steep slopes with the Walker and I did have the opportunity to use a 60" Yazoo/Kees Z on the same slope and I couldn't do it. The Z wanted to run down the hill. I tried all different ways and had to z myself back up. It was exciting though as there is a river at the bottom of the hill. The Walker is back heavy, no arguement there but only if you have a small deck on it. There are places that I have to back up to mow but only when damp. I also tried the Walker with a 60" deck and that seems to be the cure to the back heavy problem as the big deck is about 300# off the front. It really helps if you have the low pro tires too.
Both mowers have their place and I am sure there are Z owners who could probably teach me to do the hill on a Z. I run a Walker as a front line mower and I will also be looking to supplement the line-up with a Z (of type to be determined). So don't everyone go peein on the Walker owners heads because I can find a use for a Z as well as a Walker.

[TLS]

True, belly Z's will skid down a steep hill but climb it and traverse it extremely well. A Walker type will drive down a hill with ease. You can even stop and back up halfway down. Unfortunately, you cant drive up them! Plus with the narrow width, traversing them can be real scarey. Its simply weight distribution at its best. The rear wheels on the Walker prevent it from going up a hill.

[Fantasy Lawns]

http://fantasylawns.com/2515_S_Trop_4.jpg

this ain't a steep hill ....but it's a slope ;->

[DAVE13]

Most of you are comparing your z's hill siding ability to ghs Walker's. A side discharge Walker will out perform any z on any hill.

[gorrell]

Dave, can you say that with complete confidence? I doubt it. I've had several grasshoppers in the past and they as well as the Walker have front mount decks. The grasshoppers were far from the top of the list in hillside abilities. I've presently got 3 DC Suburb'n Turbn's which have the widest track of any 72" machine currently in production. I'd like to see a Walker of any configuration stay on the hills that I can! Thanks, Lynn

[landscaper3]

Well we tested both our Toro Z-Masters agianst 3 of our Walker mowers and came to this: Staight up a very steep bank our Z-Masters RULED!!!! on a banking at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle mowing sideways the Walker beat the Z-Masters do to the Z-masters didnt and dont hold equil pressure on the hydros like the Walkers did! As a matter of fact we maintain many schools and the first time out this year I ripped up the lawn pretty good cause the mower wanted to drift down and the unequil hydro pushed the machine down and trying to componsate i over did it, I though it might be the machine being a 2000 model and 700hrs so I tried our brand new 3 week old 2001 model and same thing if we turned around it wouldnt do as much of a pull so we made Toro bring out a demo thinking mabey both our machines may have problems and did the same thing? But i will tell you if you need to haul or go straight up a very steep hill the Z-Masters are no-doubt the easy winner there we even hauled 3-4 yard of mulch on a trailer with our older Z-master and was crying for more, Boy those machines have ALOT!!! of power. (but again thats our Toro mid mounts mabey other brands hold hills better then the Z-masters)

[DAVE13]

I have complete confidence the Walker will out perform the mid mount in every way except climbing straight up hill. The Walker is much better than the Grass Hopper. If you need to go around trees or any other objects you need to be able to manuver on hill sides which the walker can do. Every midmount I have been on will slide if you try to stop going down hill or try to turn. Just my 2 cents.

[The Gladiator]

Eric, I've got a question on your striping process. You said that you mow only once a week, yet it does look like you double cut to get the look. My question is do you mow in the same tire tracks and direction every other week in order to get the blades of grass bent over to make that great looking pattern?

[MOW ED]

Gladiator,
Good to see more local Wisconsin guys on the board.
If you get the chance, go down and meet Eric. He is within a 3 hr drive and he has a GREAT place to eat breakfast at.

He is definately the King of the Stripes and I could tell you to use
"search" for your answer but I am sure Eric will see this.

I am up in De Pere and have been for a while, we may need to get together and talk biz over the winter.
Take care.

[HOMER]

Me too Lynn.

Walkers may be bad but them 72" ers can hang on a hillside!:D

[cantoo]

I was pulling a trailer today and I wish I was using the Walker instead of the mid mount, almost filled my pants while turning on a paved driveway at the edge of a ravine. Turning while going down hill on a mid mount is rough. Remember this was on pavement too, the tires just wouldn't grip.

[HOMER]

Now I will agree with that statement.............come close to fillin' mine a few times too.:rolleyes:

[Fareway Lawncare]

Please lawnworks you are NEVER going to change the minds of walker owners that their overpriced machines are not the best thing since sliced bread.

Their mindset is that of a fundamental religious zealot. They have been brainwashed from reading issues of Walker talk.

Plus I think they like to keep their hands near their lap.

Walkers are getting killed this year w/all the wet weather & heavy growth...they're generally blowing the clipping Out the Back because there's Just Too Much to Haul....Helluva Mess...Bagging Machines are Dead !

[slplow]

Here is my 2 cents. After owning two Walkers and buying a Lazer HP three weeks ago, this is what I have found.

Yes, there is a little more trimming to do with the midmount, but am still getting the jobs done at the same time with midmount.

On hills, the Lazer is definately better. But is easier to skid going down. It will definately do better cutting a hill at any angle.

My back no longer hurts with that dreadful seat of the Walker and the poor ride that you get from the bucking you get with the rear wheels of the Walker.

The Lazer bags the grass better in wet conditions and sucks leaves up better than the Walker.

The Walker does follow contours better to the lawns but in some spots where there are sharp dips, it scalps, where as the Lazer does not.

I find it easier on the Walker to dump grass into two buckets and dispose into the back of the truck, than the Lazer to take two bags off and throw into the truck. But don't think I will have any fear dumping leaves in the woods like I did witht he Walker.

The Walker was great at cutting thick lawns, but on thin lawns cutting at 3" found the Walker to lay grass down on both left and right sides of the deck rather than cutting it. The Lazer has the best cut all around.

[John Gamba]

Wait Till you try the Navagator.

John

[HOMER]

Navigator????

[shepoutside]

Is funny, like watching coke \ pepsi debates. I love my walker, and it dose everything it claims. We have tight lots, tons of tree's and beds, and there is nothing that can touch it. We have ton's of hills, and have not found anything better. Of the 134 LCO's, around here, Most, I'd guess 80% run Walkers. We had a Exmark dealer, but they changed to Bob-cat, so only 1 Lco I know of, run Exmark. As long as your happy with what you run, all that matter's :)

[John Gamba]

Navigator????

I didnt see you at noon??
John LOL