Belt or hydro & fixed or float

[kona]

-Having trouble deciding on belt or hydro drive. as well as fixed or floating deck 36 or 48" exmark.
-Some of the lawns i will be cutting do have a few water drain ruts in them. will the float deck help with this.
-Has anyone tried the ECS grips vs. the pistol grips?
Thanks

[C4chris70]

If you experience wet conditions frequently on the lawns you maintain, I would spend the extra money on the hydro. I prefer the floating deck to the fixed just for the simple reason that floating decks are much easier to adjust for height changes from yard to yard.

[scagman]

Get the hydro. I have a belt right now I cant wait to get my 48" hydro. I cant make up my mind on a Turf tracer hp 48" or Viking hydro 48"

[65hoss]

It depends. If you plan to get the 36" don't waste your money on the floating deck. The design of the 36" makes it almost impossible to scalp. If you plan to get the 48" then you may want the floating deck if your properties are uneven.

Personnally for me, I have the 36" exmark belt drive and I wouldn't have it in a hydro. I don't use it enough to justify the expense. Nor do I want to use it much. I bring in much more riding the lazer than I do walking behind a 36". But if I was planning on it being my primary mower for a while then I would say its worth the extra $$ to get the hydro.

[MOW ED]

Hydro
Floater for ease of adjustment and use.

If you use it alot or a little the hydro is well worth the money as it is much faster than a gear and it has a higher resale value.

Quicker starts on wet days, no knee shift or stick shifts to play with and easy reverse. Time is money and the hydros save time.

Just my opinion as it works for me.

[RB]

If you're only going to be mowing 5,000 sq. ft lawns, get a 36" fixed deck exmark metro. You can't go wrong.

PS
ECS sucks! I owned a new 48" tt w/ecs. hated it!

[GAM321]

48", Floating Deck just for ease of changing hieght. No dought Hydro have both never use the belt let my helper use that. Well worth the extra $$$

[jack D.]

Originally posted by RB

ECS sucks! I owned a new 48" tt w/ecs. hated it!

ECS rules. Never buy a pistol again. Less strain, easier to train on, speeds up production. 36 fixed scalps cutting low, around banks & uneven turf contours. Never buy a fixed again.

[Evan528]

I really dont understand how people say the ecs is so much easier on your arms/wrist. The esc is really just pistal grips but in a vertical position. I guess Im just used good old fashioned pistiol grips and wouldnt consider using anyting else!

[scagman]

Im pretty sure that Im buying the exmark viking 48" only comes with ECS. Ive put my hands on them at the dealer and will for sure demo before buying. Their comfortabe, but is it hard to man handle it up on a curb. If I buy a mower with ECS all my w/b's will be ECS. Just makes more sense.