Best Cutting Walk Behind?

[Aaron Klemme]

My name is Aaron and I own a lawn care service in St. Louis Area. I have 5# Scag 61's w/25 hp motors. I've been in the lawn buissness for 6 years now. I've delt with primarily large commercial accounts and a couple of residential accounts. I am expanding this year into primarily residential accounts. I need all the info, tips, well......ANYTHING about walk behind mowers. I want to know what you guys think is the best! I am looking for quality cut more than just durability. I need a mower that makes my yards look like a golf course but w/o the golf course mowers. I'm looking to get them with a 48'' deck and 15-20 hp motors. Price???? no big deal! Just tell me what to get.


John Deere, Exmark, Toro, Scag, Hustler, Farris, Gravely

I don't have the first d___ clue which mower to choose. I know JD, Exmark, and Ferris all are supposed to have an exellent finish cut.
TELL ME MORE GUYS. Thanx a bunch,

Aaron
:rolleyes:

[kutnkru]

If you type in the name of which brand you are comparing into the search feature you will find more pros and cons than you can shake a stick at.

There is everything from throw away trim mowers to hydrostatic walkbehinds. Hope this helps you out some.

Happy reading.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Dodge, GM, or Ford

Never seen you here, where do you do the most work?

And you come over from Il. to here?

Why not Scag since you posted this before?

I will put any of my scags side to side with ANY mower out there and I gaurantee that it will kick ass and cut grass longer than the rest. They are just built like a brick s___ house.

Glad to hear you are open for suggestions, but it's an answer only you can give. We just give our opinion of it.

[65hoss]

I'll take Ford and eXmark!

[scagman]

If youve already bought those three scag sthm's or ZTR's you didnt say what they were. I asume you have a good relationship with that scag dealer and thats a big deal when buying equipment. I would just buy top of the line scag walkbehinds. I have a scag w/b. Im buying an Exmark very soon mostly because of the dealer, service ect. I like both scag and exmark havent tried others that you mentioned above, but sure they are all good machines.

[PAPS]

We have a few 52'' Ferris hydro's and they run great. But how can you go wrong with any of the walkbehinds these days.

[Bill Davis]

Give me Chevy and Gravely !

[Currier]

I have a John Deere 36" wb that gives a real nice cut. It is a gear driven beast compared to the joy of the ZTR (Walker) but everytime I look at the finished cut of the jd it continues to keep a place on the trailer. I personally favor floating decks and this jd is fixed but it really does give a high quality finished cut.

[Eng Mwr Guy]

There are unique small differentiating features to each machine you have mentioned.

The new Gravely Walks have the best of everyone's and a little more.

Want heavy duty kick-ass - just look at the 7 gauge deck with 7 gauge reinforcements around the spindle. Gravely has these Exmark does not but Scag does. The new Gravely cuts better than any other walk on the market at this time. It is as heavy duty as a Scag but yet costs far less than most Scag's.

Then again, demo them and see for yourself.

Also, of course, there is the dealer factor.....an awesome dealer can make up for a mediocre machine.

Barry
Ariens/Gravely Guy

PS
You didn't expect me not to post here did you???
:p

[awm]

i take it u dont feel the scags can lay down a cut equal to a good walkbehind. well i dont know about the scags,but the exmark lazer will lay down a cut thats hard to beat ,with anything else ive used.does take a little know how.good luck to you now.

[65hoss]

Originally posted by Eng Mwr Guy
You didn't expect me not to post here did you???
:p

Barry, I would be shocked if you didn't! :blob4:

[RB]

Exmark Baby!!

[KDJ]

Ford F-350 and a John Deere (48'')

Need a 36'' Like another John Deere but I am waiting to look at the new Gravely.

[Jim Feder]

we only run scags and i think thay are great so if you are looking for some thing different sell me your scags and go out and buy a emark so you can buy one about every two years but in two year i will still be making good cash with your scags and the cut it is not the mower that cuts bad but the operator never taking care of it.:p :cool:

[scagman]

Hey, Eng Mower guy you asked me why I dont like Ariens swivel wheel mower a while back. I never got the chance to answer your question, so here it is. I have two ariens 21"s one is an old one probably in the mid 90's Im not sure to be exact. It has a briggs and straton motor. Its the Proffesional model, this is a good mower. I recently bought your 6.5 hp briggs swivel wheel model from a local john deere dealer for $600. I thought it might be more productive over all other 21"s because of the wheels. I was so wrong. First off lets talk about the gear drive every time I go to engage the self propelled system the thing ShakEs and I can feel it grinding. When its wet out this mower will barely budge. The wheels make it so it is near impossible to mow a straight line, although I think I started to get it down, but it takes way to much effort compared to others. The 6.5 intek has done nothing but give me problems. Its very odd when its cold I can start it in 4-5 pulls, but alot of the times when its warm I cant get it to start. There have be times where I have been mowing a customers lawn, I go to empty the bag come back I have stood and pulled my arm off trying to start this thing. Now your probably thinking why didnt this guy just take it in to john deere. The warrenty is only 90 days. The pull cord and recoil broke on the 95 day Cost me $91 dollars If it werent for the rivits it would have cost me half that. This was most likely the worst $600 Ive ever spent. When Im done with a lawn and transporting it. It honestly sounds like a bum pushing his shopping cart on gravel. I tried to return this mower, but they looked at me like I was crazy and asked if I needed help loading it back in my truck. Im not bad mouthing Ariens/Gravely just this particular mower, like I said before I have an older one that I like and always use before this one. Should be vise versa. Im sure that the Gravely W/b are great I have the brochure and going to look at them before I buy my next big commercial mower. Hey is it possible I could get my $$$ back for this mower.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by JIM FEDER
we only run scags and i think thay are great so if you are looking for some thing different sell me your scags and go out and buy a emark so you can buy one about every two years but in two year i will still be making good cash with your scags and the cut it is not the mower that cuts bad but the operator never taking care of it.:p :cool:

Have you owned eXmarks?
the cut it is not the mower that cuts bad but the operator never taking care of it
Don't you think that's kind of condisending. As with most mowers, if you don't take care of it, it wont take care of you!!

I have hard most of mine for longer than 2 years with only having to replace a coil in one.(covered by warrenty)

I did not want to specify a mower brand due to each individual has their own opinion, but you can't put down some thing you know nothing about.

Scagman;

Try replacing the spark plug, it might have gotten fouled out or not as good as a replacment plug is. Make sure you gap it correctly.

Do you think some springs would help the drive system?

[scagman]

The only thing that im going to do with this mower is sell it to a homeowner. I wish I would have spent the extra $500 and bought the Honda Commercial.

[rodfather]

We've been running Ferris WB's for the past 7 or 8 years...48's, 52's, and 61's. I have never had a complaint about them and they leave an excellent stripe. Hope that helps.

[Aaron Klemme]

Originally posted by LAWNGODFATHER
Dodge, GM, or Ford

Never seen you here, where do you do the most work?

And you come over from Il. to here?

Why not Scag since you posted this before?



Glad to hear you are open for suggestions, but it's an answer only you can give. We just give our opinion of it.

______

My Scags Don't have the finish cut that many other mowers do.


Aaron

[Aaron Klemme]

Originally posted by scagman
If youve already bought those three scag sthm's or ZTR's you didnt say what they were. I asume you have a good relationship with that scag dealer and thats a big deal when buying equipment. I would just buy top of the line scag walkbehinds. I have a scag w/b. Im buying an Exmark very soon mostly because of the dealer, service ect. I like both scag and exmark havent tried others that you mentioned above, but sure they are all good machines.

They are all 61'' turf tigers. 25hp Kohlers. They don't have the finish cut that I've seen some other mowers do. Scag has been a great machine for durability but the strip it leaves in the yard isn't nearly as smooth a some other mowers.
Thank you for your suggestions.

AARON

[Aaron Klemme]

Originally posted by JIM FEDER
we only run scags and i think thay are great so if you are looking for some thing different sell me your scags and go out and buy a emark so you can buy one about every two years but in two year i will still be making good cash with your scags and the cut it is not the mower that cuts bad but the operator never taking care of it.:p :cool:

My mowers are babied to the point of rediculous. They are washed every day by whoever controls them that day. The underdeck is cleaned along with the blades re-edged. Oil, grease, And all that other stuff are all reg maint. that is done religiuosly.
Plus I didn't say the mowers cut bad, I've just seen others cut a much cleaner stripe. ie: JD has a sharp finish but ive heard alot of down point such as durabilty? Don't want to sell the scags just need alittle more articulate finish than what they produce. Thankx,
Aaron

[TLS]

Aaron,

You are complaining about striping ability, NOT cut quality, right?

In order to produce stripes, you have to lay or bend the grass down after its cut. Some people use rollers, or chains to enhance this look.

Some mowers stripe really well from the factory, some dont. Some mowers cut real nice, some leave stragglers.

To enhance your stripe, you could affix a hard rubber edge (much like a squeegie) across the back of your deck. Make it hang down and inch or two below the rear deck skirt. This will work to enhance your striping ability.

That or go buy a Lazer!!

[groundsguy1970]

Best cutting mower??? Mid to late 60's TORO SPORTLAWN 18"....:cool:
It will stripe lower than ANY rotary mower could ever hope to.....uses wood rollers to press down that .5" grass.:)

[_GUNNER_8]

Hi,
LOL if u said that Aaron i would take u up on that in heart beat.
I would run circles around them scaggs with my exmarks, You can take that to bank and cash it!!!!

[Aaron Klemme]

Originally posted by _GUNNER_8
Hi,
LOL if u said that Aaron i would take u up on that in heart beat.
I would run circles around them scaggs with my exmarks, You can take that to bank and cash it!!!!


TO awnser a few questions and make a reply to the above statement. The problem isn't just striping ability it is also cut. The mower doesn't seem to cut well at even crawling speeds. It likes to leave (straglers) as you say and causes me to have to go over the s___ twice. I know everyone heres gonna say that I'm a dumb a$$ and I can't mow or maintain my mowers well your long. I've been on a mower enough hours to drive around the world aboout 7 times. But really.. I've been in this Bus for about 7 years.
I'm also ASE certified mechanic (spare time hobby,,I like cars) and Run a large automotive outfit which my father owns. Back to the point... I know a very large amount about the scag mowers. I've tried different deck pitches and all that good stuff. The only way i get this mower to make a perfect clean cut is by cranking the engine rpm's up to a destructive range. I've also taken a dimond stone to the blades and put a RAZOR shape edge on there and that works very well for about a day.....and who has time to do that every night. You guys have helped alot with some suggestion that I have seen and by telling me about the experiences you've had with different mowers. I really do appreciate your help. Any one who has more Keep dishin it out because I'm still debating of what type of mowers to buy in the next month or so.

And a reply to the above article, Who else thinks that an exmark build even compares to the build of a scag. I won't knock another man's equiptment but s___ look at the two mowers side by side. The scag is built twice as tough...ie.gauge of deck, front wheel assy, frame, and just about everything else on the mower. The thing is a massive peice of steel. Thats what I love about it. Durability! But I think that others mowers have a better cut. So maybe your exmark will run circles in cut quality but durability? I don't think so. But if a x cuts better and has a better sevice record, which by the was I don't see that, I wan't to know for my future purchase. Anyways, Thanks alot guys for your help.

Thankfully,
Aaron

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by Aaron Klemme
I will put any of my scags side to side with ANY mower out there and I gaurantee that it will kick ass and cut grass longer than the rest. They are just built like a brick s___ house.

My Scags Don't have the finish cut that many other mowers do

Who else thinks that an exmark build even compares to the build of a scag. I won't knock another man's equiptment but s___ look at the two mowers side by side. The scag is built twice as tough...ie.gauge of deck, front wheel assy, frame, and just about everything else on the mower. The thing is a massive peice of steel. Thats what I love about it. Durability! But I think that others mowers have a better cut. So maybe your exmark will run circles in cut quality but durability? I don't think so. But if a x cuts better and has a better sevice record, which by the was I don't see that, I wan't to know for my future purchase. Anyways, Thanks alot guys for your help.

How can you put the first quote you made and keep falling back to built tough, but they don't cut well?

Yes you can put 2 mowers side by side and look, but with NO knowlage of ever using one how can you even say they won't hold up?

That would be like putting a Huffy next to a Schwin.

Most of the mowers on the market today are built tough.

Things break from running into stuff. Don't run into stuff.

As with any mower. You "ABUSE" it it will break!!!!

Exmark ZTR's and WB's; after over 4000 hours on a ZTR with no welds breaking or falling apart, they do better than "most" mowers on the market today.

Since Barry wrote this below "Course I am biased." I had to edit and say I tried to write my post as unbiased as possable.

[Eng Mwr Guy]

Aaron,

The Scag is built like a tank and cuts like one.

The Exmark is a little flimsy but cuts reasonably well.

The NEW 2002 Gravely cuts better than the Exmark and is built as heavy duty (or mighty darn close) to the Scag.

With Gravely you get the best all around.

Course I am biased.
;)

Barry
Ariens/Gravely Guy

PS
Talk about shameless!

[big james]

I owned a Scag ,then tried Exmark It's Exmark for me ! all that metal on those Scags is no better than Exmark ,it;s mostly clutter!:D

[65hoss]

2 years ago I looked at the scank. The dealer tried to sell me on the "tank" theory. I guess if you try to fight Iraq you may need a tank, but for cutting grass you need quality and durability. I have a great cut from my exmarks and durability has not been an issue.

I don't know about the Gravely's, but if Barry wants to set me up a test run with one in the spring I would be more than happy to demo it.

[Eng Mwr Guy]

Eric

For some seeing is believing, for others believing is the seeing.

If there is no chance of moving away from Brand X and/or you are not in the market for a new walk no need to try it. You have already reached your conclusions.

I am continuously amazed at how beliefs affect the reality of people. Not picking on you here it just is very interesting to me. I used to believe purchasing decisions are made on a logical basis and I have found this rarely to be the case.

You were added to a special mailing list to get a little free stuff once you demo at a dealer. Enjoy.

Barry

[Mowman]

My first choice would be a Exmark Turf Tracer 48". I hear that Gravely came out with a new design that is like the others as far as changing the deck height, and also comes standard with a double blade set-up. I would really look at this mower as running double blades on each spindle is the only way to cut grass. Just ask someone that went from single to double blade set-up.
Good Luck,
Mowman

[65hoss]

There is that doubles thing again. What is that?









:p I found out the local Gravely/eXmark dealer here just got the new Gravely w/b in. I'm going to try to get by next week just to take a peek. I want to see Barry's handiwork.

[edward hedrick]

The best is a Locke triplex makes great stripes. Ed

My 52 Lesco with a Toro T bar is the best WB

[LawnCrafters]

I have Ferris' and Exmarks. I like the Ferris' better, I think they're built stronger and have better controlls. But I think the Exmark leaves a great stripe.
Just my thoughts.

[lawn and stump]

I have scag 52' and 2 61"mowers and they never cut as good as 48 " old bobcats. they seen to leave straglars. I bought a 60 lazer and the cut is great. Ed mentioned about installing baffels just like the old bobcat decks. I am in the process of welding baffels in all my scags- can't hurt the cut- I love my 52 scag hydro
It makes a great bushhog it will cut up to 1 inch brush! and does a great job on briars.