Toro Titan ZX6030 vs. Z Master Z500

[gamalong]

I've been considering replacing my Scag Cougar (great bagger, lousy mower) with a new ZTR. I started buying commercial equipment years ago because, in the hands of a homeower, they tend to be near indestructible. This has worked well for me overall. I have about 2 acres to mow and have no intention of ever doing commercial work, my house is more than enough.

I went to my local Toro dealer because my neighbor has a Z Master (older model) and it does a great job mowing. They showed me the Z Master Z500 with the 27 HP Kohler engine and 60" deck. It's the current version of my neighbor's model and sells for $7700.

They also showed me a Titan ZX6030 which has the same engine and a 60" deck. It sells for $5400, a big price difference.

The dealer tells me the Titan is a ruggedized homeowner unit. The engines and spindles are the same as the commercial but the steel everywhere is lighter, the wheels are smaller, and the drivetrain is axle-based instead of pump. He's sold a bunch of them to guys with similar conditions and use as me and says they've all been happy. He thought I would be too.

Overall I trust this dealer. I've been using them for about 6 years and they've always been good. However, I'm nervous about buying something less than commercial grade.

Does anyone have any experience with the Titan models, or better yet, any direct comparisons between the Titan and Z Master models? Any help would be appreciated. I don't want to "save" $2300 now just to spend more later because I'm unhappy with the cut or the machine keeps breaking.

[All_Toro_4ME]

Are you sure both engines are the same? Often times they will put Kohler Courage engines on the residential units and Kohler Command engines on the commercial units, HUGE DIFFERENCE!! Also the pumps will be a different size, which affect the ground speeds, forward and reverse. 7 gauge steel is generally what is used on the commercials, 10 gauge (thinner) or higher is used for the residentials.

[gamalong]

You're right about the engines (didn't realize until you asked). The Z500 is the Command Pro, the Titan is the Courage Pro. He did say the Titan was a little slower. You're also right about the steel, it's 7 for the Z500 and 10 for the Titan.

When you say "HUGE DIFFERENCE" regarding the engines, in what way? Is it reliability, longevity, actual power, all of the above? And how much of a difference is the ground speed likely to make to me?

[All_Toro_4ME]

As far as the engine comparison, you'll notice a difference in torque right away if you have access to a spec sheet. The courage engines are consumer grade engines, not intended for heavy loads or extended mowing. There's a ton of threads on here about the courage engines blowing a head gasket with low hours on them. Also longetivy, in most cases, the command will last you 2,000 hours as long as its maintained. Also consider things like flat free tires, and gas tank size. I believe the z500 comes standard with flat frees (front caster wheels) theyre an option with the titan.

Speed: Z500 has 10cc pumps, which translates to about 10 mph forward ground speed, the titan will top out at about 7.5mph forward ground speed if you're lucky.

[gamalong]

Thanks, that's a huge help. I'm going to stick with my original thoughts and go with the commercial unit. I had a feeling but it's nice to have confirmation.

[StihlBR600]

The titan is going to be much slower than the Z Master. You cant go wrong with a Z Master everything is commercial grade and will last forever if you are a homeowner.