LazerZ HP or Liquid-Cooled?

[Mike Felices]

I have been contemplating the purchase of a new LazerZ for next year. I was looking at the 52" LazerZ HP with the 23hp. Kawasaki. Or the 22hp. Kawasaki Liquid-Cooled with a 52" deck. Is it worth getting the liquid-cooled engine. I am only cutting 20 yards per week and they are all residential. Thanks for any help. It is greatly appreciated.

[accuratelawn]

In my opinion the LQ would not be needed. Most residential lawn will only take 10-20 minutes to cut.
Exmark was giving rebates of $500 for LQ models and few months ago....so if you can get one for the same price as an air cooled..

[TLS]

Mike,

There must be 20 or so similar posts on this topic. Use the search button at the top of the page.

Anyway, why don't you want a 60"? There is a higher resale value for a 60" cut. In my opinion, a 60" deck is the ideal size. A 60" can do whatever a 52" can except go thru a 53" gate! There are some nice deals and financing available this year yet. The HP's have smaller gas tanks and are 2 mph slower. The HP uses vertical shaft and the fullsize use horizontals. There are more engine choices available for the fullsize Lazer. I've heard very good things on the 26hp EFI Kohler. And I can personally recommend the 27hp LC Kawi. I think the 22LC Kawi that your talking about is a 2000 model as I am pretty sure that they went to the 23&27 HP LC Kawi's for 2001. Whatever you get, get the suspension seat. No matter how much it costs.

[tlcgrounds]

Mike let me give you some good advice. If you are only maintaining 20 residentials a week consider this. how about buying newly used. Tony Weston- who advertises on this site has a whole list of well maintained lazerhp for a fraction of the cost of new. These machines are great for the part timer or those just getting started. He also has a 52" truf tracer for sale and take it from me a 52" lazer will not substatailly out mow a 52" hyro mower! They are cheaper to purchase and cheaper to maintain. Exmarks are like battle tanks. If your smart enough to maintain a puck up truck you can effectivly care for an Exmark. Look under the used equipment forum under post "Get your Exmarks" or go to Emxrak.com and go to previously owned equipment. If you have cash flow problems just go to your local bank and fianance it. All they'll what is 20% down at most and on a $4,000 machine that is only $800 it could be less depending on your bank relationaship.

[toddman35]

If they are the same price... Go with the liquid cooled. As dixie1 said, they go faster, hold more fuel, and have more engine options, i would go with a 2000 22 LC 60". You can get them cheaper than a 2001, and the 22 has enough power for a 60 inch deck. If you want more power, you can get a 2001, 27 or 23 hp kawasaki, and i saw in the 2001 dixie chopper brochure that kohler came out with a liquid cooled 23hp. Plus you wouldnt have to wear ear protection on the liquid cooled, because they are QUIET! I would also suggest that you go to http://www.exmark.com and look in the used equitment section, they have a few liquid cooled 22's for sale. hope this helps.

[Mike Felices]

Thanks for your help guys. I have seen the new 27hp LC Kawasaki. It is a nice machine. I don't know about the 60" though because I am doing all residential, it seems a little big for my needs. I was also how the mulch kits work. If anyone has before and after pictures of mulching leaves, it would be greatly appreciated. I am only really putting about 100-200 hours per year on a unit. I have a 36" Toro hydro walk behind that I am trying to sell because it isn't fast enough for me. Is there much more maintenance for the LC models? The majority of my yards are Bermuda, how well will the 60" float on Bermuda? With that 60" deck my yards would only take 5-10 minutes each. 15 at the most for my large yards.

[MJB]

Mike I have the Lazer Z 22hp LC 60" . The mulcher is awesome. I did very little bagging I muclhed 12" leaves into dust
that normally I used to bag with my old mowers. The mulcher is as good as they get. If your lawns are all small and you don't expect to get any larger ones, or if your lawns are really soft and spongy then I would go with a smaller lighter unit, 52" 26 efi Kohler or 23 hp Kohler.
But if the extra weight doesn't matter then definately look at the LC units.

[Mike Felices]

Thanks for your help. I have been looking at the new 60", 27hp Kawasaki LC with a mulch kit. That is probably what I will end up with for next year. 60" isn't to big for residential is it?

[toddman35]

no, most of the landscape companies around here usually use 23/25hp kohlers with 62" toros. i do not think that they are to big, and if so then i would keep your 36" and use that for the smaller lawns. I would not go with the 23 kohler, but rather the 23 kawasaki, you can get the 60" on that engine on the 2001 line. Hope this helps

[Mike Felices]

Thanks guys. I am going to plan on getting a 60" Lazer with the new 27hp LC Kawasaki, and a mulch kit. Hope it works out for me.

[Charles]

I have a liquid cooled kubota deisel. If the engine were a deisel i would get a liquid cooled. But the problems I have had is the radiator screens getting clogged up with all kinds of crap. It doesn't take that long for them to clog up either. This happens to the filter too. Engine then starts to over heat and/or sputter. Happens during dry period or that white feathery stuff that covers the ground. Or mulched up leaves that are flying around. Liquid cooled engines will last longer though.

[TLS]

Charles,

The LC Lazer's radiator cover totally eliminates any build-up from chaff etc. Plus it is wavy, and if its full, you still get at least 50% cooling effectiveness. They did their homework on this aspect. Plus the fins are real thick on the radiator itself. Some dust will get through but will pass right through. I blow off the entire mower every night with my backpack blower and nothing is in the radiator fins so far. Temp guage never goes past the 1/8 or T in TEMP whatever degree that is.

Mike,

Good choice. Don't forget to save up for the susp. seat. DO NOT wait till spring to see if you like the stock one. Order it now and get it on! Also get the $45 foot lift. After that your set. Unless you want a OCDC and an EZ-Striper, then you are totally set!

Good Luck

[Edited by dixie1 on 12-04-2000 at 10:05 PM]

[Charles]

Thank for the info Dixie. I am planning on buying another lazer. I probably go with a liquid cooled since the cooling system works that well

[Mike Felices]

I am going to go with the 27hp. LC Kawasaki and the 60" deck with a mulch kit. I don't think I will bother with the suspension seat since I only put 100hrs or so on a unit each year. The foot deck lift will probably get put on though sine the 60" decks are so heavy to lift with one hand. My dealer is giving me a great deal $8,400 for the moer $180 for the mulch kit and $50 for the deck lift. Plus more off on Pro-Day. Thanks for all your help.

[TLS]

Mike,

Good choice of a Lawnmower! I'm confident that you will love it. Price seems great! Just make sure that your dealer stocks that suspension seat. You will end up with one! Maybe its just me, but after coming from a soft riding Dixie, this Lazer with the reg seat is just unbearable on all but the smoothest lawns. A good friend of mine bought this same machine (72" though), and only got 2 days into it and had to get the seat. He came from a 50hp Yanmar 72" Dixie Chopper Diesel. That Dixie rode like a Cadillac (I drove it) but cut like garbage and was very sloppy to control. He (and I) love our new LC Lazers.

Now if I could get Exmark to mail me my commission check!

[Mr.Ziffel]

That's almost the same price my dealer quoted me for the exact same thing. Said he was giving me a 'special deal' to make up for some troubles I had had with a previous purchase from him - LOL. That's what so great about this site, we can sort out the bull from the bullshi**er.

By the way, I'm about ready to just go ahead and buy this, but the only thing holding me back is that I haven't seen the new Toros which supposedly cut better in wet conditions [I'm north of Seattle] and have a new deck jack attachment which makes cleaning under the deck, which I've always had to do in the past easier. Any thoughts?
Will

[jaybee]

I ordered the same mower you are ordering. I passed on the $500 seat also. I put 130 hrs. on my present Lazer last summer. I have some rough lawns but had no problem dealing with the standard seat. I've never even sat on a Dixie Chopper but apparently they must have a real comfortable seat so going into a standard Lazer seat probably is uncomfortable. I'm going with the theory that you don't miss what you never had. That's a good price you were quoted, about $225 less than mine. Good Luck.

[TLS]

These seats that come stock on the 27 LC's are a new seat. They have no springs inside. They are a (very) solid piece of foam mounted on plywood then covered in the grey vinyl. The issue that bothered me the most was the white operator presence switch spring. It was not letting the seat frame rest down on the two rubber snubbers. It constantly bucked the frame up and down on the rubber snubbers. This casused the engine to cut out periodically. This bucking is what made my back cry along with a seat that made my butt slide forward and off it all the time.

The new susp. seat has the operator presence switch mounted INSIDE the foam seat. (you remove old white spring) A 100lb lady can ride this and not have the operator presence switch cut out on her. It has a nice high back on it and really holds you in the seat. None of that sliding forward feeling.