Which 60inch zero turn should I buy?????

[brandy]

Right now I'm working with a 61 inch bobcat which has stood up very well, but I'm not really satisfied with it's speed. Stats on mower says it is able to mow 3.7 acres an hour. This comming year I will need at least one more rider because of growth. I'm interested in a mower which will one cut alot more grass per hour, and give atleast as good a cut quailty, and hold up to the pounding!!!!!

[Eric ELM]

You will hear they all are the best. I use Dixie Choppers and have been very satisfied with them. Exmark and Toros are good too, I would just go to the search page and read about all the major brands I have listed on this page. Each brand has many threads with a lot of posts on each tread. After reading about these, go demo them all and see what you like. The search page is the middle link below.

[mmorgan]

I currently use JDM665's, but there are a lot of great mowers available. Let customer support from a local dealer weigh in heavily in your decision. If you need something right now, you don't want to have to wait a few days to get parts or get put on the list to be fixed like the home owners. they need to know your income depends on this machine running every day. If I had any dealer support, I would probly try a grasshopper. they look well built and have engine choices that I prefer.

[Davis TLC]

I demoed one back in the spring of 2000 and bought one. I was impressed with the quality of cut, speed, and how it handled the rough terrain on some of my lawns. It is much easier to work on than any other mowers that I have seen. My customers are impressed with the machine as well. Most say their lawns have not looked better. Go take a look at a Dixie Chopper, I did. They may cost a little more, but believe me they are worth it.

My dealer is 65 miles away from my base of operations. I'd drive farther to get a DC. I have had zero problems with my mower. My dealer even has a loner program if you machine goes down on you and is going to be in the shop. They will put you on demo so you don't lose money while yours is in the shop.

I love my Dixie.

[HOMER]

My heart's in Dixe-----------and so are my payments!

[Lawnworks]

I will second that!!

[Cutter1]

Man we need more Exmark fans to speak up!! :)

[MIDSOUTH]

scag or exmark---i like both of them.

[cleancut]

Demo a Gravely 260z...Good mower...Clean-Cut

[KirbysLawn]

Great Dan....crap, just can't bring my self to say John Deere. :(

I would look at Choppers, Exmark, or Hustler around here.

[rats5656]

go with wright stander 61 very nice machine tough & fast

[65hoss]

exmark Lazar!!!!



Nice peeing in the bushes Ray.

[MOW ED]

I cant get in this because im a turtle mower with my Walker but where is Mr. Lazer at on this one??

Personally I like the Chopper.

[lawngirlfl]

great dane works great for us

[sunrise]

Exmark all the way
but Dixie is also very nice

[Trimline]

Tuff call between Exmark and Dixie, demo the both!

[1stclasslawns]

no complaints with my GREAT DANE but I will be demoing a chopper in the spring

[TLS]

If you want speed with a smooth ride and a decent cut at high speeds, get a Dixie. Their decks can handle large volumes of grass at high speeds. With the soft ATV tires they ride real smooth. Get a Flatlander if you want speed!

If you just want a perfect cut and can handle a bumpier ride and think 10 mph is "fast enough". Get an Exmark Lazer.

Both very good machines.

Engineering award goes to Exmark by a huge margin. Dixies still look like they are made in some guys garage. (Art Evans') !!!!

Make sure your dealer support and location are excellent and let that be you deciding factor.

[awm]

But my exmark really is an excelllent machine.
What i watch on used machines is how fast the
oil gets black.About 15 hrs on oil still looks
new.I DO BELIEVE I GOT LUCKY

[nlminc]

Brandy, I own 2 Choppers and a Walker. Have owned a Toro 724z and sold it last year. If you are looking for speed you should look at the Choppers for sure. My dealer is 65 miles away, but provides me with the best service. Just Demo as many different makes that you can and remember that dealer support is very nice to have.

Chris

[steve]

Go with the dealer that provides best support to you in your area.

A machine is no good to you in the shop waiting to get repaired!

[Davis TLC]

Dealer support is very important as steve pointed out. Just demo lots of mowers to find the one right for you.

[zipp669]

I have 3 exmarks, I have always said they are the best, but I havnt tried anything else to really compare...had 2 5018 old dixies but didnt work on hills, test drove a dane chariot...not bad but you just cant drive it or anything around for 5 minutes & make a decision..you really need to test it on lawns you do before you make that call..
.where i live the guy who sells exmark will let you demo the machine for the day. then you will know if it is what you want. Also alot depends on the dealer being there..My dealer shoves everything aside when i pull up or gives me another mower on breakdowns. He is also there on sunday at 9am or any other time to get you a part, just call. and he doesnt charge you an extra amount of bucks to get the part
that service really means alot. hope this helps somebody

[John DiMartino]

If you want to mow much more than 3.7 an hr,maybe you should get a 72?Mt cousin bought a 2000 bobcat 61",I have a 2000 dixe chopper 60".I think the dixie isnt much faster-maybe 1 or 2 mph at the most.The bobcat is built with a much stronger frame and caster assy,compared to the dixie it looks like a tank.After driving the ransomes,though i like the Dixie's seat and roomy foot room much better than the ransomes,the cut seems to be about the same on both as far as quality goes.I just dont see you gaining a lot of productivity,if your in the market for new anyway,try the Dixie.But you'll save much more time with a 72,and guys with both 60-and 72" DC's tell me the 72 doent scalp bad at all,and the 72" suburb'n turb would really take your 3.7 an hr-up to 5-6 easy.

[Eric ELM]

John wrote: The bobcat is built with a much stronger frame and caster assy.

The Dixie Chopper frames and caster assembly's have a life time warranty on them, never to crack or break. It states, "What we mean by lifetime is until hell freezes over", and I've never heard of a DC frame breaking before. If it did, it is covered, even 100 years from now.

[bucktail]

ask the mexians

[John DiMartino]

Eric, the wording of the warranty is clear,the frames on the DC's bend with a vacuum unit on them,over time.My 50" frame was all flexy without the unit on,the frames arent that beefy on them.I think the could be cross braced better for torsional ridgityWhen i get a digital camera ill take pics of my buddys,2 60's and 1 72",all frames are bent from the vacuum units,2 are 98's one is a 99,all are worked hard,but still they shouldnt bend,dealer says bent frames are not warrantied.Have you looked at the Bobcat?I like my Dc better,but I sure wouldnt mind that beefy frame,and engine cradle on my DC.

[Eric ELM]

John, I have only glanced at a Bobcat, but I will look at it's frame and check one out. I have never seen a Chopper with a vac on it around here. The trees in Illinois don't have as many leaves on them as out East, so we don't need them here. :)

If I did put a vac on mine, I would put 2 caster wheels on the very back of the vac and have it hinged on the mount where it attaches to the hitch so half the weight would be on the caster wheels. I think this would help a lot with that problem. Or is that how yours is set up?

[Grassman]

I agree with John. I demoed the Lazers , Dixies, Scags,and Bobcats and liked the bobcats performance and stamina (and PRICE) much better. The Bobcats have the 3yr warranty on the spindles and decks and the spindles are stronger in my opinion than the Dixies old style grease fittings. Another point fellow contractors brought up to me about the Dixie was that it left rutts in the lawns down here in Fla. and ther'e right, most Dixie mowed lawns stand out like a sore thumb during the summer rainy months. The Bobcats have tires similar to the Lazer, if not the same and perform better in wet conditions. I also didn't like the Dixies deck suspension, it is center mounted and tens to scalp worse than the others on uneven terrian. Another thing to remember is regardless of the warranty, if your mowers in the shop its costing you money and not making it. Some companys like DC use their warranty as a selling point. I see alot of DC's in my dealers service dept. so when I heard (Hell or high water) and ran like Hell.

[HYDROMAN]

i would look into the Viper from Lesco, although they had problems last year with some things they redisigned it and it is an excellent machine now..dealer support with loaners are very important.

[awm]

I Think this might be best post ive read.
For one thing it points out clearly that we all mow
in different situations.So whats perfect for one
might not work as well in others situations.
2Nd thing is the buisiness like manner the
different opinions were handled by all parties
particapating.A man shows his makins in different
ways.Favorite words of my papa.