Anyone use a commercial mower with a steering wheel? - Having rotator cuff surgery

[davidcalhoun]

Hi Guys,

Just like you have to do maintenance and repairs on an old mower with several hours on it, I am needing a little maintenance and repairs on the body.

The shoulder needs a tune-up/rebuild. I will be having rotator cuff surgery next week. I had hoped that I could go through the season with just some cortisone shots but the Dr. said I had better get the one shoulder done now. He said my other shoulder will need it in a few years also. Don't you love getting older?

So I need some info from you guys who have some experience with some of the commercial mowers out there that use a steering wheel. I know that Cub Cadet has two models out with a steering wheel, the Z-Force S and the TanK S. Another mower that I know of is the Gizmow, but I have not heard anything about them for a while.

Please share you experience with these two brands or any other mower that I might be able to use one arm with.

Thanks,

PS I will probably look for a slightly used mower to buy that fits the bill since I should have full function of the one shoulder in a few months.

[jkingrph]

A few years back I was starting to have shoulder problems and retired a nice JD LX277 lawn tractor and got a Scag Wildcat. Cut my mowing time in half and shoulder problem disappeared.

I doubt that you can constantly twist on a stearing wheel with one arm, and after a week or 10 days of recuperation the control arms on a ztr will probably cause fewer physical problems.

[Raymond S.]

Dave,
Might I suggest something like this.... I think your left butt cheek would even fit square on the seat.



Seriously though, it could be a money maker. I'd pay YOU to let me come watch you use it.

[integrityman]

http://www.gizmow.com/home.htm

Here ya go!

[FarmerCharlie]

Originally Posted by integrityman

http://www.gizmow.com/home.htm

Here ya go!

After a lot of time checking on the options, I ordered a Gizmow 61" mower today. I spoke with the factory the other day, and they are not currently being manufactured. But I found a dealer who says he can get one. It is supposed to get here next week. We'll see.

I did look at the Cub Cadet Z force S 60" residential model yesterday. The dealer did not have the commercial version. I liked the Cub, but was surprised to learn that it had no cruise control. And the foot pedal was stiff enough to be a problem for me.

So, call me crazy for ordering a mower that is no longer being manufactured. After reviewing the Gizmow parts manual (http://www.gizmow.com/manuals.htm), it looks to me like most of the parts are available from other sources. The exception would be the cams and other parts that make up the coupling between the steering and the hydraulics that control the rear wheels.

I am thinking about going ahead and ordering those parts and saving them for use later. Does that make sense? If so, I would appreciate any advice from Gizmow experts on just which parts would be worth ordering ahead of time.

Thanks,
Charlie

[StanWilhite]

Originally Posted by FarmerCharlie

After a lot of time checking on the options, I ordered a Gizmow 61" mower today. I spoke with the factory the other day, and they are not currently being manufactured. But I found a dealer who says he can get one. It is supposed to get here next week. We'll see.

I did look at the Cub Cadet Z force S 60" residential model yesterday. The dealer did not have the commercial version. I liked the Cub, but was surprised to learn that it had no cruise control. And the foot pedal was stiff enough to be a problem for me.

So, call me crazy for ordering a mower that is no longer being manufactured. After reviewing the Gizmow parts manual (http://www.gizmow.com/manuals.htm), it looks to me like most of the parts are available from other sources. The exception would be the cams and other parts that make up the coupling between the steering and the hydraulics that control the rear wheels.

I am thinking about going ahead and ordering those parts and saving them for use later. Does that make sense? If so, I would appreciate any advice from Gizmow experts on just which parts would be worth ordering ahead of time.

Thanks,
Charlie

Hey Charlie, congrats on the new mower! I saw those a few years back and thought they would be a great mower for someone with a lot of slopes to mow, or for someone who just wasn't comfortable with using "control sticks".

I didn't think about the "one arm" advantage at that time, but the mower looks like a "fix" for that problem as well.

Be sure and let us know how you like it when you get it, and then give us an update after using it a while.

I'm like you about the replacement parts. From what I saw the GizMow uses components that are commonly used on other mowers, so I wouldn't worry about that too much at all. Which engine did you get? (I don't remember what engine(s) were offered).

Stan (in Decatur AL)

[FarmerCharlie]

Originally Posted by StanWilhite

Which engine did you get? (I don't remember what engine(s) were offered).

Stan (in Decatur AL)

I think it is supposed to have a 27 H.P. Kohler E/S. I haven't seen it yet. It's supposed to come next week.

[madisonpressurewashing]

Originally Posted by StanWilhite

Hey Charlie, congrats on the new mower! I saw those a few years back and thought they would be a great mower for someone with a lot of slopes to mow, or for someone who just wasn't comfortable with using "control sticks".

I didn't think about the "one arm" advantage at that time, but the mower looks like a "fix" for that problem as well.

Be sure and let us know how you like it when you get it, and then give us an update after using it a while.

I'm like you about the replacement parts. From what I saw the GizMow uses components that are commonly used on other mowers, so I wouldn't worry about that too much at all. Which engine did you get? (I don't remember what engine(s) were offered).

Stan (in Decatur AL)

Huntsville here

[FarmerCharlie]

Originally Posted by StanWilhite

Be sure and let us know how you like it when you get it, and then give us an update after using it a while.
Stan (in Decatur AL)

I picked up the new Gizmow today. Here she is:


This afternoon, in a couple of hours I managed to cut the approximately 4 acres surrounding the pond and my house. I had planted grass around my new pond last year and installed about 15 PVC irrigation pipes radiating out from the pond. Cutting around the pipes makes for lots of turning. The Gizmow made this a lot faster than with my old Cub Cadet SLT-1554. I was a little surprised that it really does do a zero turn. When I reached the end of a pipe, I easily turned 180 degrees to cut along the other side. The mower is very fast, but when you make a sharp turn, it slows down just enough to feel comfortable with the turn. And the electric deck lift makes it easy to raise it a little while cutting parallel to a pipe, with the edge of the deck sticking slightly over the pipe. The one thing I did not like was that it stops VERY quickly when the cruise control disengages; it feels about like it feels when you run into a low stump with the deck. And sometimes it did disengage for no apparent reason--almost throwing me into the steering wheel.

So far I haven't worked up the nerve to try the back slope of the dam. But I did cut both sides of a ditch that runs in front of the house. As advertised, it held steady while mowing across the slope, which is about 10 degrees. It did not want to turn up the slope, but it never felt unstable, and it did not tend to fall down the slope like a regular ZTR would.

I sure wonder why this brand was not successful. I feel sure the Gizmow would compare favorably with any commercial ZTR.

My back fence neighbor has a commercial lawn cutting business. He was even nice enough to cut my dam the one time it has been cut. He uses ZTRs with a darker and prettier shade of green. I can't wait to show him the new ugly green toy. I'll bet I could literally run circles around him on a good slope.

Charlie

[davidcalhoun]

Raymond S,

It's nice to know you're there for me. I put a steering wheel knob on it from Rural King and I'm all set. It will cost you big time though.