ZTR - scag vs the rest?

[Blade Runners]

Originally Posted by Buddy Buds

He was right. My wildcat and pro v are grest.

How do you like the Pro V? How is it on hills with that control system?

I was strongly considering one until I found out they discontinued it. Ended up getting a 36" SWZ hydro instead.

[WREBELMACHINE]

Well those are certainly good machines but there are many others out there that will do anything those will do and do it just as long! Just to name some how about Bobcat Hustler Dixie Chopper etc. I have used virtually all of them. And all of them have there strong points. If you are not mechanical then having a strong dealer is more important than the brand.

[Richard Martin]

I second what Wrebel Machine said.

[tgzzzz]

I have a Husq dealer, a Toro dealer and a JD dealer relatively close. Reading the online reviews, nobody thought much of the Husq ZTR line at all. Is that an accurate general impression? I'm a small-timer and looking for a 42 or 48" at most, commercially rated mower at a residential price.

I also spotted a couple of used Toro ZTRs with about 1000 hrs. Too many?

Thanks

[hgh623]

Look at the BobCat FastCat Pro
It will be in our price range .
I purchase one last year and was considering the Scag Freedom Z.
The BobCat is a great machine, mows great, plenty of power,great warranty .
I'm mowing about 3 acres.
Mine is a 22hp Kaw 52' deck.
The 2012 52' deck models have upgraded the Transmissions and the tire size.

[casolorz]

I had the Scag freedom 52 inch brought in for a demo and it was awesome, however today I went to tractor supply and saw the bad boy 60 inch (zt60?) for almost $700 less, and if I compare it to the 61 inch Scag we are talking almost $2300 less.

So how do you guys like the bad boy mowers? the Scag dealer of course told me to stay away from them, but that's his job.

[RTR Landscaping]

There are many good brands of mowers today, and it's true that in most major markets Scag and Exmark are the best selling brands.There are reasons for this.We use Scags in our business and think that they are the best brand going. However, you should look at the dealer and question his reputation for service. I have nothing against Bad Boy, but who's going to repair it and have parts when you need it? TSC?

All lawnmowers make tall grass short, but a good quality mower backed by a good dealer will give you many years of service. Go with Scag.

[casolorz]

Originally Posted by RTR Landscaping

There are many good brands of mowers today, and it's true that in most major markets Scag and Exmark are the best selling brands.There are reasons for this.We use Scags in our business and think that they are the best brand going. However, you should look at the dealer and question his reputation for service. I have nothing against Bad Boy, but who's going to repair it and have parts when you need it? TSC?

All lawnmowers make tall grass short, but a good quality mower backed by a good dealer will give you many years of service. Go with Scag.

But how do I know who will be a good dealer. I know there is a bad boy dealer in town, but still I have no idea how to judge them. My kubota dealer sucks. The other kubota dealer is a bit better but still nowhere near where I would want them to be. The Scag does have the huge advantage that the dealer is less than 3 miles from my house whereas the bad boy dealer is a good 20+ miles.

[casolorz]

I had the dealer bring for a demo a BadBoy ZT 50 inch, not the commercial one. The Scag I demoed the other day was way nicer. Of course the scag costs over $1500 more. The CZT is closer on price but I don't know if I will waste the dealers time having him bring it. Friday I have a Gravely demo, hopefully that will be a closer match to the Scag but it isn't like it's much cheaper.

[pugs]

First the sales guy was being a sale guy. Just about every brand of commercial mower is built as good as the next one. The only ones I would badmouth are the Cub Cadet/Lesco machines the Tank and Z-two. They are a couple notches below everyone else.

Now the problem I see is you are looking at the wrong machine. The Freedom Z is nice but I wouldnt recommend it for 3.5 acres. I would step up to a commercial machine. The Freedom is a homeowner piece.

As for cutting mowing time he was right. We used to use a John Deere 420 with a 60" deck before we started selling commercial mowers. Now we use a 60" commercial ZTR. Used to take 1:45 to cut the grass. I have done it in 45 minutes with a 60" ZTR and also done it in 45 minutes with a 52" wright stander.