Cheetahs and Tigers

[dathorpe]

Originally Posted by RSK Property Maintenance

I was also impressed by the cheetah and ended up getting one with the 34hp kohler, carb is the way to go, might not be as good on fuel but it won't give you issues like the efi's do. I thought it had plenty of hp, but several of my weekly accounts grow very fast, and really need cutting 2x per week from april to the end of june. if they are only cut once per week I need to go significantly slower. i also raise the deck if feel growth is heavy and the customer won't let me cut 2x per week which is really needed even cutting 2x per week i still have to cut at 3.50" usually. but with the bagger on the mower, the kohler really shines having the extra power.

I think you bring up a very good point. I don't bag anything so the 29 EFI is fine for what I do. But you're right, if you're bagging, you might want to get something with lots of a$$.

Originally Posted by RSK Property Maintenance

I thought it had plenty of hp, but several of my weekly accounts grow very fast, and really need cutting 2x per week from april to the end of june. if they are only cut once per week I need to go significantly slower.

Are you saying that you're cutting stuff that is so thick, it's bogging down the 34 Kohler? I can't imagine. I was running that demo 34 into some really thick stuff and it didn't bog at all.

Also, do you happen to know what the gph is on your 34?

[pugs]

Originally Posted by dathorpe

I need to buy three machines. I'm definitely going with two 29 EFI Turf Tigers. They make the most sense for everyday mowing. But for the third machine, I'm now leaning towards maybe getting the 34 Kohler or 36 Vanguard Cheetah. Originally, I was going to go with the 35 Vanguard TT but... I don't know... maybe mix it up a little.

Honestly you would be best to get all 3 the same. Or at the very least go with the 35 Vanguard on one so they are all Turf Tigers. That way they may share more parts. If you stock extra belts, you only need 1 set that way as opposed to one for each different mower.

[weeze]

Originally Posted by dathorpe

Here's another link showing the difference in carb and fuel injection. Granted, this chart is showing engines under full load but notice the 29 DFI is consuming less fuel than the 23 hp.

http://www.turfdepot.com/pages/CustomPage/Index/6139

it says the 29 dfi uses 1.6 gph on that chart.

why not get a kohler 34hp and only use 1.5 gph???

i dunno it all gets confusing with these hp rating systems. my 26hp is really 23.5hp now. so i guess that's why it gets about the same as a 27hp efi which is i dunno what hp now.

[ed2hess]

If I was putting 3 big engine units in the field I woudl definitley be looking at Propane. If you run enough to have a big tank it is 98cents a gallon now.

[dathorpe]

Originally Posted by ed2hess

If I was putting 3 big engine units in the field I woudl definitley be looking at Propane. If you run enough to have a big tank it is 98cents a gallon now.

There's no way I'm investing over 30k in propane machines. If it's a total failure, I'll lose big time. I don't see any companies running propane in my area which means the resale value would be... somewhere in the neighborhood of... me gettin' killed. I don't like that neighborhood. Don't wanna be anywhere near that neighborhood.

[dathorpe]

Originally Posted by JasonsLawnCare1

it says the 29 dfi uses 1.6 gph on that chart.

why not get a kohler 34hp and only use 1.5 gph???

i dunno it all gets confusing with these hp rating systems. my 26hp is really 23.5hp now. so i guess that's why it gets about the same as a 27hp efi which is i dunno what hp now.

Jason, that chart shows engines under full load. Meaning, for example, in really heavy thick stuff. Under those conditions, the 34 Kohler might run like 2.4 or 2.6 gph. If you look at that chart, obviously a 23 Kohler isn't sucking down 2.0 gph under normal mowing conditions. So, my point is the 29 DFI is ONLY using 1.6 gph under heavy conditions.

You're right, though, it does get confusing with the different systems for rating power. There needs to be a standard and some regulation so that everything is as black and white as possible.

[RSK Property Maintenance]

Originally Posted by dathorpe

I think you bring up a very good point. I don't bag anything so the 29 EFI is fine for what I do. But you're right, if you're bagging, you might want to get something with lots of a$$.



Are you saying that you're cutting stuff that is so thick, it's bogging down the 34 Kohler? I can't imagine. I was running that demo 34 into some really thick stuff and it didn't bog at all.

Also, do you happen to know what the gph is on your 34?

yah, i'm cutting stuff that has so much growth and is so thick it bogs down the 34hp kohler if its only cut once per week. unless i go slow like 5mph but i didn't buy the fastest ztr to cut slow. but sometimes i don't have to slow it down for one lawn and i think they are getting a price increase this year. i haven't gone up in over 4. I don't know what the gph is on the kohler i never recorded how much gas it went through while cutting. I wanna say under normal conditions its close to 2 gallons per mowing hour. which really isn't bad. even if i could have a mower that used 1.5 gallons per hour the savings of 2 dollars per hour mowing is pretty marginal, and probably wouldn't offset the cost of this different engine for many years. even with gas at 4.00 a gallon i would still say this mower is pretty decent on gas. in any given hour of mowing i'm grossing about 120-140 sometimes more some times i drop a little below the 120/hr mark but its really not bad. my only issue is i only have about 1-2 days of mowing still.

[Mickhippy]

Be great if Scag came up with a fuel cell that can just be replaced rather than having to refill the fitted tank!
I'd personally go with the Briggs but only getting 4 or 5 hrs out of a tank full would be a big concern.
That said, if cutting big areas with long thick grass, you'll get more area cut in those 4 or 5 hrs.

A dealer I know who supplies TT's to city contractors told me the Briggs fitted TT is one third more productive than the 29dfi cutting long thick wet grass. 3 runs to 2
How you could put that into actual numbers to work out costs etc I dont know.

Briggs= use's more fuel, more re fills but probably lighter and less moving parts and cuts more thick grass.
29dfi= less fuel, less fill ups, maybe heavier and more moving parts (water pump) radiator etc, slower on thick grass

If your lawns are mostly nice and kept up well the dfi is probably the way to go but if you have long periods of extreme growth then the briggs is probably a better choice.

If the TT had a bigger tank then the Briggs would be my choice hands down.

Just for interest sake, I came across these vids a few weeks ago...
http://youtu.be/Rr_mFjuHjuc
http://youtu.be/VK-K6NJOMWA

[weeze]

i just like for my mowers to be as simple as possible. i'm not interested in liquid cooled, efi, shaft drive, and all this stuff for the most part. to me it's just another fluid that has to be kept up with and changed and checked which leads to more maintenance costs and time to do the maintenance and another thing to stay on top of.

i like my deere. it's simple. 5 grease fittings. that's it. 3 on the spindles that you grease every 50hrs. 2 on the castors that you grease every 500hrs.

oil/oil fiter change every 100hrs. hydro fluid/hydro filters change every 500hrs.

air filter check every 50hrs and change about every 100hrs.

clean under fan shroud once a year.

blades change as needed and add gas as needed.

fuel filter, change spark plugs as needed which is every 1000hrs probably. adjust valves maybe at 500hrs.

simple as can be.

to me the perfect mower would be one you never had to do any maintenance on.

[Ridin' Green]

Originally Posted by JasonsLawnCare1

to me the perfect mower would be one you never had to do any maintenance on

Well then Jason, everyone but me has a perfect mower, because I never have to do any maintenance on anyone else's.