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ZTR or Tractor for 3 acre residential property???

6K views 20 replies 10 participants last post by  pythons37 
#1 ·
Newbie looking for some advice here ... We recently moved from a home situated on about 1/3 acre to a new place plopped on 3 acres. The lot is reasonably flat, but does have some hills and ridges that I'll have to deal with. Some of the posts on this forum and articles I've read on the Web are giving me second thoughts about buying a ZTR. I'm getting the impression that a ZTR could give me problems when navigating certain areas of the property, and that a tractor might be a safer way to go. But it seems like very few garden tractors available in my price range ($5000 to $6500) come close in quality to some of the ZTR's that I'm thinking about.

There are two tractors ... Kubota T2380 ($5000) and Simplicity Conquest ($5500) ... that seem to be put together considerably better than most of the others.

The ZTR's that I've looked at locally are the Hustler Fastrak ($5700), Grasshopper 124V-48 ($6200), Ferris IS-600Z ($5700) and the Kubota ZG-127S ($5800).

I'm hoping some of you can offer recommendations regarding (1) whether a conventional garden tractor or ZTR would be the better bet, and (2) your opinions on the tractors and ZTR's that I have under consideration.

Thanks .......... Pete
 
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#2 ·
While my experience with tractors has been limited to none of the caliber you are looking at I will never own another one again. ZTR all the way, provided your hills aren't deal breakers.

If you are not in a rush, keep and eye on the for sale section here. I'm sure you can find something that fits the bill.
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#4 ·
This is a professional lawn mowing forum. Almost everyone will say ZTR, even though most of them have never owned or even used a good garden tractor. I have. I still do. The Simplicity would be my choice if you go with a GT in your price range, but you may want to look at the JD X500's as well. I'm sure there at least one model in, or close to your price range.

The thing you need to ask yourself though is-
what do I want to be able to do with it? Mow only? Any gardening type work? Year around use for all of the above, plus snow removal?

If the answer is either of the last two, then the GT is the only smart choice. Do you like to mow, and don't have to get done in the fastest time possible? The GT is the way to go. If you hate mowing and consider it a chore, the ZTR is the way to go since it is quicker (though not nearly as much as many guys would like to imagine). The ZTR will leave ruts and divots that no GT will. Read through the posts on this site. Even pros complain about the ruts and divots etc left by constant use of a Z, and I'm not talking about permanent ruts from the weight, but rather bare ground ruts from traveling over the same place due to ground cover, beds etc, where the heavier Z will eventually leave permanent bald ruts from each rear tire.

A GT is easier to operate efficiently than a Z unless you use a Z every day. Mowing one time a week doesn't give you enough time to become proficient with the Z.

The Z's have their place for sure, but I think more HO's are better off with a machine that anyone in the family can get on and do a good job with, without any previous experience.
 
#5 ·
Ridin' Green --- A few additional questions. As an alternative, would you recommend that I conmsider a stand-on mower ... would it be a better choice than a ZTR? I have seen the comments about how a ZTR can damage a lawn even when operated by a knowledgeable professional. And, yes, that does concern me since I only mower once or twice a week. I also have a long (> 200 feet) driveway, so having a machine that also doubles as a snow plow/blower is another consideration. How does the price of an attachable blower compare to that for a free-standing unit? I expect to use a new machine primarily for grass cutting, but over time I can see myself needing to transport mulch and top soil around the yard so maybe a garden tractor best suits my needs. However, my main concern with a garden tractor is related to quality ... can I really count on it to hold up?
 
#6 ·
The Simplicity will hold up great as long as you take care of it, perform regular recommended maintenance as suggested in the manual, and/or don't let any kids use/abuse it like a go-cart or 4 wheeler etc.

They have heavy built frames and transmissions in them. The decks stripe as good as anything made. Opt for a Vanguard engine if at all possible.

As for the front mount blower vs the separate WB unit- the attachment won't be cheap, but then, neither will a decent quality WB. You can always use a dozer blade instead of a blower, and also use it to move light dirt, gravel, mulch etc as well. The Simplicity has a limited slip rear end as well as a diff lock pedal, so traction is excellent. It will be lighter and easier on your turf, and with a 54" deck, it will make pretty good time on your lawn.

I demo'd a Gravely pro Stance stander last year and the build quality and cut are excellent, but the stander is actually harder on my back than the ZTR's are. That is something else to consider- with a Z of any type, the tendency to go fast is always there, which leads to reduced useful life of the machine, and a lot rougher ride than a GT gives.
 
#7 ·
Ridin' Green --- Can you tell me anything about the Kubota T2380? I've always been under the impression that Kubota makes real nice, high-quality equipment. Is that also true for the T2380? The closest dealer is only 10 minutes away and he sells both Simplicity and Kubota.
 
#8 ·
The JD x500's are in your price range. They have commercial grade engines, commercial serviceable tranny, the decks are OK but I think 10ga vs the 7ga fab deck on full commercial ZTR. But for owner operator may not be as much if an issue.

I was quoted $2300 out the door installed for the blower attachment including weights, chains, hood cover. That was for my x300 but the unit for a x500 is the exact same i believe.
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#10 ·
Yeah if you have a truck I'd put a good used plow on it for that. I did not buy it. Just the blower itself is $1800 I think. I can't comment on Simplicity or the Kubotas but more than one person has said the JD quality/durability has been slipping recently, but my x300 ran like a top when I owned it no problems.
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#11 ·
Parts of our county are very rural and many of the local farmers still use JD agricultural-grade equipment, but in the residential areas you see very few JD models. Most homeowners are using Toro, Husqvarna, Cub Cadet and Hustler with a few other brands sprinkled in. I've owned a JD lawn tractor in the past, but despite following the scheduled maintenance program, once the warranty expired it was just one thing after another. After spending a couple of grand on various repairs, I threw in the towel and gave the damn thing away and hired a lawn service. Now that I'm retired, I have plenty of time and considering what I would pay to have someone come out and cut/trim a 3 acre lot, it wouldn't take too long to recoup the cost of buying a high-end residential or entry-level commercial machine. In the meantime, I'll keep researching and looking around.
 
#12 ·
Pete, I own both, a ZT and a garden tractor. If I had to keep just one, it would be the ZT. It cuts twice as fast as the tractor and gives a much better cut. If you only have a 200 ft drive way, I would not buy a snow blower to attach to a tractor. Use a high quality walk behind or get a plow guy, which will probably cost you fifty dollars just to do your drive.
 
#13 ·
Pete, I own both, a ZT and a garden tractor. If I had to keep just one, it would be the ZT. It cuts twice as fast as the tractor and gives a much better cut. If you only have a 200 ft drive way, I would not buy a snow blower to attach to a tractor. Use a high quality walk behind or get a plow guy, which will probably cost you fifty dollars just to do your drive.
Maybe your Z does better than your tractor, but you can't make a broad assertion like that. I run both too, and have for years. The GT's will cut as good as any ZTR made...period. Like everything else, it depends on which brand, and which model you have in either type. My 23 YO JD garden tractor will lay down as nice a cut as your Z gauranteed. I've posted pics of the cut on here many times to back it up. It stripes awesome too, and I don't have any type of striper kit on it anywhere. It may not be as fast, but speed only matters when you're in this for money, or pressed for time, and the OP is not.
 
#14 ·
Ridin' Green --- Can you tell me anything about the Kubota T2380? I've always been under the impression that Kubota makes real nice, high-quality equipment. Is that also true for the T2380? The closest dealer is only 10 minutes away and he sells both Simplicity and Kubota.
Kubota makes some nice stuff, but I've always been a fan of JD for a few reasons. One, JD usually has better designs in their products as far as layout or control functions etc., ( again, depends on the model, but model for model they generally do).

Two, I am a proud American, and I like to keep the profit money here in the USA instead of Japan or China whenever and wherever I can. I know that all brands these days use engines, trans's, etc., from other countries now days, but the end profit for Deere stays here.

You don't need a blower for snow, and there are some good reasons not to have one. Like getting blasted in the face with snow when the wind is wrong, and the fact that it is a solo purpose attachment. That's why i mentioned a blade too. I have a blade, broom and 2 stage bower for my CUT, but the blade gets the most use.
 
#15 ·
Another thing to consider is they do have snow plows for ZTR's. I have only ever sold one. The guy that bought it was in such a hurry to get it, he paid me for it and picked it up from my distributor. I asked him to let me know how it worked....never heard a word good or bad.

Before we started selling ZTR's we had tractors. First one I cut our property with was an old Jacobsen. We eventually got a JD 318 and then later on a 420. The 420 had a 60" deck. I could generally cut our property in about 1:45 with that machine. I can do it in 45-50 minutes flat with a 60" ZTR. I can also do it in 45-50 minutes with a 52" Wright Stander. The Stander is just quicker around obstacles(which we have alot). If it was wide open mowing the ZTR would win. The 420 had a very heavy stamped deck that would bog down causing slow downs in taller/lusher sections of grass where the commercial ZTR's do not have to slow down.

As someone else said, if you want access to lots of attachments go with the tractor. If you are just trying to get the grass cut, go with the ZTR.
 
#16 ·
Maybe your Z does better than your tractor, but you can't make a broad assertion like that. I run both too, and have for years. The GT's will cut as good as any ZTR made...period. Like everything else, it depends on which brand, and which model you have in either type. My 23 YO JD garden tractor will lay down as nice a cut as your Z gauranteed. I've posted pics of the cut on here many times to back it up. It stripes awesome too, and I don't have any type of striper kit on it anywhere. It may not be as fast, but speed only matters when you're in this for money, or pressed for time, and the OP is not.
That is true Rindin Green. My tractor is a JD also (7 series), the zt is a scag. Both are considered high end mowers. At speed, there is no comparison to cut quality. The scag lays down nice stripes and cut at 10mph. If you slow down, the tractor can give almost equal quality, but when mowing multiple acres, I don't want to be driving Ms Daisy, I want to get done. I was just relaying my thoughts to Pete, he will have to make his own decision on what suits him best.
 
#17 ·
The other fear the guys have here is if you get the ZTR and become skilled on it you may just decide to jump into the trade and start a landscaping company of your own. ZTRs are easy enough to learn how to use but until you develop muscle memory they can be dangerous. They had an article on here this year of an old man using one he just bought for the first time he drove under a low deck and didn't know how to back out and crushed his chest on the deck. Other idiots flip them and either crush them selves that way or drown. Iv never seen anyone do anything like that with a ZTR but I did see a homeowner cutting a bank next to a road with a tractor while I was sitting 200 feet back at a light. It wasn't very steep my ZTR would hold that with no problems at all in fact I wouldn't even need to slow down. But this guy managed to flip his tractor right in front of me into the road where he landed on his face with his tractor on top of him. I drive a 48ft rig all day long with no issues I put a car driver in it and were going to see an accident. The point is everything can be dangerous to an unskilled under trained person. What ever you decide take it slow and master it and you won't have the lawn damage nor the danger of hurting yourself on things you should know to watch out for.
 
#18 ·
The other fear the guys have here is if you get the ZTR and become skilled on it you may just decide to jump into the trade and start a landscaping company of your own. ZTRs are easy enough to learn how to use but until you develop muscle memory they can be dangerous. They had an article on here this year of an old man using one he just bought for the first time he drove under a low deck and didn't know how to back out and crushed his chest on the deck. Other idiots flip them and either crush them selves that way or drown. Iv never seen anyone do anything like that with a ZTR but I did see a homeowner cutting a bank next to a road with a tractor while I was sitting 200 feet back at a light. It wasn't very steep my ZTR would hold that with no problems at all in fact I wouldn't even need to slow down. But this guy managed to flip his tractor right in front of me into the road where he landed on his face with his tractor on top of him. I drive a 48ft rig all day long with no issues I put a car driver in it and were going to see an accident. The point is everything can be dangerous to an unskilled under trained person. What ever you decide take it slow and master it and you won't have the lawn damage nor the danger of hurting yourself on things you should know to watch out for.
LOL

I think that is probably true, but that is far from being a factor in what I posted top the OP.

I just get tired of all the guys here who have no experience with a tractor other than running their uncle's TSC Husky lawn tractor a few times during visits in the summer, and those who have no experience with tractors at all telling someone that a tractor is useless. They aren't, and are far better for certain applications such as a HO who needs an all around machine and doesn't have the money or desire to store two or three separate machines.
 
#19 ·
No worries on that point. Rest assured, I have no intentions of getting into the lawn care business - that would require me to hire illegals to make a living!!! All I want is a quality piece of equipment to fulfill my rather simple needs ... cut, haul and plow. Sounds like a garden tractor is in my future. :)
 
#20 ·
I believe Husqvarna makes some options for a tractor also. Had a sears version (made by husqvarna) for 7 years and a several hundred + hours that was used to mow 3 acres and plow my drive. Father in law is using it now on his property. Purchased a Bad Boy outlaw 54" beginning of summer and couldn't be happier. Took about an hour and 50 mins to 2 hours to mow with the 54" lawn tractor. Takes about an hour now maybe an hour 10 mins. No comparison on cut quality and clippings dispersal, in a totally different class than the tractor and rightfully so. Initially intended to purchase a mibar blade to handle snow but rethinking that now. Might just get a snow thrower. We'll see. I think the ZTR would work wonderfully, but planning ahead and getting the ZTR from the shed to the drive after it has already snowmed might be an issue. Was with the tractor, always had to plan ahead.
 
#21 ·
Get the big Simplicity. Also get the plow. And then get the three bin bagger with the secondary blower. After you get this figured out with the salesman, have him price out a 24" snow blower, too. Don't forget the weights and chains for the Tractor. You will need them for snow pushing. He might have a good used blower available. You will be in good shape and you will have a versatile and powerful set up. Good luck.
 
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