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Best used commercial ZTR mower for large residential

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tesla88

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hey guys, first time home buyer here. Buying land out in the country, house, 3 sheds, and 6 acres to mow. 1 acre is moderately sloped. I need something to mow this with and the 18 year old john deere 425 isnt gonna cut it (bad pun). I have been looking at commercial 60" zero turns. I hear good things about numerous companies, ex mark, scag, kubota, hustler, etc. I just dont know what is best for the money, USED. I am looking at used commercial mowers and want to know what is best for the money. Reliability is a large component. I dont want to spend 5-7k cash on a used mower only to have it break down and spend 2k to fix nagging issues on it. I understand that things wear and break down, I just want to find a good niche where I get a quality piece of equipment that wont kill me every year on repair costs.

Models I am seriously considering:

Scag Tiger cub/cat
Ex mark lazer 60
Kubota zd-21/28


I mainly need to know what im getting into buying one of these mower (or similar build quality) once its been commercially used for years, ie 2000 hrs, or 5/8 years.

Thanks
 
#2 ·
Just a word of caution. If you've never run ztr's before slope's can be wicked. Do able but very easy to spinout and find youself at the bottom with 30 ft skidmarks. Got to learn the crab.
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#4 ·
I have the same amount of grass (6 acres) and I bought a Hustler Super Z HD 72" and have no regrets whatsoever. I even use it to mow my additional 5 acres of rough grass. It has the best hydraulics in the industry and the best warranty as well on the drive system. My 2¢ as another homeowner with acreage . . . :waving:
 
#6 ·
If you want reliability, buy a good NEW commercial mower. It's not worth the savings to buy used IMO. If your used mower goes down you are sol until you get it fixed. New mower goes down, a loaner is on the way.
Looks like you are in MN so you have some time to shop over the winter. You should be able to fine a great mower for around $9-10k. Since you only have six acres, you will probably put about 80-100 hours per year on the machine and if you take care of it , it will last for a long time.
Look at the major brands and pick what best suits your needs.
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
I feel the need to clarify. I have driven z turns. Helped mow the family farm with my uncles zd21. I was looking at these but was scared away by transmission horror stories.

Looks like Im gonna try and find something that has less than 1000 hrs and budget for repairs.

Thanks guys.
 
#9 ·
tesla88 said:
I feel the need to clarify. I have driven z turns. Helped mow the family farm with my uncles zd21. I was looking at these but was scared away by transmission horror stories.

Looks like Im gonna try and find something that has less than 1000 hrs and budget for repairs.

Thanks guys.
Click to expand...
Where have you heard about transmission issues? My grandfather has one and its got over 1k hrs and he's never had any issues other than a hydraulic deck lift hose that went.
 
#13 ·
DO NOT BUY USED UNLESS IT IS DEALER CERTIFIED WITH SOME KIND OF WARRANTY. I know John Deere dealers sell used ZTR's that were trade in's that have been given a once over and put back out for sale. The JD dealer by me sells certified used JD's and Scags. Ask for a 1 year homeowners warranty. If your going to spend $5k+ on a used mower then get it home and 30 minutes later have a hydro failure or grenade the engine it will cost you another couple grand to fix it. $7k-$8k can easily get you a nice decent commercial grade mower, especially this time of year. JD has some great mowers that wont break the bank. Just about every manufacturer has something in that price range. It just wont have all the bells and whistles, or run 15-16mph.

I have 2 Kubota tractors, a Cub garden tractor and a Hustler Super Z. I've owed JD in the past. I can tell you that the Kubota's are by far the most expensive across the board. They were expensive when bought new, are expensive to maintain, and very expensive to repair. I demo'ed a a couple of Kubota's ZTR's and I was not impressed at all with the gas engine units. The Diesels were nice but they just didnt feel anywhere near as commercial grade as the other ZTR's I demoed. Even my tractors feel like they are designed much better then there ZTR's. I felt like Kubota got into the ZTR market just to jump on the bandwagon. I would not recommend aKubota ZTR if asked today.
 
#16 ·
tesla88 said:
I feel the need to clarify. I have driven z turns. Helped mow the family farm with my uncles zd21. I was looking at these but was scared away by transmission horror stories.

Looks like Im gonna try and find something that has less than 1000 hrs and budget for repairs.

Thanks guys.
Click to expand...
If one is willing to spend some time on line checking Craig's list, Ebay, etc. there are deals to be had, especially around this time of year. It is not uncommon to find a one year old unit with relatively low hours for sale at about 50% of new. Just have to know what you want and be ready to jump on it immediately.

Good luck with your search.
 
#17 ·
I have a Kubota ZD31 I use at work. I'm very happy with it. 3 years and no problems. Other than fuel, filters, and motor oil (for changes) it hasn't cost a penny.
The transmission problems mentioned earlier have been corrected with better hydraulic cooling.
 
#18 ·
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#19 ·
Can't go wrong with a tiger cub/cat. Tough,simple machines to maintain.
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#20 ·
Have you thought about some of the higher end/heavy duty residential mowers? They usually range from $4500-$6000 NEW. If your only going to be mowing your property you may not need a commercial?
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