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just a little correction, the phazer uses the hg zt 2800 with the integrated charge pump, not the ezt/izt series. for starting out, it makes sense to consider some of the mowers with the zt motors. hustler uses them in some of their mini series and warranties them for commercial use. used commercial equipment is definitely an alternative, but will it have warranty coverage left for the same money?
 
Everyone has to remember, Home Depot and Lowes are stores for the "Do it yourselfer" homeowner. There are over 100 millions homeowners with yards. 97% of them mow their own grass. And they need mowers too. Someone said in an earlier post that they (the stores) need to quit pushing these units off as commericial. I have never seen or heard anyone from these companies do that. The fact is zero turns are the wave of the future and are starting to replace the old tractor syles. That why the mower companies are coming out with more of them through Lowes and Home Depot because there is going to be a big market for them. Most homeowners are not going to spend $6 to $10 grand on a comericial mower for a normal size lawn but they will buy a zero turn in the same price range as a old lawn style tractor. The same for any home builder, they dont use Lowes and HomeDepot to build homes for the most part (other than buyig small items here and there). They use specialty stores that only sell to builders. If any commericial guy buys a cheap mower to mow lawns which is made for a homeowner to save them money instead of going to a real mower dealer which they are there for, I dont want to hear any gripping when the mower breaks down because it was being ran hard for 40 hours a week which it was not made to do.
 
Have you guys seen the tv commercials for these things yet?

(we need a smiley that just shakes his head)
 
Yeah i did see the commercial, look how far he pulls on the sticks. If i did that on my Ferris i would be turffing it up. They make it look so easy until you hit a hill with a few tree's to cut around.
 
im in business15yrs and i started with a mtd tractor 18hp 48 inch deck with bagger. and it worked fine for two years but it was verry slow and did not leave that commercial apperance.i did 20 yards and it took all week long.i bought my first commercial mower a john deer and it cut my time down and i could take more customers on. in the last 5yrs i bought zero turn commercial mowers and cut my time in half! i can take more customers on,which is more money! just me and my wife work and we cut 52 yards per week,some are commercial properties.i looked at the jd zero turn mower at lowes and its junk for commercial work the deck is not the guage steel that commercial mowers have and it does not have independent wheel motors and hydro pumps.its belt driven just like that mtd i bought. just spend more to get a mower that is made for what you want. i use scag,landscaper,exmark. i called a scag rep and he said there number one competior is exmark. :cool2:
 
The EZTrak is another "box store" machine.
They are the zero turn equivelent of the L100 series box store lawn tractors.
Same deck and all.

The 425 and 445 are the same thing, just bigger, with a few upgraded parts.

Deere just styled them sorta like the ZTrak's... so they have the looks to sell.

All you have to do really is look at the Deere models that ARE available at box stores and the ones that ARE NOT to tell where they 'fit in' in there lineup.
 
I'm bringing this one back from the dead because we went down to Home Depot to look at some home improvement items.

They had those Deere 445's that are supposed to be so great.

My daughter loves ZTR's so naturally she went straight for them.

Understand she is a 7 year old little girl.

If I could have only filmed her or taken some action shots, that would have told the story. You should have seen the way she curled her nose up at that thing after having been crawling around on my commercial equipment since she was old enough to get around.

The look on her face when she realized she couldn't even use the deck as a step to get up on the thing.... well that picture would have been worth a thousand words.

I picked her up and put her on the foot plate.
She messed around on it less than a minute ( I can't get her off of mine).
After the minute passed she said....

"Daddy, this one's too rinky dink for me. Yours is more my size. Why don't you go to the mower store and get a new bigger one for you so I can just have your old one?"

I just laughed and helped her down.

She and my wife waited while I looked it over really good.

What a steaming pile of green crap!
The re-labeled 23hp Briggs engine on it is it's premier feature.
 
Well, it may be "rinky dink" but I'm getting ready to buy one.

48" size is perfect for getting into many areas that I have to cut. The only unit I found that was even close for the price was the new Exmark Quest, which still runs a briggs motor and uses the zt2800 hydros.

I think before you all go bashing something, you should get your facts straight. There is so much mis-information in this thread it's ridiculous. (And since when is a 7 year old an expert on anything???)
 
around here you can go get an exmark 19 hp 48 deck commercial ztr for $5000
 
Don't get me wrong, it's not a commercial unit, and I understand that... If I had the resources I'd be all over a new Exmark, Gravely, Deere, whatever... but for the price, these are one heck of a homeowner machine.
 
I have one that is even more rinky dinky...the Toro Lowe's special I got for $1600......

I use it on MY layn of 1 acre and it works very nice. I also use it on the lawn I do for a local cemetary, where it works nice too....I can see where the quality and power is holding it back on one section that grows thick, but so far, so good.... My plan is too use it for the remainder of the year and sell it locally. Then I will INVEST in quality.

I am looking to branch out next year, so i will NEED it.
 
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