[mcw615]

I currently have 2 Toro 52" diesels I am selling. I love the diesel and have seen the benefits that others are scarred to try them out or just don't want to fork out the extra amount. I am selling a) because I want 60" decks b) the diesels are much heavier and if it rained over night, your not getting out at 7am to start mowing, gotta wait until about 8ish until the sun gets above the trees because the diesel will just flatten the grass to the ground and when the ground is soft like that they will tear the turf up.

I am planning on buying (2) Toro G3 60" with 29hp kawi engines. The reason I am selling the mowers is because I was new into the business and didn't think I needed a 60" so I bought the 52's with no ZTR experience.

I am THINKING of buying 1 G3 60" and 1 diesel 60". I only have problems with the diesels when these few instances occur due to weight. There are accounts where the diesel and the torque come in handy, and ofcourse it uses 75% less fuel.

So I know I am switching to atleast (1) gas model, but any one run a setup with both gas and diesel for these purposes? Did it work out?

 

[Mowing Freak]

Others may have a different opinion, but here is mine. Going from 50" to 60", is that a wise choice right now with the economy? Do you have the business to support new mowers? Also, as I don't know much about Toro, but do your research, will a 60" save that much time over a 50", and what is the total weight between the two. Remember, 60" adds a little more weight, but is it there really that much difference in weight? I run nothing but diesel mowers and if I can help it, I will stay that way. Look at the lawns you mow, are they big areas, small areas, etc. If you have a mix of both, could you get by with just replacing one mower with a bigger one? Then it goes back to what I said earlier, will you save that much time? Look at the added fuel expense too. Hope this will help and will give you a little more to think about!

 

[IndianSprings]

We run one of each,the diesel weight approx 450 lbs more. We run "normal turf tires on the diesel vs. the V barred or ribbed tires on the gas.
Both are 60" decks. We use the diesel in heavy cutting conditions and normal terrain contours, the gas unit goes on the extreme slopes and road side ditches where the lighter weight and more aggressive tread helps.
We don't see a huge difference in fuel consumption as the 26 hp water cooler kawasaki is a real fuel sipper and quiet. The 34 hp CAT diesel is a louder unit to run, the torque is a beautiful thing, it is easy on fuel as well.
We just make sure we put the right fuel in the correct mower. We usually try not to carry a lot of fuel cans, but the four we do carry are cleary differentiated by color,l red for gas, yellow for diesel. There's really been no hassles associated with running one of each, other than the fight for who runs the diesel.

 

[topsites]

No, no, mine only runs on gas.

 

[mcw615]

I paid 10,500 for each mower and got 1,000 worth of free upgrades, suspension seats etc. My dealer gave me a steal of a deal on them right before the price hike the end of 08. The mowers have about 100 hours each on them, and I have kept them clean and they look brand new. Price of these mowers are now 13-14k new. He said there are a lot of small guys that come in the showroom just browsing and use a variety of equipment bargain shopping. He knows I'm going to buy 2 new mowers so he said put a new ad on craigslist and say the mower can be seen at " " (dealers name) he said here recently he has helped a few guys sell some equipment so they can get new stuff who had no luck and when they re-list as can be seen at " " they have had huge success.

The 52" I have no deck overhang, the diesel you have to run the 24x12 tires which goes about an inch wider than the deck. I'm not a fan of the appearance on the lawn because of no deck over hang. I have demoed a 60 a few times and love the smoother appearance and going around gardens etc is much easier with the overhang.

My thoughts on diesel, I love the torque with minimal bogging down. There are fuel savings but we started doing much more installs last year and cut out the PITA customers so as you see not putting the hours on the machines to see the difference, plus for a 30% or more higher price. I owe 10k on the two current mowers, when these sell, have 18k cash, pay off the remaining amount, buy 2 G3's at 10 each and put them on the account on 0% interest and keep the 8k cash to put towards a much needed truck.
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[lalorslawncare]

I have both a 60 Exmark Lazer Z gas and a Kubota ZD21 I bought the ZD because I found a deal I could not pass up/ 5k for a machine with 400 hours. The fuel savings are significant but not 75% as stated earlier. The kubota is a heavier handling machine than the Exmark but in damp and wet conditions this actually turns out to be a good thing. The machine does not respond as quikly which makes it less likely to tear turf on turning. This is a problem I always had with the Exmark. I love both machines but hate both machines for their own reasons. The diesle blows gas away in wet and heavy grass. The gas is a dream in normal dry grass. It is effortless to operate.

 

[MONTE]

I run both but if I buy in the near future it will be gas and efi at that. The fuel economy is very close between the two and gas is cheaper than diesel. also less up front cost and easier to sell later.

 

[Mowing Freak]

MCW615, If you need to save a little money, and with the low hours on the machines, could you buy 2-60" decks and put them on and try to sell the 50's later? Again, I don't know much about Toro's or if that is a viable option for you, but just another idea.