Lawn Care Forum banner

What ZTR do I buy?

Tags
hustler toro
17K views 44 replies 16 participants last post by  avguy 
#1 ·
I have been reading up and researching mowers for what seems like a year now, but I am ready to buy now. I have narrowed my choices down but can't pick the final mower.

Situation: I have 1/2 to 3/4 of an acre to mow, fairly level, but lots of obstacles. I know I want a ztr with 48-54" cut with either a honda or kawasaki engine. I also have a budget of 5000, but my wife thinks 4000 and I might be able to squeeze to six. Here is my list:

Hustler Sport
Hustler FasTrak
Scag Freedom Z
Exmark Quest(but it has a stamped deck)
Exmark Pioneer E-Series
Toro Titan

So what I need is your expertise what to go with or avoid. I have quality dealers for all the above within 45 min of my location. Can you help me narrow down my list. Thanks for the help!
 
#5 ·
Last May I purchased a 42" Sport with the 17.5 Briggs. I put 20 hours on the clock last year with no issues. Well, just one. It didn't track straight off the showroom floor but the fix was a simple adjustment.
I can't play the ZTR comparison game but can tell you that I am really happy with this purchase and it is a pleasure to use.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Thanks for all the replies! I was all set to go the Hustler route, but then my wife decided to voice her opinion. She wants me to go talk to our local John Deere dealer since the hustler dealer is a about 45 min away. I saw the JD Z445 is comparable to the fastrak and is similar in price. Do you guys have any thoughts or suggestions on JD? Thanks again!
 
#9 ·
Good morning,
I made my purchase last may so the details are a bit foggy but I compared the Fasttrac to the 445 and the Sport to the 225/245. Again the details are foggy but if I recall correctly in every case the JD was more expensive than the Hustler. Both the yellow ones had welded decks and the JD's had stamped decks (although thick). Again, the details are fuzzy but that is as I remember it.

Also, my JD dealer is 20 miles away and the nearest Hustler dealer is 2 miles away.

Note that I drove 240 miles round trip to buy mine and saved over $600.

I have a short and pretty steep side hill in my yard. One reason I chose the Sport is it seems to have the lowest center of gravity of the ZTR's. Makes my hill safe and easy to mow. I would be extra cool on a FT, but I don't need it.
 
#10 ·
The newest twist in my search for the best ztr for me brought me to exmark. I have a demo set up for today on a 2010 Quest with 48" deck (fabricated not the new stamped one) but it has a 22hp Briggs ELS that makes me leary of it. I am also looking at the 2011 Pioneer E Series with 48' deck and 22 kawasaki engine. Any words of wisdom for or against either of these machines? Thanks!
 
#11 ·
The newest twist in my search for the best ztr for me brought me to exmark. I have a demo set up for today on a 2010 Quest with 48" deck (fabricated not the new stamped one) but it has a 22hp Briggs ELS that makes me leary of it. I am also looking at the 2011 Pioneer E Series with 48' deck and 22 kawasaki engine. Any words of wisdom for or against either of these machines? Thanks!
If that's the Exmark Quest SP from 2010 it's got the B&S Vanguard engine, the 3100 hydraulics and a 5" fabricated deck. It's the equivalent of this years Quest Pioneer S series at a $1000 (or more) savings.
 
#12 ·
It is about time that Exmark got into the game in the residential department. The previous Quest models are a joke. The Pioneer and the upgraded Quest seem to be pretty decent machines.
 
#13 ·
If that's the Exmark Quest SP from 2010 it's got the B&S Vanguard engine, the 3100 hydraulics and a 5" fabricated deck. It's the equivalent of this years Quest Pioneer S series at a $1000 (or more) savings.
I really like the Vanguard engines. I had one on my BadBoy, however 18.6 hours really does not give me enough time to judge the engine on longevity and reliability, but from what time I did use the machine, the engine was strong and had plenty of power.

The only thing I did not like about the Vanguard was that it really liked to be really warm before it would engage the blades on the deck. The thing would just stall out at half throttle when it was cold. I don't think I have ever had a mower just stall out when engaging the blades at half throttle? cold or not! I really don't like to engage blades at high RPM's, I heard and assume that it is bad for the clutch. The Vanguard also seemed to use more gas than other engines I have had. It seemed to get a little better as time went on, but that engine was defiantly more thirsty than some of the engines I have owned!
 
#16 ·
The manual on my old ztr and my new one say to engage the blades at FULL throttle. That's what I do. Check your owners manual see if it says the same could explain the stalling.
 
#17 ·
The 2010 Quest was delivered last night for my demo, but with all this rain we have been getting I decided not to turn my regular yard into a mud pit. Instead I mowed a 1 acre side lot I have. This lot is twice as rough as my regular lawn and not as well maintained, like a farm pasture. Anyway I mowed the acre in 35 min and the grass was wet and soil was muddy but I wanted to see the limits of the machine. It never once stalled or bogged down I was mowing full speed without hesitation. I double checked it has the the Brigg Extended Life Series 22hp engine on it not the Vanguard. My dilemma is this do I trust in the Briggs engine or bump up to the Pioneer E Series and get a 22hp Kawasaki?
 
#19 ·
Regarding engaging the blades, my owners manual (BadBoy MZ48) doesn't say anything about at what throttle position to engage the blades. I did download a Hustler Sport owners manual (when I was researching mowers) and they say this:

With the engine running, engage the deck clutch switch and advance engine throttle to full rpm.

NOTE: Engaging the deck clutch at high engine rpm or when under heavy load (in tall grass for example) can cause belts and/or electric clutch to slip, resulting in premature wear or possible damage.

Kevin
 
#20 ·
rhyno77...sorry for any confusion my original post concerning the Quest SP may have caused. I just checked my 2010 Exmark catalog and you're right...the Quest (not Quest SP) has the B&S ELS engine and it also has the ZT2800 hydrostatic transaxles, not the ZT3100's and it also has the 4" welded deck instead of the 5" deck. I don't know what price you were quoted on that because there's not one available where I am but it should be considerably cheaper than the 2011 Quest E. The one I've bought (and waiting on delivery still) is the 2010 Quest SP that does have the ZT3100's, the Vanguard with the Donaldson air filter system and the 5" welded deck. The SP costs $4999 (same as this year's Quest Pioneer E) and is closer to the $5999 Pioneer S in specs. The 2010 SP also weighs 100 lbs more than the 2010 Quest.

Just a note...in this area (south Mississippi) it seems like most of the yard services are using some version of the Exmark mowers and there are 3 Exmark dealers within 20 minutes of my house. There are also two Toro, one Scag, one Bad Boy, one Hustler and one Ferris in the area so I've gotten to look at a lot of mowers the last month or so.
 
#21 ·
hey capemay,
What engine do you have on your hustler? I have the 25 kaw and have notice that it will almost stall when engaging the blades when the engine is cold and half throttle.
I have a 19hp. No problems at any speed engaging the blades cold or hot.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Regarding engaging the blades, my owners manual (BadBoy MZ48) doesn't say anything about at what throttle position to engage the blades. I did download a Hustler Sport owners manual (when I was researching mowers) and they say this:

With the engine running, engage the deck clutch switch and advance engine throttle to full rpm.

NOTE: Engaging the deck clutch at high engine rpm or when under heavy load (in tall grass for example) can cause belts and/or electric clutch to slip, resulting in premature wear or possible damage.

Kevin
Now I was told by a dealer years ago that you should engage the blades at almost idle or a little above idle or low RPM's. He said that engaging the blades at high RPM's will destroy the clutch? BOTH OF MY HUSTLERS that I have owned will engage blades at almost "idle" position with a slightly cold engine. Now these are smaller decks 42" and smaller machines, but the BadBoy still had a smaller deck, with a much larger engine, I would have expected it to handle turning the blades over with no problem.

Also when I say "cold engine" I start everything I own and let it warm up pretty well before I use it, so it is not really a cold engine, just really not up to operating temperature. I am not talking about just starting the machine up and throwing the blades on and going. I usually let it run a few minutes and then go.
 
#23 · (Edited)
The 2010 Quest was delivered last night for my demo, but with all this rain we have been getting I decided not to turn my regular yard into a mud pit. Instead I mowed a 1 acre side lot I have. This lot is twice as rough as my regular lawn and not as well maintained, like a farm pasture. Anyway I mowed the acre in 35 min and the grass was wet and soil was muddy but I wanted to see the limits of the machine. It never once stalled or bogged down I was mowing full speed without hesitation. I double checked it has the the Brigg Extended Life Series 22hp engine on it not the Vanguard. My dilemma is this do I trust in the Briggs engine or bump up to the Pioneer E Series and get a 22hp Kawasaki?
The question is, do you want to spend the money? Is the Vanguard a better engine? YES. The Briggs will last you many years. I have had lots of Briggs engines in mowers and tractors and they all faired well. I was going to buy a Scag Freedom Z with a 27hp Briggs ELS engine, but went with a smaller Hustler and got a 17hp Kohler single cylinder engine and it was solid for 3 years.

There is a dealer on here that sells BadBoys and he says that the Briggs engines are really doing well and he talks customers into the Briggs ELS. If you want to talk with him, his screen name is RetroDog. PM him and he can help you decide on a engine. Here is his contact info http://www.lawnsite.com/member.php?u=53955
 
#24 ·
Regarding engaging the blades, my owners manual (BadBoy MZ48) doesn't say anything about at what throttle position to engage the blades. I did download a Hustler Sport owners manual (when I was researching mowers) and they say this:

With the engine running, engage the deck clutch switch and advance engine throttle to full rpm.

NOTE: Engaging the deck clutch at high engine rpm or when under heavy load (in tall grass for example) can cause belts and/or electric clutch to slip, resulting in premature wear or possible damage.

Kevin
Regarding engaging the blades, my owners manual (BadBoy MZ48) doesn't say anything about at what throttle position to engage the blades. I did download a Hustler Sport owners manual (when I was researching mowers) and they say this:

With the engine running, engage the deck clutch switch and advance engine throttle to full rpm.

NOTE: Engaging the deck clutch at high engine rpm or when under heavy load (in tall grass for example) can cause belts and/or electric clutch to slip, resulting in premature wear or possible damage.

Kevin
Weird,
I would do what your manual says,I'm gonna email Snapper tomorrow. Must be using different type/design clutches. Certainly don't want to void warranty.
 
#25 ·
I've always engaged the blades at full throttle, but I'll see how the Briggs does at half throttle (for blade engagement only) the next time I mow.

A friend called me today to see if I would start mowing her daughters yard this year...more to mow and getting paid! I will have to 'reclaim' the yard (tall grass) for the first mow.

Kevin
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top