Lawn Care Forum banner

Why I buy Exmark 30 inch lawn mowers

60K views 42 replies 24 participants last post by  vegandude 
#1 ·
I bought 3 exmark 30 inch lawn mowers this spring. I was one of the test dummies. We had some problems with the transmissions on all three mowers. We had some cables breaking. It was frusturating early on. The transmission problems seemed to be worked out. The cable situation is taken care of by exmark redesigning the ball in the cable. I really like the exmark 30's. Yes there has been some adjustments that needed to be made, but I knew that would happen in the early stages. People on this site are asking if they should buy a 30 inch exmark. I would say yes if it applies to your situation. I love the cut, changing from discharge to mulch to bagging is simple. I really like Kawi engines. We save gas and you can run them a long time before you need a fill up. They are fast and much more productive then 21's. Easy for employee's to pick up. The self propel is easy on the hands. They are easy to turn. The ht adjustment is easy and it goes up to 5 inches. I love the timed blades. Maint. on the machine is easy. I haven't seen any turf tear or rutting. There are limitations on this machine as there are on any mower. They are not good on hills, if you have to cut super high grass this may not be the best machine. I really like the support I got from Exmark. I called and talked to them and they gave me honest feedback. They told me early that they had a tranny problem and they would correct it. They then added another year of warrantity for the trannys. They came out and said they needed to fix the cables and did. In a time when many business's don't live up to backing there product it was nice to talk with exmark's manager Paul Jurgens. Paul really helped me out and not with just talk but action. Every business encounters adversity, what that buisness does in those times separates them from the pack. This why I bought three 30's from exmark and will continue to buy exmark: It's a really good mower with really good support behind it. Just my honest opinion for other landscapers interested in this mower.
 
See less See more
#5 · (Edited)
Heh. I was just looking at the Toros (residential and commercial) side by side today.

I can't wrap my head around two grand for a push mower since I already own a 36" walk behind, but I am considering the residential model. Still a lot of money, but I don't know that for twice the price, the commercial version is twice as good. Better? yes, but two times better? I doubt it.


Edit to add:
I don't mean to come off the way that post reads - if the mowers work well for the OP, that's great and I'm happy to read the "review".
Thanks for sharing your thoughts as every bit of info I can find will help me make an informed decision when I eventually DO make the purchase!
 
#6 ·
Heh. I was just looking at the Toros (residential and commercial) side by side today.

I can't wrap my head around two grand for a push mower since I already own a 36" walk behind, but I am considering the residential model. Still a lot of money, but I don't know that for twice the price, the commercial version is twice as good. Better? yes, but two times better? I doubt it.
I've always purchased Snapper 21 commercial units. Built to last. Easy to maintain. Price is around $900. The cut is nice. But recently I've been tempted to try the 30's. Who knows. Maybe a spring purchase.
 
#8 ·
"In the right conditions"….…Yeah.
Yep, thats what I was thinking too. Most mowers even a cheap throw away will cut good in the so called right conditions. Unfortunately I live in an area with alot of rain causing heavy growth and terrain with steep grades on many properties. These 30" mowers seem way too underpowered for my application. I would consider the residential timemaster over the commercial units because of the weight.
 
#9 ·
Yep, thats what I was thinking too. Most mowers even a cheap throw away will cut good in the so called right conditions. Unfortunately I live in an area with alot of rain causing heavy growth and terrain with steep grades on many properties. These 30" mowers seem way too underpowered for my application. I would consider the residential timemaster over the commercial units because of the weight.
Trust me they are, why would they think it's a good idea to put the same engine on this that's on a 21''.:nono:
 
#10 ·
Agreed. Some more power/torque, even if optional, will make this mower more appealing.

All this talk makes my BOP Q32s with 16hp Kaw look like a monster truck in comparison.

My biggest concern for these Toro/ExMark 30s was the timed-blade system from a reliability standpoint. And apparently this is a non-factor from what I've read. I can certainly see the advantages ~> from QOC to having a shorter deck.
 
#11 ·
Next Monday I will hopefully demo an Exmark 30 and compare it directly to my Toro TimeMaster 30.

I hope to see if it is really worth the extra money...extra weight and lack of Personal Pace and the fold up vertical handle....?
Either post here or start a new thread, on this. I've been looking at both, as an upgrade to my current 21", but, not into the WB/stander realm. I really want to hear what you think.
 
#12 ·
last year I finally broke down and bought the exmark 26, the savings that gave me in fuel and time saved paid upfront for the 30 that I bought last month and the savings that I have already achieved in one month paid for my stihl pp800 pole saw. This mower isn't the cure all, but combined with the rest of the equip that I have, it is. This mower makes it so I have fewer stops at the gas station, less time on lawns, less screwing around with clippings, no side discharge bag, more time for extra work, less maintanance. This machine has become key to my business
 
#13 ·
I've always purchased Snapper 21 commercial units. Built to last. Easy to maintain. Price is around $900. The cut is nice. But recently I've been tempted to try the 30's. Who knows. Maybe a spring purchase.
I have a 21 Commercial Snapper with the 6HP Robin engine on it. That thing has been a bear to start since day one. The machine is built well but that Robin engine will wear you out just getting it to crank. I wish I had purchased the Honda engine model.
 
#14 ·
I have mixed feeling about my Exmark 30 purchase. I have not had any transmission issues to date or cable problems. Should I still take it in anyway or am I one of the lucky ones? I love the cut quality, side discharge, and bagging. I leave the side discharge chute off and cut that way. My only complaint is that this thing could not mulch a wet noodle. The engine is way underpowered. I am also looking to sell mine and buy a full fledged 32. It would be fine for weekly cuts but not the every two week cuts that I mostly due. Its annoying having to side discharge everything. I does leave a hell of a nice cut though. Its a shame they couldn't plop a more powerful engine on this thing. They need to make a 10 hp Kawasaki, Honda, or Briggs just for this mower.
 
#15 ·
I do suspect the homeowner TimeMaster may in fact have more power than the TurfMaster...?

The Briggs Pro is 190cc and also did power the XT5 aerator and the Lawn Solutions WB 21".

Once the TimeMaster engine breaks in it does have a bit more grunt. Perhaps the same can be said for the TurfMaster...?
 
#16 ·
So am I hearing that these 30" mowers are still a few models away from them getting it right?

I have larger ztr and the a 21" self propelled snapper push mower. We push mow 2 full lawns and then have a few small section/islands to do. We have some very small properties that might be good. All together we might put in 2-2.25 push mow hours a week on 7-8 different properties with out 21".

I wonder if there is much of a time saver between the two models. What are the thoughts of your customers who ask for push mowing and see a larger mower on their property.

Also seems to be some minor issues with cut quality. We cut fescue at 3-4" and Bermuda/centipede at 2-2.5"
 
#17 ·
I have had one for a few months now and its no longer on the truck, it wasn't saving us any time on the size yards we mostly do(5000-8000 sq ft lots) and because of the wider deck, it doesn't follow the contours as well as the 21 so I pulled it off, the blades are little cheesy POS's I bought 6 extra blades and after a few sharpenings on the magnamatic, they are almost trash... yesterday we had a tornado of broken 21's so I swapped the 30 out with the guys and they said it wasn't as fast as when it was new, so sure enough if you power brake it, the right wheel spins the left does not... But it is new, and I expected there to be a couple hiccups. The things I do like on it tho, the height adjustment is nice(also the reason I'm going to switch all our 21's over to Exmarks) the side discharge, mulching, and bagging set up is nice, it bags like a champ!! Mulches meh, okay... not great, but I love the cheap simple mulch plug over the toro 21 contraption!

Overall, I think this mower would be perfect for someone who has a lot of midsized yards and isnt ready to put a 500lb 36 on the ground yet, I don't think the BOP mowers arereal commercial, so with that being said this is a nice step closer to a larger commercial mower that isn't in the thousands. But for 10-20k ft lots, that are pretty flat, and are mowed weekly this is nice! The cut needs to be better IMHO for the lawns we cut.

edit: For those concerned about the power plant, one thing I haven't had a problem with is this mower being underpowered, it's done a great job at the overgrown properties we've taken on!! I am in Dallas tho, so St Augustine, Bermuda, and weeds are all we see.
 
#18 ·
Trust me they are, why would they think it's a good idea to put the same engine on this that's on a 21''.:nono:
You really might want to demo one first before making judgement. I too thought it would be underpowered. The first day I demoed one I knew I had to have one. The thing is fast and the controls are very similier to our toro prolines. When you turn on the blades you know right off the bat this is unlike any 21." We have had ours for around 2.5 months now and use it daily in all conditions. Wet, dry, tall, limp grass like I said all conditions. We mowed a heavy fertilized lawn that is irrigated. The grass was and easy 8" It was about 4" above the deck skirt. I could mow through it at a good 3-4mph and the cut was flawless. The engine bogged a little but so would my 60" turf tracer going through that. Now I did have the bag on and I am sure that help a lot. That Kawasaki engine is very impressive. Hills are its downfall due to the machines weight. Now of course we still use it on some crazy steep hard to mow areas but it is a workout. Of all the 30" models on the market I think the Exmark is hands down the finest of the bunch for the commercial contractor.
 
#20 ·
The more I hate on this mower. The more I realize I really kinda like this sucker!
And the crowd starts to snicker followed with much laughter. This mower is one of those "no turning back" items that you have to keep around
 
#21 ·
You really might want to demo one first before making judgement. I too thought it would be underpowered. The first day I demoed one I knew I had to have one. The thing is fast and the controls are very similier to our toro prolines. When you turn on the blades you know right off the bat this is unlike any 21." We have had ours for around 2.5 months now and use it daily in all conditions. Wet, dry, tall, limp grass like I said all conditions. We mowed a heavy fertilized lawn that is irrigated. The grass was and easy 8" It was about 4" above the deck skirt. I could mow through it at a good 3-4mph and the cut was flawless. The engine bogged a little but so would my 60" turf tracer going through that. Now I did have the bag on and I am sure that help a lot. That Kawasaki engine is very impressive. Hills are its downfall due to the machines weight. Now of course we still use it on some crazy steep hard to mow areas but it is a workout. Of all the 30" models on the market I think the Exmark is hands down the finest of the bunch for the commercial contractor.
Sorry, but I make my judgment after OWNING! one for 4 1/2 - 5 months now and I can say I truly believe it's underpowered, but in the right conditions it's a bad a$$ mower but if not your SOL with it. And I absolutely hate how fu@king bad the grass builds up under the deck.
 
#22 ·
We still really like the three we have. They cut really nice. I was in some tall grass the other day with the discharge shoot on and it was fine. It knocked it down well. We cut all our lawns weekly. The other day a tree dropped alot of leaves, I was anxious to see how it did on a moderate amount of leaves, It did great. It mulched the leaves well. I don't feel these mowers are under powered, sure a few more hp's would be nice, I am not feeling they are under powered. They are not good on hills. In wet grass you do need to clean the decks at times. We like the machines on small lawns. We cut lawns up to a half acre. It uses very small amounts of gas. Gas expenses this year have been much better. So far we are very happy with our 30's. More importantly so are all our customers.
 
#23 ·
Someone made the point about mulching high wet grass. I have not found any mowers that will mulch high wet grass well. Even mowers with high horse powers did not mulch high wet grass well. That was one of the reasons we did not buy the 26 inch mower, because you could not discharge. When the grass is real high and wet we discharge the first time and raise the deck and mulch on the second round. It works well. In some cases we side discharge over it twice going in a different direction, the second round at a higher setting. The 30's spread it nice on the discharge. In lasts resorts we bag. We try and stay away from bagging. We did have two properties that dropped a good amount of leaves, more then the last time I came on here and it mulched the leaves really well. So far I've been impressed at how well the 30's mulch leaves. I have not had it on huge amounts of leaves yet, but the other day the leaves were higher then moderate and it did well. I will keep people informed with honest facts on this machine as the year goes on.
 
#24 ·
Even though I'm looking to sell mine, I cut a yard with it Sunday and man it looked good. In the right conditions a truley awesome cut. Exmark as a company gets 5 stars from me!
really looking for something that works good in all the wrong conditions.
 
#26 · (Edited)
I've read several reports these will not pull a hill. My question is do the wheels simply stop turning, engine bog down, wheels start slipping or what?

I'd really like to purchase one of these but one of the places I would use them is hills I don't want to put a zero on. Wouldn't really be climbing steep hills but going side to side.
 
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