It’s really all gonna be preference and what you like. I’d demo both. How is servicing for turfco? Got a good exmark dealer close by.

 

Cant speak about a Z ,But i got a turfco and its a good machine easy to calibrate and operate great on small lawns and big ones as well. If you have any questions ask a way.

 

I have a 1000 hour z spray for sale. We are switching to the turfco

 

I am hoping to get something new. Do you mind sharing why you switching to Turfco? Any big reasons?

 

Feed back

the Zspray is probably the better machine in terms of easy adjustments, and being the most maneuverable in theory. if My average lawn was 15-18,000 sq feet or larger - the Z would be the way to go.

the first reason, is the zspray is heavy when it is full of product. It is not balanced like a lawn mower, and is way easier to spin the tires or cause turf ruts. Yes a good operator can do their best to operate it cleanly… but the point is that you have to try and concentrate on not leaving ruts on a wet day. Just because you can operate a ZTR mower, does not mean that the Zspray behavior is the same. We demoed the turfco for 10 days, we even tried to leave ruts or spin the tires… it simply will not do it. I would be clear, I do blame our operator for the ruts, but it is more prone then a mower, it’s heavier and more likely to sink, and the turfco does not, even if you try

the z spray has a lot of “controls” going on. While it’s really not more than any other, the placement of the spreader/sprayer controls in combination of the steering control levers that require 2 hands is adaptable, but it’s still a lot of hand movement which shows it’s difficulty in small areas where starting, stopping, and turning all happens often and quickly. On the turfco, your feet and single handed steering allow for one hand to be totally free.

3rd reason is transportation, the turfco can be put on a carrier, the zspray can not. Additionally, the zspray takes up more room on the trailer. We tried to load the zspray along with 2 stinger aerators (walk and ride on) on a 12 foot trailer and they don’t fit.

4th. I don’t know how well the turfco will hold up, but I can say the zspray certainly has a lot of components to get beat up and go bad. Again this is my operator not being careful, but non the less there is a lot going on with the zspray. The boom hangs off the front and is easy to bash into something. The pump is bolted to the top of the tank and east for a tree branch to hit. The parking brake is a constant adjustment. Again, I’m blaming my operator, I’m not saying the zspray is bad….. but I am also not impressed either. This is enough for me to consider trying a different unit to see if it would hold up better.

Last is a combination of all of the above, and that is hiring any new employee, the training period is probably half that of the zspray. It will not require a Superman type operator. It will provide our customers with a more consistent result even if the operator isn’t the best.

My only other comment.

many guys have proven that lawns under 7,000 sq feet should be walked. Your not saving any time, you might even cost yourself more time. I too thought I could save time by switching to a stand on sprayer. I learned that there is a reason that the big boys in chemical have their lawns walked. If you only have a handful of lawns over 10,000 Sq feet, then it does not make financial sense to by a ride on machine of any type.

 

Thanks Grass Man. I appreciate the great information. Your last statement is helpful. That's been the sticking point for me over the past two years, does it make sense financially. I was at the point of getting out of lawns all together or not renewing lawns over 5K after the first of the year. The big lawns slow me down so much, they are exhausting, and the margins are thinner. I think all my large lawns are well suited for a ride on sprayer -- not a lot of turns and obstructions. Lawns with wide open squares and rectangles instead of meandering beds, trees and other obstruction in the way, is that the problem? The machine can go faster than walking as long as the lawn is wide open.
I figure loading and unloading the machine takes about the same amount of time as dragging and rolling up a hose. Mixing the tank once vs refilling -- refilling is much more time consuming. Applying fertilizer and spraying at the same time is a time saver vs pushing a spreader, then blanket spraying, but that's once or twice a year. Is that about the extent of it?

 

Have you looked at the Steelgreen units? The center of gravity keeps falling with the newer units. Just worth a look if nothing else.

 

Thanks, I'll check it out.

 

If you get a Turfco get the 3 in 1 tank. You will have an extra 15 gallons

 

I love my t3100. With 3 in 1 tank I consistently get 2 acres of coverage with all tanks full. Spraying and ferting at same time is effortless. One fluid motion from spreader gate handle to full spray handle. Love that I dont have to get on top, or even near everything. Keep the front axles greased around the bearings, make sure the belts have good tension. Smooth sailing with this machine. Maybe 800ish lbs fully loaded. Doesnt tear, good on hills. Fits through almost everything. I have zero regrets buying.

 

I started with a Zspray Mini Max (this was a prototype machine that Zspray never put into production). It was their smallest machine and it was "rackable". Then I went to a zspray intermediate and loved the capacity it had over my smaller machine...Now I'm using a Toro Spraymaster Max (same as Zspray max) No way I'd ever go back to something smaller than a Zspray Max. I even just converted an older zspray intermediate to a max. I love the capacity. Having 60 gallons of liquid is priceless to me. Little yards and large yards...it doesn't matter the Max does great on them. The only thing that stops me is small gated yards. I just turn those down.

 

I disagree 7k Sq ft lawns should be walked. I do those size all day long, in 20 mins, with my Z Jr 36. Sure a spreader pusher/hose puller could duplicate the 20 min completion. The difference being he worked and sweat his arse off, and I didn't nearly as much. That adds up over the days and weeks in the heat.

There are specific lawns that are indeed better walked: very small cut up lawns or small lawns with awkward steep slopes. I turn all those down. Properties must be a fit for my machine or no go.

 

I disagree 7k Sq ft lawns should be walked. I do those size all day long, in 20 mins, with my Z Jr 36. Sure a spreader pusher/hose puller could duplicate the 20 min completion. The difference being he worked and sweat his arse off, and I didn't nearly as much. That adds up over the days and weeks in the heat.

There are specific lawns that are indeed better walked: very small cut up lawns or small lawns with awkward steep slopes. I turn all those down. Properties must be a fit for my machine or no go.

If it takes you 20 min to do 7k yard with a ride on you need practice😆 I do 5 in one neighborhood In about 25 minutes. 15 if we are spreading

 

I had major problems with a Turfco I purchased. I never owned a Z. I Would took at Turfware or ExMark spreader sprayers. They have no belts. Much much more reliable.

 

Looks like Exmark stopped making their own and sells Z's now.
I've been looking at ride-ons and will probably either get the Turfco or the Z.

 

I own three Toro spreader sprayers.

 

We have had Exmark LTS (Now Z Spray) units for years-probably 10 of them. We love them, except they are just not built solid:
1. The pump is small. Max of 1/2 gallon per thousand. New Turfco pump can do 1 gallon per thousand for things like fungicide. The pump is also weak-they don't last super long and are a pain to change.
2. The LTS drive unit is undersized. We get about 500-700 hours out of a transaxle.
3. The LTS front end is weak. Constantly replacing the front steering linkage, tightening it, etc.
You can only carry one product type...
We are trying a Turfco this year. We'll see. The LTS is awesome, but lots of maintenance. We run 2-3 units on a daily basis, and it seems there is ALWAYS one out for repairs.