[lars]

At the golf course I work, we recently purchased new riding greensmowers. We had the option of 18 hp B&S Vanguards or a 16 hp Kubota diesels. The dealer mechanic actually suggested that we go with the Vanguard because the engine will wear out at about the same time the transmission and hydraulic components wear out (3000-4000 hours), and thus you just salvage the machine.

So do you guys with liquid cooled gas and diesel ZTR's think that the engine will far outwear the rest of the machine, and the extra cost is not really worth it. I know that liquid cooled engines have other advantages, but I just want to speak from a wear standpoint.

 

[deere ZTR]

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm going to buy a 28hp EFI on my lazer for that exact reason!!!!

 

[Bunton Guy]

The diesel wont do you any justice if you dont treat it with extra care. I have a liquid cooled yanmar diesel on my bobcat Z rider....its suposed to go atleast 10,000 hours. More than likely it will never see half that due to abuse the frames & decks take over the time. My buddy runs a mower shop and I see mowers at the 2-3,000 hour mark and generally.. (not always) but most of the time are ragged out and arent worth a penny (cracked frames, bent decks, missing chunks of the decks, no anti scalp wheels, busted height adjusters, bent front yolks, frozen metal parts & locked up motors ect.... IMO go with the gas unless you plan on keeping that sucker for 10+ years and dont abuse your equipment.

 

[Bunton Guy]

Don't get me wrong I LOVE diesel...everything I own is diesel but it does you no good unless you are looking to keep it 10-20 years. Lets say you put 5K hours on the sucker in 2 years and the motor is toast.....its still HALF or less than half the price to put a new gas engine on then what the option costs for the diesel engine. You have to figure a diesel will cost between 3,800-5,500 just for the engine and the gas motor will cost between 1,200-2K

 

[Rob T]

Yeh, I agree. 2500 -3000 hrs on a rider and there's not much left worth saving. We have two with 2500 hrs and if they make it through next year i'll be impressed.

 

[deere ZTR]

AMEN!!!! to all of that.
I'm like everyboyd else. I love diesel but the mower just isnt going to last that long. In anything else I would have one. Truck, Tractor, Backhoe, Dozer anything but its just not worth it on a mower.

 

[marvinlee]

Diesels are costly to replace, no doubt about it. On the Kubota ztr one doesn't have a choice between gas or diesel. Still, I prefer the diesel engine over the gasoline Kubota that was in my previous G2460G garden tractor with the 24HP gasoline version of the Kubota 3 cylinder block. The diesel requires far less fuel per mowing day. It is rated at 21 HP diesel versus 24 HP gasoline, but I cannot feel the difference when mowing thick grass. It may just be my imagination, but I think that diesel engine users have fewer complaints about their engines than do users of gasoline engines. Any comments on this from owners of problem diesels?