I recently sold 2 John Deere tractors, an x304 and an x500, that I was mowing two properties with. There was nothing wrong with either mower. I took one of my employee’s advice and got a zero turn, and was so happy how it worked (I had never used one before) that I got another one for home. Both were used residential 2016 JD 48” cuts with very low hours. One is a z535m I think, and the other is a z445. The first one has a 25HP B&S engine, and the second has a 24HP Kawasaki. The two previous tractors had Kawasaki’s, and I like those better that the B&S engine. Once you get a zero turn, you’ll never go back. Takes a little getting used to, but then you’ll wonder why you didn't go this route years ago.
Hustler. 52" fab deck with the 23 hp Kawasaki engine. Its not the biggest or fastes out there but for what I paid it was hands down the best deal. I end up hitting a lot of stuff out here and the spindles on the riding tractor took a beating. replaced many of them. This mower has much more heavy duty spindles. Also have a DR field and brush mower to knock down and mulch the really tick stuff. If its to big for the DR then I'll break out the old 70 Ford 3000 and put the land pride bush hog on the back. That gets it done! Only thing he's missing is a Budweiser in the other hand .
a friend of mine that passed this last year hada club cadet zero turn with a Fab deck but it had the steering wheel I used it a few times and it was really nice not to have to hang onto both handles
I use a John Deere X534 Garden tractor 54" deck. It has 4 wheel steering and can do a tight corner Also has a foot pedal to give you posi traction, woks well in the mud. Got stuck once but it was a swamp, I pushed it out with wife driving and posi.
Sooo many options and choices when it comes to ways to "cut grass". I live in the country, have six acres and you are not cutting with a "mower". 1. How smooth is the property and how hard/much do you want to bounce while cutting? 2. Is cutting grass fun or a chore? Speed comes into play here and the question above becomes important. 3. Better mowers, higher end have suspensions that will handle all types of terrain and therefore take less time as you can go faster. 4. What type of grass are you cutting because multiple blade mowers have slower blade tip velocity that effects cut quality; longer the blade/higher velocity, better the cut. 5. Scag Tiger II is probably the best but I don't pay $10K for my DD cars so I'll never own a new one. Mikey
beginning of the century I worked for a toro distributor for about 8 yrs in the parts dept. exmark is part of toro. toro being number 1 in the golf industry, their prices reflect that status. like john deere, some of their parts are brand only, no will fits, which includes some engine parts. now semi retired, I do parts for a hustler distributor. the company will service any brand which makes my job interesting. the only difference I see between all of them is color. all the brands have issues and if taken care will last a long time. engine wise, I like the kawasaki. kohler and briggs are real screwy with their parts and setups. the most used diesel is still the kubota AND parts are only available thru kubota. one issue that is a pain is tires. prices are crazy and quality is junk.
