The Bad Boy mower from Arkansas run well. Not air ride equipped comfort; but the mowers have rubber cushions between the frame and wheels. Doesn't beat the driver up like Cub Cadet and equivalent mowers.

[quote=TCM3]Ferris, Scag and Toro (if you're concerned with a rough suspension, look into the Toro MyRide) are what i would call "Top of the Line" for commercial/large property.
As far as the powerplants in them, Kawasaki #1, Kohler is a close 2nd.. Briggs... depends on the type... if it's a Vanguard i'd rank those with Kawasaki. but the v-twin Inteks or "Professional" engines are of a lower quality and made in China (Assembled in US with global materials) and you'd probably get700 hours max out of one.... as opposed to the vanguards still being made in the U.S.... Toro's own brand engine seem decent, they're rebranded Loncin engines from China... the exact same as what you get from Harbor Freight for $700.. you could easily get over 2000 hours with a properly maintained Kawasaki, Kohler or Vanguard.... I would stay away from EFI as if you have fuel trouble it could mean a costly trip the dealer as the tools needed for diagnostic testing are $$$ cause it's mostly computer pieces... so i'd go with a carbureted engine, use a 100% non ethanol or ethanol gas with StarTron or Stabil and install a fuel cutoff valve to run the carb dry if it will sit for long.
If you're going to be doing any low speed towing with it, i wouldn't recommend that as the wheel motor' s don't really like lugging around at low speed with a heavy load. <----- That seems to be very manufacturer dependent.

I use to think Kawasaki was #1 myself until I talked to different mechanics.
A lot of them have said they have to work on Kawasaki a lot more often.
Very few Koehler engines need anything done.

I have two Kohler powered mowers and had zero problems. The first was a 24hp 42” cut Gravely that was a bullet proof unit. Pulleys and belt sure, but no major components. I sold it on here and I recently saw the buyer sold his bigger newer unit and kept the smaller Gravely. Welded box frame. Tough sob.

The second is a Troy Bilt 51” with a 25hp motor. Appears to be made out of bolt together tinfoil and has a tremendous amount of flex when driving across anything but flat ground. The motor (Kohler) runs great, starts easy, etc. the flexing frame and stamped steel deck does mow better than the rigid frame, fabbed deck Gravely.

I’m sure the Troy Bilt will be fine now that I’ve moved into 1 acre of lawn instead of mowing 5 acres of pasture as I was before.

Same here. Bought it new in 2013 and still cutting.

But, I think my next one is gonna be a bad boy with suspension

I got the Toro Timecutter with the 42" deck so it would go through my 4' gates. It has the same 22.5 HP engine as the bigger ones have so it cuts great. So far I'm pleased.

I have had a Dixie Chopper for 18 years. No complaints. When the price is spread out over the life of the mower, it ain't too pricy.

I have 2 Hustlers. A 48" (Fas Trac)and a 54" (Fas Trac SDX). One of my sons is the mechanic at the shop I bought both of my machines at. There are multiple levels of machine and motor quality depending on the intended use.

My 6 year old SDX has about 400 hours on it and it gets treated rough (I mow about 8 acres at home and much of it is semi-wooded and I don't go around picking up limbs much and I do some light brushing.) and my son just did some deck maintenance for $83 (spindle bearings and 2 pulleys.) It has a 4,000 hour Kawasaki (FX) and is considered commercial but bottom of the line commercial.

My 48" has a 1000 hour engine (FS) and is 12 hours old without any issues/repairs/rebuilds and is at 600+ hours. Same uses. as the SDX.

We also mow our church property which amounts to 6-7 acres with tons of trees. We mowed it yesterday and my son borrowed a 60" Super Z that mows at 14mph and built like a tank . Heavy duty commercial mower with suspension seat but cost $11,000+. Kawasaki too.

My son loves the Kawasaki motors but they handle B&S and Kohler too. He likes the Briggs industrial/commercial motors only. Not a lot bad to say about Kohler but you gotta get the commercial grade.

Obviously I like Hustler.

I bought my first zero turn mower this year a cub cadet 50 inch with the 23.5 I think Kawasaki from a dealer for less than the box store price. The reason I went with it over the others is reputation of the dealers close to me. The others i had picked in talking to people around the hood had very little good to say about the other local dealers service departments. My Sister has had a Gravley for 12 years and is happy with it but when she got it the little things and scheduled mtc were timely at the dealer but over time they have sold a lot more mowers and not increased shop space or staff. Took them 2 months to get their mower back and found out it sat there for 6 weeks of that not looked at even though they were told 2 weeks when it was dropped off.(I cut her yard when it needed it) Another shop seems not to be able to keep mechanics any length of time. So the shop is the main reason I went with Cub.

So far so good, changed the oil myself once. Only complaint the blades are dull before cutting my half acre yard, steel is very soft on them. Looking for a better set of blades.

See if Toro or John Deere blades will interchange or go to Home Depot and look at their blades.I can get the same Toro blades there in the Toro box a lot cheaper than at the dealer.I support dealers on some things but it is also my money.

Toro and Exmark are about the same mower, if not the same. Very important to get a mower with a Kawasaki engine. Pay extra if you have to. I have and Exmark Quest, I mow 2.5 acres and have had it 7 years. The only issue I've had was a couple of sensors, and that's due to it being so dusty out here. I'd buy another Exmark.

Not much inventory to work with right now but local dealer has 3 exmark in stock. He’s run a repair shop for 30 years and had a lot of good info. Had good things to say about certain brands he did not carry. Tells me it’s not all about the sale to him. Don’t need a zero turn at the moment but I’d rather not buy a rider now and have to replace when I do soon.

Ah. When you said you’re hard in mowers I assumed you were breaking them and replacing them.

Check out the Spartan line of mowers, they are very well built and thought out. That would’ve been my purchase had I not scored a deal on my Toro

Compare the hydro drive motors on the models you are considering. As an example, with comparatively priced mowers, you get higher grade hydro drive motors with Hustler vs JD. I have a Hustler Mini-Z 52" and had a Scag Tiger Cat with an EFI Kohler 72". The Scag was great and had a much better ride but just too big to maneuver around trees.

I got to check one of these out the other day, it looks like a well built mower, the blades are not your normal mower blades, they’re heavy duty. They said they are pricey, didn’t tell me how much though





https://altoz.com/tracked-zero-turn-mowers/trx

I don't want to know how much that costs

Those start at $16,000, if you want diesel with tracks it’s $24,000

I’m a diesel fanboy, but not for a zero turn.
Those were the 37hp gas motor

The engines on quality mowers are all the same between manufacturers. The most important item to check when comparing prices are the TRANSMISSIONS. Been there done that, at a minimum I would not own anything less than a hydrogear ZT3100, majority of homeowner model zero turns run a 2800 which is worthless if you have hills/use implements or need speed. I drag around a lawn sweep, small disk, aerator/seed spreader and have lots of hills. Killed 2 zt2800s, only thing worse than those are the garbage tufftorq k66 in most riding mowers. The 2800 is not serviceable like the 3100 and higher. You can make them serviceable but were never designed to be. That being said, for the money a Worldlawn Diamondback is the best you can buy. Unless it's directly manufacturer related, any good dealer in network can warranty a kawasaki/vanguard/kohler pro or hydrogear trans.

Gravely 472 makes short work of a big lawn.

How much are you mowing?
To me that is the biggest question.

My first one was a 46" husqvarana with a 21hp Koehler. It was a pretty good mower and I used it 4 years and put about 500 hours on it. I simply was tired of it taking 5-6 hours to cut the 3-4 acres I keep mowed around the house, barns, pens, and a walking path around our place. I sold it and bought a 61" Skag Cheetah with a 33 hp Koehler on it about 3 years ago. The same 5-6 hours is now 1.5-2 hour job tops. I've actually used it more than once to mow a little 4 acre coastal field in the spring to cut the weeds off the top of it and it took me a tad over an hour to do that on it. I would buy another tomorrow if something happened to this one. Not cheap but worth every penny!

I bet those tracks can tear up a lawn with much turning

beautiful place

I have a hustler 54 inch. Its a month old and has almost 30 hours on it. I cut about 2 acres at home and about 5 at the new home. It runs good so far. My wife engaged the blade when the deck was clogged with clippings and roasted the original belt but it is still trucking till I get a replacement. The new place is beach type sand and eats blades like candy, I think i may need a set of blades already, will be looking for something a little heavier duty than what came on it.

I have the same mower. If you have sandy conditions, don`t get Gator Blades.