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View Full Version : Zero turns or Tractor ride on's



Sheedys Mowing
19-11-2007, 08:00 PM
I am thinking of buying a Zero turn rather than a tractor type ride on becauce of its time saving ability,
the zero turn is a toro time cutter z 420 it is a 42 inch cut 16 hp cuts at 2.1 acres per hour, just wondering what the other contractors on this forum use and there prefrences either tractor or zero turn, it costs a bit more than the tractor style at about $5,000 compared to about $3,500 for a good tractor mower any comments would be great ;)

total turf management
19-11-2007, 08:56 PM
personally i would never use an underbelly tractor style mower again
i have a john deere 717a z mower and two toro z153 they are unbelievably quick and easy to work on pay the extra and you will make the money back by doing the job quicker just a reminder that you have to charge extra per hour

m287j
19-11-2007, 10:42 PM
I have a John Deere LT155 tractor mower, good machine and no complaints whatsoever.

Having said that, if you can afford the extra money, buy a zero turn machine for sure, i can't wait to have enough money and clients to justify getting one myself. They will save you a heap of time as well i have no doubt.

mowjoman
05-12-2007, 09:34 PM
Did a job today in hill city. How bad are the zero turns on the hills????? Grass a bit wet but lost traction today and went sliding down the side of a hill. Had to chuck my undies away cause they had a big hole in them where my a#se took a bite outa them :frightene :frightene I do have a Husky tractor style also but have left it home. Do ya's reckon the tractor style'd be any better on the hills or am I just a bad driver??? I've got a John deere 717 z-turn and for sure its a beautiful machine but me thinks maybe take the Husky for this job :i dunno:

Sandgroper
05-12-2007, 10:17 PM
Yeah Zero Turns kill people on a regular basis on those hills, when they slide you cant stop them, most people end up drowning when they come to rest in the lake or pond at the bottom, mower usually ends up on top of them,,,,,,,,,get an eject button like they have in fighter jets ;)

Sheedys Mowing
05-12-2007, 10:21 PM
I agree 100% zero turns are made for flat ground only and are very dangerous on any decent size slop :frightene , not really sure why thought you would think it having a lower centre to gravity it would be better :confused: , not the case at all, having said that they are loads of fun to drive on flat ground ;)

Lancat
06-12-2007, 01:21 AM
I personal will never go back to using a tractor type ride-on. Zero turn is the only way to go and as far as safety they are all dangerous the hands of a dill.

A little common sense and you should have no problems mowing embankments. Reverse up the slope and mow forward. Turn around at the bottom or at the top on flat level ground. Never mow up or along a slope or your time will be short lived. Also a good idea to read, understand and heed the safety section of the user manual before using any equipment.

The guy I first started to work with is a full on safety freak and if he every saw any of his staff driving a tractor or Zero turn forward up or along a slope of more than 15% he would drag them off the equipment ;dealers; and kick their brain from their backside back up into their head. And the same if the ground was to wet.

Wggc
06-12-2007, 12:52 PM
i used to operate a john deere 1145 out front mower 72' cut on slopes which were steep such as the freeway batters ( banks ) we would run an extra set of wheels on the front ! with a sleave in the centre ! these were held on by turnbuckles attatched to eye loops on the original back wheels ! :P ti was damn near impossible to roll it over as you would slide & ive slid 40 ft once down the side of a batter
phhewwww scares the crap out of ya !!! but was fun once you knew what was happening !!! for those who've got zero turns & other types who wish to mow steep banks etc , why not see about gettin an extra set of wheels to stabilise your machine ! john deere should be able to help you out but i guess it depends on whether the mowers axles can tolerate an extra set !!!!!!!!!! up & down cuts are the best to do slopes but not always practical cheers ;frosty;

chatza
06-12-2007, 05:29 PM
zero turns are the safest in my oppinion ive done alot of work in schools with a kubbota zd18 and find it much safer on steep hills than the tractor style. i say just take it easy and go side to side and if you loose traction just face down the hill and your in control again in no time.