Looking at getting a zero turn mower. I'm considering a 54-60" deck as I mow about 2 acres or so. Only have a handful of tree to mow around, but have several outbuildings and what not. Any advice as to gas or diesel or what brands are better than others? Not looking to break the bank, but looking for a solid mower that will last for years.

Been using a Grasshopper 225 (gas engine) for the past 10+ years. Bought it used back then. It's been an awesome mower. Yard is a lil over 8 acres so it gets some use.

We use Ferris and Exmark on the job.

Ferris are very nice but expensive. Exmark are very durable but more basic--price is more reasonable and various deck sizes are available.

Just don't get carried away making your turns too quickly. You'll have a nice round bare spot. DAMHIK.



Tim

I have 2 acres also. My criteria when I shopped was a welded deck, Kawa motor, commercial grade hydros and greasable cast iron arbors.
My Dixie Chopper has been bullet proof all these years. Unfortunately they were recently bought out. Now that I am older, I would look real hard at something like the Ferris/ExMark or anything with some sort of suspension.

Simplicity Manufacturing makes a full line of mowers, tractor style and zero turn. High quality, well built machines.

https://www.simplicitymfg.com/na/en_us/products/zero-turn-mowers.html

Many models offer an advanced suspension system as well (nicer ride)

Good luck!

JS

I'm not a fan of ZTR mowers. I have a 60" cut John Deere 455 AWS that is diesel powered. I can hook up a snowblower if I need to and go to town and buy off road diesel at the co-op. Mows around trees quite nicely too!

I have a John Deere Z445 with a 48" deck, love it! Cuts at 8 MPH, I mow over 3 acres, perfectly in less than two hours.

I cut 7 acres with my Dixion. Koehler 28 hp gas. No problems in six years of use. I replace the blades every other year. My only suggestion would be stay away from the $3,000 - $4,000 box store units. I paid $7500 for mine. Spend the $$ and get a good commercial grade mower with a suspension seat. I cut 7 acres in just over three hours.

I cut about 3 acres with a Husqvarna 60 in zero turn. I love it! I’ll agree with the statement to spend a little more on the unit. I can do my lot in an hour if I hustle.
KID

I see you're in Keymar, Md. I'm in Cumberland, Md., so I know you have some hilly terrain there. Those mowers aren't popular here because they don't want to turn going up or down steep slopes. I've got numerous friends here that got into accidents with their zero turns and ended up taking them back for a refund the first time they attempted to use them. If you've got flat areas to mow, go for it, but I know there are still hills in your area of Md. so I'd look for something else to mow with.

The comment on grade considerations is right on. I've had good luck with a Skag zero turn. Not cheap, but worth the money.

I live on a farm and most of my "yard" is flat. My driveway is .3 miles long and I have a spot on either side for about 300ft is fairly steep. Its not the funniest to mow currently with my riding mower. Pretty certain a zero turn would be unable to do that. My plan is to get a zero turn to mow the yard and along the edge of the driveway and than at some point get a mid size tractor with a bucket and brush hog to be able to plow the driveway and mow some of the areas I don't feel like mowing weekly.

I mow about three acres, part of it is pretty flat and the rest is hill side. For about the last 20 years I've mowed with a little International tractor with a belly mower. Early last spring I found a good deal on an older Gravely 260Z, 60" cut with a 27hp Kohler engine. The zero turn cut my mowing time in half, it does a great job but is a lot louder than my tractor and rides a lot rougher even with the suspension seat. On a hill side you have to slow down and pay attention when making turns. It's strange but the drier it is, like late July through early September the more the mower tries to slide when making a turn. A couple friends of mine have similar mowers and claim that the chevron tires really helped making turns

If I were buying new I'd probably buy a Gravely Pro Turn 260. Whatever you buy I'd get a carbureted Kawasaki or a Yamaha, also make sure it has a fabricated deck, not stamped. The fuel injected mowers have to many electronics to suit me, KISS.

I've only got .6 acer of land here, I've got 2 side hills, one is 30' wide and the other is about 40 ' wide and both are about 100 feet long. A couple years ago I bought a 48" Husqvarna, it cut my mowing time down to about 20 minutes from what my old Craftsman 42" cut garden tractor did in about an hour and a half. I can tell you it really doesn't like those hill sides. If everything is dry, I can do the 40" wide part sideways, but the 30' wide I have go up and down the 30' width.

If you have never driven a zero turn, it takes some getting used to. The first few times it looked like a drunken sailor did the mowing. If you get in a hurry, it tends to tear up the lawn on quick zero turns. Gene

Simplicity and Ferris go down the same assembly line in upstate NY.

A great value is the Simplicity Citation XT or Ferris IS800X - Front and rear suspension, commercial transmissions comes in 52" and 61" decks.
They are also less money than most in it's category.
Keep in mind when doing your research that the transmission is the heart of the machine especially if you have hills.

The key thing about the suspension is that it isolates the entire machine and operator from the bumps. Suspension seats only isolate the operator from the bumps.

www.simplicitymfg.com
www.ferrisindustires.com

I love really good tools and equipment as most folks on here do. But I don't have an endless budget either. So I try to make what I call "proportional choices" And this is a personal thing, so it will be different from person to person.

I own a Snapper Pro with a 48" deck. I would call it a transitional unit that falls between residential, and commercial. It runs about 8 mph, and cuts 2 acres in 40 minutes. The chassis is a little more on the commercial side, the engine a little less (although a true commercial engine was and option for this mower chassis) . I've owned it for over ten years, and it has over 500 hours on it. We did a little commercial mowing with it initially, and we've asked it to do things that were arguably beyond its intended use. I don't maintain it as I should. Its been a great machine, I'm not necessarily recommending this unit, as I'm not sure that today's Snapper Pro units are what they were back then. But I do believe that you can get this level of performance, quality and satisfaction in the $5,000 to $6,000 price range. Here a couple things to consider in making your decision:

1) What is "last a long time" for you? 20 years, or 50 years?
2) How much "blade spin time" will you really have. As an example, here in PA, there are between 22 and 25 mowings per year. Multiply that by 40 minutes. That 16 hours per year. That's 335 hours over a 20 year period.


My suggestion: Look at decent name brands in the price range mentioned (Husqvarna, Simplicity. Snapper Pro....). Although these might not be "the best" but they might be perfect for your needs. Don't buy a box store mower..