waving from a ZT mower

[Den Socling]

I think my neighbors get a kick out of waving at me while I'm mowing. They can't be smiling like that just because they are happy to see me.  :D The first one today got me. When I waved back, the mower took a sharp dive to the right. But I saw the next one coming and I carefully positioned my right hand between the two bars so that I was able to wave back. 

[gspren]

   Most of my mowing is so far from the road that the neighbors don't see me. I would like to try a ZT someday.

[Den Socling]

Once you have used a ZT, you will never again consider a conventional mower.

[TKehl]

Had the same trouble on a skid steer once.   :D  At least it turned to the ditch instead of the car.   :

Much more cautious now.   

[sawguy21]

 :D :D They tend to do that without both hands on the controls.

[Ox]

Once you have used a ZT, you will never again consider a conventional mower.

How very true.  What's worse is having one then having to sell it cause you needed the money then can only afford a garbage rider.

[Kbeitz]

I love drifting around trees with them but it sure is hard on the lawn.

[gww]

I have so many moles and tire tracks in my yard that all the scuff marks I make with the tires on my mower really don't hurt the looks of my yard.  Mine does 12 miles per hour and that is the speed I like to try and mow at.  Gives a whole new meaning to the term "shake, rattle and roll".  I can get done in an hour plus what used to be a 4 hour lawn as long as my kidneys can take it.

using it is like going to the go cart track and is more fun then the ole pull forward, back up, pull forward to go around trees and stuff.

Cheers
gww

[Deese]

Cutting grass at 12mph is gettin' after it.

[Ox]

Is waving from a zero turn like being a one legged man in a butt kicking contest?  Or a scuba diver with one flipper?

[gww]

Deese

Cutting grass at 12mph is gettin' after it.

Yes, sometimes I get off the mower and it seems like the ground is moving while I am standing still.  If I add the three acre field behind my house, I can get car sick, but I do get-r-done.
Cheers
gww

[slider]

Vick and I looked at one last year.I priced one at our local saw shop.They were dang close to lows and I wanted to support this business . My question to him was how do you have a beer and mow with this thing ? After a short demonstration we bought the mower. After all he is like most of us, you get home have a beer and mow grass. I love the dang thing. At her place in Brunswick Ga we went from 2 and one half hrs to I hr and 15 minutes.
The best part for me was buying from some one that we trust.

[Deese]

Deese

Cutting grass at 12mph is gettin' after it.

Yes, sometimes I get off the mower and it seems like the ground is moving while I am standing still.  If I add the three acre field behind my house, I can get car sick, but I do get-r-done.
Cheers
gww

Oh yeah. I used to cut grass for a living after college and have had 2 hydrostatic zt John Deere mowers since. After riding all day, yes--everything is still moving in the distance. Wierd.

[gww]

I went through two and a half big store mowers in about 15 years and I am not one of them 2nd or 3rd gear mowers.  Top speed all the time.  The ztr is an unbelieveable time saver compared to my old riders in high gear.
It is rough but worth it.  I can't believe it took me so long to figure that out.
Cheers
gww

Ps It does seem like it is a gas hog compared to the riders and amount of ground mowed.  I might have a leak at the carb though.

[Den Socling]

I've thought the same thing about mine. It does burn through a gallon of gas quickly but if you compare that to the amount of work it is doing, it probably isn't worse than other riders.

[Kbeitz]

I put a Ferris in a pond one time when one of the steering sticks snapped off.

[Roxie]

Cowboy Bob has a Woods mower, and unless he is pulling 7 G's on the turns, he ain't happy.  I refuse to watch.   :D

You can take the man out of the rodeo, but you'll never take the rodeo out of that man.

[21incher]

I went out to buy a ZT and the dealer talked me out of it because my yard has a steep hill with a pond at the bottom. 

[sandhills]

Our old landlord had a zt, I don't recall the brand but had never heard of it before.  Built like a tank, way over powered, and yes, you can mow at 12 mph  ;D.

[Deese]

I went out to buy a ZT and the dealer talked me out of it because my yard has a steep hill with a pond at the bottom. 

21incher, you need one of those new remote control mowers  ;D 8)

[Ox]

I put a Ferris in a pond one time when one of the steering sticks snapped off.

:D :D :D  That sucks...

[petefrom bearswamp]

My lawn is not all level and the slopes scare me.
I'll stick to my JD 728 which mows, blows snow and vacuums up clippings and leaves.
Regarding the beer I find i have to drink pretty  fast or it goes flat from the vibration.
BUT I do it anyway.

[Den Socling]

I was curious about all of the talk about ZT's on slopes. Mine is wide and I sit relatively low so I couldn't see how it would be more likely to tip on a slope than a conventional riding mower. If you Google "is it safe to use a ZT on a slope", you'll find that the problem is actually the front wheels. You don't have control of them. If you aren't good at controlling the back wheels, the front can spin downhill and out of control.

[sawguy21]

They steer like a shopping cart and need to be controlled by judicious use of the sticks. They also can be rolled but it takes some effort and considerable inattention. Toro and others have models with two short sticks placed between the thighs, they are designed to be operated one handed with a twisting motion which takes getting used to. My first time on one didn't end well, it was a demo at a sales meeting held at a hotel. I ended up in the flower bed with the Christmas lights tangled in the blades. :embarassed: Hotel management either didn't notice or quietly billed our distributor but the sales rep never let me forget it.

[ScottAR]

Slopes on a zt can be spooky at first,  Just have to remember the downhill tire has the traction. Keep the back tire pressure equal as they drive funny if one gets low. Go slow on slopes...  less than 12 mph anyway.  Flatter ground; warp speed Mr. Sulu....

Also, one thing I've noticed...  I get less scuffing if I back up a few inches to swivel the front caster wheels the direction I want to go before I make the turn.  Overcoming the direction change can sometimes make a back tire spin and bit and then there's a bare spot.  :

[Kbeitz]

I also put one over a cliff with me on it...
So right about the downhill tire has the traction.
When the upper tire looses it's traction your tractor will turn facing up hill.
If the hill is steep then both wheels will loose traction.
Then you slide backwards.

[Den Socling]

I'd never get caught on a hill where I could slide backwards. That's what goats were invented for.  :D

[gww]

My ground is pretty flat.  I do find that the ztr gets stuck a lot easyer then you would think it would.  I have one ditch by the road that one swipe of a 60 inch deck will cut and I just ride that ditch sideways balls to the wall until it gets almost vertical and I whip right and come off of it.  This lets me mow about 20/30 feet each side of my driveway so that I can see well when getting on to the main road.  I don't worry as much about flipping but have had the wheels slide down hill and then not have enough traction to back up.  Thats usually when I get the atv out and pull it out.  It is like anything, you sorta learn pretty quick how to mow your yard with out trouble.  When I first got it, I did run into things once in a while but now, I barily have to slow down to go around trees and such.  It doesn't take long and you get the hang of it.

Mine has a broken belt to the wheel motors.  You can buy quite a few box store mowers and wear them out for the price of the ztr but the ztr makes mowing a little more fun and the time savings is amazing.  If you have a two or three acre yard with lots of trees, it is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
I have used mine as a bush hog and it is lots harder on you them a tractor on rough ground but will do it.  I consider it one of the better things I have bought.
gww

[Crusarius]

I had the need to move a trailer around my house and decided to use the ZT. I c-clamped my hitch to the foot board set the trailer tongue on it then was able to put it right where I wanted it. Did this with a 5x8 trailer and a 16' car trailer.

Definitely took a bit of figuring because of how the front moves on the zero. but it made moving it alot easier than man handling it.

[Den Socling]

I bolted a piece of 3" aluminum angle on the back of mine with a hole to hitch to. Backing up the trailer is easier than I expected.

[TKehl]

Saw a ZT push a car down Main street to a repair shop Monday.   :-\

Was picking up my tractor from the shop and the guys were having a laugh.  I laughed then groaned when I recognized the ZT driver.  He works for my uncle.     ;D

[petefrom bearswamp]

At my age speed is not my friend.
If you have to back up sometimes on a turn so as to not scalp or spin  what is the advantage?

[DanG]

I'm about to purchase my first, and hopefully last ZT mower. I'm looking closely at Gravely, but I have one more dealer I want to check with first. Any thoughts are most welcome.

I saw a guy flip one over backwards a couple of years ago trying to go up a slope that was obviously too steep. Nothing was hurt but his dignity.  :D

I saw another guy push a dumpster out of his way with a big Skag one time too. 

[pineywoods]

DanG, if you want to get one that will stay with you, find a dealer for Ferris zt's. Not that common, but they are a commercial duty mower. Deck is 1/4 steel plate, welded up with re-inforcement on the corners and bottom edges. Spindles are 1 inch with double roller bearings. Drive belt is an industrial V belt 1 inch wide. There's grease zerks where ever they are needed. Independent suspension on all 4 wheels. Kawasaki power. Spin on oil filter. The only thing mine has required is a new battery after setting up all winter..

[gww]

Piney
Have you rode other ztrs besides the farris?  I always wondered how much differrence the suspension made.

I think exmark sells the most.  I almost bought a scagg before I bought my everride.  I also had a farris sold out from under me after telling the gravely dealer I was coming up to get it.

Dad has the kabota and it isn't quite as jumpy as mine.  I thought one time I wanted the hustler cause they were the fastest mower around.

Knock on wood, so far, I cannot complain about the everride.  It is pretty bad to the bone and is kawasaki also.  I did always want to ride a farris though.

Cheers
gww

[Den Socling]

If I want to avoid a scuff, I go a little beyond the turn and do a 360. It's still faster than a conventional riding mower.

[Kbeitz]

I'm really old fashion and I still use a Dixion.

Gravely is not the tractor it use to be after Ariens bought them out.

[Raider Bill]

I've got a Ariens ZT. The gas tank and control side is poorly designed but the rest of the mower has been good. I mow my yard and the rentals.

[Just Me]

I have a Toro 520xi lawn tractor, and I said when it wears out I will buy a zero turn. Dang thing just will not break.

[Den Socling]

When I'm in that situation, I give the object to one of my kids. Then I have to buy myself something new.   :D

[Ox]

I have a Toro 520xi lawn tractor, and I said when it wears out I will buy a zero turn. Dang thing just will not break.

I'll take it off your hands - I've been looking for a reasonably priced one for a while now.  Oh, right.  No money, no way to truck it.....never mind.  Unless you plan on taking a trip to NY state sometime soon!  Then I might be able to scrape something together.

[sawguy21]

I would really rather have a z-turn for mowing but unfortunately that is all I would be able to use it for, I still need the tractor for plowing the driveway and moving stuff. Mowing our pasture at 12 mph is out of the question though, I would never be able to hang onto it. And don't suggest goats, I am not a farmer.

[Kbeitz]

I would really rather have a z-turn for mowing but unfortunately that is all I would be able to use it for, I still need the tractor for plowing the driveway and moving stuff. Mowing our pasture at 12 mph is out of the question though, I would never be able to hang onto it. And don't suggest goats, I am not a farmer.

Look again... Some come with plows.

[Ox]

Some even have snowblowers!  I'm not sure how well plows and snowblowers would work seeing how easy they can get stuck...maybe this is best for suburbia with nice flat paved driveways.  Certainly not my driveway where the top of the mountain pokes through in the middle and constantly sloughs off.

[DanG]

Picked up my new Gravely ZT-XL-52 yesterday. Got home from returning the borrowed trailer about 6pm and knocked out a couple of acres of rough stuff. I learned that I'm not ready for close work, but I did learn how to make unintentional detours look like I meant ta do dat.  :D :D

[sawguy21]

 ;D That would have been entertaining to watch, there is a learning curve. I sold a few blades and snow blower attachments, the owners wanted a year round machine but they didn't work well frequently getting stuck. Carburetor icing was another problem, one customer wasted two motors because of it and the engine manufacturer would not cover under warranty. The problem was one cylinder would flood and quit, the gas washed down the cylinder wall destroying the piston. They said it was the equipment manufacturer's problem who refused as well.

[Den Socling]

Wow they should come with a warning against using them in cold weather. Is that a problem with one particular brand of engine?

[gww]

Dan G
And I say that name in the nicest of ways and not like some on here use it.  You are going to love the mower.
gww

[Kbeitz]

Our city borough uses one to plow the snow off the sidewalks.
We had a very big snow last month and I stopped and watched.
I was surprised how good it did... I think it was an Exmark.

[Ox]

Wheel weights?  Chains?  Both?  Nothing?  I'm guessing the blade was just wide enough to clear the tires at an angle.

[sawguy21]

Den, the customer was blowing snow in extreme conditions, -30C with a wind. I would have stayed home. The equipment manufacturer was advertising it as a four season machine but didn't tell the engine people, there was no anti icing kit which is why neither were willing to take responsibility. I was told the problem was being addressed.

[Kbeitz]

Wheel weights?  Chains?  Both?  Nothing?  I'm guessing the blade was just wide enough to clear the tires at an angle.

I don't know about weights but I seen no chains.

[Den Socling]

Thanks, sawguy. I was wondering how this came about. You're right about being out at -30. Just plain crazy!

[sawguy21]

Wheel weights?  Chains?  Both?  Nothing?  I'm guessing the blade was just wide enough to clear the tires at an angle.

I don't know about weights but I seen no chains.

I have not seen a z-turn with adequate clearance for chains, it is designed to cut grass.

[Den Socling]

If you are new to using a ZT, I advise eye protection. They can throw some mean shrapnel especially if you let the discharge hit a nearby tree. And don't even think about the discharge hitting the side of a building. Mine blast out a jet. Also, since you are traveling so fast, branches can get you. I have trees and bushes all over the place and I occasionally get hit in the face if I don't duck low enough. I've been cutting them off but there is still a lot of low branches.

[Kbeitz]

I had room to but chains on this but I went for agg tires and weights instead.



 

[sawguy21]

  Those tires would leave some serious divots in a sharp turn.

[Kbeitz]

Those tires would leave some serious divots in a sharp turn.

Not unless you really got on it.

[Just Me]

I have a Toro 520xi lawn tractor, and I said when it wears out I will buy a zero turn. Dang thing just will not break.

I'll take it off your hands - I've been looking for a reasonably priced one for a while now.  Oh, right.  No money, no way to truck it.....never mind.  Unless you plan on taking a trip to NY state sometime soon!  Then I might be able to scrape something together.

I would say they are one of the best. Weighs over 1100 without a deck, rides nice, pulls a big trailer, has a tiller that works good.

I had an ExMark walk behind with a sulky but it was only good for mowing, and the most important thing, My wife would not run it! She likes running the Toro. I won't tell you that I bought it for $350, that would make you feel bad..........

[sawguy21]

An experienced operator on a walk behind with a sulky can cut a lot of grass in a hurry in areas a z-t won't go. They sure give him/her a good workout. I tried it with a stand on Velke, got parked on my butt within the first two minutes. ;D

[Just Me]

Yes, that is the biggest reason that I sold it, 40 years of dirt bikes and hard work has left me with a bum shoulder and two bad knees, so every time I got off I felt like I had been on a two hour ride.

It was fast, what I could do with that in 50 minutes my wife does in an hour and a half on the Toro. but there is a big plus for me in that statement. :D

[Raider Bill]

I had a Scagg 60" with a velky. Loved that mower. I got chucked off more than once. Like a idiot I sold it to buy a ride on MTD tractor which turned into a total piece of crap so I gave it to Billy and bought the Zt Ariens.

[Tom the Sawyer]

DanG,

I just took delivery of a Gravely ZTX-52 two days ago.  Definitely a learning curve, my old lawn tractor had a steering wheel.  I, too, am staying away from fences, trees or the pond until I am confident in my trimming precision  :D

[DanG]

Touchy rascal, ain't it Tom?  :D :D

Not to worry though, you will learn quickly. I have about 5 hours on mine and feeling pretty confident.