Riding mowers, Zero turn or Tractor?

[kroberts2131]

I've got a 42" hustler on a relatively flat lot . I have one small slope and always end up sliding a little bit on that area . It suits my needs but if you had issues in the past, might look at something other than a small ztr

 

[Fredkrueger100]

My son mows 5 acres. He bought a Hustler and it didn't have enough power for him. Sold it. This year he bought a Bad Boy and really likes it.

I have a hustler 52” and it’s great. So is my dads and uncles. The SD ones have the most power. I just have the standard Raptor with the Kawasaki engine but it is more than enough for me. I looked at bad boys and some others but they were too expensive.

 

[cm_osu]

I had a joystick zero turn but I have a pretty good slope and the darn thing wated to go where it wanted to go on the hill. I have the opportunity to purchase whatever kind I want but I would like to make sure I won't be sliding around again if I do get a zero turn.

I have been shopping for a small riding mower about a 34 inch cut because I do not have a large acreage. All I have is a normal yard. It takes about 3 hours with a push mower and 1/2 day for me to recover. They don't make small mowers anymore. The small ones I have seen are very cheaply made with plastic wheels and plastic bushings with no capability to grease them. One of them, a Crafstman, you are sitting on top of the engine. I can just see that in the heat of the summer.

I have been looking at the DASH zero turn made by Hustler but it only has a 3 quart gas tank. I'd have to fill it twice every time I mow. All the other mowers I would even consider are 42 inches or bigger.

What do you guys have? Are the zero turns good for slopes or not?

As a disclaimer I don't own either of these mowers and haven't used them. Comparing specs on the hustler dash to the Toro timecutter ss3225... I'd probably go with the toro. I tend to prefer the cut quality of a single blade over multiblade. Same with the toros stamped deck vs hustler fab deck. Fab decks will generally last longer but stamped decks tend to cut better. The toro weighs a little more (456 lbs vs 390 lbs or 555lbs vs 390 lbs depending on the website) which should help with traction. Gas tank on the toro is 3 gal. Toro claims 2mph faster cutting speed.

I doubt that any small ztr like these will be much fun on a hill side. If you get comfortable crab-walking, it's likely doable.

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[SMS]

I went through this when I moved out of subdivision and onto a small acreage (2.5 acres) a few years ago. I have slopes, some rough spots and wanted something I could use as a work horse as well (towing a dump cart, sprayer, and drag etc...).

I went with a 48" JD lawn tractor (D140) and it's been great. Still cuts pretty fast, turns tight and is more versatile IMHO. It was also half the price of a zero turn...which left me a ton of money for a sprayer, dump cart, a couple years worth of chemicals etc...

 

[Ethan N]

Goats

 

[stick4]

I'll go along with what Aries said about the Cub Cadet Zero Turn with the steering wheel. I got the first one Pro Power Equipment in Okc sold. (Feb 2012) These 4 wheel steering ZTRs are the right choice for bigger yards that have a slope.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

I went through this when I moved out of subdivision and onto a small acreage (2.5 acres) a few years ago. I have slopes, some rough spots and wanted something I could use as a work horse as well (towing a dump cart, sprayer, and drag etc...).

I went with a 48" JD lawn tractor (D140) and it's been great. Still cuts pretty fast, turns tight and is more versatile IMHO. It was also half the price of a zero turn...which left me a ton of money for a sprayer, dump cart, a couple years worth of chemicals etc...

I mowed half a block of residential first as a teenager with a self propelled walk behind for a handful of years. Then I bought a 54" Craftsman riding mower with a tight turn radius. I believe it was advertised as a 5" turning radius. It mowed straight lines on slopes just fine. I could mow around a light pole, trees and fire hydrant with ease.

 

[Snattlerake]

I have one of these, it steers with the front wheels so it handles slopes pretty well. Unfortunately, I think 42" is the smallest you can get. I've had it probably 6-7 years and it's holding up pretty well, only problem I've ever had was when a mouse chewed through some of the wiring.

https://www.cubcadet.com/equipment/...ders/steering-wheel-42-in-22-hp-kohler-engine

Nice. What is the sand blade for?

 

[Glock 40]

The sand blades I have seen are flat no lift. So they can be sharpened on both sides and you just flip them when they get dull. If you have real sandy soil they will eat the back side of your blades up where the lift is. It literally sands it off.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Nice. What is the sand blade for?

Use a Sand Blade in sandy soil areas, when the conditions are dry, or when performing seasonal scalping. Lift created by the cutter blades will be reduced, decreasing the abrasion wear to the cutter blades and deck caused by sand.