Zero-turn mower

Dads lookin a zero-turn lawn mower. He's willing to spend up to $4000. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what kind of mower to buy or what brands are better than others? We are looking at a John Deere, but there is also Huskee, Troybuilt, and Husqvarna(sp?). I think we've ruled out Troybilt. The last on we had was a POS.

no offense dude but you said your dads work got cut waaaay down.  Why would you guys want to spend 4000 on a mower?  hell thats 4 house payments for me!!!
 
back to the question.  my uncle has a landscapping business, and he swears by his Exmark.  check those out.

Husqvarna are the ****, but they can be a little more pricey than the others.
 

Well, its not just my dad, its my uncle as well. Yeah business got cut way down, but he has saved for a mower for a year now. I don't know exactly how we are going to afford it... his justification is: Everything we have is paid for. Buy a decent mower that will mow 10 acres of lawn for at least 5-10 years. The Troybilt we have now has a bad transmission and isn't worth fixing.

Our troybuilt zero turn is 5 years old now and has been bullet proof. Only thing replaced on it is the oil and one tire.

they dont make them any more (i dont think) but the great dane, or a scag. all the landscapers that come to dads shop have those.
 
jimmyboy

Troybuilt definitely isn't the name it used to be.  I would say Husqvarna would be equivalent to the big box store version of the John Deere.  If you want a real mower, you have to go to a dealer, not a big box store (Lowes, Home Depot, Sears, etc). 

My dad has two JD F935 front mount lawn mowers, one is a 60" rear discharge while the other is a 72" side discharge.  Both are a 22HP diesels and cut some serious grass.  Not a zero-turn, but a damn good mower for the grass that we put through them (10+ acres at a time with only 3 or so being smooth lawn). 

Don't rule out Grasshopper.  Look for a dealer in your area and see if they may have a used one for sale that is within your budget.  I would rather buy a good used mower than a mediocre new one.

i second the real mower thing. most of the mowers at the box stores are mtd even if it says ie. john deere. dads has the problem of john deere not stocking parts for the ones that you buy at lowes or home depot you have to get parts from mtd.
 
jimmyboy

looked int cub cadet mowers? at 5-10 acres though, i think i'd just get a mower that pulls behind a 4-wheeler...

definately not a ferris, nothing but problems, that what my boss has and he pain $9200 for his and has everything service at correct time by dealer, it had less than 200 hours and has been rebuilt once and had many other thing replaced

I've got a Deere F680? I think, have to go look.  Anyway it's a five wheeled zero-turn with a 60 inch side discharge "7-iron" deck.  The deck is basically bulletproof and is much heavier than the standard yellow deck.  I'll put five hours a week on it and have never had any major problems with.  Had it now for six years.  The only problem is than it is helpless in the mud.  All of the wieght is at the front and back wheels which aren't powered.  So if you can find a used 4-wheel zero-turn deere with the green "7-iron" deck it should be well worth it.

Toro? 

The Skag Tiger CUb zero turning mower worked great at my last job. I used it all summer with no problems, mowing about 20 acres 1-2 times a week. Very responsive and fairly easy to control once you get used to it. The one I used had a 60" mower deck. Good luck on finding a mower.

The landscapers in this area that I know use kubota, deer, new holland.

quote:

ORIGINAL: igot10pinitis
my uncle has a landscapping business, and he swears by his Exmark.  check those out.

I have been doing lawn maintenance for the last 5 summers and the company I work for uses Exmark mowers. I think there great mowers. I also notice that most companys in the same area all use Exmark.

I've worked at Stark Street lawn and garden for 2 years in the set-up department and set up almost every Z you can imagine. I personally would suggest either a JD or Toro/Exmark (they're basically the same exact thing). Like some of the other guys have said, troybilt is the worst. Arien is also pretty badly designed. I'm not a salesperson so i don't know the prices but i believe in the price range you could get a JD 747 or the next step below that. If you come by or talk to me at stark street lawn and garden in Sherwood, i can say i'm buying it and give a damn good discount most likely.