I've always had lawn tractors to mow with. Lately seems like zero turns are the go to style now. Considering getting a zero turn this fall and just wanting to get some expert opinions! I have hills to mow, but can mow everything with my lawn tractor. How do zero turns do on slopes vs. lawn/garden tractors? A bagger is a must. Would like to be able to pull a de-thatcher and plugger. I probably wouldn't get bigger than a 50 inch cut. I have some trees to squeeze through. Any recommendations??

They're not bad on hills going across the slope unless it's a severe grade. Ag tires are great if your getting pulled down the slope it having some difficulty going up or down. The one bad thing about zero turns you always have to watch is soft spots as once one back tire loses traction, the other tire can only make it worse.

Spot on Sniper! The only other thing I would add, is be carefull going too wide on a deck, if you have much up and down, course it's that way on tractors too. I've got a 52 in deck Husky that has been a really good machine. Get into the commercial grade if you can, they cost a bit more, but last a lot better. Also the fabricated deck is far superior to a stamped deck.

father in law got 1 found he couldn't get on or off without a lot of difficulty

Everything Lee said is spot on. I bought a 61" Snapper last year and love it. Not only does it mow faster, I don't feel like I've been beat up when I'm done mowing like with my old tractor.

I forgot to say, once you go to a zero turn, you will never want to see a tractor style again! Cuts your mowing time in half or less!

zero turn will run rings around a tractor for mowing, need to learn how to turn without tearing up the turf thou. Keep both wheels turning at the same speed. I use a toro stander zero turn and it is awesome.

I have a John Deere 4 wheel steer garden tractor. Look it up. Will definitely buy another.

Toro MX5000 is what I picked up last year and the only thing I was not happy with was the 2 ply tires just China junk looking to go flat. Other then that it's a dream to run and has speed adjustments for mowing or towing.

I wont own anything but a zero turn any more. Just no comparison on how much faster they cut. You can also get real close to trees and such without having to swap a bunch of gears, really limits how much you have to weed eat after you are done. There are some down sides to them though, mainly any wet spots they get stuck real quick, and you have to have something pretty strong to pull them out since they are so much heavier than a regular tractor mower. Hills can be a pain and i sure dont want one of them to flip over on me. But hills are doable up to a certain point. I also have a commercial grade mower and that is the way to go for sure if you can afford it. The decks last longer as already stated, and are generally serviceable with grease fittings. I know my moms residential grade mower is not grease-able on the pulleys.

The little time I've been looking, the Snappers were worth considering. Looks like they got a decent 2 yr warranty, lifetime on the deck. Grass catcher is available though extra. And you can get a mounted pull hitch.

Going up and down the hills is fine, but going on a side hill is not the best on a zero turn. I have a 23hp Hustler 52" and it is an amazing piece of equipment but I wouldnt want to mow very many side hills with it. I would also recommend getting the 24-26hp models with the smaller deck especially if your puling that extra weight.

I've had this Toro MX4200 for a year now and am very happy with it. It has a 22.5 hp motor and hauls my fat butt around with no trouble. It doesn't like wet grass though when I cut my ditch. The rear end tends to slide. It came with a 3 year warranty.

https://www.torodealer.com/en-US/Pages/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=TimeCutter-MX4200-74766(Toro)

Exmark zero turn mower, the best IMHO! I have a 72" and it is rated a 6.5 acres an hour. The airport I managed had a 60" and a newer 72" with a newer style deck and higher blade speed than mine and it was a lot faster mowing than my 72". I mow 8.5 acres in 1.5 hours and you can trim around stuff real easily with it.

I also have a John Deere 425 all wheel steer. I was looking at a 485 all wheel steer last night. I love it and for what I do its the cats meow. You can pull attachments with it as well as front blades.

I’m a zero guy. We’ve had a 54” Hustler since 2008. The outside yard is mowed 5-7 times a year. It’s about 5 acres. Great mower and we have had zero problems

Check out the Cub Cadet Z Force. They do well on hills, slopes, and ditches. Zero turning radius with steering wheel. You have control of front tires with the wheel. Mine is a 60" with 4 wheel steering and I love it.

I had a 48" cub cadet zforce, just the zero turn. It sucked on hills until we put Ag tires on it.that was about 8 years ago now so maybe the newer ones are better

Lee is 100 % correct! I bought a Hustler Fastrak 54” rear discharge commercial grade about a month ago and it cut my mow times down from 4 hours (with craftsman 46”) to 1hr 10 mins. Definitely recommend a zero turn.

All you guys that love zero turns, how smooth are your lawns? I mow several fields (former tilled fields, grass now for 20 years) at a local gun club. We used to have a'53 Ferguson with a 60" finish deck, and we replaced it with a 60 " Hustler zero turn. That dang zero turn bounces so bad it kills my back after about an hour or so. There is no way I can go more than half speed without REALLY testing the seat belt. I'd take the Fergie back in a heart beat. On the smooth sections it is fast and does a nice job cutting. Also, careful going uphill, there's a lot of weight out back.