Sorry for the double post mods can delete the cub cadet post. Anyone have any insight on zero turns 1 acres plus possibility of commercial use to pay for mower.

They are very nice.

Definitely cuts mowing time

After having one, I have no desire to go back to a traditional type

May be worth waiting to end of season and pick up a used mid tier one for what a low end one costs

I would avoid Hustler brand, buddy had one and it always had issues and even had to have the frame welded back together a few times

I know nothing about Cub Cadet

Daughter and SIL have a Badboy that has been good, got it at Atwoods, end of year clearance

Look at what the landscape are using in your area. They can't afford to buy junk ones.

We have a commercial 60” Kioti and we used that to maw 3 acres, did an amazing job in a relatively short amount of time.
We have less grass now but still use this mower and it’s a great machine.
Jim

Bought a Murray and is very similar to the Badboy. It has been flawless and bought it on a sale a few years back for under 2400$. At the time there was a John Deere residential series that was under 3000$ at the time. I run a zero turn on ~10 acre campus for State once a week and the JD has been a reliable mower. Just got a new one this but the old JD has 988 hours on it mowing and runs great!

The one I dream about is the 72" Diesel Grasshopper with the front end that lifts up but that's pretty heavy on the commercial side. Start a business, do what your are thinking, and have the tax man write off your expenses.

You cannot beat Scag. Built like a tank. Pay once, cry once.

We run a Hustler at our gun club, mow about 7 acres with it. Its the biggest "residential" one they have. Its held up well. A friend has a Hustler commercial one, and its built like a tank.

I won't run a zero turn at home, cause my lawn tractor doubles as my snow blower.

I have a commercial grade Snapper and love it. Have had it about 6 years and no problems at all. Great machine.

I have had one forever it seems. With 4 acres to mow and trim they are the only way to go. They mow as fast as the sharp blades will alow them to. Would be hard to go back to a basic garden style mower as we call them. Too slow and no turning radius to speak of.

Same. Almost cuts my mow time in half. Could never go back.

72" Exmark, I mow a lot, fast!

My little Z52 Husqvarna works great

There are dozens of brands making zero turn mowers, but generally fall into two camps........residential and commercial..........and you get what you pay for. They run on hydraulics and the cheap ones have cheap pumps and motors, cheap frames, decks and engines. The cheap box store stuff. No parts, no service. When they blow, they are done. For us residential guys up to 3 or 4 acres or so, I'd get a mid level grade from one of the bigs.......Scag, Xmark, Hustler, Toro, etc. Get a Kawasaki FX engine.........and plan on running it for years. More than 5 acres, bite the bullet and go commercial grade. Expect about 2,000 to 3,000 hours or more from those before they fizzle out. 100 hours a year is a lot for most residential guys. I mow 3 to 4 acres and average 80 hours per year. Starting 10th year on a Scag Tiger Cat.

And buy it from a local dealer what services what they sell. Just saying................

Have a jd. 3 years so far no issues

I have two, a BobCat 61” commercial mower , and a 2006 Toro Z master 62” with a water cooled Kawasaki engine. My toro has almost 1500 hrs on it, and mows like a beast. Both are great mowers, but I prefer the toro over the BobCat, because the toro stays on my pond dam slopes much better!
There are so many to choose from, but brand aside, figure out cutting width needed to fit your terrain. I really don’t think any brand is much better than another, unless you go with Farris or a Gravely, which are very expensive and suited for mowing business work!

Also, you will never want another type of mower once you get used to a zero turn!

Buy a commercial mower . I’ve had the same Kubota since 2009 heck of a machine but stay away from the garbage at Home Depot etc . Exmark are also great machines

before you buy look at the procedure to change your fluid in the transmissions , make sure you can change it how and at what hours they recommend then do it at those hours or sooned. worn plates is the primary cause of failure in hydrostatic transmissions and it is all fluid wear on the plate , dirty fluid wears plates more than clean.