Zero turn mower feature I don't remember anyone discussing
Ruger4me
Member, Moderator Posts: 3,802 ******
I know we've hard many zero turn discussion here, but I'm doing some research to probably get my first one and I'm seeing a feature i don't remember any of ya'll discussing in previous threads. Apparently this has been available for a few years now, but I saw several brands that offer models with tilt up mowers decks powered by a button this makes it tilt close to 90 degrees where you can replace blades, clean etc. without having to remove or jack-up the deck. Seems like a pretty cool feature as I'm getting older and I hate having to remove the deck on my current rider every year to replace blades and or remove things that get wrapped around the blades like baling twine, hoses etc. Anybody have any experience or thoughts on this feature or the brands "Big Dog" or "Hustler" zero turns?
Comments
Grasshoppers have a tilt up deck. It's front mounted.
My John Deere Mower has a similar feature:
The ground and I don't get along anymore.
Margaret Thatcher
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
Mark Twain
i use my tractor loader for a lift
I lift mine by taking it to the John Deere dealership for service. I don't have any heavy equipment and I'm to damned old to worry about it.
I have a zero turn Deere and I have no problem getting at the blades to change.
Buy a Gravely. You never have to clean under the deck.
I have had a Kawasaki powered Hustler zero turn for about 7 years and could not want a better mower.They did not offer a tilt up option when I bought mine but thats what I would have bought.
changing blades is aggravating
I have to lift my Ferris with my tractor's front-end loader and almost have to have it completely picked up off the ground
I would love to have the tilt up deck
I have a Hustler Raptor, which is a very good machine. If you can afford & justify it, go with their "Flip-Up". The older I get, the more I wish I had spent the extra for this option.
I bought my Bad Boy in 2013, and change blades 2 or 3 times a year. I use a chain hoist to raise the front high enough to access them. If I had a mower with a tilting deck, it would make life easier.
What the heck are you guys mowing? Rocks?
My thoughts, also.
Doing some more research, it seems big dog and hustler are made by same family and are pretty much same except for color and Big dog has 7 year warranty, Hustler and other brands appear to only have 3 year. My neighbor has the Hustler for about 4 years and is very happy with it and like some of you mentioned he uses his front loader to lift it to change blades, I think I'll try that on my rider since blades need to be changed while I decide on the zero turn and whether I want to spend the extra on the flip up feature. As for mowing rocks... I try to avoid that but it does happen as well as some cactus small branches tree root suckers etc. oh and some grass...I'm mowing between trees that are too close together for my 7 ft brush hog and bigger JD tractor.
I'm a simple man, got a set of strong mid-twenties twin grandsons that change/sharpen mine using a chain hoist while I sit nearby teaching them about other mechanical tricks. They know exactly what their gender is 😊
"Never do wrong to make a friend----or to keep one".....Robert E. Lee
You guys have it easy. You should try removing the mower deck from under a Kubota B2650. Talk about a huge pain in the (you know where).
Joe
Buy an extra set of blades. That way you can sharpen the second set at your leisure. Then just swap them while the mower is up/lifted.
IF and when my next zero turn is I would love to have that option. If it is your first one be wary of the quirks of them. They will get you in a ditch faster than Brandon can spend a billion. Good luck and please do a follow up when / if you get it.
@Grasshopper my neighbor is gonna let me try out his first, He really is pleased by his Hustler.
I had one for a while and really liked how it worked. The biggest problem was learning what not to do! If you’re not careful, you leave a lot of skidmarks on your lawn trying to maneuver around bushes and trees. I really didn’t have a big enough lawn to justify owning it so I sold it after about a year.
My yard is sandy . Mowing it is like using a sandblaster on the blades . Use 2 or 3 sets a year .
if you're going to try a Hustler , make sure you try it on any side hills or down hill slopes you have and if you can when the grass is a little wet , see how well or poor it discharges
I have a set of loading ramps I use for my UTV, I just put them on a small brick half wall near the drive, it is about waist high, then drive the mower up the ramps, get the kreeper and lay down, slide under and change/sharpen the blades...........
This how I get to my blades.
I mow a few acres once a week and am really attracted to the tilting deck. A typical year sees me go through 2 to 3 sets of blades.
I have a car lift and just lift the mower up with it so don't really need the tilting deck but I usually have something on the lift so have to shuffle things around to use it for the mower.
The Hustler also has rear discharge which I like. I have a lot of trees and obstacles and it would be nice to be able to go around them to the right or left side.
I also want my next zero turn to have a steering wheel and not steering handles. I shoot at gophers while mowing or mess with my phone or drink beer and want a hand free. I know cub cadet makes a zero turn with a steering wheel but the cub cadets I have been exposed to have been low quality.
I have a tree farm and now own 3 riding mowers. 2 huskys and an all wheel turn John deere for 4000 bucks. Ill probably never pay for the name and paint again, the huskys mow as good or better than the John Deere and are half the price. The deere is back in the shop after 50 hours.
Have had my Deere LT 150 for 25 years. No problems at all. Changed the pulleys and belts once so far! Maybe I've just been lucky? I also have 2 sets of blades for it.
I use a mobile guy that comes right to my house.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
Son in lawn has sideline hustle cutting yards. . Uses a big Toro . Had a Gravy prior to the Toro . I liked the Gravely better , it seemed to "groom " the grass better. Big dog and Hustler are seen frequently in the cutting business here .
Practice your down hill control, you may get a surprise if you don't have a good landing spot, the wife's flower bed in particular. I had a Snapper commercial, it would ballhoot with chains on it.
Had to do a search on that one Butchdog :
Ball-hoot…is a term derived from the logging industry practice of rolling logs downhill, and now it means to drive recklessly on the dangerous mountain roads.
😂
@Butchdog2 I have sloped areas that end at a drop off. I mow while backing down & then mow another (straighter) line while going back up.
Kinda like UNCLE JOE says................buy an electric vehicle (for $60,000) and you hardly pay to drive it.
@Ruger4me..............don't worry about cutting your lawn. Sell your rural property and move into a city apt. or buy a condo with a ruling HMA.......they will maintain your property for you and you can sit back and sip margaritas............forget about the mower. Forget about the cost.
{green font on}
LOL! I don't have what I'd call a "lawn" just a few acres around the house and barns that need cutting and are not used to produce hay... I guess I'd call it my yard, but definitely not a "lawn"
Same. Here in Oklahoma, I always wear the rear "lift edge" of the blade clear off while still retaining 75% of the cutting portion of the blade. I found by going to "Gator" blades it reduces the speed in which it does that slightly. I mow about 4 of my 10 highly wooded acres and since the switch, I get an extra mowing between blade changes. I am buying a ZTR either in the off season, or next spring.
One other thing regarding ZTR's, there are what some refer to as deck in front, and sit on deck. Sit on deck are shorter and more compact, but don't generally reach under overhanging trees and such. They most likely would also be incapable of tilt up deck. The deck in front type are longer in storage, but allow you to reach under overhanging brush, decks, etc. Plus, some have that flip up deck feature. One last thing to consider, at least if your yard is rough is chassis springs. That is often reserved for the higher end models, but you can find them with springs at every axle and then also on the seat which is generally the only place the cheaper ones have them. This is really nice in rougher yards or if you have back issues. For me, this is an absolute must on my next purchase. I'd like a rear discharge, but it is not critical.
Ruger, never too old to learn something.
Us'in hill williams use the term when you head up or down hill and loose traction and go one way or the other, slick icy roads, grassy wet fields, muddy logging road and such. Brown shorts event.
Anyone willing to take a guess what j-hole means. Keep it clean please! Hint, has to do with logging.
286, how did you decide to mow up and down hill like you do?🤔
@Butchdog2 Other wise, it's like the E ticket ride at a carnival. Even tho I stopped at the bottom, it was tricky to turn & not tear up the grass. Going across the slope, you have to go in high, expect to slide & come out low. I'm actually looking at adding side mirrors 🙃
I have a woods commercial with electric height adjustment and yes it flips up. I wouldn't have a mower without a flip up deck. Like others have said we mow around 3-4 acres and my wife keeps it short so she mows lower and more often than most. 2-3 blade changes a year.
Woods and others have the front deck, some are mid deck(under the rider) but the better mid decks still have the option for flipping up like these...
I'm not going to comment much on mowers as I got sick of mowers breaking down so I basically went straight to the top and got a woods commercial for I believe $16,500. I tried a few other brands but did not have good luck out here on the farm. I'm sure there are lots of good options that will work for less than the woods, Woods doesn't even make zero turns anymore but I believe Grasshopper is pretty similar.
@shootuadeal those are the two I'm thinking about, I got cash price quote from the local dealer yesterday, this was his response:
"The price would be $6749.35 taxes and all out the door. This would be the price on either Big Dog or Hustler. The Hustler will have a Kawasaki engine. The Big Dog will have the Kohler engine on it."
They both show MSRP of starting at $6199.00 and I guess the days of discounting below MSRP are gone... I replied with how much for equivalent models without the lift up feature and will see if it can be justified. After reading all these comments, I gave the suggestion to use my front loader on tractor with a chain a try yesterday to change the blades on my old rider, it worked and was easier than removing the deck, but still had to lay on the ground to swap out the blades... see pics: