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If ride quality is a major consideration, take a look at Ferris. They build consumer grade as well as full-on commercial ZTR's with independent suspension, coil overs on all four corners. I had a customer that had a big Ferris with a caterpillar diesel. The downside to full suspension, is usually cut quality. As the mower floats up and down, the deck does also.

A quick word on swapping to aggressive tires. I was working as service manager for Deere when the L series mowers came out. With turf tires. We had some customers fit bar tread tires for hillsides, and that's when the trouble started. A piece of equipment will usually have a weak link, that part or feature that will fail before anything else. Oftentimes it's engineered that way, in order to protect more expensive components. Shear pins are a good example, designed to fail, and inexpensive, so the high dollar stuff hopefully survives.

Well it seems that lack of traction, WAS the weak link. Deere knew the transaxles were marginal, but turf tires would slip before internal damage occurred. When lug tires were fitted, they didn't slip as easily, and the NEXT weakest link began to fail. Unfortunately that turned out to be the transaxle itself, and Deere claimed a voided warranty when bar tread tires were installed. Made for some awkward customer relation moments.

I doubt that it would be as much of an issue on a full commercial machine, just something to keep in mind.


"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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Originally Posted By: sprkplug
Deere knew the transaxles were marginal, but turf tires would slip before internal damage occurred.


Over-all is the Deere ok?

I inherited one recently but have only used it a couple of times.

It will get light use.



Fishing has never been about the fish....

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I had owned two Scag Turf Tigers 61" and found the 27 hp engine didn't provide enough power for the work I was doing. So I bought a 61" cut with a 35 hp engine but it had t0 be repaired so frequently that I had to buy another - kind of a "use one while the other is being repaired" scenario. Yes, I know, but at least I managed to get the grass cut. We'll see what problems this year brings.

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That's a homeowner grade machine, and if used accordingly, should be just fine. I don't recall any transaxle issues with that family of ZTR's, just use it on the lawn and enjoy.

Last edited by sprkplug; 03/06/17 09:11 PM.

"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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Dud, what were you doing with it that 27 hp fell short? Was it fuel injected?


"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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Originally Posted By: sprkplug
just use it on the lawn and enjoy.


Thanks....i use bigger toys on non-lawn.


Fishing has never been about the fish....

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I have the Scag Tiger Cub 52" and it is about 12 years old. That thing is solid, the only problems I have had with considerable use is one flat tire, some cheap fuel that had water in it and a rough idle. It has had the rough idle for years but still cuts my 2 acres like a champ. I also cut my food plots prior to planting on my hunting club.


3/4 Acre South Georgia Pond, 1,500 BG/RES; LMB coming soon

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Almost missed your questions with the page change, Sprk. Cutting about 20 acres, some is lawn-like, other parts are more rough. Takes about 16 hours if dry, longer if conditions are less ideal. I have to cut short or I would have to start over as soon as I finish. The mower has to wade through crayfish hole chimneys, fire ant mounds and patches of clover and the 35 hp does. The Scag dealer maintains; all I do is change blades, fuel up and go. Don't know if fuel injected.

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Wow DL that is a lot of mowing time. Have you ever considered a tractor with a finish mower.


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I've considered that, Tbar, and see them used on golf courses. Soft ground, lugged tires on my tractor, obstacles and the need to continually manicure the area when using a finish mower prompted me to scrap the idea and stay with the Scag.

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Wow! I'm not sure I could face the day knowing I had 20 acres of grass to mow, even on a Scag!

Certainly not if I wasn't getting paid for it. Thats some serious yard maintenance right there!


"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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Never measured it. Might be only 15. Seems like 50.

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Ever thought about a herd of goats?

Down here in Bonaire goat stew is a staple of the local eateries. Pretty tasty.

Solve your grass problem and make food for the table in one step. grin

Last edited by snrub; 03/07/17 08:49 PM.

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Originally Posted By: sprkplug
If ride quality is a major consideration, take a look at Ferris. They build consumer grade as well as full-on commercial ZTR's with independent suspension, coil overs on all four corners. I had a customer that had a big Ferris with a caterpillar diesel. The downside to full suspension, is usually cut quality. As the mower floats up and down, the deck does also.


I went mower shopping a couple of weeks ago and looked at 52" Scag Tiger Cat holdover from last year at my local dealer which was marked down enough to get me close to my budget range.Well I thought I would take a couple days and look at some other dealers.Later that day I started to show signs of Influenza and felt pretty rough for the next week. I stopped by the dealer on Monday hoping that the Scag would still be there and was informed that It sold on Saturday.
I mentioned to the owner that my ground is extremely rough and said my next choice for a zero turn would probably be a Ferris with the independent suspension.The owner said that he still had a Simplicity Citation XT holdover which is pretty much the same mower as a Ferris.
I bought the Simplicity and mowed with it yesterday. The Citation has a 52" fabricated deck and a Kawasaki 23hp engine.I am impressed with the ride and quality of cut over my 18 yr old 48" Encore ztr.I cut my mowing time of my main yard from 90 minutes to 40 minutes.The Simplicity is quite a bit faster and a lot smoother.You do still feel some bumps but they are not bone-jarring,shoulder dislocating jolts.
The only disadvantage so far of the new mower is it has a longer platform for your feet which makes it harder to nose in to corner areas around the house and landscaping.I only scalped one spot which is far less than my old mower!So I this point I would say that I am happy with my purchase and time will prove whether the new mower will be durable enough.Thanks again to the forum members for their input and guidance!

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Simplicity and Ferris are both owned by Briggs and Stratton, so they are very similar. I'm confident you will love the new mower!


"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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Anybody know much about Spartan ZT Mowers? Looks like the founder of Spartan was one of the partners of BadBoy Mowers. Spartan claims they are on par with high quality ZT mowers at a better price point.




Spartan Mowers Website


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20 acres? Get some goats.

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Never heard of Spartan, but that doesn't mean they don't build a good mower. Make sure there is a local, established dealer in your area.


"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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Sparky that is my main hesitation. They have dealers around but nothing very close to my property, and a couple of dealers about 30 miles from my house near Dallas. From reading the link below it appears that Bad Boy or another maker have sued them, but not sure what is the status of the legal proceeding.
https://www.lawnsite.com/threads/spartan-mowers-makes-a-splash.447461/

Spark do you have any opinion about the eXmark rear discharge feature?
https://www.exmark.com/products/mowers/rear-discharge


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Zep, I'm sorry but I haven't any experience with those types of decks on ZTR's. I am intrigued though, and have often wondered how they compared to the rear discharge tractor type decks we used to see. After getting my right ear canal plastered full of clippings yesterday due to windy conditions, I can sure see a place for such a deck!


"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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What the Heck, I will weigh in..... I love my Hustler 60"deck 27HP Kawasaki.... did a lot of research before I purchased this mower in 2008. talked to hydraulic experts and have never regretted my decision... have not had a speck of trouble. If I were to be in the market today I would take a good look at the Scag line (especially since they are a corporate sponsor of Pheasants Forever) because they look very similar to the Hustler. I looked and looked at the Hustler and could not find a "weak link" anywhere on it. Lots of commercial guys around here run them. Those guys are a lot harder on a mower than I ever will be....and you see machines with 6,000 to 8,000 hours on them. They look like the have been through a couple of wars... but are still going. Pay special attention to the construction and brand of wheel motors... the good mowers have metal impellers in the wheel motors and the cheapies have plastic impellers... makes a big difference if you want to go in a straight line around a side hill. Final thought... Grandpa always said... " when you buy quality, you only cry once".

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Originally Posted By: Zep
Sparky that is my main hesitation. They have dealers around but nothing very close to my property, and a couple of dealers about 30 miles from my house near Dallas. From reading the link below it appears that Bad Boy or another maker have sued them, but not sure what is the status of the legal proceeding.
https://www.lawnsite.com/threads/spartan-mowers-makes-a-splash.447461/

Spark do you have any opinion about the eXmark rear discharge feature?
https://www.exmark.com/products/mowers/rear-discharge


I checked into rear discharge after busting out a window on my cab tractor, due to thrown rock from my SCAG. They work the same as any other, it is a difference in the finished product. If you cut tall grass it will leave the cuttings more on top of the cut grass. This would probably be helped with mulching blades.

Last edited by BrianL; 05/31/17 09:55 AM.

1.8 acre pond with CNBG, RES, HSB, and LMB
Trophy Hunter feeder.
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Originally Posted By: Dudley Landry
Never measured it. Might be only 15. Seems like 50.


You need to get serious with that much land.

https://www.hustlerturf.com/products/super-104


Last edited by BrianL; 05/31/17 12:15 PM.

1.8 acre pond with CNBG, RES, HSB, and LMB
Trophy Hunter feeder.
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