To zero turn or keep fixing the pos

autox19

autox19

True Classic
I have a couple 1971 john deere 110 mowers. Had them for a long time. Both repowered with hf motors. They both have been dying for at least 10 years. I don't get through one mowing session without having at least one issue. Yup. I am done. Time for a zero turn. 2 acres with alot of things to manipulate around was my reasoning for the zero turn over another tractor.
Here is my issue. I can drop 1k on parts for a fiat pretty much on a whim. But for some reason I can't pull the trigger on 137 a mo (7400 0% imterest) mower I really need. My brain keeps thinking I can baby these longer. Well that's the thought I have when I am not complaining while fixing the next broken part.

Anyone else have the same issue when it comes to big purchases?

Odie
 
I have that problem all the time. We love our Fiats and want to spend on them. Lawn equipment is boring. Check FB market place unless you want a new mower.
 
JimD said:
I have that problem all the time. We love our Fiats and want to spend on them. Lawn equipment is boring. Check FB market place unless you want a new mower.
Click to expand...
Leaning towards new. Don't want to get into another fix it all the time. Yet $$....

Odie
 
Do you have a hitch on any of the Fiats? :)

www.ruralking.com

Swisher 44

If you have a large area of grass to mow, you need a Swisher Trailmower! The Swisher 11.5 HP (344cc) electric start Trailmower is designed to dramatically reduce your mowing time. The Trailmower can easily attach to your lawn tractor or ATV and act as a w
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I have 5 acres, I first cut it with a lawn tractor. Took me 10 or more hours! I was always fixing something. and it used 10 gallons it seamed of fuel too. Half the time I didnt cut the back yard (3 acres) because it took so long. The school I teach at had a zero turn, that they couldnt find on inventory, didnt run and the principal told me to make it go away. So I did. Took it to the mower shop in town,, spent 600.00 getting it to run again and putting on new tires. All of a sudden the painfull 10 + hour mowing job was done in 5-6. I was in heaven (or so I thought) Only took 1 12 pack to cut the yard! lol. That mower went for 3 or so years before one day the engine died, in a catastrophic way. Spins freely, like a rod broke. So now I was faced with a dilemma. Fix the mower or buy a new one. A 22ish (dont remember exactly, will edit tomorrow)hp Kawasaki engine was 1k. So I just bit the bullet and bought a new one, exactly like the old one that the school gave me, but a newer model. Now I am in heaven, I can cut all 5 acres in 3 1/2 hours. the old one was slow I guess. And takes less than 4 gallons to do it! Think I paid 3700.00 for the new one at Home depot. Seems as they are 3799.00 still

www.homedepot.com

Cub Cadet Ultima ZT1 50 in. Fabricated Deck 23HP V-Twin Kawasaki FR Series Engine Dual Hydro Drive Gas Zero Turn Riding Lawn Mower Ultima ZT1-50 - The Home Depot

Introducing the ULTIMA ZT1 SERIES. Step up to the ultimate all-around mowing experience. The Cub Cadet ULTIMA Series ZT1 50 features a 23 HP Kawasaki FR691V series Twin-cylinder OHV Engine, 2 in. x 2 in. tubular steel frame, comfortable high back seat and much more. The Ultima Zero-Turn Riding...
www.homedepot.com

Just my recommendation. BTW the old one is still here, you can have it for free if you pick it up! Hydraulics worked when engine blew up!...
 
Also, I ended up rebuilding the deck 2 times on the first zero turn. The spindle design wasnt the best and wore out quickly in the sandy environment here. The new one has gone 2 years with nothing, the spindles and updated belt design are way better, The new deck is way better so a big improvement! Because of sandy soil I use a set of blades every year because they get sandblasted into nothing!. Small price to pay. 80.00 a year for blades
 
I am looking at a bad boy zt elite limited edition. I like the limited has a commercial grade motor. I am hoping this will be my last mower until I retire and move to a beach with no lawn

Odie
 
autox19 said:
I have a couple 1971 john deere 110 mowers. Had them for a long time. Both repowered with hf motors. They both have been dying for at least 10 years. I don't get through one mowing session without having at least one issue. Yup. I am done. Time for a zero turn. 2 acres with alot of things to manipulate around was my reasoning for the zero turn over another tractor.
Here is my issue. I can drop 1k on parts for a fiat pretty much on a whim. But for some reason I can't pull the trigger on 137 a mo (7400 0% imterest) mower I really need. My brain keeps thinking I can baby these longer. Well that's the thought I have when I am not complaining while fixing the next broken part.

Anyone else have the same issue when it comes to big purchases?

Odie
Click to expand...
Oh yeah. Pretty much any purchase, even Fiat parts. I have been hunting for a new winter car for over a year and finally bought one two weeks ago. Buying **** is the worst for me. I did recently do some impromptu and poorly planned Fiat part purchasing which I will be dragging back from FFO and after building our kitchen, will make their way into the red X. At least thats the plan, which could change tomorrow. Lots of learning in the meantime.

But yeah I have analysis to paralysis. Ask my wife, I drive her nuts.
 
I've made my living with mowers for the past 38 years. Have scaled back some recently but still running 92 accounts. Buy a good mower and save yourself the hassles. You'll be happier in the long run :)
 
My sister owned her own landscaping company. They bought a Yazoo Kees ZT 5225 zero steer, but the Kohler motor blew from a intake gasket failure ingested all the dust. She gave it to me around 1999. I spent 800 bucks having a short block installed & used to mow 6 acres for the next 15 years. I've since moved to a much smaller property but still used it every 2 weeks to mow an elderly neighbors lawn for the next 6 years. Now I only use it to do fall cleanup at 2 friends places. Besides maintenance it's been a great mower & time saver. I see plenty of "homeowner" units on the web for sale with issues. Better to stick to a commercial unit for you property.
 
JKIDD said:
My sister owned her own landscaping company. They bought a Yazoo Kees ZT 5225 zero steer, but the Kohler motor blew from a intake gasket failure ingested all the dust. She gave it to me around 1999. I spent 800 bucks having a short block installed & used to mow 6 acres for the next 15 years. I've since moved to a much smaller property but still used it every 2 weeks to mow an elderly neighbors lawn for the next 6 years. Now I only use it to do fall cleanup at 2 friends places. Besides maintenance it's been a great mower & time saver. I see plenty of "homeowner" units on the web for sale with issues. Better to stick to a commercial unit for you property.
Click to expand...

That was the plan. The "special edition" I was told by 3 different dealers was a test to put the commercial engine on the consumer chassis as usually it isn't the chassis that goes first on these units. Making it a "prosumer" type. It is also why even though I can get one cheaper, I want this to be able to last. I just look around the house and see what else I can do with 7k. My wife told me this morning to pull the trigger. She said she almost avoids me on mowing day because I am on edge because of the un reliability of the Franken mowers. Still trying to figure out winter. But 99% going g to buy it today or Monday as no comments yet said :just keep fixing it. . love the input from this forum

Odie
 
I've been pretty lucky when it comes to maintaining my properties. Most of my life I've lived on the beach, so I only had sand for a yard. Then I moved to Vegas to take care of mom. The intense heat makes it almost impossible to have any type of living yard (e.g. grass), so everyone either has "decorative rock" (colored gravel) or astroturf covering their properties. Pretty much no maintenance. When I think back to my childhood and having to water and mow the lawn every week I ask myself why would anyone have a grass yard? Is that an option...to eliminate the grass with a nice substitute? It is actually less expensive to buy than the new mower. And then no cost (or labor) from then on.
 
I have no problem buying a new Fiat, because I want one. I do hesitate to buy a new mower because I don't really want one, even if I need one.
I mow about 6 acres with lots of trees that I mow around. I've never counted, but I have about 100 in my "yard". (Many more in areas I don't mow.) That means a zero turn mower is pretty much a necessity. But I don't have one. Instead I have an old Deere F525 that is kinda like a zero turn, but has a few features that I really like. Like an offset deck, and a low center of gravity that I have to have to mow on slopes. I've ripped the plastic body off of my Deere getting it close too the trees so it looks like junk. But it still runs OK. I grease the spindles before every "day mowing" so they have held up OK too. I know I need to buy a replacement, if that Deere goes down I'm in trouble because things will get out of control quick without a mower. So, I've been looking and I'm not happy with what I've found. I need a zero turn mower with at most a 48" deck, and a low center of gravity. I would really like to find one with an offset deck, and with a low overall height (to get under and around the trees). But I haven't found one at any price. (Other than used F525s, and they are not easy to find.) What I have found costs more than what I spent on my daily driver 8 years ago. That's the part that I have a hard time with. For what they want for a new mower, I bought a car that has been a daily driver for 8 years (with very low owning and operating costs). I just have a hard time seeing the value in the new mowers. So I understand how you feel Odie.
But, I'll probably suck it up and buy one once my F525 won't "cut it" anymore. :p
 
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MikeHynes said:
I have no problem buying a new Fiat, because I want one. I do hesitate to buy a new mower because I don't really want one, even if I need one.
I mow about 6 acres with lots of trees that I mow around. I've never counted, but I have about 100 in my "yard". (Many more in areas I don't mow.) That means a zero turn mower is pretty much a necessity. But I don't have one. Instead I have an old Deere F525 that is kinda like a zero turn, but has a few features that I really like. Like an offset deck, and a low center of gravity that I have to have to mow on slopes. I've ripped the plastic body off of my Deere getting it close to the trees so it looks like junk. But it still runs OK. I grease the spindles before every "day mowing" so they have held up OK too. I know I need to buy a replacement, if that Deere goes down I'm in trouble because things will get out of control quick without a mower. So, I've been looking and I'm not happy with what I've found. I need a zero turn mower with at most a 48" deck, and a low center of gravity. I would really like to find one with an offset deck, and with a low overall height (to get under and around the trees). But I haven't found one at any price. (Other than used F525s, and they are not easy to find.) What I have found costs more than what I spent on my daily driver 8 years ago. That's the part that I have a hard time with. For what they want for a new mower, I bought a car that has been a daily driver for 8 years (with very low owning and operating costs). I just have a hard time seeing the value in the new mowers. So I understand how you feel Odie.
But, I'll probably suck it up and buy one once my F525 won't "cut it" anymore. :p
Click to expand...
Careful on a slope with a zero turn. As the front wheels caster only, your only stability is the traction of the rear tires. A friend was mowing on a slope and the thing slid with him into a pond where it overturned onto him. He survived.

The 525 is a remarkable machine, the rear steer makes it ultra maneuverable.
IMG_1559.jpeg1684072062831.jpeg
Hesston/Toro made a similar machine in the early 70s based on the Front Runner chassis
IMG_1561.jpeg
This what I have, the articulating version
IMG_1562.jpeg

This has hydro steering, my other one has manual steering. Still working on making it all work as my deck was left out by the last owner.
 
kmead said:
Careful on a slope with a zero turn. As the front wheels caster only, your only stability is the traction of the rear tires. A friend was mowing on a slope and the thing slid with him into a pond where it overturned onto him. He survived.

The 525 is a remarkable machine, the rear steer makes it ultra maneuverable.
View attachment 73331View attachment 73332
Hesston/Toro made a similar machine in the early 70s based on the Front Runner chassis
View attachment 73333
This what I have, the articulating version
View attachment 73334
This has hydro steering, my other one has manual steering. Still working on making it all work as my deck was left out by the last owner.
Click to expand...

No slopes in my yard. Alot of bumps and uneven, but nothing over 6 inches or so and working on leveling that out.

Odie
 
autox19 said:
I have a couple 1971 john deere 110 mowers. Had them for a long time. Both repowered with hf motors. They both have been dying for at least 10 years. I don't get through one mowing session without having at least one issue. Yup. I am done. Time for a zero turn. 2 acres with alot of things to manipulate around was my reasoning for the zero turn over another tractor.
Here is my issue. I can drop 1k on parts for a fiat pretty much on a whim. But for some reason I can't pull the trigger on 137 a mo (7400 0% imterest) mower I really need. My brain keeps thinking I can baby these longer. Well that's the thought I have when I am not complaining while fixing the next broken part.

Anyone else have the same issue when it comes to big purchases?

Odie
Click to expand...
Zero turns are a gift from God. I did they same thing, and finally got one and now I'm pissed I waited so long.

Just do it.
 
kmead said:
Careful on a slope with a zero turn. As the front wheels caster only, your only stability is the traction of the rear tires. A friend was mowing on a slope and the thing slid with him into a pond where it overturned onto him. He survived.
Click to expand...
Yes, I have a pretty steep slope on one side of my pond. I look like a motorcycle sidecar racer when I mow that slope. And, yes it will slide if the grass is too wet, and yes, I would end up un the pond if it got away from me. The F525 is noted for a lack of traction on the drive wheels!
 
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