Belly mower to zero turn time savings?

[Matt Meiser]

I mowed for the third time with it today. Start to finish including a little trimming and clean up with the blower was 1:45. And I go it stuck and spent 10 minutes or so opening the bypass valves and pulling it out with the tractor. I tried to mow an area that's usually to wet but thought it was dry enough. Probably would have been had I not tried to turn around.

I'm getting pretty good with it. My biggest remaining issue is tire spin on turns. Next is remembering I don't need a death grip on the controls. I do remember when my hands start getting numb. Once I get my patterns down I think I can easily get to 1:30 with the cleanup and some trimming.

A nice surprise is how much nicer it mows. The lawn looks flatter and I don't get wind rows in the thick areas. My yard has never looked better. Almost makes me want to spray for weeds. Almost.

[Dave Lehnert]

Sounds like you're hooked.
As you get more experience, you will be driving one handed in the open areas.

[Jim Becker]

Yea, you learn to be more, um...subtle...with the steering as time passes. One of those skills is how to do k-turns to reverse direction without tearing up the turf. A similar principle applies when trimming around tree trunks. You have to just alternate between turning to the left going forward, allowing a little over shoot, and then backing with a slight right turn to sweep the edge of the deck back against the tree, etc. It results in less wheel damage to the lawn. You'll undoubtedly come up with some of your own tricks, too.

I'm very experienced with getting stuck in wet/muddy areas. Nature of the beast. Fortunately, the big orange power tool makes pulling it out easy. LOL

[Kevin Bourque]

I just spent the last 5 hours cutting grass with a JD 4115 which is almost identical to Matt's tractor. We tried using a zero turn here on the farm but its way too bumpy, uneven, and hilly for it to be practical.

[roman brisk]

yes you can save your time and these are very cool to operate. if you have a big lawn than you should definitely go with zero turn.

[Keith Outten]

In order to go fast you have to have a serious increase in tip speed at the blades. This is the strong point of Zero Turn Mowers and the reason that they can cut grass from 7 to 12 mph without losing cut quality. Mine has a tip speed of 400 mph per the mower specifications.

I own a 17 year old 72" model Dixie Chopper, its a great mower but the ride is very rough when the lawn isn't smooth. To keep from making a divot in your lawn when turning 90 degree corners you have to make a three point turn. If you have mulch around your trees you can easily cut around them at a considerable pace. Another advantage of mowers that the engine is in the back is that the heat and the exhaust is behind you, this is a huge advantage when the temperature is above 90 degrees. If you have enough horse power you can run duel blades, the increase in the cut quality is another level up. My Chopper is 25 hp but it doesn't quite have enough power to run 6 blades when the grass is tall.

There is a trade off you have to consider concerning tires. An aggressive tread will not spin or get stuck in wet grass or even soft ditches but its a rougher ride and can be more damaging to your lawn over time. Last year I switched to a pretty smooth tire tread but I'm not happy with the loss of traction so I will soon change to a more intermediate tread design. Cutting wet grass is not a problem but a 1200 pound machine plus the weight of the rider can leave ruts behind if the lawn is very soft from a period of extended rain.

Last September my Chopper engine caught fire due to a failure of the fuel pump so I purchased a new engine this year. It took me about one day to change the engine and I'm ready for another 17 years

[Ole Anderson]

I have had a JD Z425 for over 5 years. It is a little 48" so it fits in my garage with room for other things. Unlike the rest of you with acres to mow, I am on a 1/3 acre residential lot with lots of trees. In a hurry, I can get the job done in 20 minutes. My turf is quite thin, so I have issues making repetitive tracks around some of the trees when turning. Once you make dirt, it is difficult to get grass established again. But I had the same problem with my previous lawn tractor with the deck guide wheels. K turn at the ends is the trick. If you truly zero turn you will tear up the turf. All I have ever done to it is a new battery and change the oil. I added a hitch so I can pull a roller and an aerator. And I have some hills around our walkout that I have learned to traverse. I have the belt powered assist blower for bagging, but it still doesn't suck up every leaf the way my old tractor used to.

[Matt Meiser]

You all realize I asked this 5 years ago, right?

[John K Jordan]

You all realize I asked this 5 years ago, right?

So what did you decide 5 years ago?

JKJ

[Jim Becker]

You all realize I asked this 5 years ago, right?

LOL

At least it's still a relevant conversation...


BTW, for folks who have bumpier properties like Keith mentioned, Ferris (I believe) has ZTR with suspension that reportedly really smooths out the ride.

[Matt Meiser]

So what did you decide 5 years ago?

JKJ

I bought one. Loved it, cut my mowing time in half. Then a year later we moved our daughter to a private school 25 minutes from home. A year after that we decided the drive was killing us, sold the house, and moved to a subdivision. Now I have a commercial walk behind and do my 1/3 acre lot in an hour including trimming, blowing, and a quick shower.

[Ronald Blue]

Sometimes you wonder how a topic like this get's reborn 5 years later. LOL I like Keith ran Dixie Chopper until this year. I went to a Simplicity Cobalt with the 4 wheel independent suspension. WOW is it smooth. The Ferris is the same unit only a different color. The Dixie was rock solid dependable. Not even a belt in 15 years. There are indeed tricks to using a ZTR with minimal turf damage.

[John Ziebron]

I went from cutting my lawn with a 60 inch belly mower on my compact tractor to a 61 inch Ferris 3 years ago. The Ferris, as Jim mentioned, has a shock absorber/spring suspension but it was still a little rough on my bumpy 2 acres. So last year I bought a Michigan suspension seat and this has made the biggest improvement in ride quality. Can mow at full speed now without my headphones dislodging.

[Jim Becker]

John, I'll have to see if I can put a seat like that on my SCAG. I don't have the suspension, but do have a few bumps in our lawn.

[Keith Outten]

I'm also interested in the seat your using John. My Dixie Chopper is like riding on a cinder block in my yard.
Tell us more about the seat.