Yep! Going to work on our old 7030 Kubota today. Has a parasitic short, so I have a switch on the battery. Starts hard if you don't shut it off at exactly 1000 rpm. Has an oozing leak in the front axel/wheel gear that I can't find. But, it runs and is a great tractor, you just have to understand it!
This is the third season with my Ferris,61 in deck. Full suspension and the premium seat. I changed the to off road tires because I have just enough hills to make the stock tires scary. This year I added beat juice to the back tires and it made it a completely different machine. It can make a big divot on a turn but a little slower on the turn and it is fine. Not a consumer machine.
I've found a technique that prevents the sod damage on turns. It is slower and I can't do it perfectly every time but mostly. If you view a real zero turn radius as if you were looking down on the machine, it wouldn't pivot on either tire. It would pivot on the center of the machine. So, what I try to do is stop, briefly with the center blade at the turn point, move the outside lever forward and the inside rearward in concert. So, neither tire will 'scrub' on the grass, but roll slightly, one back, one fwd.
On most turns that isn't needed, only on really sharp ones and even then only when the sod is really wet. Dry grass is never an issue.
timcasbolt
Well-known Member
- Location
- Cecil County, MD
I have a Husqvarna cz3815 from 06. It's a residential model. Bought it used in 11 for $1200. The 15 hp Intek engine is louder than a Kaw, but very reliable and easy to work on. I've replaced the head gasket, voltage regulator and carburetor over the years, plus the normal filters, spark plug, battery and engine mounting bolts (apparently a common problem). I've also added linear bearings to the front spindles to help them spin easier, and 100 lbs of weight over the engine to improve traction. I wouldn't trust it on a hill, but otherwise am very satisfied.
If a person has a lot to mow they would probably do better with a commercial model, but I'm under one acre and use it less than 50 hours a year. The 38" deck is nice because it fits in the tight spaces and does a good job with the ditch out by the road. I don't need a push mower and can do everything I need to do with this mower and a weed whacker.
If a person has a lot to mow they would probably do better with a commercial model, but I'm under one acre and use it less than 50 hours a year. The 38" deck is nice because it fits in the tight spaces and does a good job with the ditch out by the road. I don't need a push mower and can do everything I need to do with this mower and a weed whacker.
Geo-TH,In
Well-known Member
My Kubota has a 6 year old battery. It sits more than it is used.
I made a piug to connect the charger to battery without raising the hood.
A smart charger keeps the battery good enough to start the tractor.
Hoping to get a year or two out of the battery.
Flex Forks and proper air pressure makes your FasTrak ride very nice. 6-7 psi for the rear tires using a dedicated 0-20 psi tire gauge.
I bought a Toro this spring, no complaints.
Just about any of the major brands are ok, but I’d stay away from chain stores like TSC that don’t also have a small engine shop. If you do and it breaks, where are you going to get parts and service? Any shops around here won’t work on even a brand they sell if you didn’t buy it from them. Also, on the Toro I bought from a local small engine shop came with a 3 year warranty. I talked to a guy that bought the same mower from TSC and it came with a 90 day warranty, and if it breaks TSC isn’t going to work on it.
Just about any of the major brands are ok, but I’d stay away from chain stores like TSC that don’t also have a small engine shop. If you do and it breaks, where are you going to get parts and service? Any shops around here won’t work on even a brand they sell if you didn’t buy it from them. Also, on the Toro I bought from a local small engine shop came with a 3 year warranty. I talked to a guy that bought the same mower from TSC and it came with a 90 day warranty, and if it breaks TSC isn’t going to work on it.
That’s great if you’re mowing wide open areas, not so much if you mow around things. You won’t buy a super c for that money these days. You have facts from the past
Last club I was in we all took turns, or 2 or 3 people came at different times to cut the grass. Even the hunt club that rents my land all get together once or twice a year to cut back the field(s), and keep their gathering area cut down 3 or 4 times a month in the summer.
The air cooled 3800 rpm engines will have a shorter life than the very expense diesel 1800 rpm water cooled engines.. It seems to me that I can get around 600 to 700 hours out of a cub cadet for 3000 bucks... or go buy a kubota $11,568 diesel lawn mower and get 1500 to 3000 hours.. but that is with several hydraulic pump/deck/drive shaft repairs on the life of the kubota. And then there is the fool factor. A 12k riding lawn mower can be stolen, wreck, blown up, run out of oil, etc in a year or less. SO the user of the equipment becomes a critical factor. I use the cub cadets for the 3 acres around the house and the tractor for all the fields..
The cub cadets sell for around 1000 when I get rid of them as they are now smoking and getting a bit long on the tooth. Always some young folks wanting cheap running mowers to start their lawn businesses. The diesel kubota mowers at auction last month were going for around 4000 up with 1500 to 3100 hours on them... One of which had a bad drive on the left side...
The cub cadets sell for around 1000 when I get rid of them as they are now smoking and getting a bit long on the tooth. Always some young folks wanting cheap running mowers to start their lawn businesses. The diesel kubota mowers at auction last month were going for around 4000 up with 1500 to 3100 hours on them... One of which had a bad drive on the left side...
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I don’t know, modern air cooled gas engines seem to last pretty good if taken care of. I just sold a homeowner grade Cub Cadet with 800 hours. The mower had some wear and tear on it, but there wasn’t anything wrong with it. Engine still ran as strong as when it was new and didn’t burn oil. Only reason I got rid of it was because it was a 50” deck and I wanted a 60”.
I went with a 60” deck on a narrow frame mower. The Toro I got the deck isn’t centered and sticks out more on the non-discharge side, which suits me great. I’ve got 1/4 mile of fence to mow along side the driveway, I can mow under the fence a lot better with the offset 60” than I ever could with the centered 50” Cub Cadet.
wore out
Well-known Member
What brand and model has a little diesel running 1800 RPM's? I have a "green" commercial mower and the little Yanmar diesel runs 3400.
Perhaps the "orange" brand does things differently?
We just had another break in, they took 2 cans of gas, an extension cord, 2 gallons of gear oil, 100#propane tank, two kerosene heaters and two patio heaters. We are going to keep the new mower at my house!
Geo-TH,In
Well-known Member
My neighbor's John Deere is a 38 HP diesel. He says he has to clean the radiator after mowing.
I have a 2 cylinder Kaw water cooled JD mower. I too have to clean the radiator each time I mow.
I have a JD mower and a JD garden tractor. I like the idea you can easily drain the HST oil and it has an oil filter.
That should be something to consider when buying a ZTR, Can you service the HST? Do you have to clean the radiator often?
Most lawn mowers only hold a quart of fluid, vs a gallon of fluid in a JD.
I know a man in Florida that has a ZTR with springs and shocks on each wheel and he uses the
Michelin airless tires.
I have a 2 cylinder Kaw water cooled JD mower. I too have to clean the radiator each time I mow.
I have a JD mower and a JD garden tractor. I like the idea you can easily drain the HST oil and it has an oil filter.
That should be something to consider when buying a ZTR, Can you service the HST? Do you have to clean the radiator often?
Most lawn mowers only hold a quart of fluid, vs a gallon of fluid in a JD.
I know a man in Florida that has a ZTR with springs and shocks on each wheel and he uses the
Michelin airless tires.
Attachments
GChief
Well-known Member
- Location
- Isle Of Wight County, Va
Having a new Stihl RZ (Ferris in orange and white) delivered after lunch. Serviceable HST's and a suspension 
Local Ace gave was a deal we couldn't pass up, plus 0%
It's my 60th BD present to myselflf for the SO to use.
Edit: fat fingered the model, fixed
Local Ace gave was a deal we couldn't pass up, plus 0%
It's my 60th BD present to myselflf for the SO to use.
Edit: fat fingered the model, fixed
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I have a four year old Gravely HD 52 I just paid off. I like it, It’s a residential mower built on their commercial chassis. No ROPS, has a 24 or 25 hp Kawasaki engine. We have a Bad Boy dealer in town established about five years ago. I looked at one of their models comparable to mine and it was about $1K less than mine. Bad Boy is very popular around here. A neighbor has two of them and I have seen him mow stuff four and five feet high with it. I think he has the 72 inch decks. I have never seen him have to take it in for repairs.
Non-farmer
Well-known Member
Lol. the second time I blew the head gasket on my Intek in my riding mower is when I bought my Scag. I said enough was enough. You're preaching to the choir about the deck size, I got a 36"
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