No, i have read about that. Ive been looking at the 7 series Ztracks. I think i want a 797. I havent really read anything bad about them yet, other then some have trouble when you mow up a mountain in taller fescue. I dont plan on doing that. I found one close to home.. 2006 797 with 315 hours 29 hp kawasaki 72" deck.....6400.00
, im just cheap and i hate to spend that much money on a lawnmower when a 1000 dollar one will do the same thing. Id rather spend it on my house or truck. However, i dont want to mow for 4 hours either.

 

I wish I really had a goat though.


Seriously, this is my lawn mower and it works great. I can cut through a 2' tall field of weeds with no problem. Can cut anywhere from 6"-1".

 

Ive ran the old exmarks before. about 6 or 7 years ago. they did pretty good. I was told by a guy one time to stay away from the kohler motors....not sure why he said that. He was a john deere owner.

 

Some John Deere's have had Kohler motors so I don't know what he was talking about.
http://www.kohlerengines.com/press/a...ticleId=JDZero

 

The pics of my x520 are in my albums. I LOVE my fx4. I've had it since Oct/Nov of 09 and put 41K miles on it. Best truck I've ever had. Hope you continue to enjoy your '10. :-)

 

Agree, to a point. The HomeDepot and Lowes models ARE NOT the same quality available in the x300 and up models available at John Deere dealers. Of course, you pay for what you get with the "real" John Deere mowers. I do believe the select series models are made by JD and not MTD or other lower line manufacturers and they ARE residential models - not commercial.

 

he said if i was to get a JD to not get the kohler motor, get the kawasaki

 

If you want a ZT Mower... Hustler is the best.



Or if you need something bigger, I highly recommend the Jacobsen HR9016 Turbo:




Stay away from the HR-6010... they have problems with overheating of the engine. Jacobsen hasn't released a fix for it yet.

 

Dang those hustler mowers have pretty good warranties. 5 year warranty on motor and pumps.

 

They are good stuff.... even their Residential units are built tough. I have one of those for my yard. Had it like six years now. Replaced the belts one time a new PTO switch wiring harness just last year and new blades every other year is all so far. Still going strong.

http://www.lawnsite.com/forumdisplay.php?f=31

Good place to read up on the problems, prices and special offers. The company rep posts here a lot.

 

which one did you go with? I seen they have like 50000 models. I want at least a 54 to 60 inch deck., but i dont want to be underpowered either. i see a lot of guys running the 25 hp. Wasnt for sure if the machines as heavy as they are would be ok with that size of motor, but i dont know much about that either.

 

Me? well I only have about an Acre and a half and a good section of it is a lot of obstacles to contend with is why the ZT for me. In my case I needed a smaller deck to get in between those things. It allows me to get all of it and minimizes my string trimming by over 90 percent. It does then become a liability in the open area but... a few more passes more than makes up for it while the advantaged gained by being able to get around all the other stuff more than makes up for that. So it really depends on what your yard lay out is. I can get through regular personnel gates so I run the smallest 36" they make in a residential. I cut that Acre in a half in about an hour and a half and that is with a lot of things to work around. That is about in half the time it used to take me with my old (and much beloved) Snapper LT. And I have a LOT less string trimming to do when I am done as a bonus. So... the size is dictated by your most difficult situation really because you can run out pretty fast once past those and gain some time back but you can never get the tight trimming done with too large a deck. Its a compromise.

I have the Mini Fast Trac myself to get that smaller deck for my situation. Your yard will dictate which one is the best compromise for you. And that will dictate the motor size. If you only have an acre or two then the full Fast Track comes with a 54" and a Kawasaki option motor (21HP IIRC)

 

I have 5.5 acres. Id say there is close to two acres of actual mowing. The rest is timber and horses play pen. I have a good amount of mature trees in one acre spot but they are all spread apart a good 8 to 12+ feet apart. So no worries about being too big.

 

I had a cub cadet tank. It had the 60 inch cut and a kaw. engine. It done a good job for my business, but if I was to ever an other zt it would be a Deere.

 

You don't need a lawn mower, you need a tractor. With 5 acres and the high probability that you'll expand into most of it, you need a tractor. Here's one in Mo. with a bucket for the snowy days or just moving the dirt around. It also comes with a brush hog which is not a finish mower but the place will look nice providing you are not expecting the yard to look like a golf course. The price is right. As a matter of fact, I looked at several in Mo. as prices are DIRT cheap there. If I didn't have anything else to do I'd come up there with a trailer and buy a few of them to sell down here. Here's a piece of equipment, not an over priced toy:
http://stlouis.craigslist.org/grd/2186337501.html