Zero turn mower???

[excess11]

I would like to get a zero turn mower for my lawn. I have been looking at used commercial mowers. Most of the mowers available in my area seems to be Toro,Exmark,Scag. My question is are there some models to avoid that may have problems. What are some problem areas to look at on a used mower? How can you tell the condition of the hydro drives and pumps?
How many hours is alot? I have seen units with 600 hours and units with 3000 hours. What is the realistic life span of one of these mowers in hours?

[Jerry]

My preference is Toro; many municipalities as well as the State of Wisconsin use them heavily.

Look at PTO parts to see if there is any play or wear in the U-joints or bearing blocks they pass through. This is the area where most of the problems / maintenance on the Toro units came from. The other thing to check is tie rod ends. Do a visual check of hoses for leakage. If these parts - U-joints, hoses, tire rod ends - are in good condition and look to have been well maintained then you are probably looking at a pretty solid unit. I know that 2 units I used - briefly - had well over 10,000 hours on them and were still in daily service. These were used for snow removal in winter as well as mowing in summer, so saw year-round use.

One thing the Toro units going for them is a wide range of options, including enclosed cabs, snow blowers, sweepers, and other PTO driven accessories. They are a very versatile rig. Parts and service are fairly easy to find. Scag would be my 2nd choice.

[excess11]

toro=good!!!

Toro is the closest dealer to me, If I would need parts.
I have a 36" toro T bar walk behind I have been mowing with for the past 5 years and have been loosing intrest in walking!! I would rather sit and mow. My toro came from the city of Balimore,Md. public works dept. It has been a great mower.

Anybody out there a small engine mechanic or have a lawn maintence company, Let me know your expierence.

[yadada]

I bought a new Simplicity ZTR last winter. I love that thing! Very well made. Absolutely the best money I have ever spent, well almost. I was gonna buy used, but I hate working on the lawn mower more than I hate mowing. Reliability was important to me, so that's the main reason I went new.

I thought I wanted a used commercial, but the one I bought is a mix of heavy duty residential/light commercial, and was not much more money than a used commercial unit. Overall I am very satisfied with the decision I made. I thought I would be compromising, but it's worked out well. I mow about 3 acres with it around fences, trailers, trees and farm junk.

Salesman said the air cooled Briggs type engines are usually good for 1800-2000 hours. Kawasaki's were the best. That's what he told me anyway. I think the drives are supposed to last longer than the motors from what I understood.

Wife worked at the Toro shop in Lenexa(KC) for a while, did mostly sprinkler stuff, but the lawn mower shop was in the same building. She also mowed for a lawn maint crew for a nursery. She liked the Toros, but since she doesn't work there anymore, no discount . So we went with Simplicity, since it had the features I wanted at the best price and financing (1.9% = 6$ a month interest = )