You need to give serious consideration to at least taking a ZT for a spin at the Dealer. Since you have to navigate around obstacles on your regular mowing gig, maybe take some 5 gallon buckets or similar to use as obstacles when you do a test ride at the Dealer. If he is serious about letting you take one home for a test drive, that is even better. I don't know how often you have to mow each year, but will go with 30 times for discussion purposes. If it took at least 4 hours to mow with the Veteran JD and a ZT would get it done in 3 hours, then 30 (Mowing Frequency) X 1 (Hours Saved) = 30 (Hours Saved Each Year) If the ZT lasts at least 10 years, then 10 (Years) X 30 (Hours Saved Each Year) = 300 (Hours Saved Over 10 Years)
When the grass gets too tall. It's all good, I was just wondering if any of yall had ideas or recs. One thing I've learned while looking around on the web, when the site says "talk to dealer for price/details", you do not want that. https://www.kubotausa.com/products/mowers/zero-turn-mowers/z781kwi29-54#
I understand that you might want to avoid a Demo from the Kubota dealer because then you would feel obligated to buy from them. Since you come across as an outgoing person, you quite possibly have a friend that has a ZT and would give you an honest opinion and perhaps a Demo. As far as a recommendation, I would suggest a ZT if you can make the numbers work financially. Others can discuss the merits of various brands.
"talk to the dealer for prices" is a bad idea simply because you want to know that info before you walk in the door. It's like buying a car. Or ATV. Or whatever, I guess.
No exaggeration - I rode the bus 90 minutes each way to and from school. First on, last off. It might be why I hate commuting so much. Then we moved to town a block away from the HS. It was a revelation to my teenage sleep habits.
I was a spoiled little *******. Was carpooled all the way from Wilcrest down either Briar Forest or Westheimer...to Voss/Woodway.
In a straight line a traditional lawnmower with same deck and engine will perform just as well. They also have 4 wheel steering and inside wheel braking models. The ZT craze was wild but Stand On mowers are now the residential contract mower king, compact (<25 HP) tractors are a great value for 1-2 acres homeowner and ZT for commercial lawn contracts only. ZT cannot push snow, the hydros are not built to pull anything, you get face blasted with dust, two hands at all times for not much benefit on a wide open area.
I had asked him about the situations that he was dealing with and his reply suggested a mix of both straight line mowing and a fair amount of navigating around things. Each of the various choices that he is considering have positives and negatives.
I want the do-everything magic mower...hook me up. I want a pimp-ass heavy-duty lawn machine. For serious stuff I do have a tractor and an 8' shredder (and disc and 7 other implements), btw. And a skid steer, and a bulldozer. And no helper on file.
If anyone gets one of these way better to go with someone like Husqvarna because you know they will bne around in a little while and get it installed. the huge drawback are the blades. Need changing all the time. If they sort that out there will be bottom scraping landscapers out of business.
I have mowed a yard that takes over 4 hours to finish with the operator walking, so it makes sense to explore ways to make life easier on oneself.
purchased a brand new mini skid loader from Ritchie Bros online Auction, tons to choose from, at a fraction of regular market price, highly recommend
D6...it will handle any kind of tree (99% mesquite, cedar) that I need it to. The skidsteer is so much more fun to operate, though.
used my small 5x8 utility trailer to pick this stubby loader, it had enough room to stretch its feet, used it this weekend to scoop clay muddy area around the foundation, it exceeds my expectations, (based on line math, each bucket volume is equal to 1/3 yard which weights roughly 1000 ib, and it did it much better than kubota subcompact tractor I had rented multiple times before I have 2 properties 0.4 acre & 10.58 acres, ideally the existing structures should be demolished, but I'm trying to make a use of it/duck tape it, until the mortgages are paid off
Ours is about this size but a 1995 variety https://www.deere.com/en/loaders/skid-steers/330g-skid-steer/
So we just got lazy and let the cows into the barn yard today...if you don't have a mower then you have a bunch of mowers