New lawn mower

[bradblazer]

It was time to replace the 10 year old MTD Yard Machine - there was always something going wrong with it last year. Diane does most of the mowing.
Got this Toro at Home Depot. Last year's Boy Scout coupons have a 10% off up to $2000 deal and this year's don't so we got it before the coupon expires 30 March. Also free financing to January.
This one seemed to have decent reviews and seems to be one of the few that is not an MTD. With coupon it was $2599 + tax.
It's a homeowner model. The best deal on a commercial model I saw was the $5000 60" Bad Boy. Twice as much and the Toro looks like it will last us a while.
www.toro.com/home/zeroturn/timecutterz/z5000.html


I bombed around on it a little - pretty cool. It will take a little getting used to. Diane tried it out and she said it would take some getting used to also but it looked like she was doing great. It seemed to handle pretty good on the hills - did need some steering offset while traversing.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

That's a bad ass mower!

[Jake]

Agreed... that IS bad-ass ! ;D

I've been trying to get the wife to agree to a new one for a number of years... but she'll have none of it.
She does most of the lawn cutting, so... I leave it up to her.
..but she loves her 15 year old Craftsman w/ 18hp Kohler.
It just keeps chuggin' along.

BUT !... when that day comes, I think the zero-turn route is the way to go... 'cept we'll need a slightly smaller deck (some tight spots).

Nice choice, Brad... congrats !

[linus69]

Very nice mower Brad, my rider is a 95 Murry I got from Home Depot. It is definately in the twilight of it`s usable life, the B&S motor is still strong but the steering and running gear are very worn from many miles of mowing hilly terrain.
I keep it patched together but it is only a matter of time till I go a similair route, nice deal, best of luck with it.

Paul

[bradblazer]

Thanks Scott, Jake, and Paul,
Only one full mowing so far. The deck is deeper, has more blade overlap, and a bigger discharge compared to the Yard Machine. Cut is much better and the clippings are so well dispersed it looks cleaner in side discharge than the old mower did using the bagger.

Actually most of the newer mowers look like they have improved deck designs.

The steepest part of the lawn is a little too much - it loses traction. About 15 degrees is the limit.

Brad

[3RRL]

Very cool Brad,
Thanks for posting that link, it's something to keep in mind in case we end up with a real lawn.
Double good you got that 10% off coupon too!
Rob-

[baknblack]

I just picked up a cub cadet M48 Tank. I bought it used with 300 hrs for 2500. Yes it's made by MTD but, it's a commercial mower and so far I'm extremely impressed. It has a 19 horse kawasaki engine and hydrogear commercial transaxles.
The really large rear tires and powerful hydros eat up the hills
I changed the engine oil, hydraulic oil, filters, and greased all the zerks, must be at least 20 zerks on it.
I've got a 46" MTD yard machine with v-twin briggs with over 1000 hrs on it and still going strong. I've replaced 2 belts and 1 spindle and 1 set of blades in the 1000 hrs

It cut my 4 hour mowing time in half.

[bradblazer]

That's a beauty - ROPS and everything! Great price too for that model.

I just mowed my lawn after work tonight. Plenty of power & speed. Zip across the lawn, slow down, spin around, and accelerate. The motor doesn't seem to notice when I accelerate uphill into heavy grass. The grass had gotten about a foot long and thick in some areas so I did have to slow down and go over some of it a second time to get it looking good. Kind of bumpy at 7mph. I should invest in a lawn roller.

My 46" Yard machine has the opposed twin side valve. That v-twin ohv is nicer. My brother Jeff had one like that. The deck on the new Toro is MUCH better. More depth, more blade overlap, and a much better discharge design. I'm sure the commercial deck on your tank is even better.

Have fun,
Brad