New ZTR

JRT812
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JRT812
I am still confused with my wife's motive but she let me upgrade zero turns. Going from a 05 Kubota ZG23 to the 15 Scag turf tiger is night and day! I am a Kubota fan, but Scag is on point with their zero turns. I couldn't believe the difference in cut and overall durability the scag had over the Kubota. I went back and forth between hustler and scag, but couldn't be happier with my choice.

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DirtyFilter75 8/26/2016 7:20pm
8/26/2016 7:20pm
I'm not impressed with SCAG's overall. They are overpriced and the parts are expensive. I'm a fan of Dixie Choppers, Hustlers, and ExMarks. Better value. Scag will hold up for years for the average home owner but for a guy that is going to actually USE the mower a Scag doesn't make sense. They sure do drive great and their striping kits are the best in the business.
JRT812
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JRT812 8/26/2016 7:59pm
8/26/2016 7:59pm
Interesting. Additional parts seem to be expensive. Mowing my country yard ( weeds) the scag appeared to do better. Honestly it would have made more sense to buy a hustler seeing I have a dealership close by but I was impressed with the scag over the hustler.
DirtyFilter75 8/26/2016 8:42pm
8/26/2016 8:42pm
JRT812 wrote:
Interesting. Additional parts seem to be expensive. Mowing my country yard ( weeds) the scag appeared to do better. Honestly it would have made more sense...
Interesting. Additional parts seem to be expensive. Mowing my country yard ( weeds) the scag appeared to do better. Honestly it would have made more sense to buy a hustler seeing I have a dealership close by but I was impressed with the scag over the hustler.
I own 5 ZTR's, 2 walk behind brush cutters, and a multitude of pushers, string trimmers, etc. Stihl or echo are the best in the business when it comes to trimming equipment. When it comes to ZTR's I put them through the paces. I won't even take a mower to the field without extra spindles, blades, deck belt, and drive belt. I tear a mower up at least 3 times a week sometimes every day. I just got done welding the frame back together on an Ariens and 2 days before that I had to replace a PTO clutch on an ExMark. The most important thing for me to look at when purchasing a mower is the spindles. If the are cast aluminum then I best get a couple 14 extra when I pick up the mower.

The lawns we cut are rarely less than 20" tall and almost always littered with misc debris. I use a mower like a bush hog.
DirtyFilter75 8/27/2016 4:46am
8/27/2016 4:46am
Either way it sounds like you have a cool wife, or she wants a new car! Dry

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JRT812
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JRT812 8/27/2016 8:11am
8/27/2016 8:11am
Thanks Dirty and yeah she is pretty cool! I am pretty sure it's not a car she wants...I think she has baby fever haha. I will keep playing this ace for as I can. Maybe I will get a bullet bass boat out of it haha.
DirtyFilter75 8/27/2016 9:17am
8/27/2016 9:17am
JRT812 wrote:
Thanks Dirty and yeah she is pretty cool! I am pretty sure it's not a car she wants...I think she has baby fever haha. I will...
Thanks Dirty and yeah she is pretty cool! I am pretty sure it's not a car she wants...I think she has baby fever haha. I will keep playing this ace for as I can. Maybe I will get a bullet bass boat out of it haha.
Get you some Tighty Whitey's and soak them Nutts in a hot tub every night. Heat lowers sperm count! Then tell her you want a baby and practice your ass off! Evil
JRT812
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JRT812 8/27/2016 10:10am
8/27/2016 10:10am
hahaha thanks for the tip
JRT812
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JRT812 8/27/2016 2:33pm
8/27/2016 2:33pm
Hvaughn88 never fails hahaha
yak651
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yak651 8/27/2016 6:11pm
8/27/2016 6:11pm
JRT812 wrote:
Interesting. Additional parts seem to be expensive. Mowing my country yard ( weeds) the scag appeared to do better. Honestly it would have made more sense...
Interesting. Additional parts seem to be expensive. Mowing my country yard ( weeds) the scag appeared to do better. Honestly it would have made more sense to buy a hustler seeing I have a dealership close by but I was impressed with the scag over the hustler.
DirtyFilter75 wrote:
I own 5 ZTR's, 2 walk behind brush cutters, and a multitude of pushers, string trimmers, etc. Stihl or echo are the best in the business...
I own 5 ZTR's, 2 walk behind brush cutters, and a multitude of pushers, string trimmers, etc. Stihl or echo are the best in the business when it comes to trimming equipment. When it comes to ZTR's I put them through the paces. I won't even take a mower to the field without extra spindles, blades, deck belt, and drive belt. I tear a mower up at least 3 times a week sometimes every day. I just got done welding the frame back together on an Ariens and 2 days before that I had to replace a PTO clutch on an ExMark. The most important thing for me to look at when purchasing a mower is the spindles. If the are cast aluminum then I best get a couple 14 extra when I pick up the mower.

The lawns we cut are rarely less than 20" tall and almost always littered with misc debris. I use a mower like a bush hog.
So why are you using ZTRs to cut stuff like that? Too small to use a tractor or skid steer with brush mower? Just seems would result in less repairs?
DirtyFilter75 8/28/2016 8:04am
8/28/2016 8:04am
JRT812 wrote:
Interesting. Additional parts seem to be expensive. Mowing my country yard ( weeds) the scag appeared to do better. Honestly it would have made more sense...
Interesting. Additional parts seem to be expensive. Mowing my country yard ( weeds) the scag appeared to do better. Honestly it would have made more sense to buy a hustler seeing I have a dealership close by but I was impressed with the scag over the hustler.
DirtyFilter75 wrote:
I own 5 ZTR's, 2 walk behind brush cutters, and a multitude of pushers, string trimmers, etc. Stihl or echo are the best in the business...
I own 5 ZTR's, 2 walk behind brush cutters, and a multitude of pushers, string trimmers, etc. Stihl or echo are the best in the business when it comes to trimming equipment. When it comes to ZTR's I put them through the paces. I won't even take a mower to the field without extra spindles, blades, deck belt, and drive belt. I tear a mower up at least 3 times a week sometimes every day. I just got done welding the frame back together on an Ariens and 2 days before that I had to replace a PTO clutch on an ExMark. The most important thing for me to look at when purchasing a mower is the spindles. If the are cast aluminum then I best get a couple 14 extra when I pick up the mower.

The lawns we cut are rarely less than 20" tall and almost always littered with misc debris. I use a mower like a bush hog.
yak651 wrote:
So why are you using ZTRs to cut stuff like that? Too small to use a tractor or skid steer with brush mower? Just seems would...
So why are you using ZTRs to cut stuff like that? Too small to use a tractor or skid steer with brush mower? Just seems would result in less repairs?
Doesn't work for the business model. I have both a small tractor and a large tractor. Occasionally when we cut acreage I will bring a tractor. The problem is even with a finish mower you have to go over it again with the ZTR. So in essence you just brought more tools to the job. The other problem with the tractor is getting it in and out of sites. Very few privacy fences are set up for even small tractor access.

The last time I used my big tractor on a 7 acre property I ran a metal T post through a front tire and had to buy a new tire. This is a 4230 John Deere so the tires aren't cheap. Not 30 minutes later the pin came out of the high speed PTO and the shaft wrapped up in the hydraulic hoses ripping them out of the cylinder and shredding everything in its path. This happened around 4pm so I had to leave it all there over night. Three trips to town and 450.00 later I was back in business. So really what I get with the tractor is more expensive repairs.

The walk behind brush cutters work well but they don't do a good job and you have to go back over it all with a ZTR.

We maintain foreclosures for the most part and they are on a 14 day cutting cycle. In a year like the one we are having the grass needs cut every 3-5 days. The banks won't allow that so we end up cutting tall gnarly yards.
yak651
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yak651 8/28/2016 5:52pm
8/28/2016 5:52pm
DirtyFilter75 wrote:
Doesn't work for the business model. I have both a small tractor and a large tractor. Occasionally when we cut acreage I will bring a tractor...
Doesn't work for the business model. I have both a small tractor and a large tractor. Occasionally when we cut acreage I will bring a tractor. The problem is even with a finish mower you have to go over it again with the ZTR. So in essence you just brought more tools to the job. The other problem with the tractor is getting it in and out of sites. Very few privacy fences are set up for even small tractor access.

The last time I used my big tractor on a 7 acre property I ran a metal T post through a front tire and had to buy a new tire. This is a 4230 John Deere so the tires aren't cheap. Not 30 minutes later the pin came out of the high speed PTO and the shaft wrapped up in the hydraulic hoses ripping them out of the cylinder and shredding everything in its path. This happened around 4pm so I had to leave it all there over night. Three trips to town and 450.00 later I was back in business. So really what I get with the tractor is more expensive repairs.

The walk behind brush cutters work well but they don't do a good job and you have to go back over it all with a ZTR.

We maintain foreclosures for the most part and they are on a 14 day cutting cycle. In a year like the one we are having the grass needs cut every 3-5 days. The banks won't allow that so we end up cutting tall gnarly yards.
Sounds like a mess! We have 9 acres with about 2 acres of "lawn" and then a couple of areas that I cut for a "park" like area. My FIL likes to cut lawn on my tractor (have a JD2520), I keep telling him just the lawn areas I have a brush mower for the rest. He always gets carried away and starts cutting the tall stuff, I just SMH and hope he doesn't wreck something...I almost bought a Scag ZTR, but some of the lawn is a little ruff so not sure if i would really gain much as would not be able to use the top end of the ZTR?
kzizok
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kzizok 8/28/2016 6:00pm
8/28/2016 6:00pm
I realize a lot of you guys in this post have large areas to mow and speed and quality construction is a must. However, for finish mowing in a high quality, commercial grade ZTR, Walkers are really good (at least in my experience).


DirtyFilter75 8/28/2016 6:45pm
8/28/2016 6:45pm
kzizok wrote:
I realize a lot of you guys in this post have large areas to mow and speed and quality construction is a must. However, for finish...
I realize a lot of you guys in this post have large areas to mow and speed and quality construction is a must. However, for finish mowing in a high quality, commercial grade ZTR, Walkers are really good (at least in my experience).


I've never owned a Walker but I have seen a few around. The look like a quality machine. I like Gravely and Ferris as well.
JAFO92
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JAFO92 8/29/2016 6:08am
8/29/2016 6:08am
I had a SCAG once, was built like a tank and worked great. These days we just buy a lower end ZTR, run it a few years and flip it. I bought the wife a Husqvarna for $2900 a few years ago and she ran it with zero issues for three mowing seasons. (we have 2 acres of 'yard' and it gets mowed minimum once a week). I flipped it to a landscaper in Houston for $1800 a few months ago, waited until the July 4th sales came out and got her another one and only had to pony up $750 difference out of pocket. Now shes got a new one and ole '92 dont hafta wrench on anything for yet another two years, just add gas. Will do the same thing around fall 2018.

imoto34
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imoto34 8/29/2016 7:11am
8/29/2016 7:11am
Congrats on the new mower. Snapper Pro for me. The blades are insanely smooth when done right and you can have a full beer on board and not spill.
JRT812
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JRT812 8/29/2016 10:54am
8/29/2016 10:54am
Thanks imoto34! I will say the cup holder is a joke on the scag. It looks like they upgraded to actual cup holder on the scag turf tiger 2. A beer was lost on the first ride haha.

JAFO92 - makes sense. Personally, I have wanted a turf tiger for a while and it does appear to built like a tank. I hope it lasts a while seeing it for personal use only. After the last time "tinkering" with the Kubota I decided to pull the trigger.

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