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Post by Jolly on Feb 28, 2021 15:40:03 GMT
I'm not getting rid of my 36 year-old Kubota lawnmower, but I am thinking of adding something else to the stable, for those days when I don't want to pull a wrench out of the drawer before mowing.
Thought about zero-turn, but I'm not sold on the EZT (2200) rear vs the 2800's. And to get into the better rear end, it's four grand, minimum. Besides, I'm retired, so time is the least of my worries.
I'm kinda intrigued by the upscale lawn tractor MTD stuff like the Cub Cadet with a fabricated deck and and an EFI Briggs. Yeah, I know...Briggs (spit!). But the EFI supposedly has some advantages...No choke, ethanol-blend gas is fine and supposedly 20% less fuel consumption. The mower runs in the $2K range.
Thoughts?
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Post by farmerjack41 on Feb 28, 2021 16:03:31 GMT
Think the new CUB cadets might be fine machines. My pick would be the XT3 , heavier transaxle, etc. know some folks are in the zero turn users, but have not been impressed with them.
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Post by sawmilljim on Feb 28, 2021 16:28:16 GMT
Best mower I ever had with a Yazoo with 60 inch deck. Those things are fast and will mow around a pole.
At present I have a Toro zero turn that is old as the hills it is unbelievable fast easy to get on and off too. I got it from a guy that said it needed a new exhaust and the exhaust system was in excess of a hundred dollars. It had a few other minor problems. I found a five dollar muffler a welding rod and that solved the exhaust problem.
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Post by Jolly on Feb 28, 2021 17:17:57 GMT
Best mower I ever had with a Yazoo with 60 inch deck. Those things are fast and will mow around a pole. At present I have a Toro zero turn that is old as the hills it is unbelievable fast easy to get on and off too. I got it from a guy that said it needed a new exhaust and the exhaust system was in excess of a hundred dollars. It had a few other minor problems. I found a five dollar muffler a welding rod and that solved the exhaust problem. Some folks could fall in a mud puddle and find a diamond ring in the bottom of it. With my luck, all I would find would be mud...  |
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EFI?
Feb 28, 2021 17:24:25 GMT
Post by Jolly on Feb 28, 2021 17:24:25 GMT
Think the new CUB cadets might be fine machines. My pick would be the XT3 , heavier transaxle, etc. know some folks are in the zero turn users, but have not been impressed with them. Checked those out...very nice for what they are, but they're up in the $4500-$5500 range. Just a bit much for what I want it to do... |
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Feb 28, 2021 17:28:19 GMT
Best mower I ever had with a Yazoo with 60 inch deck. Those things are fast and will mow around a pole. We had a Yazoo that I think was from the Stone Age. DH managed to keep it going without much trouble until 2013, I think. He finally bought a new mower...not near as efficient or fast as the Yazoo. |
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Post by Ozarks Tom on Feb 28, 2021 18:50:48 GMT
I've got an '03 52" Yazoo-Kees Zero-Turn (a red Husqvarna) that I love. It'll mow at 15mph if you can stay on it. Blades are cheap, it has a 27hp Kawasaki motor, fabricated deck, and generally a great piece of equipment. I put a flange on the back to pull a John-Deere garden trailer, and I've yet to overload the trailer or the mower.
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Post by solargeek on Feb 28, 2021 22:04:08 GMT
I bought my DH a Deere Z655 and he loves it. Fast, easy to clean with a hose and needs very little service. He has to mow about 4 acres as we are killing our invasive knapweed manually. We had a beautiful prairie but the knapweed came in on truck tires no doubt and we just didn't spot it till it was everywhere. Looks like wild purple asters.
On year 4 this year so only 2+/- years to go as opposed to the $5,000-$10,000 solutions that may or may not have worked. Either way, it is a great mower.
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Post by Jolly on Feb 28, 2021 22:28:49 GMT
Most of my mowing I do with one of these:  Or one of these:  I'm just looking for something for the yard, when the Kubota has one of it's minor problems.... |
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Post by paisley on Mar 1, 2021 4:00:20 GMT
Jolly , I prefer Nubian units. They work with out fossil fuel, when the break down there is a BQ in your future, automatic fertilizing while trimming, plenty of entrainment, as for the exess the white fluid is edible. Consider a Nubian. Also @pony can Also add to the benefit of going Nubian.
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Post by farmerjack41 on Mar 1, 2021 5:27:56 GMT
Jolly, Does that Kubota have a 3 point on it, or can you put one on it? Always liked the looks of that model. Think it would make a good garden tractor. Would imagine it Sips fuel.
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Post by joebill on Mar 3, 2021 3:46:14 GMT
This will be strange advise from a guy who used to be in the mower and saw business and sell no less than a machine per day year round, but having lived in the desert for over 20 years and only owned a Sensation push mower which gets a workout maybe one week per year, I gotta suggest you sell the riding mowers for whatever you can get and replace them with a case of Roundup! If you have issues with bare brown dirt, try "lawn paint"....easily available from places like lawn and garden supplies in the Southwest....and concentrate on how you are gong to use and enjoy the day per week you formerly spent on the riding mower. Try to visualize when you are well off and then go apply another dose of Roundup! Life is SO MUCH BETTER without a lawn  ....Joe |
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Post by Jolly on Mar 3, 2021 5:10:00 GMT
Jolly , Does that Kubota have a 3 point on it, or can you put one on it? Always liked the looks of that model. Think it would make a good garden tractor. Would imagine it Sips fuel. A lift kit was offered for it, but it was expensive and I've never seen one with the kit. Supposedly, the lift kit had an external cylinder, kinda like some of the Belarus tractors had. |
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Post by Jolly on Mar 3, 2021 5:13:00 GMT
This will be strange advise from a guy who used to be in the mower and saw business and sell no less than a machine per day year round, but having lived in the desert for over 20 years and only owned a Sensation push mower which gets a workout maybe one week per year, I gotta suggest you sell the riding mowers for whatever you can get and replace them with a case of Roundup! If you have issues with bare brown dirt, try "lawn paint"....easily available from places like lawn and garden supplies in the Southwest....and concentrate on how you are gong to use and enjoy the day per week you formerly spent on the riding mower. Try to visualize when you are well off and then go apply another dose of Roundup! Life is SO MUCH BETTER without a lawn ....Joe Down here, you can take a green fence post, put it in the ground and it will sometimes sprout. We can grow grass with the best of them... |
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Mar 3, 2021 10:06:34 GMT
joebill, I’m one of those that not only likes a lawn, I actually like mowing the lawn (with a ride on). I’m not fond of bare brown dirt and IMHO lawn paint makes it even uglier. (Yeah, I’m aware I’ll likely not have a lawn in AZ.) What I dislike is having to water the lawn, especially 2 large yards, mostly because it requires so much kneeling and bending down. A good compromise would be a small lawn. I will miss not having green in my yard. I know, because last summer I couldn’t keep up with watering and the yard was ugly.
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....Joe