Heavy duty zero turn mower? Best of the best?

[hawkusmc]

I need to mow 24 acres. It has a mild slope and and it's grassy, so it's not brush hog type stuff although I do have one.
My wife, bless her heart, LOVES to mow and wants a zero turn. The barb in the hook is she is terrible with machinery! I believe that woman could break an anvil!
I REFUSE to buy equipment from big box stores as I would rather pay the difference in price to get parts and service when I need it. Lowes might be ok for city dwellers and small yards, but I need heavy equipment.
Surely, if Abrams can build a rugged tank, they can build something for her?

This will not be used commercially, so a diesel is not neccessary.

Any suggestions?

[KDinTX]

cant go wrong with scag(skag) or harris mowers, scags are usually what the cities and counties use for their mowing

[KDinTX]

sorry, Farris mowers, Gravely are good as well

[aggee1992]

This is coming from someone who has had at least one of each, grasshopper, scag, jacobson, JD, Toro, Gravely, etc. The very best you can buy is a Toro groundsmaster, next would be a grasshopper then a scag and john deere for commerical. For not so commerical the rest will do.

[quarterback]

We started with a Toro which was pretty good but after wearing it out we switched to Scag. The Scag seems to be better built overall and more rugged. Not sure if it is the absolute best on the market but so far after 2 years I am impressed. 24 acres is a lot of land to mow with anything but a tractor. Are you sure you want a zero turn for that much property?

[KDinTX]

might also look into a old ford 9n tractor with a shredder deck, pretty hard to tear one up

[CaptainDave]

Scag, Exmark, Dixie Chopper, JD Commercial, Kubota, Graverly, etc.

Any of those would do the job. I would go with the dealer you like the most or whomever is willing to deal. All of those commercial lines will last about the same.

[BrianL]

Scag, Kubota, Gravely, Xmark commerical line. You can mow about 2 acres per hour with commerical stuff. 24 acres is a lot to mow even with a commerical ZT.

["DOC"]

I have a Scag 52" Turf Tiger. It is a really good mower and does what I need. Mowing about 1 acre around the house, 900' of barrow ditch and around the stock tank. BUT, I wouldn't even think about mowing 24 acres with it. That is a job for my tractor and brush hog. I think your wife will find it is too rough riding to mow that much. The ZTR's are great. Don't know if Scag is the best, but, it is a very good, well made machine. I would try to find someones to try before I bought one. Good Luck.

[Extremebowman]

We have a 60" Kubota diesel ZT and it has done a good job for us over the last 5 years. Like many have said, there is absolutley no way your wife will survive 24 acres with the best ZT. Unless you are a chiropractor and she has a very high pain tolerance. I'm sure people do more, but my opinion is that anything over 10 acres, you need to step up to a tractor. Maybe even a "belly" mower on a 30 +/- HP tractor. ZT for 24 acres would be a mistake IMO.

[outlaw38]

Kubota Diesel all the way.

[Dale Moser]

What do I win Alex?

[Extremebowman]

What do I win Alex?

Hopefully enough to pay for a $35,000 mower

[DPerez905]

i would say dixie chopper or a jd are pretty dang good

[Extremebowman]

Where are you located Hawk? Your wife could try out my ZT if your close. Or, I bet when Dale drops $35K on his, you can borrow it JK DMo, luv ya man!