# NEW Riding Mower



## gwolf64 (Mar 27, 2017)

I am in the market for a ride on mower. I have been using a Honda HRX217HYA for the past 6 years. I love that mower. Basically, I want to mow wider and faster. I have 12,000sf of Bermuda. First I looked in to Greenmaster 3100d riding reel. Talked to some equipment dealers and I'm not interested in paying +/- $15k plus $1k worth of maintenance per year..... now I'm looking into zero turns and/or lawn tractors. I would like to know folks comments on this unit from Home Depot? My main constraint is mow height. I want a rider with the lowest min cut height possible. Looks like the cub cadets min is @ 1". The lowest I cut is 1" early in the season. Also, what do yall think about the 42" deck? I think this is plenty for my size yard???? Any other options worth considering??

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Cub-Cadet-Ultima-ZT1-42-in-22-HP-V-Twin-Kohler-7000-Series-Engine-Dual-Hydrostatic-Drive-Gas-Zero-Turn-Riding-Lawn-Mower-ULTIMA-ZT1-42/307458392#product-overview


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## SWB (Sep 22, 2018)

I have that same Honda that I use as a trim mower. It's a great mower. I don't know that you want to try & cut below 1" with a rotary. The other thing I noticed is the slope of your lawn. I have a slope in the front as well and have a hard time keeping the deck from cutting uneven. It did it with my JD 2305 as well as my Exmark. Wonder if you could get a demo to check that out first? Beautiful home btw.


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## gwolf64 (Mar 27, 2017)

SWB said:


> I have that same Honda that I use as a trim mower. It's a great mower. I don't know that you want to try & cut below 1" with a rotary. The other thing I noticed is the slope of your lawn. I have a slope in the front as well and have a hard time keeping the deck from cutting uneven. It did it with my JD 2305 as well as my Exmark. Wonder if you could get a demo to check that out first? Beautiful home btw.


Thanks. The photo I shared was to get attention to my post. haha. Here is a photo of my new house. At the old house, it took me 5 years to get the soil chemistry perfect! Then I sold it.... I get to start at square one in my new house....


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

For really low cut heights with a rotary, the options are limited. I know you said riding but I'll say what I gotta say and then we can talk riding. :lol:

12k isn't really much of a workout for a riding mower, even a smaller 42" model. A 26" walk-mower (reel) will mow it much lower, faster and a bit wider than the Honda. 3.5 MPH on most reels. For reference, I mow just over 20K, a single pass takes me 1:15 give or take. Double-cut, trim, edge, blow (full service!) is 2:30 or so. It's not exactly like strolling the mall but it's not torture and great as moderate cardio. The mower is roughly $200/yr to maintain if I don't break anything. (One grind, bedknife replacement and an engine service.) On PGR, cutting at 3/4" - 7/8", you could likely get away with mowing every 4-5 days.

If you are set on a rider, then for low-heights, you want something with either a ground-following deck or very robust scalp wheels. Absolutely nothing wider than 48" and a ZTR isn't likely to save you much time vs a good lawn tractor with excellent control ergonomics. (That writes off anything sold at Lowes/Depot.)

Simplicity is the only OEM I know of making a quasi-ground-following deck design these days. The Broadmoor will get down to 1.5".

https://www.simplicitymfg.com/na/en_us/products/lawn-tractors.html?load=categorypage

Deere really just dominates the market in premium Riding Lawn Equipment so give the X300 series a look. If increased maneuverability is something you value, look at the X354/X384. I normally would prefer the X354 and it's 42" deck on a smaller lawn, but the 48" just has a much better scalp roller setup since Deere eliminated the 42" deck from the old LX/GT series. (grumble) If you want to go low, I have to recommend the 48" over the 42". Can still set it up for 1" height too.

It would be hard for me to say you'd be happy with anything about that Cub ZT1 (other than perhaps the price and ability to order online.) based on what you're telling us you want to do.


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## Retired292 (May 9, 2021)

I bought a 52" simplicity zero turn this spring that will cut @ 1". Haven't tried it that low though but I love the mower


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## Retired292 (May 9, 2021)

Oh yeah the mower out the door was $4750 also 4 years on parts and labor


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## uts (Jul 8, 2019)

A 21" mower hides a lot of imperfections. As the deck size go up with even the biggest antiscalping rollers, mowing that low needs perfect flat lot.

Demo something for a few mows before you buy for sure!


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## Vtx531 (Jul 1, 2019)

Cant imagine mowing at 1" with a 42" deck. My old 42" ztr toro went down to 1.5" and it was not pleasant. No matter matter if it's John Deere or Cub Cadet or whoever. 11.5K is pretty small for a rider imo


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## gwolf64 (Mar 27, 2017)

I want to mow as quick as I can and no lower than 1". Y'all have me thinking a lot about options...


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## Allan-00 (Aug 6, 2019)

@gwolf64 I have the Cub Cadet ZT1 42" you mentioned. It's a good mower but like others have said, going below 2" is very hard if your lawn has any imperfections. Have you looked at a 32" standing unit? That might be a little easier to mow 'low' and still enjoy the benefit of a riding mower.


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## WhiteSubi (Sep 6, 2019)

I am in a similar situation. I have about 12K worth of Bermuda and TF. I currently have just a 21" Honda HRR but was looking at 42" zero turns. Toro also makes a 34" and 36" zero turn that was pretty appealing. I am also considering a 30" push mower but haven't quite decided. I'm not mowing as low as you are but you might look at the 34" or 36" zero turns. It might help hide imperfections more than a 42"+ if you are set on a rider/zero turn.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

gwolf64 said:


> I want to mow as quick as I can and no lower than 1". Y'all have me thinking a lot about options...


Even if you don't want to mow at 1" on the regular, you are right to consider mowers that will get low. The ability to scalp lower than your maint cut height is valuable on a Bermuda lawn.


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## gooodawgs (Jul 10, 2020)

@gwolf64 I'm in Alpharetta and selling my Cub Cadet 46" zero turn. 3 years old, 180 hours. PM if interested. Great machine, I'm just trying to dedicate myself to reel mowing so I need to remove the temptation to ride again :lol:


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## cldrunner (May 14, 2019)

@gwolf64 Have you considered a wider push such as the Toro TimeMaster 30 inch($1,000) or the delux Ferris FW15 32 inch ($3,000)or a little higher with accessories.

https://www.toro.com/timemaster/
https://www.ferrismowers.com/na/en_us/product-catalog/walk-behind-mowers/fw15-walk-behind-mower.html


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

I can mow at 1" with my John Deere X350 lawn tractor. I do it every time I scalp.

I remove the "material collection system" (bagger) and cut the grass at 1" using the 42" deck side discharge chute. I cut the yards in sections and blow the clippings so that I can cut the entire yard. It does not hurt to run over the clippings again - it helps by cutting them up even smaller.

Then I put my bagging system back on, raise the deck to 3" and vacuum up all the clippings.

It is a lot of work, but it really does a great job of getting the lawns right for greenup and makes the yard look great. My city will collect 15 yard bags under 35 pounds each every week. So I scalp the front and then the back.

My neighbors will let me put some bags out next to their bins if I go over 15 bags. I help them by explaining about pre- and post- emergent weed killers, so they don't mind helping me out.

The X350 has only two anti-scalp rollers, but it works fine for me. The models above that offer four anti-scalp wheels and wider decks. I like my 42" deck because it mows twice what a 21" walk behind can, and it fits better in my garage - no ankle bangs.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

I should also mention that having a lawn tractor or riding lawnmower really helps when the dog days of summer get here. I have bad knees which is why I really wanted one (it ain't the age; it's the mileage) but it really speeds up the process of mowing and gets you out of the heat.

Plus it can tow my sprayer, spreader and trailer, so it saves so much time and labor. Four year "bumper to bumper" warranty, Kawasaki V-Twin horsepower, and I use it just to check on my property, pick up litter and just ride around on it checking for any issues. It is actually fun.

I do my own maintenance and it runs like a champ. No regrets....


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

John Deere has the Green Tag Event on now. Saves you $300....

https://www.deere.com/en/finance/offers-discounts/shared/mowers/lawn-tractors/x300-select-series-tractors-deals/

Not affiliated in any way - just a satisfied customer.


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## david_ (Aug 22, 2019)

I'll copy my post from a week or so ago..

My 13-year-old 42" garden tractor cuts at .75" and is overkill for my yard, but I love the functionality and I mow more often since it takes 20 minutes. And it's easy to kick up to 3.75" for the St. Augustine in the front. Do my own maintenance and paid $400.

It's not perfect.. but it's not bad.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

@david_

Nice looking lawn you have there!


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## gwolf64 (Mar 27, 2017)

I'm really liking the Simplicity Prestige. I'm going to the simplicity store soon to take a look in person. Floating deck with full rollers. I like the electronic height adjustment.


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## FedDawg555 (Mar 19, 2020)

gwolf64 said:


> I'm really liking the Simplicity Prestige. I'm going to the simplicity store soon to take a look in person. Floating deck with full rollers. I like the electronic height adjustment.


Did you go with the simplicity rider? If so how did it do on the Bermuda and what HOCs were you able to get down too?


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## gwolf64 (Mar 27, 2017)

I went with a Gravely Compact Pro 44". Cuts down to 1".


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