Walk behind vs ZTR

[xandrew245x]

Originally Posted by CHEESE2009 I started doing my lawns with a 21", but I reached a point where I could only take on so many clients. The reason most people purchase a zero turn is to increase their speed, this is so that they are able to take on more work. - When I purchased a zero turn, my productivity allowed me to take on a lot more clients. There are times where you will have to use a smaller mower for backyards, which is not a huge problem. If it takes you 20 minutes to mow a front yard, imagine having it done in 5 minutes, then compare the difference on a larger scale; 20mins x 100_clients = 33 hours 5mins x 100_clients = 8 hours It's about '25' difference. ... 75% decrease. Most of the time you can't top out your speed with a ZTR unless your mowing long strips, so wouldn't a walk behinds maneuverability make up for its less amount of speed?

__________________

Carlisle Lawn Care

[brian'slawncare]

Lawn care business tips

if it's small yards or yards with a lot of bed and turns, get a walk behind. What I would like to do is get a 52" zturn and a 36" walk behind. This way, I can use the ztr for pretty much all my lots. If the lot has a lot of turns, I'll use the 36". Look on craigslist for a cheap, used 36". Even a troy-bilt or cub-cadet. They'll last for a decent amount of time. But don't skimp on the ztr. Whichever you think you'll use most, get it nice. Then, get an "economy" level for the second one. Hope that helps...

[xandrew245x]

Originally Posted by brian'slawncare

if it's small yards or yards with a lot of bed and turns, get a walk behind. What I would like to do is get a 52" zturn and a 36" walk behind. This way, I can use the ztr for pretty much all my lots. If the lot has a lot of turns, I'll use the 36". Look on craigslist for a cheap, used 36". Even a troy-bilt or cub-cadet. They'll last for a decent amount of time. But don't skimp on the ztr. Whichever you think you'll use most, get it nice. Then, get an "economy" level for the second one.

Hope that helps...

I'm thinking I want to buy a nice ZTR, but I would like to upgrade my trailer first from a 5x10 to at least a 6x12. Then I could get a 60" ZTR and probably fit a small walk behind on it too.

I'm thinking of aiming for a enclosed trailer, but first I will need a bigger truck. I would really hate to buy a new mower and have to limit the size because of my trailer, mowers are not cheap.

[CHEESE2009]

Originally Posted by xandrew245x

Most of the time you can't top out your speed with a ZTR unless your mowing long strips, so wouldn't a walk behinds maneuverability make up for its less amount of speed?

Yes and No.

You don't need to go fast with the zero turn in order to be quicker than a 21" walk behind. You can go the exact same speed if you like, but you will still be covering more area per pass.

More area coverage + more speed = overall more productive tool.

There are very small lawns that couldn't properly handle the use of a zero turn, but most can. Maneuverability is somewhat smoother, but you will most likely need to do a little bit more trimming around corners and such.

I could use the zero turn on all of the following lawns, but smaller stripes look a lot better on smaller lawns.



Then there are times I still use the zero turn on small lawns LOL..
For some reason it actually looks better!

[xandrew245x]

Originally Posted by CHEESE2009

Yes and No.

You don't need to go fast with the zero turn in order to be quicker than a 21" walk behind. You can go the exact same speed if you like, but you will still be covering more area per pass.

More area coverage + more speed = overall more productive tool.

There are very small lawns that couldn't properly handle the use of a zero turn, but most can. Maneuverability is somewhat smoother, but you will most likely need to do a little bit more trimming around corners and such.

I could use the zero turn on all of the following lawns, but smaller stripes look a lot better on smaller lawns.



Then there are times I still use the zero turn on small lawns LOL..
For some reason it actually looks better!

Well if I go with a walk behind, its going to be at least a 48" deck, a 52" would be even be better, so would I really even be losing any time compared to a ZTR?

[CHEESE2009]

Originally Posted by xandrew245x

Well if I go with a walk behind, its going to be at least a 48" deck, a 52" would be even be better, so would I really even be losing any time compared to a ZTR?

48" is a little too big for most of my clients gates, yikes!

Other than that, you save time where it counts. The speed you can reach with a walk-behind wont really matter. If the deck size is larger than what you were using previously, I believe this is when the choice becomes a personal preference.

The difference between sitting vs standing is how fatigued you get after each job. Sitting might make you lazy after awhile, but standing will at some point make you feel under-appreciated - if you can understand what I mean by that.

For example:

We are guys who dread spending an extra 2 minutes restringing a trimmer. Things like this just become irritating, because deep down inside we are all a bunch of a-holes. LOL.

[xandrew245x]

I know exactly what you mean.

It will all come down to how much I want to end up spending on a mower, because walk behinds are much much cheaper.