Turf Tiger or Cheetah

[RoughCut]

Thanks, I have tried about every ztr on the market. What is your pick of a good mower to do what I want. It needs to be a ztr as I have to many acres to walk.

[6295danny]

Lawn care business tips

I wanted the cheetah but I demo the tiger cat an for the money I liked the tiger cat best.. Save about 2 grand an I like the old hydros that are proven better from listing to to other lawn care guys in my area... Im happy with it so far...

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

Originally Posted by RoughCut

Thanks, I have tried about every ztr on the market. What is your pick of a good mower to do what I want. It needs to be a ztr as I have to many acres to walk.

If you want to cut thick tall grass. Why not get a bush hog? Then finish mow it with what you got?

If your looking to do it with a Z, get one with a 35hp engine so it doesnt bog down.

[RoughCut]

Thanks for the imput. I have brush hogs. Just trying to get mowing done faster. Takes a 35' trailer to haul a 60" brush hog and a 12' bat wing mower on. Looked at Scag because of deck thickness, and then I could change blades and use it for finish mowing.I could also go to a smaller trailer. Kut Kwick has what I need but it's too pricey,and not a good finish mower. Maybe I'm asking too much for a ztr?

[wandfsmall]

Sorry for the delayed reply I have been putting in long hours at work still getting ready for my spring rush and taking care of the guys that plan ahead. To answer your question I would recommend a Hustler Xone over a scag turf tiger for one it will save you money, has a longer warranty and do the same job. As for the scag deck thickness they advertise better then most however you will find Xmark, Hustler, Grasshopper, Bob-Cat all have just as durable of a deck in some cases more so as the Scag decks have a tendency to split where the deck comes to a point under certain impacts(this crack will continue until the deck is destroyed)

Personally of all of the scag units I would buy the Wildcat. These are the reasons why. However to give you a personal recommendation I would need to know more about your property. Like how often you plan to cut, how much acreage and what kind of hills or terrain you have. As each mower has advantages or we would only have one design.

Reasons I do not like the Turf Tiger

Drive Shaft and Gear Box - the belt will ALWAYS break on the deck as sticks and grass will get caught in between the belt and pulleys. The drive shaft is 4 bearings and universal and a gear box to maintain and eventually replace.

Horizontal shaft engine - This engine requires either a mule drive system or a drive shaft both that require more moving parts and rob the engine of power.

Reasons I do not like the Cheetah

5400 Transmissions - Integrated Drive systems have so far proven not to last as long as Pumps and Wheel Motors. The engineers at scag know this however they are cheaper to buy so they ignore this fact.

Flex Cables on the control arms - This is just scary to me a flex cable tends to break when flexed in the middle enough and this is how you control the mower To me this alone is enough to buy a turf tiger.

[wandfsmall]

Originally Posted by SECTLANDSCAPING

If you want to cut thick tall grass. Why not get a bush hog? Then finish mow it with what you got?

If your looking to do it with a Z, get one with a 35hp engine so it doesnt bog down.

Act deck discharge does more then HP when you are talking about bogging down. And not all 35hp engine are equal in power output.

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

Originally Posted by wandfsmall

Act deck discharge does more then HP when you are talking about bogging down. And not all 35hp engine are equal in power output.

I was thinking bad boys 35HP Caterpillar Diesel.

[wandfsmall]

Originally Posted by SECTLANDSCAPING

I was thinking bad boys 35HP Caterpillar Diesel.

The engines not bogging as much is more of a problem then an advantage as when the engine bogs you know to back off before something breaks. Also I have stopped recommending diesels as when running the numbers they cost more to operate then a gas engine. My personal theory is they are running relined to get the blade tip speed and wearing the engines out faster.

Cat is the one Diesel I would avoid as the dealers can not even get parts for the Cat engines you have to go to a cat repair center and get a small loan for parts. I would recommend Shibaura, Yanamar, or Kubota

Also last I heard this will be the last year for a Cat Diesel so if you want that one get it now.

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

Originally Posted by wandfsmall

The engines not bogging as much is more of a problem then an advantage as when the engine bogs you know to back off before something breaks. Also I have stopped recommending diesels as when running the numbers they cost more to operate then a gas engine. My personal theory is they are running relined to get the blade tip speed and wearing the engines out faster.

Cat is the one Diesel I would avoid as the dealers can not even get parts for the Cat engines you have to go to a cat repair center and get a small loan for parts. I would recommend Shibaura, Yanamar, or Kubota

Also last I heard this will be the last year for a Cat Diesel so if you want that one get it now.

damn that was short lived.

I have the same problem with my kubota. Any part is $500+. I broke a connection on the drive shaft it was like $380. All it was is a 6" piece of metal with holes on each side.

For a 22hp engine it has balls. Its been reliable to. You just pay when theres a problem.

[wandfsmall]

Originally Posted by SECTLANDSCAPING

damn that was short lived.

I have the same problem with my kubota. Any part is $500+. I broke a connection on the drive shaft it was like $380. All it was is a 6" piece of metal with holes on each side.

For a 22hp engine it has balls. Its been reliable to. You just pay when theres a problem.

your kubota is cheap compared to a cat part. From what I understand Cat has to stop producing the engine used on the badboy to meet EPA requirements on the other equipment they produce. Not sure I understand how one engine should effect another but that is our government. The sad thing is I think the cat engine is made by Shibaura for perkins then re-branded CAT.