Are Steering Wheel Zero-Turns The Best For You?
Zero-turns have been all-the-rage for the last couple of years but as you know I have been very cautious about recommending the small residential zero-turns. Many of you have read my article: Do you really need a zero-turn mower? and decided a lap-bar style residential zero-turn is not the best choice. Well, with the introduction of zero-turns with steering wheels the time has come to revisit the list of concerns.
Instead lap bars to control the steering and movement of a zero-turn the Cub Cadet RZT-S and now the Toro SW – ExMark Quest series use a steering wheel and foot pedals.
ExMark Steering Wheel. It must be good – I heard another manufacture rep making fun of it.
I am going to go back through the 17 reasons why I can’t recommend small zero-turns to everyone and explain how the Cub Cadet and Toro steering wheel models have changed the discussion. Let’s get past the advertising hype and look at the facts and benefits.
This article is only going to discuss the residential steering wheel zero-turns. Both Toro and Cub Cadet have a heavier duty line (starting around 4200) that are designed for larger properties.
By the way, there is a riding mower with a steering wheel that may work better for you. When you get through reading this article head over to Husqvarna R 120S Review – A Better Zero Turn – At a Better Price before you make your final decision.
Zero-turn mowers that use a steering wheel instead of lap bars is not a new concept. Jacobson had one in the 70’s. Swisher, Cub Cadet, Toro, GizMow and Heckendorn have all had machines that use a steering wheel to give you as tight of a turn as possible. (Does anyone remember the John Deere SST Spinsteer?) The problem was though most of them used a transaxle and were not true zero-turns. They pivoted around a wheel instead of the center of the mower. If they used separate transmissions they suffered the same problems as the lap-bar residential zero-turns – they didn’t work well on slopes.
“If you don’t know how to drive a small zero-turn your lawn may end up looking like wild hogs played soccer overnight.”
Is a Steering Wheel Zero-Turn what you need?
Everyone has been trying to tell you that a zero-turn mower is what you need to mow your lawn. Now they are telling you steering wheel ZTRs are best. They tell you that you can mow your lawn in half the time. They tell you their’s is the best. But even the steering wheel zero-turns are not the answer for everyone. The homeowner (residential) models do not work on slopes, ditches or hills over 15 degrees. They are designed to mow lawns and little else. They can be more expensive to repair. They are more expensive than lawn tractors to buy. A 42 inch residential zero-turn that uses the same deck as your 1700 lawn tractor is 2700 or more. A good estate (landowner) zero-turn that will cut your mowing time in half is anywhere from 4000 to 15,000. So, let’s go through the facts and fiction about this breed of zero-turns.
Zero turns are really made for one purpose only, mowing grass. They mow quickly and will save you time trimming around obstacles. They are NOT designed to pull much. Yes, some have a hitch and you can pull a small yard cart or spreader but you will destroy the transmissions in them if you try to pull loads of dirt, firewood or a leaf vacuum.
Is a steering wheel zero-turn is what you need?
Steering wheel zero-turns give you a true zero-turn using a conventional steering wheel and foot controls. The engineering in the front steering is different from your lawn tractor and the mower will actually pivot around the rear wheel axis.
Steering wheel zero-turns use a front steering mechanism instead of castor wheels which increases your stability on slopes over a small residential zero-turn. They do turn differently than your lawn tractor but the steerable front wheels helps the mower stay on side slopes better than a residential lap bar ZTR.
Steering wheel zero-turns don’t have as long of a learning curve. Since you drive one more like your lawn tractor than a lap-bar zero-turn most of you will be able to get on and go. The key learning point will be to slow down to make a zero-turn.
Residential steering wheel zero-turns are built with the same materials and engineering design as your lawn tractor. They will last you years if taken care of them but they will only take as much abuse as your old lawn tractor. What that means is while you are learning to drive one it is very easy to damage a small zero-turn. They are designed to go easily around things but they are not designed to bang into trees, foundations, bird baths, curbs, rocks tree roots, etc.
The steering wheel zero-turns will not ride as rough as a residential zero-turn but the ride is still different from your lawn tractor. Because the steering system on these mowers needs to be robust to handle zero-turning there is more weight on the front than a residential zero-turn so they don’t have the head bobbing “bounce” of a small ZTR on rough lawns. Compared to a lawn tractor you sit more in the center of the mower so you will feel all four wheels when they hit a bump.
Be sure you sit on a steering wheel zero-turn before you buy and see if the seat is too low. The current residential models sit lower than a lawn tractor and they may give you a back-ache over extended use.
Small steering wheel zero-turns will turn better going downhill than a lap-bar zero-turn but are still limited to mowing 15 degree slopes or less. Don’t expect them to mow hillsides. A good rule of thumb is to try backing up the hill with your mower. If the rear wheels lose traction and start to spin the slope is too steep to mow up. If you have a walk out basement mow the slope diagonally – going downhill! Yes, it takes more time, but it is safer.
From a reader who owns a lap-bar zero-turn. He is a prime example of who these new steering wheel ZTR’s are for “I have lawn with slopes and hills. This unit climbs hills on a 30 degree angle no problem without tipping.(not recommending that anyone else do this) My tractor mower wont even make it up the hill. However, down hill or sloped mowing is a real chore for this machine. The inablilty to “steer” the front wheels makes it dive downwards, and you are going for a ride if you know what I mean. It will not stop. If you mow downhill, make sure there’s nothing dangerous at the end. I would not recommend mowing downhill unless its a very gradual slope. The small rear tires chew up the lawn easily if youre not careful as well. Flat lawn its a dream. Does a beautiful cut whatever you take it through. My terrain is rough and I’ve used this for 3 years now with no problems. Gas and oil changes is all. Haven’t even changed the fuel filter or spark plug yet. Make sure to use the included water cleanout for the deck! It works great and will keep the under deck clean so you get a great cut every time!” A Steering wheel zero-turn is exactly what he needs.
Small steering wheel zero-turns are delivered with too much air in the tires. Read the manual and adjust the air pressure to 12 lbs or so.
Small steering wheel zero-turns push hard when not running. The transmission release levers may be in front of the transmission instead of on the rear frame like your yard tractor. There are two release levers. I have a piece of rope that I tie to the front of the zero-turn and pull it when I need to move it without starting the engine.
Small steering wheel zero-turns will tear up your lawn. Stay away from units with less than 42 inch decks unless your lawn is flat and you have narrow gates you HAVE to go through. Be aware you will have to go very slow to make a zero-turn without tearing up your turf.
Small steering wheel zero-turn mowers will tear up and scratch anything behind them. If it comes with a rear hitch be aware that the hitch acts as can opener for chain link fences and particle board outbuildings. Also don’t buy a small zero-turn where the engine sticks out farther than the rear frame. If you get too close when you turn you can easily damage your engine.
Residential steering wheel zero-turn mowers should not be used to pull anything over 200 lbs. All the current models under 3500 use Hydro-Gear EZT transmissions are not designed to pull a yard cart, sweeper or leaf vac. In fact most of them do not come with a rear hitch for that reason. The transmissions are designed to give you years of use but they will burn out quickly if you try to pull loads like a yard cart filled with dirt or a leaf vac. If a dealer tries to tell you his zero-turn can pull anything and the mower is priced under 3000 ask him to include a life time warranty on the transmissions. If you would like a more detailed explanation just ask in the Комментарии и мнения владельцев below.
Zero-turns are finish cut lawn mowers not field/pasture mowers. Even the 5000 to 14,000 commercial models are designed to mow your lawns beautifully but they don’t work well on grass/weeds over 6 inches. They don’t like stumps, rocks, dirt mounds any better than your lawn tractor. If you want to mow the pasture when the grass is over 6 inches you will have to mow the same area at least twice. I will always suggest a rough cut mower like the Acrease rough cut or a “Bush Hog” brush mower.
Only Five Things To Consider
If you really, really want a zero-turn but someone who mows the lawn can’t get the hang of lap-bars then a steering wheel zero-turn is for you.
If you mow slopes (less than 15 degrees) these steering wheel zero-turns will not burn out the EZT-2200 transmissions. The front wheels help to hold the mower on the slope which greatly reduces the load on the transmissions. The transmission won’t over heat and burn out mowing slopes for extended periods of time.
If you promise not to pull heavy loads of firewood out of the timber. If you promise not to pull loads of dirt uphill to your next large landscape project. Then the steering wheel zero-turns will work for you.
If you just mow flat areas and everyone can drive a lap-bar zero-turn, spend the extra money these cost on a better, stronger zero-turn.
If you do a lot of running around with your yard cart and “who knows” what you put in the cart save yourself 1000 and buy a good lawn or yard tractor.
Is this enough information? Feel free to ask questions or leave Комментарии и мнения владельцев below.
Husqvarna M-ZT 52 Zero Turn Mower Features
When Husqvarna sent me one of their brand new M-ZT 52 zero-turn tractors to try out, I was excited to see what it could do. This is the company’s entry-level commercial zero-turn mower, and it’s priced right around 5500, which makes it a fairly inexpensive commercial-quality zero-turn mower. We picked it up at the loading dock and hauled it back on a trailer to begin our testing.
The first thing I noticed about the M-ZT 52 was the size. It looked like a true commercial product, and it sat up pretty high, giving you a better view of where you’re cutting. There is also a ton of steel on this mower. In particular, I noticed that the wheels are attached to the chassis that runs along the entire side of the mower. This just comes across as being more structurally sound and durable—like you can hit something hard and not damage the frame.
For comparison, the Hustler Mini Z I’ve been using for years, which I’d consider a well-built machine, attaches the wheels to a steel crossbar along the front of the mower. On another mower I’ve seen, the wheels are actually attached to arms that are bolted onto the frame. The M-ZT 52 uses a much smarter design than either of those mowers. I’m not planning to play bumper cars, but I don’t want a product that I have to baby, and the Husqvarna seems to be designed and built to take some serious abuse.
Jam Up and Jelly Tight
Having used several zero turns over the course of many years, one of the issues I’ve come across is items that tend to stick up and get in the way during cutting. On one mower we have, the air filter is elevated—and has been beaten, broken, and replaced several times as a result. On the Husqvarna M-ZT 52, the filter is seamlessly integrated right to the back of the Briggs Stratton motor. It’s out of the way, and there’s really no conceivable way for it to be damaged. The muffler is also located inside the chassis frame, so it’s virtually impossible to bump into it or burn yourself.
If this sounds trivial to you, realize that I live in Florida where it’s not uncommon to wear shorts for over three-quarters of the year. Even the gas caps are nicely set well into the plastic shroud on the left side which contains the gas tank. They aren’t hanging up or out to get damaged or broken off. Basically, if you drag a branch all the way across this mower, there’s not a whole lot of damage you can do to it—and that’s just good engineering and design. About the only notable exception to this was the return fuel line which tended to pop off the top of the plastic tank if it got bumped.
Performance Testing
The Husqvarna M-ZT 52 zero turn mower is what I’d call a really “accurate” zero-turn, particularly with features like the foot pedal, which lets you easily lift over high spots. And when it says “2 inches” it really means it—and that’s important for consistency of cut. We can’t cut the grass too short around here or we’ll quickly burn it out in the heat of summer. The cutting deck height has some real options. You can adjust from 1.5″ to 4.5″ in 1/4″ increments. The pin adjustment system is a bit more difficult to use because you have to push it through two holes instead of just one, but it’s something that you acquire a skill for as you get more acquainted with it. Having a thicker piece of steel with a singular hole for the pin would have been preferred.
I really like the turn radius of the Husqvarna M-ZT 52. It’s tight, and the added height gives you an excellent birds-eye view of what you’re cutting or about to cut. I found it simple to get around the myriad of crepe myrtles we have in the neighborhood, and even cutting along curvy beds was easy. The mower also felt well-balanced, so on inclines and declines (I actually managed to find a few, even here in Florida,), you don’t feel as if you’re slipping or losing traction. The 13-inch tall by 6-1/2 inch wide front tires are also surprisingly big. They don’t dig in or get rutted up, even in soggy or wet grass. The weight definitely gets dispersed a lot better than with mowers that have smaller and thinner front wheels.
I think where I did run into some difficulty was with the higher seating position. You do get a better view of what you’re cutting, but it also puts you closer to any brush or tree limbs you might be cutting under or around. If you’re trying to get underneath a tree line, for example, you may whack your head on a branch if you’re not used to the height and are not being particularly careful.
Down Below
This mower comes with a parking brake, which is a feature I don’t have on some of the older models of zero turns that I use or that I have used in the past. This could be an advantage for those who would find the need to have better security for the mower when stopping it temporarily on inclines, but it also means that, as a safety device, it’s one more item that needs to be engaged when the mower starts up.
To access the top of the deck, where you blow off the belts and pulleys, you have to unscrew the locking bolt (which incidentally has a plastic top that I’m certain I’ll kick with my boot and break one of these days). Any time I see a small losable part like this I just know it’s bound to be misplaced. In either case, once the bolt is out you can lift up the deck and access the parts below.
Looking within, I felt that the belts and pulleys are much better shielded from grass than on some other mowers I’ve used. They’re just enclosed a lot more, and you end up getting less debris in the mechanisms, which will result in less wear and tear on those parts. Husqvarna also used cast iron spindle housings for the blades, which is a nice feature that you want to see on commercial-quality mowers.
Details, Details, Details
There are a lot of small details with the Husqvarna M-ZT 52 zero turn mower that I really like. While there’s only a single 5-gallon fuel tank with reserve (You don’t typically get dual tanks at this price point on any zero turns that I’ve seen.), they made great use of the opposite plastic shroud, giving you a large holding compartment to store things. The seat, which is easy to adjust, is incredibly comfortable as well, and I could sit in it for hours without getting sore or feeling too much vibration from the cutting deck or motor. There’s also a seat belt, but I didn’t need to use it since I cut mostly on flat surfaces.
When you flip the seat up to access the battery and other components, Husqvarna also included a steel cable to keep it from tipping all the way forward. It’s just a small feature, but that’s the kind of thing I found over and over again on this mower: they paid attention to the small details.
Grease Points and a Hitch
The front and rear grease points are super-easy to access, which is a nice feature—particularly for those of us who maintain our own equipment. The tension for the drive arms is easy to adjust as is the height they are set at, so you can move them up or down to get a perfect feel. And when you step into the mower, Husqvarna provided an ample amount of grip tape for your feet in all the right places.
On the back of the mower, I couldn’t help but notice a basic tow hitch point. Given the available torque, I’d expect it to be able to pull a small cart with no difficulty at all. The anti-roll bar that comes with the Husqvarna mower rattled when I first used it, but I took a 15/16″ socket to tighten it down at the point where it folds over, and it didn’t bother me again. If you’re planning to fold it back and forth a lot, I could see the rattling being an issue. Once we snugged that up, it was actually apparent that the M-ZT 52 is a rather tight product. I’ve had other mowers that I’d lovingly describe as “rattle boxes”, and this one doesn’t have a ton of vibration as I used it.
Summing It Up
If you want features the Husqvarna M-ZT 52 zero-turn doesn’t deliver, consider stepping up to a commercial model. Husqvarna has provided lots of features and performance at a really incredible price. While each individual feature may not be remarkable, the sum of the whole M-ZT 52 impresses. This well-thought-out mower was clearly designed by folks who know a lot about operating zero turns.
Performance-wise, I really had no complaints about the product. It cut fast, and even when I encountered some areas with lots of new-growth oak trees sprouting up all over, the Husqvarna M-ZT 52 zero turn mower just took it all in stride. When cutting close on the right side it was easy to flip up the exhaust flap and get in tight. Acceleration on this mower was also quite good. With a top speed of 10 mph, it’s not the fastest zero turn I’ve used, but it’s faster than anything else I’ve found at this price, and it definitely feels snappy. The blades don’t get outrun by the speed of the mower, either. It seems to be able to cut pretty quickly and keep up with itself.
Price and Expectations
The biggest “problem” with the Husqvarna M-ZT 52 mower is that it looks, rides and operates like a commercial zero-turn. In fact, you’ll forget it only costs 5,500. You may even start thinking that it should have features like dual gas tanks or have a top speed of 13 mph. Don’t. Because it’s already got a bigger gas tank and higher top speed than most mowers in this price range. It’s also got build quality that far surpasses many other comparable products on the market. My takeaway is that this is an incredible value. It delivers commercial quality and features at a price that appeals to smaller commercial users. For that, I can’t help but recommend the M-ZT series mowers.
Details
Features:
- Air induction mowing technology brings air up from the top and bottom of deck to improve cut
- 46″ reinforced steel stamped cutting deck
- Maintenance-free integrated zero-turn transmissions
- Rugged and robust frame and casters to reduce chassis flex
- Spring-assisted deck lift conveniently within operator reach
- Ergonomic control panel
- Removable foot plate for easy access to top of cutting deck
- Anti-slip footrest area for extra safety and comfort
- Rubber bellows protect the control system from moisture and debris
- Automatic brake system activates and deactivates as the steering levers are moved inward and outward
- Rear engine guard limits access to hot surfaces for safety