Zero Turns.
- Thread starter Jackalope
- Start date
She got the 10 year love treatment this past week. A complete and thorough maintenance update, such as all filters replaced, all belts too, all grease inserts got hit with Mobile 1 synthetic and both the hydraulic and motor oil was changed too. The blades are in real good shape still. I swapped them out with brand new ones last summer and have new spares waiting in the wings. Battery is fairly new, about two seasons. Whatever nut and bolts needed retorqued or adjusted was completed along with the mower deck recalibrated as well. Brand new rear rubber came in over the weekend, so I'll be putting them on sometime today. Mower has been a solid piece of equipment for me the entire time and I couldn't be happier with the mower.
She runs great and just surpassed 700 running hours over the weekend. Should be good to go for another mowing season.
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Mower has a 12 gallon fuel capacity total, and a single mow of the entire place utilizes approximately 10 gallons on average per mow during a normal growing season.
To help minimize fuel consumption, I reduced the weight of the mower by taking off the roll cage/bar, the captain chair arms and anything else not necessarily needed. Some of those items are far more hazardous to have on the mower IMO, especially when mowing around all of our trees and shrubs. By taking off those items, it makes it so much easier to mow around those type of things and then some. more efficient in getting the job done in a timely matter, approximately 4-5 hours per mow of the entire place.
The roll cage/bar weighs approximately 50 lbs and I'm somewhere around 170 lbs. Less weight on the mower equates to less stress on the hydraulic pumps, which equites to a longer life for the mower hopefully. We'll just have to wait and see how long this mower will last me. It's a 2014 model that I bought brand new in late 2013 and she's been a solid performer with no major problems of any kind ever since. Pretty darn happy about that too.
Anyhow, I hope my sharing this kind of stuff will potentially help someone that might be considering a zero turn mower in the future.
P8riot
Active Member
Dang! 10 gallons per customer? That would add up. I only have around 1.5 acres and my Husqvarna Z254F has a 3.5 gallons tank. I could probably cut around 3 times without filling up. But it is homeowner grade....very homeowner grade!
Lucky to get 5 years from the feeling I get from it.I make sure to keep the blades sharp to reduce drag and balanced to reduce wear and tear. Mainly on the spindles. It has a Kawasaki engine so that will probably outlast everything else! It is my first zero turn, so I don't know what to expect. Those trans axles sure do whine at times though!
My spindles have sealed bearings. I was reading that they have used sealed units for years, but put zerk fitrimgs on there to make people feel warm and fuzzy about greasing them. Total placebo!
When it comes to any mower, buy once cry once is and should be the mentality. If you have an acre or more you’re cutting, don’t even look at a stamped deck…..
P8riot
Active Member
I made sure to get their "clear cut deck" which is 10 gauge fabricated.
Its the "special edition" so it has the slightly more aggressive rear tires. I already found their limits!
I'm definitely spending money on the good stuff where its needed. I just had to reel it in on the lawnmower! I wanted to go crazy, but with needing to buy...pretty much everything all at once, it got scary watching my bank acct drop! I did go with all Stihl stuff on everything else for yard care.
Those who bought Bad Boy mowers. Had anyone had any issues with the throttle or choke cables?
My throttle cable seized up, and after doing some internet research there is a design flaw(?)
They have a plastic coating on the throttle cable over the spring winding over the cable. The cable is then routed close enough to the engine and exhaust that the plastic melts, soaks through the wound wire and seizes up the cable.
I'll take photos when i fix mine. I have to measure it so i know what length to buy.
My throttle cable seized up, and after doing some internet research there is a design flaw(?)
They have a plastic coating on the throttle cable over the spring winding over the cable. The cable is then routed close enough to the engine and exhaust that the plastic melts, soaks through the wound wire and seizes up the cable.
I'll take photos when i fix mine. I have to measure it so i know what length to buy.
Did you contact bad boy? There maybe a service bulletin that they’ll fix at no cost.
Actually they are willing to warranty it (or at least the guy i some with yesterday). Now i have to figure out when i can get it to one of their preferred mechanics.
Nice that they'll fix on their dime, but still an inconvenience. Shouldn't be hard to do yourself if they allow it (tell em dealer can't get ya in for weeks).
In short term, can you cut the plastic sheathing, then melt off the part in the spring area with a lighter or Torch? Atleast it would free up. Should be a twisted SS line anyways, heat ain't gonna hurt it.
In short term, can you cut the plastic sheathing, then melt off the part in the spring area with a lighter or Torch? Atleast it would free up. Should be a twisted SS line anyways, heat ain't gonna hurt it.
I'm going to fix it myself if i can't make it work.
Cutting off the sheath will be my fix on the new one, as soon as it gets close to the engine. On the existing one, it gums up once it gets cold and the melted plastic hardens....i shut it off at full throttle so i can at least get started missing when i need to, not great for the engine but i figure it can handle it once or twice till i get it fixed.