Zero Turn vs Lawn Tractor For A Bad Back

[riden]

This Spring I will be purchasing something new to cut my acreage's grass. The truth is, I will be buying a smaller machine then I need. Wifey and I plan to downsize the acreage so the machine I buy will spend most of it's life cutting the lake lot we intend to buy, not cutting this acreage. So I want a smaller machine.

I have owned a John Deere for 20 years and really lean that way, but I have always liked the Husquavarna brand generally. Right now I am leaning to a JD LA 150. Part of me wants to buy a smaller zero turn just to buy something different.

Here's the catch, I have had a couple of back injuries and something easier on my back is important, and I really don't want to get any surprises after i buy something that I plan to keep a long time.

Will I regret a small zero turn? Anyone have any good or bad experiences? Open to advice.

[Ken07AOVette]

I just bought a cub cadet zero turn with a steering wheel. I had a new Holland zero turn with sticks before. With back issues stay away from sticks, they can be real jerky especially when wound out mowing.
I have a 2032r with a belly mounted mower and for huge areas it is great, but too big for yards where you cant get under trees.
My wife says she will drive the wheel zero, had 0 interest at all in the stick one.

[Fish along]

I would stick with the John Deere, a friend of mine PURCHASED a zero turn and hated it not comfortable at all he said,

[Glion]

Check out Ferris zero turns they have frame suspension. I know for me it was alot smoother then the toro or x mark i tried

[57charlie]

The suspension on mowers usually isn't very complex, most of them rely on just the tires to provide it. Off the top of my head I can't think of any that have power steering. What would give you the best ride is probably going to rely on how level the ground is that you're cutting.

[tri777]

My back got progressively worse over the years to the point being barely able to step off after 2+hrs cutting.
After 2+hrs cutting on my now aged 52" yard king, my lower back was almost
seized up and stepping off it felt as though I was near paralyzed. The couple hrs of taking bumps
& the slightly forward sitting position/turning the wheel played havoc on me.
I decided last year was time for something different, got me a single stick drive 42" Cub Cadet. My seat
time is now 1hr 40mins & my back has thanked me over & over in spades.
I will never get any steering wheel models again.

[Cement Bench]

we have both and not sure which is better maybe the new zero turn works ok

BEST IS TO GO SLOWER, LESS BUMPY RIDE

that is my suggestion.

[riden]

Originally Posted by tri777

My back got progressively worse over the years to the point being barely able to step off after 2+hrs cutting.
After 2+hrs cutting on my now aged 52" yard king, my lower back was almost
seized up and stepping off it felt as though I was near paralyzed. The couple hrs of taking bumps
& the slightly forward sitting position/turning the wheel played havoc on me.
I decided last year was time for something different, got me a single stick drive 42" Cub Cadet. My seat
time is now 1hr 40mins & my back has thanked me over & over in spades.
I will never get any steering wheel models again.

I can completely relate.

Which model did you buy?

[elkhunter11]

I use a Club Cadet 54" zero turn on our skeet/trap fields, and it definitely isn't smooth riding if the ground is uneven, but luckily our fields are fairly level. I have no issue with the levers, they are as smooth as the operator is. The big advantage with the zero turn mower compared to the Husquarna lawn tractor that it replaced is speed, even though the mower isn't a lot larger, it takes me far less time to get the mowing done. The lawn tractor rides rougher than the zero turn.

[tri777]

Originally Posted by riden

I can completely relate.

Which model did you buy?

Riden,
I meant Country Clipper !!
(Not Club Cadet!)
I bought it used to see if I would even like the single joy stick system,
turns out I loved it.

[tri777]

Originally Posted by Cement Bench

BEST IS TO GO SLOWER, LESS BUMPY RIDE

On 300ft stretches with 3 acres,
going slow is just like a punishing jail sentence.

[amosfella]

You might want to not worry about the size of the machine, and get a pro model with a suspension, or maybe an air ride seat.

[traderal]

Our snowmobiles and quads have nice suspensions, but lawn mowers, where we spend more time on don't. I have been mowing about 5 acres all my life, using JD from small lawn tractors up to 40 hp ones with 84 inch decks. Now use a front mount mower with 30hp diesel and 72 inch deck. Not one of them is what I call good for a bad back.
The manufacturers expect you to have perfectly smooth ground, but the reality is otherwise. Maybe it's time lady persons started designing lawn mowers, ease of use and suspensions would then start being the norm. And currently changing decks is not something wives want to tackle.

[Pixel Shooter]

luv my country clipper as well. way more ergonomical with a single joy stick, any zero turn will be more bumpy because we are efficient by being able to go faster lol. lawn tractor will be considerably slower and easier on back. Having said that , you can put an air ride seat on your zero turn so your back is not being jarred and have an enjoyable ride.
dont know any that come with it by manufacturer except Gravely which is a good option, but after market you have a few options.
here is an example

https://ztrpuffer.com/

Originally Posted by tri777

Riden,
I meant Country Clipper !!
(Not Club Cadet!)
I bought it used to see if I would even like the single joy stick system,
turns out I loved it.

[riden]

Originally Posted by Pixel Shooter

luv my country clipper as well. way more ergonomical with a single joy stick, any zero turn will be more bumpy because we are efficient by being able to go faster lol. lawn tractor will be considerably slower and easier on back. Having said that , you can put an air ride seat on your zero turn so your back is not being jarred and have an enjoyable ride.
dont know any that come with it by manufacturer except Gravely which is a good option, but after market you have a few options.
here is an example

https://ztrpuffer.com/

Thanks for the link


That's actually a great idea

[amosfella]

There's a company out of edmonton that sells air ride seats. Think it's called Sears (something or rather). 2 wires to hook it up.

[colt45]

I have a country clipper , with the joy stick ,
The Boss XL model, 60” cutting deck ,
Works great , way better than lawn tractors I used to use
The seat is adjustable and works great for my bad back
If you feel it is a little rough you can lower the air pressure in the tires ,
Or slow down a little bit , you can definitely cover a lot of ground in a short time
When you get used to the joy stick , you can even have a drink while your mowing the lawn,

[Indy]

If you a want a zero turn test drive a JD with tweel tires and suspension seat, you will be amazed at how smooth they are. I prefer it to my 4720 (cab, air ride seat and A/C).