Have a little under half an acre to mow. People are telling me the zero turn is the way to go. Wanted to know what you experts thought

its probably a little overkill, but you'll do the yard much faster. also, they are really fun to drive. wear goggles, you will be suprised at the amount of dirt it kicks into your eyes.

Just buy a push mower for that size of yard. Think about cost per square foot...

I have a little over 1/2 acre and bought a zero-turn. Cutting the grass is actually fun now. Overkill? yes...but if you have the coin why not?

Too small for a zero turn.

You can't drink beer on a zero turn without a beer helmet.

I just bought a regular riding mower for about an acre and a half and it works just fine (has a cup holder also).

That's too small IMO. Save on the cost by going with a small ride on.

Half acre lot here. I like my riding mower with a steering wheel. I keep one hand on the wheel and one hand on my beer.

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Too small for a zero turn.

You can't drink beer on a zero turn without a beer helmet.

I just bought a regular riding mower for about an acre and a half and it works just fine (has a cup holder also).

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You are not coordinated enough.

Main question is, Do you want to be sitting on the porch drinking a beer or on the mower drinking a beer?

Zero turn will get it done and on to porch drinking while a riding will be able to drink the whole time.

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Main question is, Do you want to be sitting on the porch drinking a beer or on the mower drinking a beer?

Zero turn will get it done and on to porch drinking while a riding will be able to drink the whole time.

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Or just hire Juan or two lawn guys and sit on the porch drinking beer the entire time the yard is being mowed.

My John Deere has a cup holder and anyone with a speck of coordination can use it and mow. It does a good job, cuts out a lot of weedwhacker trim time and makes mowing fun.
Add that it cuts over twice as fast you don't spend as much time mowing.
All I will ever have.

If the zero turn is kicking up dirt, wouldn't that inhibit my beer consumption?

Love my zero. It also has a cup holder.

Depends:

For strictly mowing, a smaller (42" or so) zero turn will whip the ride on mower's ass in time. But a ZTR can only mow, not much else.

A ride on is more versatile in that it can pull small trailers or implements (de-thatcher, for example). Mows slower, but has more overall uses.

For your size of yard, I don't know that a ZTR is going to be so much faster that it makes a world of difference to be honest.

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My John Deere has a cup holder and anyone with a speck of coordination can use it and mow. It does a good job, cuts out a lot of weedwhacker trim time and makes mowing fun.
Add that it cuts over twice as fast you don't spend as much time mowing.
All I will ever have.

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when drinking while mowing, it is best to use a container that will seal unless you like the taste of grass or dirt in your beer

I have a Hustler Raptor and mow about an acre with it. Lots of trees and beds and obstacles so the zero turn makes a big difference and is absolutely the way to go for my yard. But if I were you I'd go with a riding mower. My FIL has one and for long straight runs it is preferable. I can't drink beer while mowing with my ZTR, takes two hands and a beer in the cup holder goes flat in minutes. I enjoy mowing his yard for him because it is smoother and I drink his beer while mowing.

Get you a Cub Cadet ZTR with the steering wheel and you can have both ZTR and real-time beer drinking simultaneously.

http://www.cubcadet.com/equipment/cubcadet/zero-turn-riding-mowers/rzt-s-riders/features

Is CubCadet a decent brand?

Get a regular riding mower incase you get interested in mower racing later on.

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Is CubCadet a decent brand?

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Many will say no way...yet we have had no issues with our Cub ZTR...54" model with Kawasaki engine.

Can't believe no one has dropped in with the obligatory....

"It's not how well you mow, it's how well you mow fast!"

Seriously though. Thinking about picking up a riding mower in the next year. Monthly lawn service getting a little pricey. Know it will take a while to make up for cost of mower, but kids are getting a little older and I've finally got the time to mow. How much will a ZTR set me back? And what kind of annual maintenance costs am I looking at?

Looking like 2-4K depending on size and brand.

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Can't believe no one has dropped in with the obligatory....

"It's not how well you mow, it's how well you mow fast!"

Seriously though. Thinking about picking up a riding mower in the next year. Monthly lawn service getting a little pricey. Know it will take a while to make up for cost of mower, but kids are getting a little older and I've finally got the time to mow. How much will a ZTR set me back? And what kind of annual maintenance costs am I looking at?

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Because it's not how fast you mow, it's how well you mow fast.

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Can't believe no one has dropped in with the obligatory....

"It's not how well you mow, it's how well you mow fast!"

Seriously though. Thinking about picking up a riding mower in the next year. Monthly lawn service getting a little pricey. Know it will take a while to make up for cost of mower, but kids are getting a little older and I've finally got the time to mow. How much will a ZTR set me back? And what kind of annual maintenance costs am I looking at?

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Where are you located? Spend as much as you can and look at deck thickness, and try to get a kawasaki motor. There is a guy in Hempstead that sell them pretty reasonably.

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Or just hire Juan or two lawn guys and sit on the porch drinking beer the entire time the yard is being mowed.

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This. If you can afford a zero turn, you can afford to have it done.

Just set it on fire. It'll grow back!

We have a cub (was included when we bought our house) & have had no issues. I actually like to mow now.

Dr_Boogs- It all depends on what size deck/type of engine you want. We (I work for a Deere dealer in Dalhart) have Zero Turns from a Z335E 42" deck, that before tax is priced at $2,499, up to a Z540R that is at $6,099 before tax.
In my opinion as others have stated, a ZTR is a little excessive for an acre or less. Although we have sold a lot of ZTR's to people with just normal sized yards (it's all personal preference). For a lot that size I would suggest the D155, S240 or the D170 (all Deere of course). Plus like others have said you can pull small trailers and other attachments with these.

And most importantly, with the ZTR's you CAN still drink beer while mowing, just make sure your tracking is adjusted correctly, plus the handles are close enough that you can hold onto both (while going straight) with one hand.

Lot size is a criteria, but trees/shrubs/other obstacles are also where the ZTR's shine (plus their faster travel speed)..

You can absolutely drink beer and drive a zero turn. Just adjust the handles so they are almost touching each other and you can operate both with one hand. I've found its actually easier to drive in a straight line when you have both controls in one hand.

Under half an acre with house and landscaping....
I bet I could mow that faster with a push mower than a zero turn and be done drinking beer watching you mow.

I wore out the transmission on a Dixon ZTR model 429 (that stands for 42 inch with a Kohler engine). The ZTR transmission is fairly expensive but I replaced the transmission and a few years later the whole thing wore out.
Our lawn was exactly one acre, and I was mowing an additional two acres or so outside of our yard for baseball practice. So the ZTR WAS a good investment at the time, but now I prefer a regular tractor type mower. I have the same yard but have put in more garden, a pool, a shed, etc so the one acre is more like 1/2 acre, and no longer mow a baseball field.

The ZTR's are squirrely on slopes if you have any of that. Some ZTR's can even flip on you if you are trying to go up a steep slope...... some people can go up a slope in reverse more safely.

The ZTR transmission consists of sets of cones and "reverse" cones. If you mow a bunch like I did, these will wear out, but I have never met anyone else that had the same problem.

I am currently trying to decide if I like the Craftsman "Tight Turn" technology, which has a steering wheel but turns a 6 or 8 inch radius. Like everything else on the internet, there are both good and bad reviews. I am slightly leaning "pro" with the theory that almost all of the bad reviews are old, and most of the "great" reviews are more recent.

I would take that bet.

As said by one who does not have a zero turn. Maybe not the first time because you kinda have to figure out how it is best to do it, but I could smoke your ass with my zero turn against your push mower. TRUTH