toro grandstand

[spotremix]

well those who preach the stander mowers i'm finally with ya.

i purchased a toro grandstand at the beginning of this week and have mowed with it all week.

that thing is sweet

it has cut the time i spend on each property by every aspect, unloading, loading and mowing. it's more user friendly than my exmark tthp i had and more comfortable and save IMO to run.

i'd like to hear anyone elses opinions, especially others that own one.

[sjessen]

well those who preach the stander mowers i'm finally with ya.

i purchased a toro grandstand at the beginning of this week and have mowed with it all week.

that thing is sweet

it has cut the time i spend on each property by every aspect, unloading, loading and mowing. it's more user friendly than my exmark tthp i had and more comfortable and save IMO to run.

i'd like to hear anyone elses opinions, especially others that own one.

I am looking at the Grandstand as well but want to get one with a 60" deck or wait and get the Exmark version. I own a tthp 48" and a 60" tt. Can you give some specifics for comparison purposes. How much time do you think you are saving per lawn? 10%; 20%? Anything else you can share would be appreciated.

[VAUGHN]

i bought a 52 3 weeks ago just a few things. dealer took care of me. watch your break nuts, front moter mounts,and throtle cable. other than that strips great. not as fast in reverse as i would like.holds hills well. as long as you are on it. oh yea watch the bolts on where you lock the step up in the up postion.

[spotremix]

I am looking at the Grandstand as well but want to get one with a 60" deck or wait and get the Exmark version. I own a tthp 48" and a 60" tt. Can you give some specifics for comparison purposes. How much time do you think you are saving per lawn? 10%; 20%? Anything else you can share would be appreciated.

right now i'd say i'm 20% quicker on each lawn but it's summer here and been hot and dry so i'm also not needing to trim as much. the real test will be next spring when everything is green and growing like crazy.

i don't know what kind of propertys you mow but holding out for a 60" vs. a 52" isn't worth it in my opinion.

i'm not sure exmark will have a version. toro owns exmark and i can't imagine both brands coming out with a very similar machine. but who knows........

[sjessen]

right now i'd say i'm 20% quicker on each lawn but it's summer here and been hot and dry so i'm also not needing to trim as much. the real test will be next spring when everything is green and growing like crazy.

i don't know what kind of propertys you mow but holding out for a 60" vs. a 52" isn't worth it in my opinion.

i'm not sure exmark will have a version. toro owns exmark and i can't imagine both brands coming out with a very similar machine. but who knows........

Thanks for the quick response. You may be exactly correct about the 52" vs. 60" deck size. Currently, run a 60" turf tracer and do 90% of the mowing with it so don't want to go down in size, if possible. Would strongly consider Toro but there is no dealer locally and have a good relationship with the Exmark dealer which is only 3 miles away. The Grandstand has been a real success for Toro and imagine they want Exmark to have that same opportunity to sell units.

[spotremix]

Thanks for the quick response. You may be exactly correct about the 52" vs. 60" deck size. Currently, run a 60" turf tracer and do 90% of the mowing with it so don't want to go down in size, if possible. Would strongly consider Toro but there is no dealer locally and have a good relationship with the Exmark dealer which is only 3 miles away. The Grandstand has been a real success for Toro and imagine they want Exmark to have that same opportunity to sell units.

interesting you have an exmark dealer that does not carry toro. since toro owns exmark i would figure your dealer would have both. i'm just going by the dealers around my neck of the woods. there are no dealers around here that carry one and not the other except one toro dealer but they don't carry the commercial equipment that toro has, just the home owner models.

i really don't think you'll miss the 8" going from a 60" deck to a 52" but then again that depends on the size of propertys your servicing. i run a 52" and a 36" deck. i can see a 60" helping me that much more.

back to your dealer have you asked if they can order it for you and will they be able to get your parts and service it if needed. my dealer had to order it for me. not a single one on the lot.

[MASTERMOWER]

Still learning huh???

Sport sure knows his stuff on mowers, esp Toro, Exmark, and varying deck widths. :alien::alien::alien:

PS: 8" is a significant difference in the world of commercial mowing, maybe not so much for your hobby mowing. It's like me saying I might as well sell my 52" ZTR because my 44" Toro is just 8" smaller and is cheaper to run. Catch my drift? :alien::alien::alien:

[sjessen]

interesting you have an exmark dealer that does not carry toro. since toro owns exmark i would figure your dealer would have both. i'm just going by the dealers around my neck of the woods. there are no dealers around here that carry one and not the other except one toro dealer but they don't carry the commercial equipment that toro has, just the home owner models.

i really don't think you'll miss the 8" going from a 60" deck to a 52" but then again that depends on the size of propertys your servicing. i run a 52" and a 36" deck. i can see a 60" helping me that much more.

back to your dealer have you asked if they can order it for you and will they be able to get your parts and service it if needed. my dealer had to order it for me. not a single one on the lot.

Funny you mentioned the dealer selling both brands. Spoke with the local dealer and he said a Toro rep approached him about selling Toros. The rep said even though they are divisions of the same company he (the rep)has to compete with Exmark to find dealers willing to carry his product line. The common practice here seems to be dealers carrying a top tier line such as Exmark, Toro, Scag and then carrying a second tier(less expensive) line such as Bad Boy, Bobcat,etc. A lot of dealers are hesitant to add product lines - they just don't have the cash for inventory, parts, etc.

About ordering a mower, I bought a 2001 52" Toro walk mower sight unseen and without a demo. That series of mowers had handling and weight distribution issues so I said "Never Again!". Will wait for units to be stocked and will demo one before plopping down $8500 or so.

Thanks for the advice and feedback. I appreciate it, and best of luck with your new mower!

Noticed you run a 52" and a 36". I started with a 36", later added the 52" and now run a 48" and a 60". You are right, it all depends on the size properties one has. Most of the solo guys around here run either a 60" rider or a 60" walkbehind for their main mower. The larger companies run more 48's and 52's.

I am pushing 60 years and am looking for any way to improve productivity I can find. My body is well past its prime and will have to consider downsizing, etc. as time passes.

[Manofstihl]

I switched over to Wright Standers years ago. The guys love them.
Fast, easy to handle, great on slopes, small footprint, saves on trailer space.
Forget the walk behinds.

[spotremix]

Sport sure knows his stuff on mowers, esp Toro, Exmark, and varying deck widths. :alien::alien::alien:

PS: 8" is a significant difference in the world of commercial mowing, maybe not so much for your hobby mowing. It's like me saying I might as well sell my 52" ZTR because my 44" Toro is just 8" smaller and is cheaper to run. Catch my drift? :alien::alien::alien:

my advice and opinions about the 8" come from personal experiences MM.

i have all residential clients except for a small used car lot. for me going from a 52" deck to a 60" deck is not going to make that much of a difference. i believe i even said the deck size would depend on the properties you are working on. i realize in some cases that extra 8" would make a difference but not in my personal case.

[spotremix]

Funny you mentioned the dealer selling both brands. Spoke with the local dealer and he said a Toro rep approached him about selling Toros. The rep said even though they are divisions of the same company he (the rep)has to compete with Exmark to find dealers willing to carry his product line. The common practice here seems to be dealers carrying a top tier line such as Exmark, Toro, Scag and then carrying a second tier(less expensive) line such as Bad Boy, Bobcat,etc. A lot of dealers are hesitant to add product lines - they just don't have the cash for inventory, parts, etc.

About ordering a mower, I bought a 2001 52" Toro walk mower sight unseen and without a demo. That series of mowers had handling and weight distribution issues so I said "Never Again!". Will wait for units to be stocked and will demo one before plopping down $8500 or so.

Thanks for the advice and feedback. I appreciate it, and best of luck with your new mower!

Noticed you run a 52" and a 36". I started with a 36", later added the 52" and now run a 48" and a 60". You are right, it all depends on the size properties one has. Most of the solo guys around here run either a 60" rider or a 60" walkbehind for their main mower. The larger companies run more 48's and 52's.

I am pushing 60 years and am looking for any way to improve productivity I can find. My body is well past its prime and will have to consider downsizing, etc. as time passes.

i started with the 36". i don't run a 48" because all the gated yards i have will only allow 36" access or a 21 incher.

[Sammy]

I have one (Lake Front) where I can't even turn around with my 60" mower without making a mess of things. I just go forward and back three times and it is done.

If they are dumb enough to put a small gate in, then, they mow it, not me.

[sjessen]

i bought a 52 3 weeks ago just a few things. dealer took care of me. watch your break nuts, front moter mounts,and throtle cable. other than that strips great. not as fast in reverse as i would like.holds hills well. as long as you are on it. oh yea watch the bolts on where you lock the step up in the up postion.

I like the walkbehind option for safety reasons. Wonder if they could come up with some sort of weight transfer system to help with balance issues.

[VAUGHN]

agree .hear great danes have one

[sjessen]

agree .hear great danes have one

Do you know how it works?