Exmark VS John Deere ZTR's

[biggfoot]

Hey Guys,

Brand new to all of this (1st post) and I would like to hear from the Pro's out there regarding their experience with cut quality, reliability, ease of use on the John Deere 757 Z-Trak VS. the Exmark Lazer Z. Both are available in my area and seem to be similar priced. So here are the questions in my mind:

1. John Deere 7 gauge stamped deck VS Exmark 10 gauge top 7 gauge sides welded deck

2. 25 HP Kohler (supposedly has a heavy duty air suction filter) VS. 25 HP Kawasaki

3. Cut quality John Deere VS Exmark

4. User options John Deere VS Exmark

5. Resale value John Deere VS Exmark

thanks for your input !!

[rkbrown]

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Welcome to the forum, biggfoot !!! I do not own either, but on the forums I tend to hear more about the exmark. One thing you should also look for is dealer support...which dealer will respond better if your machine is down or you need to order a part, etc.

[Zack.]

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My dealer sells both brands & he sells 4 eXmark Z's to every Deere Z & 7 to 1 in the WB's. He does sell alot of Deere lawn tractors & 21"s to scrubs & homeowners.

The new JD stander looks cool but I hear it's just a Great Dane with JD stickers, which means reliability could be a problem.

[Scaper-S2k]

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The gauge of the steel shouldn't be much of a deciding factor on a commercial Z or walk behind. Has anyone ever seen a hole put in one? Or a crack? Probably not. Especially with a floating deck.

Both engines are decent. The Kohler will be a little louder from what I have heard.

Cut quality will be okay on both. I prefer the Toro deck setup myself, the Exmark decks.

User options will be comparable on both (there aren't gonna be many anyway).


Resale? JD would probably hold value better (just guessing) because there are alot more Exmarks out there (think bargaining), and J/D has a lot of brand loyal followers (I am not one)

[Zack.]

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The 25 Kohler has the Donaldson air filter standard. Get the Kohler.

[biggfoot]

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Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply !!

Scaper, about the deck thickness, when I first looked at the Deere there was a 61" Bobcat ZTR out front too (w/23HP Kawasaki). The salesman finally got called away so I eased my way back to the shop area. I began picking the mechanic's brain about his preference between the 7 gauge deck vs the 10 gauge's etc. He prefered the Deere over the Bobcat just because the Bobcat deck didn't have much supporting iron up front. It's not that he was concerned about a hole or crack, but more of a concern of deck warp in the event of an accidental collision with a tree, etc. I dont know if this sort of thinking holds much water . . I am still taking in all advice and processing it.

Zack, the Exmark guy in my area says that everyone began buying the 25 HP Kohler just because of the air filter you referred to. He says that Kawasaki got wind of it and plans to upgrade their air intake filtration early next year to counter Kohler's move. So if you had the upgraded air intake system on the Kawasaki would that influence your opinion or would you still stick with Kohler?

This is great guys, keep those opinions coming !!!

[QuickTrim]

Last JD I bought was in 1992 a 32" deck 750 or something like that, used, 1 year old. It was for home use only and it was total crap. Some knobs broke, the gas cap/guage fell apart, it chewed belts, got really crappy hillside traction (it would slip on a 3::12 grade if there was dew on the grass, it was like ice skating and mowing at the same time. Plus I spent a little more thinking I was getting a better product. Look at a model a few years older than the one you want like a 1998 if you are looking at a 2002 if you can, and see how it has stood up to the use.

If it has any fiberglass on it be really carefull. One good smack and it will crack then the crack will spread and eventually split into two pieces, if you don't fix it right away. To fix it right you need gelcoat and colorant so good repairs are costly and it really needs to be done right to last but even then it will still look repaired if it has age due to sun fading.

Maybe I just had a lemon or they just don't make the same quality product as they once did? like Ford (LOL) or maybe they make good tractors for Large Scale industrial but the smaller versions aren't that great, However I live near the JD testing facility here in Florida and they test their equipment pretty thoroughly as I have seen driving by and they are always hiring if you need something to do for the winter. They can't ever find enough good employees to test products in the sun for 8+ hours a day...go figure.

[Anderson Creek Lawn]

Hi i run a jd z-trac 757 your right they are priced about the same but the major reason was that i was offered more service support by jd if it takes longer than a few hours to repair they have a loaner system in place for commerical contractors i go to the front of the line and have a one mech that services my mowers so he knows the history of that product so my advice is to talk to the shop and sales make sure that you get this service in writing ..... the only drawback is that the vac system for the z-tracs is a cheap plastic housed with a steel impaler which in this high-sand lasts about 2-3months and about a 100-150 bucks to repair

[imograss]

The Deere 7 iron deck is the cleanest I've used. It has no sharp corners for grass to pack in and clog the deck up. In the 2 yrs I owned the Z trak I didn't have to scrape the deck once.

[tcb4566]

Can anyone tell me something about Gravely. I have been looking at the 144z and the 148z...thnx

[Phil Nilsson]

The Deere 7 iron deck is the cleanest I've used. It has no sharp corners for grass to pack in and clog the deck up. In the 2 yrs I owned the Z trak I didn't have to scrape the deck once.

Deere is a huge company ... Exmark is NOT ... Exmark advertises mowers more than Deere ... they "push them" ... you "buy" them.

[allyardcare]

I cannot compare Deere to Exmark because I've never owned a Deere but I do run an Exmark. I don't think you could hurt my deck with a bulldozer. Also I've got a little history with Kawasaki engines. When you do have a break down ( and it happens to us all) in my area of the world Kaw parts are harder to get here than Kohler. My Kohler part has never been later than tomorrow, some guys I know run Kaw have to wait over a week here for a part. Downtime's a killer.

[heavenlydeere]

i've owned a 757 and now a 777 and i love them both in my opinion they are one of the best on the market. not saying anything bad about any other mower because they will all cut grass, some faster, some taller grass ,but for the most part one will work just as good as the next, if a company would make a junk mower they would be out of business fast! first , there are several things i liked about the deere better than others, for one, it rode the best of ALL others that i demoed hands down, and that means alot , next the deck heighth adjustment was by far the simplest and the most effective of all ztrs that i know of , none even come close, the deck, although stamped, is extemely tough and very clean! the machine will darn near hang vertical on slopes, and dealer support from deere is always very good and they have a loner system,although neither my 757 or 777 have been back! in closing either mower will work great and perform right along with each other, the x might get the nod for cutting deeper wetter grass but i liked what the deere had to offer as a complete package and it will cut deep wet grass too !! PS. DEERE NOW HAS A DIESEL MODEL I HAVE NOT DEMOED IT !

[Watkinslawnservice]

I think in this case which mower is not the question, but which dealer is. I would pick the dealer that is closest or the one that I feel would give me the best service. As far as resale that all depends on the area you are in. Where I live I am in a rural farming oriented community. John Deere is huge around here and I could sell a used JD Z to any farmer around to use on thier own lawn but not many of them would have ever heard of an Exmark.

Dave

[huntlawncare]

jd all the way i have mowed two years with my f 687 ztrak 7 iron no problems at all and if i did have a problem they would come to me and bring me a loaner you cant beat the jd service