New to the business: Cub Cadet Commercial or Scag

[Chadman]

I am currently starting my own lawn service. I am going to be purchasing a zero turn mower here shortly and have it narrowed down to two. The two are the Cub Cadet Commercial Zero Turn known as the Tank Model# M60-KH EFI with a 48" deck or the Scag "Cub" with the 48" deck. I really like the features of the The Tank but I am a little bit afraid. I haven't read anything on the site about the Cub Cadet Commercial line. If anyone could give me some advise on the subject that would be great.


Chadman

[Woody]

Someone on here runs Cub Cadet Commercial EXCLUSIVELY! I believe it is Maddog?

Anyhow, he gets GREAT dealer support, which is probably the number 1 thing you should look for. He has nothing but good things to say about them. I have to admit, a dealer I visited in the fall carried them, and I was eyeballing them. He said he had 30 commercial customers, and they are all nothing but happy. He said ONE of them finally came back in on a model that was 3 years old. He said the guy finally needed a new belt. Then again, this is all mower-shop ragchewing, but Maddog will fill you in on his experiences with them.

Woody

[Chadman]

Thanks

Thanks for the info Woody. Do you have any experience with the Scag

[Woody]

Chadman:

No, no firsthand experience with the Scag. My buddy runs Scag walkbehinds, as do a lot of people around here. As far as Z's, eXmark seems to be the brand of choice around here. Myself, I'm seriously eyeballing a Hustler Super Z. I went to the local shop for them the other day. This place is serious business BIGTIME, as they sell mowing equipment to golf courses, golf carts, etc. The have a service area that is bigger, and has more bays, than most CAR dealerships! Anyhow, these guys don't mess around. I was looking at a 60 inch Super Z. I asked them how many they had in stock. He walked me out to the warehouse. They had SIXTY of them IN STOCK! No kidding! Not all 60 inch, some were 72 inch as well. And they aren't in the commercial mower business, so to speak. The parts department was HUGE, 2 floors! Bigger than ANY parts department I have ever seen at ANY auto dealership. Needless to say, I was impressed bigtime. I'm setup to demo one once mowing gets into full swing. I don't think they would bat an eyelash if I asked to keep it for a whole week. Oh, and this place has been in business since 1940, so they must be doing right by their customers.

Needless to say, I'll be running around on a new Hustler Super Z real soon. And it is going to save me from $1,200 to $1,700 over a Lazer Z. I don't see where I could go wrong on this deal.

You might want to have a look at the Hustlers. It looks like you have 5 dealers within 40 miles of you. Go look up your nearest dealer.

Hustler Turf Equipment

Woody

[Chadman]

Hustler

Thanks for the info Woody. Hustler is a new name to me.

[TwoBrothersLC]

Chadman...Kuhn Turf on 204 is suppose to be getting the Hustler line in stock...I haven't heard from them yet as to if they have them...but it is the closest dealer to us. I'm in Whitehall

[P&C Lawn Care]

I don't own a Cub cadet or Scag, but I have heard nothing but good things about the CC Tank. Not a good name for a mower but that is another thing. I have an old White and where it gets serviced they carry Cub Cadet. The owner told me that since he has been selling them they have only had to replace the belts on them, I assume this is for the engine and deck.

[Maddog]

There are several of us here that run the Cub Cadet Commercial equipment. I run 2-M54 Tanks. They have held up well and give a great cut. Allot of the features that come standard on the Tanks are options on other brands.

My dealer and the price influenced my decision also. The dealer will give me loaners on any of my equipment if it has to go into the shop for any reason. Haven't had to do this yet on any of my equipment. He will loan me anything from a Tank to a string trimmer.

I bought my second Tank last summer. Couldn't pass up the deal. $5450 for a new last year model M54 with 23hp Kawasaki. Came with the 3 year warranty.

I also have several Cub Commercial string trimmers not the 2000 or 3000 series but the commercial ST23 trimmers. 2- BB60 Backpack blowers, 1- Stick edger, 1- 24" double sided hedge trimmer, 1-articulating hedge trimmer, 21" mower, 33" mower and they equal just about any brand.

If you do decide to buy a Cub let me know and I will get you the info on where you can get some of the common items fairly inexpensive.

[MortNuke]

New Business, have you considered a walk behind?

When I started my business last year, I was also pretty set to buy a ZTR. But after getting a lot of input, including folks on this great forum, I decided that a Walk Behind was much more appropriate for me.

The WB is much more versatile, such as on hills and smaller yards. Just about any customer can be serviced with a WB, whereas a ZTR may limit you. Most of us starting out need to be as flexible as possible while building up a client base.

Everyone must make up their own mind as to what will serve them best, based on their projected customers: size, hills, gates, etc. But a good progression is to begin with a 36 - 48" WB, then after a season or two, move into a ZTR for the larger properties.

Give it some thought, and good luck with the new business. You've come to the right place for advice!

Mort