WB or Hydro: Specific Questions

[Frank]

I am currently using 2, 36" Ransomes belt drive mowers. They have been very productive for over 20 years now. However, they (Bobcat) do not have a very good availability for service, parts or advice in my area. My current options are Ex-Mark, Lesco, John Deere and SCAG. I have looked a the the Ex-Mark and like the machine. I do have some questions though. Keep in mind that I have a lot of hills on the properties that I maintain.

So here are my questions.

[?]The 36" belt mower requires more maintenance than a hydro from what I understand. Is this true.
[?]What are your opinions/preferences between these three companies.
[?]In my business, there are a lot of curbs to go up and down. The hydro seems really heavy. How hard is it to get up and down a curb and or trailer.
[?]Is it worth the money (an extra $2000.00) for the hydro and why.
[?]How maneuverable are sulkies on hills. Will the mower slip due to the weight during the wet seasons.
[?]Finally, could someone explain the flex deck vs. fixed. What advantages do each hold.

Your knowledge and input is appreciated.

By the way, I am located in San Jose, California. If anyone has any recommendations I am all ears.

[GrassMaster]

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<b>Welcome to the Lawnservicing Forum Community, Frank!</b> []

[imograss]

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my equipment that i use is mainly deere, ive used deere since i started about 5 years ago. i started with 3 deere 48" fixed deck w/b's. i used these exclusivly for quite a while. they are much lighter than hydros and there are places i could use them that would be better than a hydro (wet slopes, soggy lawns). scalping can be an issue but you can scalp with any mower. most fixed decks dont have anti scalp wheels, where most hydros do. i also have a deere hd75 54" hyro a gravely 50"hydro and a deere m665 ztr. i dont and havent had a problem with any of these mowers on curbs or trailers. ive never owned any of the other machines you mentioned, but i see alot of them in use in my area (nashville tn.) having a dealer that will support you means alot. as far as sulkies go i normally will not ride one on a steep slope but in most cases you can, it may make handling a little more difficult. the hydros dont have a gear shift in the way so you can raise the suky and chain it uot of the way and keep mowing.after using the hydro, my opinion is it is worth the extra dollars, they are easier to maneuver, you never realize how much you use reverse until you use a hydro. x mark makes excellent mowers as well as scag and lesco. sounds like you ve got good options, just find a dealer that will work with you and appreciates your business.welcome to the forum!

[CCLS]

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1) Both require about the same amount of maintenance, just different types of maintenance.

2) I would go with Exmark out of the choices. I have never had a problem with either of my Exmark's. I have used Scag before, but it just wasn't as good as Exmark. Nothing wrong with the machine, just personal preferance. I have never used a lesco or deere, so I can't really comment.

3) You shouldn't have any troubles with curbs or trailers that you wouldn't have with a belt.

4) Yes, belts slip when they are wet and are not as good as hydros at tackeling hills.

5) I wouldn't recommend using a sulkie or a velke on a hill because you need to position yourself so that the mower doesn't tip over. Just depends on how steep the hill is. If you are on a hill, most times it will slip even if it isn't wet, being wet just makes the situation worse.

6) Fixed, does'nt move. Flex deck, floats with the contours of the ground.

[Frank]

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Thank you for your input gentlemen.

Two more questions for you.

[?]Is striping achieved with just the standard machine or do you need add-on parts.
[?]Which one of the four previously mentioned mowers does the best job of mulching.

[CCLS]

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Striping can be done without add on parts, it is just a technique that has many factors that contribute to it. You can buy add on parts like a roller for the mower to increase the darkness of the stripe.

Exmark by far is the best for mulching and mowing.

[imograss]

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my deere and gravely w/b stripe extremely well, i dont run a mulch kit on them the only thing i mulch with mine are leaves. most w/b in general stripe well, when you get to the ztrs they dont seem to stripe as well hence the add on rollers the dealers advertize for 300.00