Posted: 12/10/2025 10:39:05 AM EDT
[Last Edit: OneMoreAR][Edited]
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For 25 years I've been using a TG1860 Kubota Diesel 54" deck lawn tractor on my 2.5 acres. It now has nearly 800 hours, averaging 32 hours/season. This Kubota has a top speed of 7 mph on the flats and down hills and most of the time I'm on the gas pedal wishing I had more forward speed. If I mow non-stop, I can finish in about 1-3/4 hours. It's been a great mower with minimal downtime but wouldn't have lived this long without my ability to repair it as needed. I paid $6,800 for it in May 2000 and I've gotten my money's worth. I'm considering the purchase of a new mower. I'm now retired and have more time to mow grass, but why not mow faster? And this Kubota is near the end of life. I've checked the local mower dealers, and most don't offer anything with a travel speed greater than 8 MPH. The Scag Tiger Cat II with 52" or 61" deck has a top travel speed of 12 MPH and is $13k+ including sales tax if I buy it now. Considering our cost of living has almost doubled since 2000 it's about the same price I paid back then. I was hoping for an off-season discount, but they offered nothing. Does Scag offer springtime discounts? Do different Scag dealers offer different prices or are they controlled by Scag? I really don't need it until April, and even then, I don't have to have it since the Kubota is still running. Tiger Cat II A google search showed earlier this year they offered a 15% discount to first responders, military and others. 15% off of $13k is impressive, but unfortunately, I wouldn't qualify. |
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My Z81K Kubota mows at around 11 MPH. 800 hours really isn't THAT much for a commercial quality mower. I have well over that on my Grasshopper. Mowing is a cartharsis exercise for me. Some muffs with speakers, tunes, cold drink, chill and mow and let the world roll on by. Off season is really the best time to try to make a deal but you aren't going to find crazy 25%-50% off deals either, 10% or a bit more and that's it. And prices are going to scare you if it's been 25 years since you bought a commercial ZT. Even the Bota I bought in 2020 is $4k+ higher in price. |
Liberals are a curious mix of communism and fascism, they want to destroy you but want to use your own money to do it.
I'm getting down to the last box, the others have all been destroyed...
I'm getting down to the last box, the others have all been destroyed...
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Are you set on Scag? If 10mph is fast enough and you are open to other brands you can definitely get something for less that is still good quality. My dad picked up a Hustler Fastrak last year for 8k. It has 54'' deck and top speed is 10mph which is still a good bit faster than what you have. He loves it https://www.hustlerturf.com/products/fastrak |
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I'm not absolutely set on Scag, but they do have local sales and support. Local options also include Kubota and John Deere, and their similar offerings are same or greater priced. The Hustler Fast Trak looks interesting, and 10 mph is about 50% faster than I am now traveling. Their closest dealer is 1+ hours away. I may visit them when I'm in that direction, but I don't often go to Anderson SC. The local Tractor Supply sells Bad Boy and Husqvarna zeroturn mowers. The most expensive models of ~ $7k have travel speed of about 8.5mph. It seems Bad Boy offers better mowers than what Tractor Supply sells, but there is no local representation. Since I'm not in a hurry to buy I can visit other brand options when convenient. But my original question remains: Does Scag offer sales pricing, and do they control their dealer selling prices? It does seem their pricing is the same throughout their dealer network. |
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I've been in a similar shopping state for a couple months now. I can't say for certain but from all the dealers I have visited (there are multiple dealers for each major commercial mower brand in my area) the sales seem to nearly always be dealer specific. One of the local Scag dealers runs a February sale that isn't a manufacturer sale. Sometimes the manufacturer has promo deals, for example currently Wright has a national promo deal on their ZXL and Stander LG. "do they control their dealer selling prices" I know for a fact there is MAP pricing for some of the brands so there is some control over dealer pricing. |
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I located a discounted Scag Tiger Cat II in Greenville SC area with the Kohler engine. The online chatter says the Kawasaki engine is the preferred engine, the Kohler gets bad press. Anyone have experience with the Kohler vs Kawasaki choice? Today I learned that our local Scag dealer now also represents the BadBoy brand. He has the higher quality BB units that Tractor Supply doesn't offer, and they're priced less than Scag. That might be a possibility. |
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Originally Posted By OneMoreAR: I located a discounted Scag Tiger Cat II in Greenville SC area with the Kohler engine. The online chatter says the Kawasaki engine is the preferred engine, the Kohler gets bad press. Anyone have experience with the Kohler vs Kawasaki choice? Today I learned that our local Scag dealer now also represents the BadBoy brand. He has the higher quality BB units that Tractor Supply doesn't offer, and they're priced less than Scag. That might be a possibility. Kawasaki over Kohler. Kohler makes a pretty good true commercial line of engines [the Command series were quite good] but their residential engines [like the Courage series] are not worth the premium over lesser branded engines. |
Liberals are a curious mix of communism and fascism, they want to destroy you but want to use your own money to do it.
I'm getting down to the last box, the others have all been destroyed...
I'm getting down to the last box, the others have all been destroyed...
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Originally Posted By fxntime: Kawasaki over Kohler. Kohler makes a pretty good true commercial line of engines [the Command series were quite good] but their residential engines [like the Courage series] are not worth the premium over lesser branded engines. Agree with this. The Tiger Cat is a really nice mower. I've only used the Turf Tiger and one down from that and they are a really good get (I can't remember their line names. It's another predator I think). OP, you are looking for a mower in prime mower buying season. Mowers get cheaper in the fall when grass cutting season is done. Right now all the commercial people are replacing their equipment cuz mowing starts in just a few weeks. So you won't get the best price (in my experience) buying a mower in spring. HOWEVER my dealer offers zero interest deals in the spring so I bet other dealers do too. FWIW, my mower dealer (Hustler/Exmark) told me last year he will never install another Kohler engine. Something about the engines, the company or their service made him so mad he said that to the Kohler supplier. I can't remember what he said they had done bu I know him and he's not petty so it was significant and meant he could not serve his customers by depending on those engines. Not sure that's useful but that's why I agree with fxntime on Kawasaki over kohler. My dealer would say the same. Also, be careful if/when you buy used commercial equipment. On one hand I recommend that people look for used SCAG equipment but that's if you have a dealer you trust implicitly. The concern is that landscape crews beat the absolute sh*t out of those mowers and trade them in or sell them every two years. You can't always tell by looking that they've been abused. I have heard very good things about the commercial Bad Boy mowers but I have no personal experience. ETA: Pay attention to the footprint of the mower and consider your terrain. If you have a lot of hills, get the zero turn that is squatty and wide vs the one that sits a little taller. Depending on how they're built, some of them have the operator sitting up high and the wheel base is more narrow. After mowing for money for a number of years, I'll take the wider wheel base any day. I'm sorry I'm not techy enough to know which mower has which specs. I just know some of them feel insanely stable and others made me really nervous on slopes. The best roll bar is the one that never gets tested. |
Nobody ever wakes me at 2 in the morning telling me that my grass is out on the highway.~~Radiopat
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
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Thank you for that input. Whatever I buy needs to mow faster and better than what I now have, which is 25-year-old 54" cut diesel engine Kubota with top speed of 7 mph. Since it still runs well I don't have to be in any hurry to replace it. I'm just ready for an upgrade. My criteria is a solid machine with a minimal 10 mph forward speed. Our local Scag & Badboy dealer told me the Kohler engine is out of favor; he won't stock them anymore because they won't sell. Both Scag & Badboy offer generous discounts to First Responders & Military folks, but I don't qualify. I'm hoping they'll offer something to the general public. I'm not looking at used equipment but might consider if a solid offer pops up. Thanks for the tip on squatty vs wide. My yard isn't very hilly, but I'd prefer the more stable design. Presently I am watching the Scag Tiger Cat or the Badboy Rebel. They're similarly built with a 12 mph forward speed. At my age this will be the last lawn mower that I will ever buy. I want to get something robust, greatly reduces my time on the machine, and make mowing grass more exciting. |
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FWIW, when I went after my Exmark to mow commercially, I already knew I wanted one non-negotiable addition. A Grass Flap. My awesome dealer actually got a Grass Flap dealership added to his business so he could get me a good discount (didn't cost him anything) but not because they were expensive. Because he liked the concept and thought he could sell more. When my mower has been in the shop and I've had to mow with something else (my neighbor's SCAG) I realize how much I depend on that Grass Flap. All the other similar products require me to stop and operate a handle. I do this without even thinking as I'm turning or approaching an area I want to protect. If you have lots of landscaping or flower beds, you might consider one. It's the going between two landscaped areas that will get you cuz you've gotta pick which mulched or graveled of hardscaped area you you cover with grass clippings (and the resulting stains if it's expensive stonework or stamped concrete). Is it perfect? No. A few blades of grass will escape around the flap if you have a commercial mower because the vacuum and power of the deck is so strong. But it is good enough that I never had to blow off landscaping unless I had a brain fart and forgot to hit the flap. ETA: Shoot. My video is not embedding. Maybe we can't embed shorts? Lemme see. Here we go.  GrassFlap® I also use it when I'm mulching leaves. Set the deck very low, mow the leaves into windrows and drive over them, using the grass flap to feather a small space to allow leaves to barely escape so they don't build up too much under the deck. I can make a wooded yard look like no leaves were ever there. 
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Nobody ever wakes me at 2 in the morning telling me that my grass is out on the highway.~~Radiopat
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
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Spent 25+ years pulling a 5' finish mower behind my JD tractor cutting 8+ acres. Had to go slow because of the bumpy terrain. Bought a Ferris 5' zero turn last year. Cut my cutting time down at least 50-60%. I run it wide open at 12mph and the 4-wheel suspension makes for a much smoother ride. Cuts like a MOFO. Better wear the seat belt and have eyepro though. Wasnt cheap though. I think it was $14.5k with the big Kawasaki engine. I love that thing, and it was/is totally worth it to me... |
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Originally Posted By GravyLegs: I've got a 61" Scag Patriot with the Kawasaki engine and its been really solid for the past four years. I mow 4-5 acres once a week, its plenty quick and even goes in the tall grass on occasion without bogging down. @GravyLegs How long does it take you to cut the 4-5 acres? |
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Originally Posted By OneMoreAR: @GravyLegs How long does it take you to cut the 4-5 acres? Originally Posted By OneMoreAR: Originally Posted By GravyLegs: I've got a 61" Scag Patriot with the Kawasaki engine and its been really solid for the past four years. I mow 4-5 acres once a week, its plenty quick and even goes in the tall grass on occasion without bogging down. @GravyLegs How long does it take you to cut the 4-5 acres? 3.5 hours, much quicker than the old Hustler it replaced |
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Originally Posted By GravyLegs: 3.5 hours, much quicker than the old Hustler it replaced Just don't forget any gates you've gotta go through. 
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Nobody ever wakes me at 2 in the morning telling me that my grass is out on the highway.~~Radiopat
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
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| I would call around. Your dealer may even have the previous year's models or barely used returned models. I almost bought one of the latter, but the deck was wider than I wanted it. One of my neighbors bought a similar deal for a very significant discount. In both cases, loyal customers returned them within days opting for upgraded models. IIRC, the one I looked at did not even have one hour of run time. |
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