Buying $6,000 mower... what are pros/cons of belt or shaft driven?

[Red]

My father-in-law wants to purchase a zero-turn riding lawn mower.

He is looking at two models:

John Deere Z-Trak 717 for $5,900

and a

Kubota for $6,400

The only major differences between the two is that the john deere is belt driven and the kubota is shaft driven.

His back yard his very hilly/rough so he wanted to know if either the shaft or belt driven would be extremely different from each other. (Is it worth $500 extra to get a shaft driven Kubota over a belt driven John Deere, basically)

Anyone have experience with this stuff? The internet is not turning out to be a good resource for zero turn reviews.

 

[Shockwave]

I personally would go shaft driven. Seems to be less hassle and better power transfer. No slipping belts, no stretched belts, no need to replace belts. Shafts last forever, although you may need to change out the U joints once every 10,000 years or so.
Course it also depends how strong the gearbox and shafts are. I cant see them underengineering those components though on a mower with that price tag. Chances are its pretty well built.

 

[fredtam]

Why not a hydro for that much? I use a Lesco Zero turn hydro rider and walk behind/sulkee. I highly reccomend Lesco.

 

[Ornery]

I'd worry more about how sturdy and serviceable those hydro motors are, than what drives the wheels. They are mucho expensive, and take a beating. Ask the folks who repair them.

 

[fredtam]

Originally posted by: Ornery
I'd worry more about how sturdy and serviceable those hydro motors are, than what drives the wheels. They are mucho expensive, and take a beating. Ask the folks who repair them.

I mow around 10+ acres a week. Lesco Hydros are nearly indestructable. Neither of the mowers has had any Hydro issues in the last 5 years. This is the rider we use. We got it around your price range from the dealer on sale. Hydros are less problematic than belt or shaft driven mowers and are just as easy to fix.

Edit: All I'm saying is that if you can find a Lesco Hydro in your price range it would be the best investment.

 

[fredtam]

If I had to choose I would say shaft driven for better control. Belt driven for ease of maintenance.

 

[Vette73]

Belt vs Shaft is something that also comes up in motorcycle forums a lot and I will tell you based on that.


Shaft
Pro: low maintaince, little to no adjustment needed
Con: if it breaks it will cost a arm and a leg to fix, and parts will probable have to be OEM as no one else makes them


Belt
Pro: gets power from engine to drive better, less lose then shaft
Con: requires more maintaince and adjustment

 

[Red]

Ok. Also, let me explain why he wants something "tough"

His backyard is really hilly, lots of stumps, tall grass, weeds, etc.

His current plain vinally john deere riding mower pops a belt off whenever he hits a stump or whatever, so he is sick of messing with that and wants a mower that just takes a beating.

so should I tell him to stick with shaft driven? Would that take a beating more than belt driven?

 

[Ornery]

"Hydros are less problematic than belt or shaft driven mowers..."

The mowers he's looking at ARE hydros!

"john deere riding mower pops a belt off whenever he hits a stump or whatever"

That toy isn't in the same league as the "Z" mowers he's looking at. Whether it's belt or shaft is a real small issue in the overall equation.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Red
Ok. Also, let me explain why he wants something "tough"

His backyard is really hilly, lots of stumps, tall grass, weeds, etc.

His current plain vinally john deere riding mower pops a belt off whenever he hits a stump or whatever, so he is sick of messing with that and wants a mower that just takes a beating.

so should I tell him to stick with shaft driven? Would that take a beating more than belt driven?

It probably will, but both are probably going to break eventually if he's mowing stumps.

So it becomes a cost of repair issue.

 

[fredtam]

Originally posted by: Red
Ok. Also, let me explain why he wants something "tough"

His backyard is really hilly, lots of stumps, tall grass, weeds, etc.

His current plain vinally john deere riding mower pops a belt off whenever he hits a stump or whatever, so he is sick of messing with that and wants a mower that just takes a beating.

so should I tell him to stick with shaft driven? Would that take a beating more than belt driven?

Yeah shaft driven is fine since he doesn't want the hastle but more expensive to fix. Maintenence is easy/cheap on belt drives but is constant. Hydro is best.

 

[fredtam]

Originally posted by: Ornery
"Hydros are less problematic than belt or shaft driven mowers..."

The mowers he's looking at ARE hydros!

"john deere riding mower pops a belt off whenever he hits a stump or whatever"

That toy isn't in the same league as the "Z" mowers he's looking at. Whether it's belt or shaft is a real small issue in the overall equation.

Sorry didn't look. There are Z-turn mowers that use belts to drive the wheels. You won't have to worry about blade belts coming off. I've never had a problem and I run over all types of sh!t.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Ornery
I'd worry more about how sturdy and serviceable those hydro motors are, than what drives the wheels. They are mucho expensive, and take a beating. Ask the folks who repair them.

My grandfather had a Bolens with a hydrostatic transmission from the 1960's. It still runs perfectly. I'd say that the hydrostatic drives are pretty reliable.

For the OP, I wouldn't touch a Deere with a 10-foot pole attached to another 10-foot pole. I've not had good experiences with Deere's small equipment at all. The shaft drive might be a little nicer, but I've never had problems with belt-drive and if you hit a rock with belt drive the belt just slips. If you hit a rock with shaft drive, all that shock goes right up into the PTO.

If it were me, I would be looking at this, or, if you could spend a bit more, this.

If you were to go to the commercial grade mowers, I'd look into Simplicity's commercial mowers.

ZV

EDIT: I missed that you needed a ZTR mower. Look at Simplicity's commercial mowers. The ZTR's are nice, if not the best looking. Simplicity makes a sturdy mower. Personally, I have a prejudice against ZTR mowers because you can't hook up as many attachments to them, but if you only need to use it to mow, they're great.

 

[Ornery]

Damn, Fred! You do realize you have a hydro drive belt, don't you? Check page 22 of your owner's manual.

 

[fredtam]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Damn, Fred! You do realize you have a hydro drive belt, don't you? Check page 22 of your owner's manual.

See my above post. I've never concerned myself with what drives the blades. That said I've never had a blade belt come off the pulley. The pulleys are adjustable and the lip overhangs the belt by almost an inch.

 

[Ornery]

Simplicity won't say who makes their "dual hydros", but John Deer states theirs is by Ross. Seems that most of the landscapers around here choose Toro for whatever reason.


"I've never concerned myself with what drives the blades."

Not the blades, the hydro motors: "f. Check the spindle belt, the mower drive
belt and the hydro drive belt." Pg. 22 of the Lesco Z2 owner's manual

 

[fredtam]

Also the drive pulleys are encased so nothing gets in there to disturb them.

 

[fredtam]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Simplicity won't say who makes their "dual hydros", but John Deer states theirs is by Ross. Seems that most of the landscapers around here choose Toro for whatever reason.

I guess that is where I got my loyalty to Lesco. Growing up surrounded by golf courses all I ever saw was Lesco and Toro.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Simplicity won't say who makes their "dual hydros", but John Deer states theirs is by Ross.

The Morgan model uses a single Eaton hydro (link) that has an integral cooling fan. I would think that since the other two mowers also talk about integrated cooling fans and since Simplicity has a history of sourcing parts from one place instead of a bunch of them that the larger commercial mowers have a pair of Eaton Hydros.

FWIW, Eaton has a pretty damn good reputation in their other ventures.

ZV

 

[Ornery]

Why does the Simplicity need a steering chain? That's a pretty crude setup!

Edit: I see that's a lower end model, but the high end unit doesn't specify hydro motor brand. I guess Eaton would be a fair guess...

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Red
My father-in-law wants to purchase a zero-turn riding lawn mower.

He is looking at two models:

John Deere Z-Trak 717 for $5,900

and a

Kubota for $6,400

The only major differences between the two is that the john deere is belt driven and the kubota is shaft driven.

His back yard his very hilly/rough so he wanted to know if either the shaft or belt driven would be extremely different from each other. (Is it worth $500 extra to get a shaft driven Kubota over a belt driven John Deere, basically)

Anyone have experience with this stuff? The internet is not turning out to be a good resource for zero turn reviews.

Does your Fiance know you are Married?

 

[Ausm]

Shaft driven iis the way to go.

Sysadmin

 

[dxkj]

Originally posted by: Red
My father-in-law wants to purchase a zero-turn riding lawn mower.

He is looking at two models:

John Deere Z-Trak 717 for $5,900

and a

Kubota for $6,400

The only major differences between the two is that the john deere is belt driven and the kubota is shaft driven.

His back yard his very hilly/rough so he wanted to know if either the shaft or belt driven would be extremely different from each other. (Is it worth $500 extra to get a shaft driven Kubota over a belt driven John Deere, basically)

Anyone have experience with this stuff? The internet is not turning out to be a good resource for zero turn reviews.

Father in law? What does that mean?

 

[Ornery]

As Aaron said, "...if you hit a rock with belt drive the belt just slips. If you hit a rock with shaft drive, all that shock goes right up into the PTO..." Same with a simple mower having the blade attached right to the crank shaft. When you hit a stump or something, your expensive engine is at risk. If it's driven by a belt, the worst that can happen is a broken $5.00 belt.

BTW, thanks for signing your posts Sysadmin, or we'd never be able to figure out who wrote those eloquent tidbits of pure genius!

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: dxkj

Originally posted by: Red
My father-in-law wants to purchase a zero-turn riding lawn mower.

He is looking at two models:

John Deere Z-Trak 717 for $5,900

and a

Kubota for $6,400

The only major differences between the two is that the john deere is belt driven and the kubota is shaft driven.

His back yard his very hilly/rough so he wanted to know if either the shaft or belt driven would be extremely different from each other. (Is it worth $500 extra to get a shaft driven Kubota over a belt driven John Deere, basically)

Anyone have experience with this stuff? The internet is not turning out to be a good resource for zero turn reviews.

Father in law? What does that mean?

It mean's your spouse's father.