Can you use a residential mower commercially? John Deere Z445 review
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- Опубликовано: 27 авг 2024
- Can you/ should you use a residential zero turn mower for commercial use? If you are new or just getting started in lawn care maybe you don't have the money to buy a brand new commercial unit. Can you get by with a residential? This is my review of my residential John Deere Z445 mower.
I have a z465 residential mower bought 3 years ago for $3,200. I mow 4 acres. Have had it for 3 full summer and it has held up great. I have hit some bigger sticks that was hidden in grass and been up and down some ditches. I maintain the oil, filter, plugs, air and fuel filter, grease and tires. I blow off mower after every low and ensure no sticks are up on the belt. You can definitely use this for commercial just ensure you don’t drive it hard. Thanks for posting.
Thank you for the comment. I totally agree with you.
Yes, you can use ANY mower commercially. You can use it until it wears out, just like anything else. These lighter mowers just might surprise you with how much they can run, and cut, and last...before they finally conk out. If you're starting out and don't have much cash, go for it. Use what you can afford.
If you are in the lawn care business and can afford the commercial mower, then yeah the better choice is to get the higher end machine. The heavier commercial mowers are definitely designed for harder, more frequent use, but you're going to pay lots more money for them. And I do mean LOTS.
Totally agree with you on all of that
I bought a z445 with a 48” cut , with the Briggs motor in 2012. I mow around 4-5 acres a week plus everyone else’s around here. I have almost 400 hours and it’s still going strong.
1500 hours on a residential mower is great👌
My in laws have a Z445, and it’s given them good service mowing up to 3 acres a week (residential use). I have a Z540M, which I think replaced the Z445 in 2017. It has the same engine and drivetrain. I mow about four acres a week (residential use), and I’ve had several problems with it, first a bad carburetor on a two year old mower that was properly maintained, then a drive belt idler pulley that rattled loose & melted off, and most recently, the left side transaxle loses power intermittently. It’s been a real headache to deal with. I have a 21 year old LX277 that’s given much less trouble.
Very nice mower, I have a 2007 Z425 that I bought with 200 hours back in 2010, even though I only put about 30 hours on it a season but the machine has been remarkable since I have owned it with just basic upkeep. I am actually helping a friend pick up a used 2009 Z445 soon, the old notion " they dont make them like they use to" is true in this case as the newer EZtrack machines use the transaxle type of hydrostatic transmissions with integrated hydro pumps, these units have a tendency to fail compared to the older units, like the one you have, with separate hydro pump and hydro motors to run the wheels.
Basic upkeep like you said is so important. Good luck with picking up that other mower!
Thanks for taking the time to make this video
No problem; thank you for the comment
I ran a 2011 troy bilt pony with a 17.5hp intek motor 25-35 hour a month last season. It was a $350 mower. The way I would answer the question posed: If you fix a mower yourself...then yes. I replaced a carb, belts, deck spindle, steering shaft, steering bushings and fixed a rocker pivot stud that backed out of the block one day. Since I could do the work myself, I only spent about $250 over the season on parts (including blades) and at the end of the season I sold the mower for $300. So a cost of $300 to make an average of $1500/month. But if I would have taken it to a shop every time it broke then it would have cost me a lot more...and the down time would have been longer.
Great point, certainly would have worked up a good bill having a dealer do the work.
I agree 100 % i bought a jd 530m with the kawi engine for my lawn buisness because it was the best mower i could afford to pay cash for at the time and it has been a good money maker for me .but i definately have plans to upgrade to a commercial rig for next season and keep the 530 for backup! . Do not feel you have to go out and leverage equiptment to get started . Use what you have or can afford is solid advice!!
We totally agree there! Thanks for watching and commenting!
My neighbor has this mower. He bought it new 10 years ago and has the dealer do the maintenance every year. Definitely a higher grade heavier duty mower than the average residential mower. His has the 27hp Briggs, which started leaking oil 5 years ago. He said it cost him $600 to have the dealer to fix it. Other than that, no problems.
Maintenance is the key in my opinion
I have a z445 I bought new maybe 6 or 7 seasons back
I beat the hell out of it cutting roughly 30 acres of fields I put roughly 20 hours a week on it
It has the 27 horse on it
The only complaint I have is the idlers don’t have grease fittings I replace the idlers every season
A lot of that is probably my fault because of the height of the grass I cut and the deck is packed with grass within about 5 minutes and stays that way through the entire day typically 6-8 hours so they get pretty hot
They’ve actually gotten so hot on several occasions that the grass in the deck actually caught fire
But it’s been a hell of a mower and has never let me down
Sounds like you work your machine way harder than this one has ever worked lol.
Wow that's crazy 😂👍
Love to be your first subscriber... Nice work on the video
Thank you so much!
You can get a ariens apex zero turn for 5Gs thats a low end commercial mower. You can also get rollers for your deck to make rows. And gator blades are a great add on to.
Good info! Thanks for watching!
That's good life from a residential mower for sure. Still looks pretty good for its age and use too. I cant afford a zero turn starting out. Got a 22" honda hrx217 and a cub cadet lawn tractor with a cyclone rake. Hopefully I'll do well enough this year that income tax return next year I can get some sort of zero turn.
Everyone started somewhere. Just keep working hard and you'll get there! Best of luck to you!
@ciphercode2298 hey man i’m just scrolling around and am curious how it’s going? are you still out there cutting yards and stuff?
@@zebholt03 yes,sure am. I'm mowing 4 or 5 hours a day 3-4 days a week. Ironically I'm still using the same mowers. I've rebuilt the deck on the cub cadet tractir and given it a couple tuneup. The honda has been fantastic with just filter and oil changes. The only thing it has needed is a new battery for the electric start. I've decided to tryin stick with smallish yards and push mow as much as possible. I've only got 1 place I use the riding mower at that's about an acre.
@@ciphercode2298 that’s dope man glad to hear it’s goin well
@@zebholt03 All we can do is go on faith. Good to hear from ya. Stay safe and God bless.
Thanks for the info 👍
I just bought a 2012 through an online auction with only 318 hours, 54' Deck and pick up in a few days. Oh, I paid only $2200. Looking to put it to use on my 3 acre property.
That's awesome! Best of luck with your new mower.
It will last for many years if you do maintenance.keep that oil and oil filter changed every fifty hours.grease those manderals/ spindles on the deck
I was told that you can use them for light commercial.as long as you change the oil in the hydro transmissions every fifty hours and the deck spindles grease the zeros around thirty five pumps on grease gun.I have the z225 2008 yr. With the 18.5 HP 42 inch deck.i have five seasons on it.
It's got 3400 hrs on the john deere.it is briggs stratton engine
Yes I would totally agree with you. If you try to use one of these mowers without the proper maintenance they don't stand a chance in my opinion. Thanks for watching!
Yes you can I use a john deere 425 in my arsenal with my 920m john deere
I just purchased a JD e120 and I’m cutting my on yard and my first small yard I cut each week, I purchased the JD for a deal from Home Depot for 1350.00 so I bought it . It sells normally for 18,900.
Sounds like a good deal. Best of luck to you!
You bought an 18k unit for 1300? 🤔
I got the same mover but my alternator isn't charging the battery
I would think that the alternator wouldn't be to expensive for that machine. So you just have to jump start it every time? That works to lol. Thanks for watching and sorry for the late reply; I don't get on here much.
Great video btw
Nothing wrong with making payments depending on your credit history you can get 0% interest usually
But I totally agree some people don’t like debt
But realistically it’s pretty much impossible to run a business without debt unless you wanna owe the government a lot of taxes at the end of the year in business
Also no matter what mower you get in business It’s way more based on your dealer support if you have a bad dealer it’s really not worth the money you spend on a mower
Thanks for comment. I 100% totally agree with you about dealer support; one of the most important things to consider with any equipment purchase.
I can't believe the mower is still in one piece. 😦. That's alot of work for that mower
It's been a great mower. Obviously it doesn't compare to a commercial grade but it does the job. Thanks for watching!
@@workinghard1490 what commercial mower to get?
How to install starter swNM
Change starter switch
I am also thinking about buying a JD z515e 60 inch curious if you have any thoughts thanks in advance
With any machine my advise would be maintenance, maintenance, maintenance.
Nice rig man, have you adjusted the valves? Just curious when you mentioned it burns oil
No I haven't tried that. Thank you for the thought!
Thanks for the post. I am thinking about starting a business was wondering how you price out your jobs .I live in Ontario Canada so I know there may be a conversion dollar wise. Hoping you can help
My suggestion would be to figure out what you want/ need to make per hour and then bid out your jobs based on those figures. Best of luck!
Thanks was hoping for a number that might take depreciation on machine and other associated costs into account hope you have a great year love your video's .
Hey man great video, what would you say are the advantages and disadvantages on this VS Exmark Metro 48" belt drive mower. Both are 2013.
To be honest I couldn't really have an opinion because I have never used the Exmark. But isn't the Exmark Metro a walk behind? So I suppose it would come down to one's preference. Thanks for the comment!
Get a Gravely ZT HD with a full suspension seat. $5,300 + $500. 0% 4 year financing will cost 125/mo. 3100 transaxles, 10 gauge steel, 23 hp Kawasaki. That will last you 10 years. Entry level commercial, built like a brick sh’t house. I accidentally hit a railroad tie in my yard used for landscaping, broke the timber in half, not a scratch on the zero turn.
Going to check them out!
Who did you finance it through? Was the zero percent a special offer at the time?
i want to get one for 1500 dollars but i really want to get 2 for 3000 dollars so i need to know where i can buy them from i mean a good use one
Is 600 hours a lot for a hustler fasttrak for $2500?
How reliable is this unit?
Im'ma say the limitation isn't in if or not you can make it happen, but, attracting business with that thing in an ocean of $10,000 and up commercial mowers running around diligently trying to pay for them. I think most home-owners, and especially businesses, will look at that and THEY will be the ones to question if or not it could. And to me, that would thwart even being given the chance. Obviously not entirely, but probably enough to wonder if it would even be worth your time. Of course, demographic could also play into that. Heck, some superficial "keep-up with the Jones" mindsets would even be embarrassed that they had to solicit an obvious budget option. Yes, SUPERFICIAL as that'd be, that's some folks.
If you were to ask me if I thought that mower could handle it?...sure, for a while and to some degree. Those wheel motors will be what balks at that kind of load. And/or, the tall thick stuff would choke it down to the point where you'd have to make several passes. To me, it could never be worth it. In the end your mower would become a consumable for not much return. Maybe do it as best you can, and save every penny and buy a machine made for it. It sucks, but sometimes you really do get what you pay for, even if that's not at all convenient.
They don't last for heavy use . I killed a zt 60 bad boy a 525e deere and a rzt cub 50 quickly .
What engines? Also about how long did they last? We got a ariens ikon xd we mow 4or5 a day it has a 300 hour warranty I'm hoping to get a lil over a hundred hours a season..
@@nonenone8819 two had Kohler's . After 500 hrs they burn oil like crazy
none none hows your xd been holding up. Bought one last week but have yet to use it.
@@Cuttymcnutty209 good so far..we have 76 hours on it and have not had a problem yet.
none none good to hear. Thanks for the response.
that is a lot of hours
Drew Sharpe not a lot actually, our mower has 5,000 hrs
@@jonnybravo9003 Agreed, proper maintenance is key to longevity
@@plee501pl of course, we’ve kept the mowers good on oil and weekly maintenance. It’s worked great.