Hi All,
New member here, but veteran lawn mower. My 1984 Honda 3813 (with the inline twin OHC GX360K1) just isn't cutting it any more. (sorry about that) Actually it's cutting just fine, and runs like new, but the 50-foot turning radius, clumsy brake/clutch, and open diff are finally irritating me to the point of considering something a few decades newer. But as always, nothing's ever simple.
I have a Cyclone Rake -- the smallest one -- that will have to be towed behind whatever I buy. I'm leaning toward a high-end homeowner/low-end commercial ZTR for example, the Gravely ZT-XL 42" or the Scag Freedom-Z 36".
These both come equipped with Kawa V-twins and Hydro-Gear drive. The Scag uses a better engine line than the Gravely, but the difference may be minimal. Scag uses the ZT-3100 (not sure which variant), Gravely the ZT-2800 (also unsure of variant). The principal difference between these two is that the ZT-2800 has an "open" hydraulic system and PM gears. The ZT-3100 has internal charge pumps and cut steel gears. They both have a maximum weight spec depending on variant. In both cases, the maximum weight spec (depending) doesn't have more than a few hundred lb headroom over the weight of the machine.
Now here's the problem: Scag says nothing about towing. Gravely says that towing 300lb is permitted with a 30lb "tongue" weight. The 300lb total should be okay, but the tongue weight is a problem because of the CR's design. It uses a dual-hitch system and casters such that the equipment is "locked" to the tractor. IOW, on a right turn, the CR will swing out to the left. This means that there will be quite a bit of weight on the hitch when the CR is full. I'd estimate as much as 175lb since essentially the full weight of the power unit is carried on the hitch.
What I don't understand is this hitch weight spec. I've sent both of them a technical service question about it, but I'm here looking for real world experience. The hitch weight is carried by the same structure on the mower as the operator. They do not have an operator weight spec! And around here, I've seen some pretty beefy operators. So why should the hitch weight spec be so low, when the operator, such as myself who's not a very big guy at all, could conceivably vary from 100lb to 300lb, let's say.
I'd appreciate some real-world experience from anyone who has towed stuff behind their ZTR. The CR people say you can do it, but then they sort of have to say that to sell their product. I think it's a close call. Looking at an outlay of $4K to $6K for these two machines, I'd like to have a lot warmer and fuzzier feeling about hitching up the CR to them.
Anyone have $.02 to throw my way?
Thanks!
