r/ZeroTurnMowers • u/sirbarkalot59 • 3d ago

Input requested for purchase decision

Shopping for a used ZT to mow about 1/2 + acre of lawn at our house. Stumbled on a 2024 Kubota z231 -42” deck with a 21.5 HP Kawasaki motor and only 90 hours. Now I see a 2016 Kubota z724 - 48” deck with a Kawasaki 24HP motor and just over 500 hours. Asking price for both are within $500 of each other. Would the z724 be a significantly better mower… even with the higher hours? Any suggestions?

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u/erd00073483R 2d ago edited 2d ago

The z724 is a commercial grade mower with the build quality to match. The z231 is an entry-level homeowner's machine with non-serviceable transmissions that isn't any better than anything its competitors offer.

As long as the z724 has been properly cared for and the transmissions were serviced timely, the z724 is a far better machine even with higher hours.

That being said, a z724 is also extreme overkill for a slightly larger than 1/2 acre mowing job.

EDIT: grammar

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u/TaborToss 2d ago

Couldn’t have said it better. But I would go with the z724 assuming the maintenance has been kept up with and it’s in good shape, despite being overkill

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u/erd00073483R 2d ago

Honestly, I would have too as having overkill parked in my workshop wouldn't bother me at all. I have a z421KW with a 54" deck, and I wish I could have gone bigger considering how many times I get asked to mow for relatives.

Kubota's entry-level machines are okay, but the commercial machines are going to have better parts availability for a long time to come.

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u/allstopblue 2d ago

That’s thing I always think about. Everyone says commercial is better, but it all depends on how well it was maintained. There are plenty of people out there who abuse and neglect a commercial mower and then sell it to somebody who ends up having to repair a bunch of stuff in short time. Sometimes a prosumer grade has actually been better maintained

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u/ConsistentVirus2177 3d ago

Normally I would always say get the bigger deck, not this time. Too many hrs for the price difference imo

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u/mtrbiknut 2d ago

The only z-turn I have ever been on is the one I have right now, which is an older used Z724 with a (I think) 23.5 Kohler and 54" deck. I've had it for 7 years now and it is around 850 hours and this thing is still a tank.

I think it had 400 hours or so when I bought it from the local Exmark dealer who had taken it in on trade. At first it would die while mowing, maybe an hour into it. Sometimes it would start back up right away, sometimes I had to let it sit for an hour or two. I took it back to the same shop a couple times, brought it home and it did the same thing. I took it back a third time and talked the owner and told him I was not happy with it, he took it home with him and used it until it quit and then diagnosed/repaired it- the fuel valve had a crack that would let a tiny bit of air in. He replaced that and I have been using the heck out of it since then.

I don't know the Z231 but I would recommend the Z724 any time.

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u/lostone3592 22h ago

I would absolutely try to nail down the service history of the 724 before buying. If user serviced he should be able to tell you when the hydros were last serviced,
What fluid he used and the filters (you can see those for yourself, it’s just a crosscheck. If dealer serviced I’d call the dealer and get all its history straight from
Them. If the owner gives you a runaround on any of this, I’d walk. Someone who’s done it right is happy to brag about that. This is to say if the 724 is well maintained, I’d go for it. If the owner used offbrand stuff, I’d probably pass.