zero-turn

A zero-turn lawnmower is an entirely different animal than the typical garden-tractor that steers with a steering-wheel. Our new Huskvarna mower is a zero-turn.
Explanation: A typical garden-tractor (and our vaunted Greenie) power the entire rear axle; both tires (actually a differential). It has only one tranny — what turns the rear axle.
A zero-turn has two trannies; one for each tire. The direction it goes is a function of the speed of each tire. If the right tire (wheel) turns faster, the mower steers left. Conversely, if the left tire turns faster, the mower steers right.
There is no steering-wheel, nor a steerable front axle linked to a steering-wheel. The front wheels are only casters, like a shopping-cart.
You steer it with two levers that activate the separate wheel-trannies. Push both forward together the same amount and it goes straight. Push only the right lever and it steers left — only the left lever and it steers right.
Pulling back on the levers together is reverse. Push forward on one and pull back on the other and it spins like a top.
The advantage is it can be spun like a top. Finish one row and you spin it around to get the parallel row in no time at all. A garden-tractor has to be driven all over to line it up.
Zero-turn mowers were first a commercial application. John Deere only sells commercial zero-turns — add about $2,500.
But zero-turns are finding their way into residential applications, which significantly cuts the price.
What got me interested in a new mower was borrowing my 93-year-old nosy neighbor’s new John Deere garden-tractor with a 42-inch cut. It was twice as fast as the Greenie, which only has a 38-inch cut. But mainly it was the zoom-and-boom ground-speed.
But there was a long green nose out front, plus it had to be driven all over to line it up. It also had a reverse cutout.
So I began to look at zero-turns. Another advantage of a zero-turn is that theoretically it could trim closer than a garden-tractor. It can steer sharper, and no reversing.
Toro had a zero-turn but it was $1,000 additional. Cub-Cadet had one, but it seemed chintzy. Mighty Lowes had one, but it was an off brand. Home-Depot had one too, but it was the same Cub-Cadet the Cub-Cadet dealer had. The Cub-Cadet dealer also sold Kubota, but that was like John Deere; add $2,500.
Leif’s, our local Husky dealer, who operates out of a ramshackle assemblage of farm buildings awash in weeds, and also sells model trains (I showed him the mighty Curve webcam [Curve web-cam]), had the Husky I bought.
Our 93-year-old nosy neighbor used to “draw him to school” in school-bus, so bought a garden-tractor from him, #3, since given to his son in Pittsburgh.
Leif’s is also nearby; much closer than John Deere.
And contrary to the fervent wishes of my noisy brother from Boston, I haven’t driven it into a ditch yet, or over the cliff (our embankment), or eaten any trees.
I damaged one small conifer yesterday (Friday, 6/30): bent it over and skinned the trunk. I was trying to trim, and the levers are like off-on. The thing turned so sharply the deck caught the tree and bent it over. It may not survive.
Approaching a tree I stop, and proceed gingerly.
But I have to keep doing it; I ain’t doing that bad — Linda says I'm doing better than expected, and the 93-year-old nosy neighbor gives me an “A.”
It’s pretty fast too. We still have the Greenie. It runs too well, and I trim with it (for the time-being). Plus the Husky is too wide for some places.
I don’t know as I’d want the bluster-boy trying anything fancy with it. “Just the straight parts, Bubba. No trimming.” There is a learning-curve, no matter how astute you think you are.
My 93-year-old nosy neighbor once worked for the Cub-Cadet store, who at that time was also selling farm-equipment.
He once drove a huge combine that steered like a zero-turn. “It was a handful” (he was driving on the road). He drove it to some guy’s farm, and the farmer promptly put it in his pond.
“Just keep that thing away from my mailbox,” my neighbor says.