I was using a Dixon, but definitely check out Walker, Cub Cadet, Dixie Choppers, etc. for some seriously nice mowers as well.

In my opinion, these are great for the pros. As for the casual homeowner, there are some less expensive semi-pro style models (Dixon is a perfect example) that have a quality build, and give you some of the nice amenities, but aren’t 6k plus.

What they do well: cut around random obstacles in yards, and leave much less area for you to go back and clean up with a push mower or weedeater.

They are also (generally) small enough to fit into a standard size walk gate, which is absolutely AWESOME cutting residential yards. This is something you should definitely measure before you buy for homeowner use.

the downfall: only price in my opinion.

We have about 4 acres currently mowed, with plans to expand to about 10. There are lots of trees, uneven boundary lines, flower beds, etc. I’ve mowed it for 4 years with an 8-year-old Craftsman 38″ rider, which required an ever-expanding amount of maintenance and repair time (the mower deck seems designed to rust, OTOH that’s how I learned to MIG weld). This summer I broke down and bought the Troy-Bilt 50″ ZT from Lowe’s (for about $3000). It has cut actual mowing time by two-thirds, plus cut the follow up string-trimming time by about 80%. I was concerned about the relative difficulty in using a bagger - there’s a LOT of clippings. But the three blades chop so fine and scatter so thoroughly that the effect is like a mulching mower, even though it’s not sold that way. It does have a little bit of a learning curve, but heck, that’s fun. It also encourages a paradigm-shift if you’re used to other riders - it’s actually easier to cut small sections then move on, rather than the overall pattern that the wider-turning riders more-or-less force you into. I was concerned about the price, but I spent some time comparing, and unless you go for the real high-end items like the diesel Kubota and such, it’s really not much more than a comparably-equipped tractor-type rider, for a vast increase in maneuverability. If you have a square, unobstructed yard, then you probably won’t appreciate the difference, but anything that’s a challenge with a regular rider and requires a lot of additional trimming, it’s a revelation. The quality of cut with the three blades, BTW, is gorgeous, much nicer than the Craftsman or other mowers I’ve used. So yeah, it’s somewhat expensive, but only if your time is worth nothing. I’ll never go back if I have a choice.

The alternative for some people may be to pay someone $50 per week to do the mowing for you. If your grass grows for 7 months a year, that’s about $1400. No thanks.

The disadvantage of ZTRs is that you can’t use as many implements as you can with a tractor.

My personal favorites are the large commercial walk-behinds. You get zero turn maneuverability and commercial build quality for about the price of a consumer ZTR rider. An Exmark Viking 48 is about the same price as a John Deere Eztrak Z425 with 48 inch deck.