John Deere Z970R

Bought used 72" Z970R, now has 2150 hours on it. I have several 900 series Z's, have ran 2/3 of the brands of commercial zero turns you see today. I've ran the Deere M655 zero turns if anyone even remembers them. Not so awesome. Ran all the 7 series, the first Deere zero turns worth discussing, and the ones that set the benchmark that the 9 series continues to surpass! Back to this ol high hour 970R... Cuts and drives just like a new one. Loads of power. Strong hydraulics. Love the convenience package. Use the hydraulic deck lift constantly. This thing passes everything but a gas can! Who cares! It seems to mow 50% more in an hour than the 60's do. Labor costs more than fuel. This machine is by far the most used and most productive in my small, but growing fleet. Looking to add another 72" and possibly going diesel this time but they are a lot more weight. The 970R with tweels will go almost anywhere you are willing to ride it.

I just bought a New Z970. As a Mechanical Engineer here is my experience in the first 5 engine hours of use. The thing has to be choked Every time to start (Kawasaki is the new Dodge when it comes to starting. The hydrostat are like driving a 1960 grain truck down the road (10 to 2 just to keep it straight). In my smooth concrete garage, I can move the handles 2” without the mower moving. Right front wheel is off the ground more than it’s on the ground. The gliding seat already sticks and doesn’t move unless you force it to. They came and got it today with 5 hours on it and original first tank of gas (1/4) still in it.

Very capable machine; however not completely satisfied; engine blew after only 119 hours and had to be replaced. All routine maintenance had been performed. Up to the point of the failure was extremely satisfied and there was no warning sign of a failure coming. Because of that would probably not buy one of these again.

I live on 38 acres of land with 20 acres of pasture grass. The 970R cuts through the fields with ease and is 3 times faster than a tractor with a bush hog or tow behind mower. Cuts the grass in one pass nice and clean. The 72" mower deck handles high volume and discharges neatly.

This is a great mower that gets the job down..however mowing 2.5 hours on flat ground uses 1/2 tank of gas!! Not quite what was advertised and more of a pain to try to get job down when having to refill so often. We did have this looked at by dealer and everything was fine. Don’t waste the money on striper it’s way to narrow.

USE TO MOW FAIRGROUNDS AROUND 12 ACRES THE MOWER WANTS TO GO AND MOW...ENGINE IS A BEAST...

Pros:

• solid heavy duty frame and powerful dependable eng

I did a ton of research before I made this purchase. Being a Deere customer for several years I was naturally a little biased but with the amount of money I was about to throw down I wanted be absolutely certain I was making the right choice for my situation. I test drove a handful of other brands, and had many discussions with the sales guys. Every model had features I liked and disliked, even the Deere. The decision was made to go with the Deere because of the the overall quality and comfort of the machine and because Deere put together the best deal financially. I ordered my machine with a 60” deck, suspension seat, and the Tweels. I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. This machine will give an excellent cut at nearly any speed you want to run, I have a large mostly open yard and run it at about 3/4 speed wherever I can and it looks just as good as the areas I have go slow. Rough terrain is a problem across the board with zero turn machines. I have not tried any of the front suspension gimmicks on the market, but, I am looking at them a little closer. If you are on the fence about this machine like I was I can tell you I am very pleased with my decision to go with the Deere. Machines in this class are a lot of money and in this case you get what you pay for. I expect to be running this machine for the next ten years at a minimum. One thing I dislike, one idler pulley on the deck doesn’t have enough clearance between the pulley and the deck, makes it a little harder to clean under than the other pulleys.

I completely recommend the purchase of the Z970R if you have acreage. We bought the Z970R in May 2019 for a new property with some acreage and we LOVE IT! Have never owned more than a push mower but needed much more with our new acreage and hills. Initially thought of a tractor with mow capability just because of the diversity but in the end did this for expediency of mowings sake and this was less expensive for how much I would need it as well as MUCH faster. The mower came with zwheels, which are pretty interesting in their own right and I have grown to like a LOT as I don't have to worry about tire pressures or popped tires. They seem very easy to maintain. I do question their traction but have not had a real reason to question it, it just feels like it would not do great but to this point I've had no issues. We also got the deluxe extra glide seat (I extremely recommend if you will be on this 4-5 hours a stretch like I am), which I believe has saved my back and neck too many times to count. The seat is phenomenal as it can adjust for my wife as well, who is much smaller than me. This beast was well worth the purchase. I do wish I had gotten the mulching package from day but didn't know it was an option. This mower has served as a lawn mower as well as a brush hog. We have beat back about 15 feet of forest creep in most areas and the Z970R has handled the whole thing like the Champ it is. My neighbors are all jealous as I knock out almost 3 times the area they have in about the same time they use their regular ride on mowers. I can take this many more places they can. I cannot picture myself on anything else - ever.

Pros:

• it's a beast
• zwheels no tire pressure issues
• size is just right
• durability for grass fields and small brush
• speed is great
• handling is spot on
• gas engine not diesel
• everything
• deluxe extra glide seat
• handling is whatever you want it to be - excellent

• mulching package was not standard

I have mowed with a JD 2320 since I purchased it new in 2013 and purchased a new Z970R this mowing season. The zero turn will mow circles around the tractor and makes a clean cut. I went with the 72" deck, 35HP gas engine and the nice suspension seat. The seat is amazing and I have not run out of power with the 35HP engine. The only other options I would of liked are the mulch on demand but its not available for the 72" deck and I should have went with the tweel. The mower is built very stout and I don't have any complaints after using it this last mowing season.

This machine is worthy of a challenge I have as yet been unable to provide. I am not a commercial operator but I have lots of mowing to do. Purchasing this mower was the right decision. It is more expensive but trade in value is great and parts and service are a phone call.