Zero turn mower dealers who let you demo at home?

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  • CaptChaos

    Active Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 1, 2008
    751
    Calvert County, MD
    I currently have a Hustler Raptor SD with a 54" deck and it's taking me too long to mow. I want to get a bigger, commercial mower that I wanted last time but I want to be sure this large investment makes sense. Driving around in a parking lot isn't gonna cut it.

    Anyone know of any zero turn mower dealers who let you demo at home? I've heard Hugh Gardiner Inc. will but they're kind of a haul from Calvert.
     

    Tomcat

    Formerly Known As HITWTOM
    May 7, 2012
    5,568
    St.Mary's County
    If you're talking about the one near LaPlata, they also have a shop in Hollywood, St.Mary's might be a little bit closer. I've had good luck with 231 Farm Supply near Benedict.
     

    CaptChaos

    Active Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 1, 2008
    751
    Calvert County, MD
    If you're talking about the one near LaPlata, they also have a shop in Hollywood, St.Mary's might be a little bit closer. I've had good luck with 231 Farm Supply near Benedict.

    Good call, I didn't know that. A little easier to get to.

    231 Farm Supply is family owned and I know them but they only carry Husqvarna and their commercial mowers seem kinda pricey. Maybe I'll check them out anyway, thanks.
     

    traveller

    The one with two L
    Nov 26, 2010
    18,266
    variable
    I'll second the recommendation for Hugh Gardiner. He will also take well maintained equipment in trade if someone bought the wrong mower. Neighbor bought a zero-turn from Hugh and found out over the first couple of months that it wasn't capable of safely navigating his hilly lot. Gardiner gave him a trade for a 4WD tractor.
     

    parttimer

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 10, 2013
    1,321
    Calvert
    Call LJ Elter and son in Huntingtown. They are a Gravley dealer that has been around for ever in Calvert. There is also the hardware store on Main Street in Prince Frederick that is a John Deere dealer. I am pretty sure Elter does home trials. I don’t know about the JD dealer.

    Edit: I think the JD dealer is called Lusby motor company
     

    CaptChaos

    Active Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 1, 2008
    751
    Calvert County, MD
    I'll second the recommendation for Hugh Gardiner. He will also take well maintained equipment in trade if someone bought the wrong mower. Neighbor bought a zero-turn from Hugh and found out over the first couple of months that it wasn't capable of safely navigating his hilly lot. Gardiner gave him a trade for a 4WD tractor.

    Thanks, that’s good to know.

    Call LJ Elter and son in Huntingtown. They are a Gravley dealer that has been around for ever in Calvert. There is also the hardware store on Main Street in Prince Frederick that is a John Deere dealer. I am pretty sure Elter does home trials. I don’t know about the JD dealer.

    Edit: I think the JD dealer is called Lusby motor company

    Thanks, both of these are on my list to visit today. I’ve been to LJ Elter a couple times but their inventory can be small and I didn’t get the impression they did in home demos but I didn’t ask. They are very nice and leave the keys in everything and are happy to let you drive it around their lot though.

    Come to think of it, that’s almost the same impression I get from Lusby Hardware.

    These are the two closest to me so I will definitely go today.
     

    Tomcat

    Formerly Known As HITWTOM
    May 7, 2012
    5,568
    St.Mary's County
    Good call, I didn't know that. A little easier to get to.

    231 Farm Supply is family owned and I know them but they only carry Husqvarna and their commercial mowers seem kinda pricey. Maybe I'll check them out anyway, thanks.

    I've got 2 Husqvarna zero turns (a small 30" and a 54") and a tractor, I've found them very reliable.
     

    parttimer

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 10, 2013
    1,321
    Calvert
    Wow. Gravely. Didn't know they were still in the game. Still as good as before?

    As far as I know they are still a big player in the commercial mower game. There are a lot of them in Calvert on landscaping trailers going up and down the road. That may be because there is a dealer in the county.
     

    Finn

    waiting for the zombies
    Feb 28, 2009
    472
    Columbia
    well I would suggest renting a husqvarna zero turn from someplace.... like a United Rentals (shameless plug I work at the Annapolis branch) and try it out and see what you think of it. then if you like it you can buy a new one!
     

    parttimer

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 10, 2013
    1,321
    Calvert
    For those in Calvert following this in Calvert. The Lions club of Calvert is selling raffle tickets for a John Deere 42” zero turn mower. They were selling the tickets at Giant in Lusby this morning.
     

    CaptChaos

    Active Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 1, 2008
    751
    Calvert County, MD
    So LJ Elter in Huntingtown does not do in home demos or any demos at all really. They also had a limited inventory, however they did actually have a Tiger Cat that I was after. I still want to look at JD and haven’t made a final decision.

    I did also stop by 231 Farm supply and looked at the Husqvaranas but I just wasn’t a fan.

    Lusby Motor Company to look at JD up next. I’ll report back if they have in home demos but I suspect they don’t.
     

    CaptChaos

    Active Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 1, 2008
    751
    Calvert County, MD
    No problems with our Kubota HD Pro 60" 6 - 7 yrs old now? You are welcome to try out here :)

    Thanks for the offer! Love those but way outta the price range for me. I feel their middle line is bested by other brands but their big boys are great (with a price tag to match!).

    So Lusby Motor Company in Prince Frederick was great (just like every other time I’ve been there). If you ask about any decent sized mower they take you right through the back to talk to Wes the mechanic. He’s no BS, tells you straight up what is what. They do have a loaner for in home demo but it’s a Toro ZMaster 5000 which I don’t think I want to get used to. :D

    I think I’m even more confused after today so back to the drawing board. I really liked the MyRide and smoothness of controls of the Toros but liked the seating position and power of the JD Z915E. I went looking for the Z930M but they didn’t have any and it seems that is more machine than I need.
     

    hobiecat590

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 2, 2016
    2,434
    If you're talking about the one near LaPlata, they also have a shop in Hollywood, St.Mary's might be a little bit closer. I've had good luck with 231 Farm Supply near Benedict.

    Hugh C. Gardner is only like 6 miles from the bridge. You can test drive there and/or at home. I have a very hilly (45+ degree) property and had ruled out ZT mowers due to my hills and their tendency to nose dive down hills because of the gimbaled front wheels. Cub Cadet makes a Pro Z 100 ZT that has a steering wheel that turns the front wheels. This thing is amazing and much safer that a standard 4wd tractor. I can do 360s on the previously mentioned slopes using their pro grade 60" mower deck. These are far superior to the standard lever controlled ZTs on slopes.

    If you have a flat <15 degree lawn, the standard ZTs are cheaper.

    A condition of my sale was a successful test at my place on the hills that have tried to kill me using my old JD 400 in the past. Nothing like fishtailing down a steep slope on a lawn tractor to get your attention. :-)

    Mine has the Kawasaki fx730V pro grade engine that has great torque and will cruise up the aforementioned hills w/o missing a beat. I'm on 2.4 acres w/ trees etc. It took about 3+ hours to mow w/ the jd 400 60" deck. I can do the lawn in under an hour using the Z 100. The mower deck is also 11 gauge steel that further lowers the center of gravity.
     

    GenoBluzGtr

    Active Member
    Mar 23, 2018
    170
    I recently bought a zero turn from "Busy Corner Buggies" in Mechanicsville. They sell Exmark and Bad Boy models. Not sure about the "demo at home" allowance, but the owner, Chris, was extremely helpful and nice about everything. He offered to let me try it out at his place before I decided to buy - I didn't ask about demoing at home.
     

    hobiecat590

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 2, 2016
    2,434
    hc Gardiner. Hollywood, MD and La Platta (I think). I demo'd my CC ZT100 there and could have tried any of them. They also do Kabota. Sale was subject to my final approval at home. If it didn't pass my hill test, it would have gone back.

    They are about 9 or so miles away from Lusby.

    https://www.hughcgardinerinc.com/
     

    Kcruz2189

    Member
    Jul 25, 2013
    9
    Westminster, MD
    JD Z930M

    I just bought a John Deere Z930M, last August, and love it! When I did my research, the 7 Iron Pro deck and the Scag Velocity Plus deck had the best reputation for mowing tall, damp grass with less clumping than other brands. Given how wet it’s been here, over the last couple of years, that’s what mattered most to me. They both also excel in dry conditions, too. I got the 60” deck and mow 3 acres at my house. If you can, get the suspension seat. It may only be available on the M and R series, but the seat with the black stripes is real comfortable and was just upgraded in 2018. Good luck with your search!
     

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