Recommender: How do you decide on the right size deck for your zero-turn mower?

Several factors to keep in mind when choosing a deck for your mower include property size, the towing capacity of your truck or trailer and the route you’re taking. (Photo: LM Staff)

Justin White

Justin White
CEO, K & D Landscaping

For the majority of properties, our crews like the 72-inch floating deck mower from Scag. You get a lot of square footage mowed and you also can get into a lot of areas. The price point also makes a big difference. The 61- and 72-inch are similar in price, but when you go up to the 96-inch, the price really jumps. You also have to consider your mode of transportation. If you’re driving a little Toyota Tacoma or if you have a Ford F-250, take that into consideration. The 72-inch seems to be able to fit in most trailers and can be towed by most trucks. It’s a nice size we’ve stuck with. Manny (Martinez, maintenance operation manager) adds that the Scag has suspension on the frame and wheels, (which is) ideal for operator comfort and decreases fatigue.

Phil Schoggen

Phil Schoggen
Vice President and Co-owner, SchoggenScapes

We use Exmark gasoline mowers for non-industrial (properties). Our industrial and municipality crews run Kubota diesel (mowers). We have one 36-inch mower — we use it on two properties and that’s it. We go from a 36-inch mower up to an 11-foot-wide WAM (wide area mower) from John Deere. We ask, ‘What is that route going to be? What kind of properties are we servicing? Is it residential and some small commercial properties where you just need a 48-inch? Or is it an industrial property where you need 60- and 72-inch decks to cover more ground quicker?’ Our biggest concerns are A) what kind of property is the route servicing and B) what is the most efficient machine for it? If the 48-inch is able to do everything we need, and there’s another property where we could use something bigger, we’re just taking the 48-inch and it’s going to take a little longer on that one property.

Scott Lamon

Scott Lamon
Owner, Tynic Landscaping

Each of our crews has a 52-inch and a 61-inch Scag, and sometimes, depending on the route, we also have a 36-inch walk-behind. There is no one-size-fits-all answer. The 61-inch Scag Cheetah II is my favorite because it does the best stripes and it is productive. It has a big Kubota engine. But you also need the 36-inch walk-behind because you always have a property with some goofy gate you can’t get the bigger machine through. Our guys feel like we have the best mowers in the business. They love these machines for comfort, quality and speed.