Colt Case Ingersoll Garden Tractors

I’ve been considering a zero turn mower since I am now mowing twice as much lawn as before. Turning the steering wheel so much is starting to get my wrists sore. Does anyone who has one could give me some suggestions I would appreciate it. TIA. Harry

If you have a dealer nearby, demo a Walker. The controls are somewhat unique to them. (I think ExMark has a smaller machine with the same controls, but that's it)

You control travel with your right hand, and steer with your left. It takes almost no effort to steer, and your arms are in a very comfortable position.

Walkers are really built to live forever. Lots of grease points. Mine gets a complete service once a year, and then cuts about 6 acres at a shot all mowing season. First 18 horse engine wore out after around 20 years, but everything else other than a couple belts is original. We started with a 42", and collected every blade of grass for those 20 years. Since the new 19 horse engine, I picked up a 56" side discharge, and added a vacuum disconnect.

I should add that we had a second for many years that I bought well used. (it was 30 when I bought it with the original motor)

Cleaned it up, and it ran my father's 1/3 acre for many years until his passing. I then sold it to a friend, who promptly ran it in to a lake. I dried it out, swapped fluids, and it's still going a few years later with a couple electric gremlins due to it's bath, but otherwise solid.

Toolslinger, brand new I know Walkers are pricey. But you get a great machine that will last for years. I see some locally on Marketplace, but they al. Have 2000 to 3000 hours on them, price from $2500 to $10000. I don’t know much about them and don’t want to buy someones problem. Harry

That's fair.
They ain't cheap.

You have to find the one owned by the little old lady that just drove it to church every sunday... That's basically what the 30 year old machine was for me. Some rich Dr had it to cut his 1/2 acre and always had it serviced by the dealer....

I have a client who has walkers for a landscaping company . They are a well built machine , but are just as pricey to fix as to buy new or used . Like all zero turns they are not the easiest to drive for some of us . I myself can't drive the things with out causeing every man woman and child for 2 mile to take cover . I know poeple who love them and have no issue with them . Again I say go drive the thing , before you buy .

I’m in the love them camp. I don’t want to go back to any thing else for lawn mowing. With the zero turn I can mow at least twice as fast as I could with a lawn tractor, garden tractor, or tractor tractor.

Mine is an old Dixie Chopper with a 60” deck. It has a hydraulic motor on each wheel and a steering stick for each motor. Wasn’t specifically looking for that brand, just happened to be a great deal, and of course just like almost everything else around here it was not in running condition.

I like the fact that I can run very close around trees and such, cuts down on the trimming I would normally do.

The only thing I wish it had was a suspension seat and if your looking for one in my opinion that has to be a must have. With out it you get bumped around pretty good on ruff ground.

I would also suggest looking at one with bigger rear tires. I think they cover ruff and or wet ground better.

The one negative I can think of is zero turns have a real tendency to slid on hills. If you mowing flat ground then no worries. Some of my ground is pretty steep. The answer is to just mow it on an angle relative to the hill then it’s fine.

Toolslinger wrote: ↑Wed Jul 16, 2025 12:40 pm If you have a dealer nearby, demo a Walker. The controls are somewhat unique to them. (I think ExMark has a smaller machine with the same controls, but that's it)

You control travel with your right hand, and steer with your left. It takes almost no effort to steer, and your arms are in a very comfortable position.

Walkers are really built to live forever. Lots of grease points. Mine gets a complete service once a year, and then cuts about 6 acres at a shot all mowing season. First 18 horse engine wore out after around 20 years, but everything else other than a couple belts is original. We started with a 42", and collected every blade of grass for those 20 years. Since the new 19 horse engine, I picked up a 56" side discharge, and added a vacuum disconnect.

I was a Walker dealer and think that they are a great machine. As toolslinger mentions, you have a speed control lever for your right hand which stays set where ever you want (think of it as a cruise control). It positions both of the wheel motor levers at the same forward speed so that you can mow straight ahead hands free. To steer, you simply put pressure with one finger on the side that you want to slow down. Many ztr mowers require you to hold the wheel levers at all times. Very tiring and how do you hold your beer??

That said, no matter what ztr you find and are considering purchasing, I would not do so without them letting you have one to demo on your own yard as one size does not fit all.

Bob

The suspension seat is a good point. My Walker rides pretty hard with the standard seat. There's a cushion seat option that is apparently decent, and a suspension seat if you happened to hit the lottery.

I've never run a non-Walker, so I can't speak to it that much. I have always thought it looked like it would be uncomfortable having your arms up, and pushing all the time, but obviously that's what most units use, so perhaps that opinion is ill-formed.

The Walker also has the deck sitting out front. It really gives you good visibility, and lets you stick it under shrubs and the like. You pay for that in the machine being longer than the mid-deck style. Length doesn't seem to matter much until you park it in a tight garage.

I really never found the Walker to have any issues on the hill, either up/down, or sidehill. They sit pretty low, and I would slide out of the seat sideways until I put armrests on it without the machine seeming to care.

I believe it's Cub Cadet that has a ZTR the runs with a wheel rather than levers. Interesting idea, and I've seen positive reviews, but beyond that, I got nothin'.

Thinking of other controls for ztr mowers, Snapper comes to mind which I think was made by Country Clipper. They drove/steered with a single joystick control operated by your right hand like a video game would have. I never operated one, but it always seemed like a pretty neat design.

Bob

Toolslinger wrote: ↑Thu Jul 17, 2025 4:54 pm

I've never run a non-Walker, so I can't speak to it that much. I have always thought it looked like it would be uncomfortable having your arms up, and pushing all the time, but obviously that's what most units use, so perhaps that opinion is ill-formed.

I really haven’t found having my arms up on the controls much of a problem. I rest my elbows on the arms rest most of the time. I usually mow 2 to 3 hours with out fatigue.

Another one with the mower deck out in front is the Grasshopper brand. I’d guess it’s probably more stable on hillsides than a mid mount, but as said it also would take up more real estate in the garage. There pretty long.

I agree with what the other guys said too. Id go drive a few and see what you think. If they want to sell a mower surely they’d let you take it for a spin.

A friend of mine has a Scag that is going to let me try out. I’ll report back with my findings. There is a Scag dealer not to far from my location that also sells Walkers. I should go and visit them just to gather information. Harry

A front deck might give you the best of both worlds. My dad cut 3 acres with an JD F935 with a 72" deck for 10+ years. Not a zero turn, but you can circle a mature tree. Easy to drive with a steering wheel and foot control. Diesel and great on fuel.

FUTZ wrote: ↑Fri Jul 18, 2025 11:53 am A front deck might give you the best of both worlds. My dad cut 3 acres with an JD F935 with a 72" deck for 10+ years. Not a zero turn, but you can circle a mature tree. Easy to drive with a steering wheel and foot control. Diesel and great on fuel.

A 72” is probably to wide for my application. I’m thinking more like 60”. Harry

myerslawnandgarden wrote: ↑Thu Jul 17, 2025 7:03 pm Thinking of other controls for ztr mowers, Snapper comes to mind which I think was made by Country Clipper. They drove/steered with a single joystick control operated by your right hand like a video game would have. I never operated one, but it always seemed like a pretty neat design.

Bob

I like this idea, my biggest concern with a ZTR is what I'd do with my ...coffee... if I'm mowing with both hands!

I vote for a ZTR as well. I run the ORIGINAL ZTR - Dixon mowers out of Kansas and I run the OLD friction - cone drive transmission models.
(thats from 2007, the one I run today has a Kawaski FB460 engine and the two piece body design)

Since no one seems to understand how to fix them, I do, and I keep picking them up for less than $100 in need of a belt or sprocket. My units are all 42" mid center deck. I mow 2 1/3 acres that is all flat ground.

I have one of these https://www.amazon.com/VEVOR-Suspension ... GNCJQ?th=1 spring loaded suspensions under the seat, it saves on the Chiropractor bills.

The failing of the Dixon is the smallish rear tires. Larger tires IMO would give better traction, I tend to spin the tires on turns. But I've been using Dixons since ohhh the 1980's ??

One final thought, Pay attention to the brand - quality of the ENGINE on your mower. I had a lot of the Dixon's with Briggs 12 HP vertical shaft engines, and they just don't last. My Neighbor has a nearly new Yellow (Cub Cadet from Home Depot) ZTR with a Kohler(?) - Chinese twin cylinder on it, and he can NOT keep the POS running, I have even looked at it and I cannot figure it out. The engine has the OSHA - EPA after fire solenoid crap in the carb, and it just creates no end of problems.

The Kawaski FB460 on my current machine is rock solid, and yes, its an old FLAT HEAD, 14 HP but its solid. The best desk, hydro's and tires do nothing for you if the bleeping engine won't run. or drinks oil, etc.

I've looked at adding those seat suspensions to my 4016. Wasn't sure I'd like the increased seat height. Ended up dropping the tire pressure to about 6lbs. The real problem is I need a few truck loads of loam and an Ingersoll loader to level out my lawn.

Those low end Cub Cadet zero turns don't even have seat springs. They have some cheap bump stops. People add springs to the seats...

sdunt wrote: ↑Thu Jul 31, 2025 3:28 pm I vote for a ZTR as well. I run the ORIGINAL ZTR - Dixon mowers out of Kansas and I run the OLD friction - cone drive transmission models.

Moving Lawn.JPG

(thats from 2007, the one I run today has a Kawaski FB460 engine and the two piece body design)

Since no one seems to understand how to fix them, I do, and I keep picking them up for less than $100 in need of a belt or sprocket. My units are all 42" mid center deck. I mow 2 1/3 acres that is all flat ground.

I have one of these https://www.amazon.com/VEVOR-Suspension ... GNCJQ?th=1 spring loaded suspensions under the seat, it saves on the Chiropractor bills.

The failing of the Dixon is the smallish rear tires. Larger tires IMO would give better traction, I tend to spin the tires on turns. But I've been using Dixons since ohhh the 1980's ??

One final thought, Pay attention to the brand - quality of the ENGINE on your mower. I had a lot of the Dixon's with Briggs 12 HP vertical shaft engines, and they just don't last. My Neighbor has a nearly new Yellow (Cub Cadet from Home Depot) ZTR with a Kohler(?) - Chinese twin cylinder on it, and he can NOT keep the POS running, I have even looked at it and I cannot figure it out. The engine has the OSHA - EPA after fire solenoid crap in the carb, and it just creates no end of problems.

The Kawaski FB460 on my current machine is rock solid, and yes, its an old FLAT HEAD, 14 HP but its solid. The best desk, hydro's and tires do nothing for you if the bleeping engine won't run. or drinks oil, etc.

Wow I haven’t seen one of those in a long time. Neighbors back home were dealers for Dixon sometime back in the 80s and 90s.

I have an older Grasshopper 720K with a 61" deck. I bought it with a broken rod in the Kohler CH20 engine. I only paid $500 for it. I always have to figure out why things died as I work on them. This engine was fully covered with grass and dirt, a good inch in most places. So, there was part of the story. But it was the $7 crankcase hose that was hard and cracked, which kept leaking small amounts of oil that fed the grass and dirt build-up. That reminded me of the $5 oil filter seal on Onan engines and how many rods have broken due to the lack of cooling on the filter side of the engine.

I was able to save the engine. I was lucky on that one. I do not know what the cylinder is made of, but it was amazingly hard and even slippery. The engine did have issues that made me give up on it. Someone else had taken it apart and had torqued the majority of the bolts to just below the point of pulling the thread, and a few were pulled already. I used the proper torque guidelines, but the bolts kept pulling the threads later. I eventually got tired of doing the thread repairs. It kept leaking oil when the bolts were loose.

I ended up buying a Kawasaki 25hp repower. That engine is pure silk and fires like it knew what I was going to do when I sat in the seat. The rest of the mower is so much like Ingersoll. Everything is designed to be like building your own mower, aiming for an easy and durable result. The only weak part is the factory when they are brand new, by what I see on the Gassopper groups. But most of those guys wouldn't know how to use a screwdriver with interchangeable bits.

That is a front mount, and it will only be used for mowing if I have a big yard. The only thing I miss is how long I get to listen to music, which is so much shorter.

The best front mount, in my opinion, is the 725D with the 61" deck. There has never been any dispute to this on the Grasshopper sites or dealers. They sell so many of them that the factory cannot keep up with the demand. They track dealer inventory, and during the mowing season, you are not allowed to have more than one 725D in stock.

The only issue with buying them is that the radiators are tough to keep clear. The temp gauge indicates they are running hot, causing the tractor to shut off the PTO power. That allows you to keep driving. Then you get the guys who swear the radiator is clear, and it is still running hot. Radiators do not lie, just like carbs do not lie. If everything is clean, it will run perfectly. Grasshopper has a cleaning wand that guys say works very well. You also have guys saying that they were wrong once they removed the radiator, too.
Do not let anyone convince you it is a Gasshopper problem.

My 720K has a standard seat that has a wood base seat and a stapled-on cover. I just bought high-density foam and new black vinyl. Then I run the tires at 6 psi like the manual says to run. I use a tire gauge that is for low-pressure tires, which is a 0-20 psi range. The ride does not bother me at all. Plus, that gives you the best traction as well. I haven't slipped out of the seat yet.