Just wanted to do a quick review on my new scag (new to me) Vride 52". Some of you have private msg me about it, so i thought i would throw this out there for those that care.
Quick background. I did commercial lawn care for many years, both on the "mowing side" and the commercial applicator side (fert, herb/fungicide)
I have used just about every brand mower (JD, Exmark, toro, Scag, etc..) So knowing that, here we go
Scag mowers, IMO are some of the best mowers out there. I came from a old scag WB, and then just recently a really nice Exmark 52 ultracut deck with kohler efi power.
I have always prefered the cut of a Scag mower. They just seem to cut nicer, have better discharge than other mowers. The velocity plus deck has to be the best deck on the market. Many try to copy it, Scag has mastered it
The Vride is really nice. Good controls that are easy to reach. Great visibility of course. Scag uses all heavy duty hydro pumps so hills are no problem.
I have the kawasaki 730fx, which is a 23.5hp engine. This engine is really smooth at high rpms and has plenty of power for the 52" deck
Overall im very impressed so far. I bought this mower used, with only 157 hours on it. I consider that extremely low for a 2013 model.
Coming from 2 WB mowers (both with sulky's) I can honestly say i will never go back to one as my primary mower. The zero turn or standers are definitely the way to go for me. They are way more efficient, they cut better, leave better stripes, and they dont tear up the lawn when turning (i do a 3 point turn)
For anybody considering a new mower, i would suggest you look into a scag mower. They are build really tough, have the best deck designs, and the marbain steel blades are amazing!
Demo a scag mower if you can. I think you will love it. I dont think i will ever make the mistake of going with anything other than Scag.
Attached is a pic of my lawn mowed last night (10/16/17) Lawn was cut at 3'. Baffle on the deck was set in the middle position. Blades used were Oregon g6 gators (side discharged) as you can see the g6 blades do wonders on leaves. That tree lost all the leaves over the weekend. Those g6 blades clean up the yard really well!!
If you guys have any questions feel free to shoot me a pm. I know i dont use a reel mower like some on the forum, but when mowing almost 40k of lawn 2 times a week, i need something bigger!! Hope this mini review helps!