DChall - they are actually more expensive than your standard rider. In my opinion they are so much nicer. I've only used commercial grade, (Scag, kubota, gravely) so not sure if it applies to home owner versions, but the blade speeds are so much higher allowing you to cut at a much faster pace without clumping or bogging the engine. They are also faster. You can make much tighter maneuvers around different landscaping shapes. In some areas I've used the ability to slide the side of the deck in unaccessible areas or under things. The biggest plus for me is the ability to run straight lines back and forth without having to use a brake and stop, change gears, back up, brake, change gears, forward, possible reverse again to line up, and then go back. With a zero turn, when you are at the end of your pass you spin around and keep going. ...I can probably cut a lawn in 1/4 the time than a typical lawn tractor, and get every last blade. That was my experience when I use to do real estate management. After using zero turns, I said I would NEVER use a regular mower again. ...here I am with a craftsman 42" lawn tractor. :-/ ..old owners left it in the deal when I bought the house. If & when I have the money though I'll get one.

Tom - I have a Kubota tractor and implements, and have done a lot of brush clearing and leveling. It's not perfect, and there's still areas I haven't got to yet, but it looks a whole lot better than it did when we bought the property. Hogs and armadillos also tend to mess things up, so it's an ongoing process. I also seeded the front pasture with bermuda year before last, but the rain turned off right after I got it out. The areas that did take were pretty much killed off with last summer's drought. This spring we've had decent amounts of rain, but the grass isn't there to take advantage of it. As far as the dealers bringing out a demo, that apparently doesn't happen around here. If you're lucky, they may have a demo machine at their store you can mow with, otherwise you get to drive it around the parking lot. An alternative is to contact their previous buyers in your area to see if you can demo their machine, which I'll probably end up doing. I really want a good hands-on feel for a machine before I lay out what is a substantial amount of cash for us! I've heard of Walker's and seen them mentioned in forums, but have never seen one around here. I don't think there are any dealers around here either. MS - I've got the Dixie Chopper on my list, but as of now it's lower down due to my lack of knowledge of the engines offered on the ones at my price point. I'm not familiar with Generac at all, and the Briggs Pro series is also a new one to me. I'm still doing the research trying to get as much information as I can before I make a decision. I found a BB Pup 48" w/30 hp Kohler for $6200, which seems pretty decent. I've got mixed feelings on the Kohler Command as I have a 15 hp on my sawmill which has been great, and a 27 hp twin in the Craftsman, which I have had some issues with. I will admit though, after doing a thorough tuneup last week, I think it ran better than it did when it was new, and seemed to get better fuel economy. Any issues with your Kohler? I still have to do the test drives, so it will be a while before I actually buy. Thanks again for your input. Andy

Put your part number of the blades it calls for in the Oregon site and it will list them as an option.

IMHO? Look at the Dee Z2 by Dixie Chopper? I just bought the 54" deck unit after 3 months of looking? I did my research they also make a 42" unit and are a great Zero Turn Mower. The Deck is killer and I love how easy it was to Learn! YMMV, Beale.