John Deere EZtrak Z425

Love the JD – This is my first new ride on and very first zero turn. By comparison to conventional tractor: fast, efficient, less fuel, less time. Slowed a little down this wet season. Show details

Had the normal tractor type first and then brought the z425 fantastic, wish I had it years ago – Yes, for me anyway and I now also have had 2 hip replacements and no problems. It handles all the terrains that I use it on from flat to quite steep grades without any problems. Travels over ruff and bumpy ground still cutting without missing a beat. Now done over 2000hrs and still in great condition, look after it and it will look after you.  Show details

50.0 hours & dying – just under 50 hrs on the mower and it would not stop back firing. John Deere dealer changed plugs, fuel, oil, air filter,adjusted valves, sharpened the blades all at cost to me. my 24 month of warranty had already expired, and when i picked it up it kept back firing in the dealers yard.It is still there. Thank GOD i have an old mtd riding mower to keep the lawn cut. John Deere just isn't cutting it this year  Show details

Burned updated – I've always wanted a John Deere product. My Z425 set me back $4,032 from a big box retailer. Today it sits in my yard with 25 hours on the clock, dead. The symptoms are the same as the majority of the bad reviews online. Mysterious trouble starting, fuel, spark, air but no start. Unfortunately for me my warranty expired 1 month ago. … Read more

Nevermind that the tires still have the nubs on them. Knowing more than the average consumer about small engines I am suspecting major mechanical troubles with the valves or worse. How on earth could a company with a reputation like John Deere put out a product like this? Its inconceivable to me that a properly maintained mower with 25 hours on it should mechanically fail! Doing a few minutes of research shows that this is apparently a common problem with the Kohler 22 hp engine. Where is the recall? Are consumers to put new engines into nearly new mowers???! I would expect a disposable mower that cost a $100 new to last more than a season or two! John Deere is supposed to be a premium product yet the engine is the cheapest piece of garbage with plastic parts throughout.

Updated: my local trigreen has made adjustments to the mower and it does run better now, however it is still very difficult to start - for unknown reasons. I have to use starting fluid to get it going but ins good and had to replace the factory blades at 47 hrs.

Engine is a peice of junk! Failed with 25 hours on clock Properly maintained

Z425 - 2013 model - good allround zero turn – I use ride-ons at work and I have a JD Z425 at home. Prior to this I had a small tractor style at home. I looked at Husky, JD and Toro. I wouldn't buy a Toro after using one at a worksite (a Hospital) - they feel cheap and not very ergonomic. I liked the look of a few Husky's with a welded deck but, I just couldn't spend that much, so I went… Read more

with a John Deere Z425. It has a heavier deck than some other models, a decent size motor and good hydraulic drives. Plus it all seems to fit well - the controls are all where you need them. I paid full price for mine ($6,300 back in 2013) from a local dealer. I wasn't comfortable buying from one of those online companies based at the airport.

The Z425 with a 48 inch deck is a good mower. It's fast, particularly compared to any tractor style mower. It's much quicker to mow with too. Zero-turns don't like steep terrain and they can be a bit hard on pristine turf when you corner, but on level ground when you have plenty to cut they can't be beaten.

I have no trouble with the park brake, or deck switch as some reviewers have mentioned. The only thing I would have like is a separate choke control to the throttle - on the Z you have to have full throttle to get choke.

Otherwise, it's good!

Incredibly fast mowing time – A big change from a standard ride on to a zero turn. Takes a bit to get used to. Mine is the Z425 with the 23hp v-twin motor and 54 inch deck. The top speed is about 13.7km/hr mowing which is real fast compared to my old standard ride on. Takes just over 1 hour to mow what used to take 2.5 hours. The deck is the pressed steal which a lot of… Read more

people don't like comparet to a fabricated deck. My old mower with pressed deck lasted 400hours. Treat it nice and it should last.

The Z425 model has the seperate pump with a motor on each wheel where a lot of zero turn mowers only have the integrated system. Make sure whatever make you get, that it has the seperate pump and motors. Zero turns are great if you have obstacles to get around such as trees, garden beds etc. The 54 inch deck might just be a little bit too big for some areas of the lawn, but they do come in a 48 inch as well.

It has a 2 year 120 hour warranty, which although not the best in the industry, is better than what ride ons used to get.

If you have a bigger yard or slopes, I also recommend getting a v twin motor. The singles have a lot of work to do with powering the deck and mower.

The mulching kit for the 54 inch deck is about $200 which includes blades and attachments for inside the deck. Unless you intend to only mulch, it is annoying having to change the attachment over.

I wish I had gone to a zero turn years ago............. Big motor, 54" deck, fast at mowing, quality. Would be better with fabricated deck.