This will be one of the most popular zero-turn mowers. It is a great homeowner machine for 2 or more acres. Husqvarna has developed a good, solid, zero-turn mower at a great price!
Husqvarna 967 00 36-01 Self-Propelled RZ5426 26HP Kohler Zero Turn Lawn Mower with a 54″ Reinforced Air Induction Mower Deck 967 00 36-01 Click here to go to Build.com to check prices and purchase this zero-turn mower. Right now they offer free shipping!
Husqvarna RZ5424
Since purchasing Dixon in 2006 Husqvarna has been quietly rebuilding their zero-turn line. This mower is a great example of that merger. This appears to be a Dixon zero-turn power unit with a deck identical to one on the Craftsman Excellerator. This merging takes the best of both lines and creates a good dependable zero-turn mower that mows well and drives well.
I sold quite a few of these mowers and everyone liked them a lot! It mows well, and no one had any problems with their machines.
Deck: The 54 inch stamped steel deck is capable of mowing a lot of lawn in a short period of time. The floating suspension coupled with the four anti-scalp wheels on the corners will keep this deck from digging in on the rough parts of your yard. This deck is known to cut well, and gets rid of grass well, but is not a great mulching deck or bagging deck. Why doesn’t it make a great mulcher? This deck has vents in the top that allow a lot of air into the deck. This helps the blades lift the grass and cut it evenly but that air has to have someplace to go. When you block the discharge with a mulch plug the deck tends to “blow” air out the front. (the nature of a triangle design deck) This doesn’t cause a problem for the mulching, but it does tend to blow a lot of grass up onto the footrest. If you plan on mulching with this deck be prepared for a lot of “blow by” when the lawn is dry.
Weight: For it’s size the RX5424 is very lightweight. If you have light or sandy soil this will keep the machine from “divoting” your lawn and tearing up the turf like a lot of the other residential zero-turns tend to do. I haven’t tested this mower on slopes so I will assume it will have difficulties mowing your septic mound. (You can usually mow these diagonally instead of across and get it mowed)
Speed: This zero turn mower will mow up to 2.7 acres an hour! If you are currently using a 54 inch garden tractor to mow, this zero-turn will cut you mowing time considerably! Compare this to 1 3/4 acres an hour for a Craftsman 28990 Yard Tractor or 2.25 acres an hour for the Craftsman 28947 Excellerator garden tractor.
Price: At about $2999 on sale this mower is one of the best values on the market. I can easily compare this machine to other brands costing $1000 more.
Cons: I discussed the negatives of the 54 inch deck above in the review of the Craftsman 28947 Excellerator. If you are looking to make money by mowing other people’s lawns this is not the mower for you. It is a great residential mower designed to mow up to 5 hours a week, but if you try to use this commercially, it won’t last long. Constantly taking it on and off a trailer, and mowing for hours a day every day will quickly wear this machine out. This mower is designed to give the homeowner years of service but is not designed for commercial use. If you want a economical mower capapble of 25 hours a week or more consider the Husqvarna MZ6128ZT 28 hp 61 inch Zero Turn Lawn Mower. Read my review here: Husqvarna MZ6128ZT Review
Maintenance-Free Transmission
The drives are strong enough to handle all residential mowing. I would pull a yard cart or a 25 gallon sprayer with this zero-turn but nothing else.
You can read more and purchase your new mower by clicking on this link:
Husqvarna 967 00 36-01 Self-Propelled RZ5426 26HP Kohler Zero Turn Lawn Mower with a 54″ Reinforced Air Induction Mower Deck 967 00 36-01
The rest of this article is information taken from the Husqvarna website. It is more complete than the info on Sears.com
For maneuverability, efficiency and convenience in a homeowner zero-turn mower package, the residential series really delivers. True zero-turn mower performance with twin, maintenance-free integrated transmissions, heavy-duty front casters and a rugged tube steel frame. High performance Air Induction cutting decks allow side ejection or optional mulch and collection capability. Convenient control placement, foam padded steering levers and an adjustable seat make these units easy and enjoyable to operate.
TECHNICAL DATA
Engine manufacturer: Kohler
Engine type: Courage V-Twin OHV
Power: 24 hp
Electrical System: 12V, 16 amp alt.
Air Filter: type Standard OEM
Fuel tank volume (with reserve) 3 gal.
Transmission type: Dual EZT
Speed forward, min-max: 0-6 mph
Speed reverse, min-max: 0-3.5 mph
Cutting width: 54 inch
Cutting height, min-max (approximate) 1.5 – 4.5 inch
Blade engagement: Electric
Blades: 3
Blade-tip speed: 16600 fpm
Anti-scalp wheels: 4
Nose roller
Seat type: Vinyl with built in slide
Hour meter: Digital
Tire size, front: 11×4-5″
Tire size, rear: 18×9.5-8″
Base machine, length: 72 inch
Base machine, width (chute down) 68 inch
Base machine, width (chute up) 60 inch
Weight: 640 lbs
Productivity: 2.7 acres/hr
@McMullen, Great deals are $2850 for a new one or $2650 for a reconditioned one.
I personally know 150 of these mowers out on the lawns mowing every week. There have been a few issues and I’ll go over them.
This year: The only real issue is they put the wiring harness on wrong on about 500 units. When you raise and lower the deck the lever cuts the harness. They have no good way of tracking where these are (units don’t have individual serial numbers) so if you happen to get one and it quits just call serive and it gets fixed quickly at no charge to you. (Both Lowes and Sears)
Last year: An idler pulley was installed wrong (or the wrong pulley) and it would tear up the deck belt in about an hour. Same thing, service fixes it free.
Now let’s get into the details.
Parts are easy to get. You can get them through Searspartsdirect.com or your local Husqvarna dealer.
Tires go flat. I don’t care if it is a $1000 MTD or a $75,000 Toro. I hate lawn tractor tires and one of the first things I will do when I get a mower I am going to keep around here is put at least 4 cups of Slime in the rear and 2 cups in the front.
Be sure you are buying the right mower. This is a residential zero-turn. All of the zero-turns in this price range ($2500 – 3800) have the same issue….traction. If you have more than 15 degree slopes you will have traction problems going along the hill (and this Huqvarna is one of the best)
If you are rough on mowers, this one won’t last you any longer than the others. Residential zero-turns cost more than lawn tractors but they are no more durable. If you are rough on mowers buy a Husqvarna MX6128ZT instead or a good used Exmark.
We are in the market for a new mower and have found a fantastic deal from a leading retailer on this model…..after driving to every other lawn mower and tractor dealer in town, we are confused & concerned by the mixed reviews relating to the ability and ease of obtaining parts. Do you have any feed back on this? Also, read through quite a few other reviews and some were indicating poor quality (issues after only an hour of use). Since your initial review, have you had any other feedback on the quality/durability of the product? For this much money, I want to make the best decision for a lawn tractor that I can.
Yes The RZ5424 will mow in reverse. As of this moment all zero-turns except the 2012 MTD built mowers will mow in reverse. The MTD branded zero-turns are Cub Cadet, Craftsman (2012) Troy-Bilt, and Yardman
will the rz54/24 mow in reverse?
I love my RZ5424. It’s my 2nd Huskie that I’ve purchased. Are there are any leaf/grass bagging systems for this ZTR? Thanks
@juli, Try to limit what you pull to 300 lbs or so. Also an aerator with 150 lbs of cement on it will pull harder than 500 lbs of dirt in your trailer. So what am I saying? Be cautious about pulling anything with a residential zero-turn. The rz5424 has good transmissions, but I would still limit pulling something like an aerator to only a few hours a year.
hi there! love your site. thanks for your research. i definitely plan on buying thru your links. quick question.. on the rz5424… you say you would pull nothing else but a cart or sprayer. we just bought our acre and a half and it is in desperate need of a dethatching/aeration treatment. 40 years without I believe. Would you recommend I not buy these attachments and use my neighbor’s lawn tractor instead for these annual chores (if he lets me.) lol Thanks again!