Scag Wide Area Walk Behind Mowers: Balancing Speed and Maneuverability

Scag Wide Area Walk Behind Mowers: Balancing Speed and ManeuverabilityWhen you need to mow around landscape features, nothing beats a walk-behind mower. When you need to cover a lot of ground, nothing beats a mower with a big deck. Want a mower that can do both? That’s where Scag’s wide area walk-behind mowers come in. They’re compact and easy to maneuver, but they’re also available with decks ranging from 32 to 61 inches. Add in features like hydrostatic drive, and you get mowers that can go just about anywhere while offering the mowing speed of a small ZTR.

Engines

All models come with Kawasaki FS Series engines. These V-Twins don’t have the advanced filtration system of the FX, but everything else carries over, including the rotating grass chopper screen and built-in cleanout ports. That means you get commercial reliability with low weight. This engine is mounted between the deck and controls, making it easy to access for maintenance.

Decks

Scag offers two deck designs with their walk-behinds: 32 and 36-inch Advantage Cutter decks, and 48, 52, and 61-inch Velocity Plus decks. The Velocity Plus adds bumpers to resist impacts and uses slightly thicker metal than the Advantage Cutter. Otherwise, these decks are almost identical. They both use multi-layer constructed shells with built-in baffles to increase mowing chamber vacuum.
The result is good cut quality with maximum durability.

However, there’s a big difference between these decks if you want to mulch. Velocity Plus decks can be equipped with the Hurricane Plus mulching system, This adds more baffles, a metal mulch plug and high lift blades with double serrated edges for superior mulching performance. Advantage Cutter decks can be equipped with a mulch plug, turbo baffle and high lift blades. Mulching performance is good, but it can’t match Hurricane Plus. With either deck, you can add a fabric bag grass catcher to the chute to capture clippings. This works like a bagger on a small walk-behind, letting you lift out and dump the entire bag when it’s full.

These decks are paired with the same Ogura clutches used in Scag’s ZTRs. These have an adjustable air gap, letting you compensate for wear to extend the clutch’s life.

Models

Scag makes three wide area walk-behind models: the SW, SWZ and SWZT.

SW
This line of mowers uses a 5-speed Peerless transmission. In top gear, these mowers can reach 6 MPH. A twin belt drive improves reliability and makes slipping less likely if the mower gets wet. The SW is offered with 32, 36, 48 and 52-inch decks.

The controls are mounted on a three position handle that rotates up and down to fit operators of different heights. Spring-assisted EZ grip controls reduce hand fatigue.

SWZ
The SWZ uses a hydrostatic drive system, giving it zero turning radius capability. A combination of Hydro-Gear pumps and Parker drive motors delivers a top speed of 7.4 MPH. Scag’s Adjust-a-Track system controls neutral and tracking with a single adjuster. It has the same three position handle and EZ grip controls found on the SW. Scag makes the SWZ with 36, 48, 52 and 61-inch decks.

SWZT
Like the SWZ, this mower line uses a hydrostatic drive. However, in place of separate pumps and motors, it uses a pair of Hydro-Gear ZT-2800 transaxles. With the motor and pump built into a single unit, there are no hoses or fittings that can leak. Together, these units can propel these mowers to a top speed of 7 MPH.

The SWZT uses fixed controls, but they have an angled handle like you’ll find on a stander mower. This lets the operator use a more natural grip, reducing wrist fatigue.

These mowers are offered with 36, 48, 52 and 61-inch decks. The SWZT’s deck height adjustment uses a set pin that goes into clearly marked holes, like you’ll find on a ride-on ZTR.

Warranty

Kawasaki guarantees FS Series engines for three years of commercial use.

Scag guarantees the SW, SWZ and SWZT two years of commercial use, or either three years or 500 hours of residential use. On SW and SWZ models, the cutter deck spindle and Velocity Plus decks are covered for three years. All Scag products are covered for 90 days when used for rentals.

Get the Perfect Mower for Your Needs

Whether you have a small yard, or you cut grass for a living, Shank’s Lawn Equipment has a mower for you. We carry most major mower brands, including Scag, Exmark and Cub Cadet. Looking for parts? We have a massive warehouse, which means there’s a good chance we have what you need in stock. Need repairs? Let our service department take care of it. Visit us at 4900 Molly Pitcher Highway in Chambersburg, PA. We also ship parts and accessories across the United States and Canada. If you need something for your Scag, visit us online at www.shankslawn.com.

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