Ok, I'm looking at a higher end residential zero turn mower for my 1 acre. I want servicable hydros, so the 2800+ hydro units are what i'm looking for. Pretty much have it narrowed down to the Hustler Raptor XD, gravely ZT XL, and Cub cadet zt2. availability with production issues might make my options limited. The cub is in stock and it seems nice but IMHO is a little less " commercial" than the gravely or hustler. It has LED lights on it standard though, but the gravely is pre wired for lights so adding lights would be simple. Not sure on the hustler. I need to stop and look at the gravely and hustlers in person. Ariens used to make an Ikon XL with the 2800 hydros in a top of the line residential mower. they stopped making those and think that the ikon xd with non servicable hydros was a good idea. well, I want serviceable hydros. SO the next ariens up at the top of the residential is the apex. It has the 3100 hydros, but it's 5k. These other units are all at 4k. The gravely is really just a red ariens. all these models are 52-54" decks, all fabbed, all welded frames, and all have the kawasaki v twin
It also seemed that the cub was a little tight for my tall frame. Hustler says they have a bigger operator station . We'll see.
Gravely vs. Hustler Outdoor World Azle, TX 817-237-5592 Looks like this is a decent comparison, but the hustler raptor XD is a welded and not bolted together frame
There's apparently a Kubota zero turn in my price range as well. I'll take a look. We have an AWESOME dealer very close. They sell ford vehicles and Kubota. Our family has bought several cars and trucks from them. Kenny there is good sh!t. So if it comes to dealer, the bota might win.
We have a Kubota ZD28 with a 72" deck and Mrs PMM loves it. Bought it used on CL about 15 yrs ago we mow about 10 acres I get to do the maintenance and sharpen blades.
Another thing that would factor in for me would be which one was the "most USA"...I know they all use globally sourced parts, but some more than others? You have probably already checked into this. Toro would have to be on my short list to check out too...I had one before my Hustler, would probably still have it, but 2 major things I didn't like, it was low on power (17 HP Kohler single cyl with a 52" deck!) and non serviceable hydros...I should have done my homework better...would have lead me to buying a little heavier duty model! It is the only "vehicle" that I have ever bought new...wished later that I had waited on a good deal on a used commercial model...which is exactly what I did the second time around! I see a TON of Toro's around this area...many on the trailers of the commercial guys too! 54" Titan® IronForged™ Deck 26 HP Gas Zero Turn Riding Mower | Toro | Toro The other option you might consider is to buy a nice used one...might be able to buy more mower for less $...the 2006 Hustler Mini-Z I have now is just a smaller version of the Super-Z...bought it with <400 hours and a hydro leak for $3k...$40 (seal kit) and a couple hours later I have a near bulletproof commercial mower that will last me MANY years as I only put ~50 hours/yr on.
I have a 52" Exmark Lazer Z...Mow about 3 acres, no regrets. Bought it used with about 350 hours on it. She was a bit dirty here
Hustler makes a good mower. Have you seen the Bad Boy mowers? We have one, bought new in 2013, cut a lot of yards down here. Buy once, cry once. Get a small commercial grade mower.
Can't complain about my John Deere Z445. The new version is a 535. 54" deck. Kawasaki powered. 25 horse. My buddy across the road tried my 445 one afternoon and was sold. He had a new 535 the next day. He mows almost 7 acres. I mow 3. Handle it easy. Not sure if you've considered these but thought it worth mentioning.
My stihl dealer is also a gravely dealer, so I occasionally ask about mowers when I’m there. I was looking at the top of the line homeowner model and asked about the difference between pro and homeowner. The shop owner told me the only difference is thicker deck on equivalent pro model. The mower was 5k, so I’ll continue with the brushog roughcut look. It matches up better with the wood dump firewood look in the front.
What's funny is that the Kawasaki is a small upcharge on most zero turns, while the kohler is the standard engine. There's Briggs too, but I'd rather have a kohler over a Briggs. Yes, I'll go with as much american made as possible. I also try to go with companies based in Wisconsin if at all possible. So probably I should get an ariens/ gravely with the kohler. But I know the kawis are smooth and solid. There's a good toro dealer extremely close to me. But they either have Briggs or they're own toro branded made in china engines.
That's why I'm getting the the serviceable and simply better hydro units. Bad boys usually have Kohler engines at best, from what I see. Comparing specs, the bad boys are no different than the ones I'm comparing.
Deere has a big plant in horicon Wisconsin. Not sure if they do anything for the zero turns there? Anyways, I've always found that Deere products are more expensive than similar others. They get the name recognition. I'm not into paying for a name, and I'm definitely not happy with Deere's business practices. So they are out.
Yep, the deck is thicker steel on the commercial ones and the more you pay, the better the hydros. The 10-11 gauge steel fabbed decks on the units I'm looking at are more than beefy enough for my lawn. To go to the 7 gauge steel on the commercial units it's quite a bit more $, and I'm only mowing my lawn. The stamped deck on my old ariens gt still works fine and had held up through a lot more than lawn mowing over the decades. Granted we welded an edge bar to the front of the deck to reinforce it decades ago.
I also have a Gravely 1548G walk behind...16 years old and still runs like she is new. Don't think you can go wrong Tom...find the one the feels best and
Yeah, all of these are great mowers. I can't go wrong with any of these that anyone has mentioned here.
I'd have to agree with eatonpcat, try a few out and pick the one you like that feels right. We've got a Country Clipper 60" charger. We chose it due to a single hand joystick set up as opposed to the two seperate levers. Leaves one hand open to move limbs out of the way, or partake in beverage consumption while mowing. Weve been pretty happy with it so far. A few problems, but I feel they were mostly my fault and the dealer has been great to deal with. I'm pretty tough on it and we do not live on a golf course. Its mows around a river more than it should.
