Bad Boy vs Dixie Chopper vs Grasshopper mower decision

[NevadaMOGuy]

Yep, I pulled the trigger on a 2013 Dixie Chopper Magnum 2250. That is 22hp with a 50" cut.

Smaller engine than my Craftsman but doesn't bog down at all like the riding mower.

Weird was the Craftsman had a 54" deck and it fit on my 5' by 8' trailer, a little tight with the chute held up, but the 50" Dixie is just as tight if not a bit tighter.
The Craftsman deck is just a one piece shell with 3 blades. The Dixie has baffles and channels under the deck so the cut is smaller but the deck is bigger.

[djdicetn]

Yep, I pulled the trigger on a 2013 Dixie Chopper Magnum 2250. That is 22hp with a 50" cut.

Smaller engine than my Craftsman but doesn't bog down at all like the riding mower.

Weird was the Craftsman had a 54" deck and it fit on my 5' by 8' trailer, a little tight with the chute held up, but the 50" Dixie is just as tight if not a bit tighter.
The Craftsman deck is just a one piece shell with 3 blades. The Dixie has baffles and channels under the deck so the cut is smaller but the deck is bigger.

That's a fine looking machine and from all I've heard about Dixie Choppers I think you will be well pleased with it. Yeah, I went from a Craftsman(made by Husqvarna) 54" lawn tractor to the 52" Gravely ZTR and my ZTR is actually a little tighter fit in my garage space than the lawn tractor was. I'm sure glad I didn't get a 54" ZTR or I would have needed to build a bigger garage:0)
I only put 6 hours on my ZTR this fall and the one thing I like about it so far versus my old lawn tractors is absolutely no grass or dirt buildup underneath the deck(it's "stained" a greenish color but I haven't had to wash out underneath the deck at all....I had to do that after every mow on the lawn tractors or they would throw a belt because the blade hit a clump).

[NevadaMOGuy]

Funny thing was I just got the mower back to the house and "had" to test drive it.

I had about 15 minutes of mowing in, which covered a lot more ground than the old mower, and the sound/power of the blades changed?

It seems like they just wasn't getting as much "power". I would stop and the blades would speed back up...move forward a bit and they would slow back down. The motor never changed its sound, never bogged down.

I called the dealer and he said he is on his way to my place. When the dealer guy showed up, he took it for a spin, adjusted a belt a bit but it didn't make any difference...still did the same thing.

He said, it is not right, he would bring the trailer by in the morning and pick it up.

Well, they dropped it off a few hours after picking it up and it runs great! You'll never guess what happened?

What happened you say? Well, I'm glad you asked.

He couldn't figure out what was going on so he was going to go back to the basics and took the belt off, once the belt was off the drive pulley fell off....it fell the F off...he said he never seen anything like it.

The main drive pully is connected to the clutch with 4 bolts and all the bolts had come out?!

He said he check his other 2013 models and they all had loose bolts, from the factory.

So even the "Fastest Lawnmower in the World" can be slowed down by Quality Control.

[djdicetn]

Wow, sounds like you(actually the dealer) was lucky that ZTR didn't throw a belt or worse the first time you used it!! Your dealer may need to fine tune his customer prep. One thing I noticed on my Gravely when I picked it up was that there were little "yellow X's"(kind of like a crayon marks) all over my mower, specifically at every "material fastening", "lube", etc. points. I asked and was told that every pre-delivery inspection includes checking the torque tension on every single bolt and lubing the mower before the customer picks it up(along with checking air/oil filters and oil/hydraulic levels). When I was ZTR shopping I got a lot of advice saying buying a ZTR from a dealer was so important instead of buying from a big box retailer and my experience proved why. I can guarantee you that Sears, Lowes & Home Depot don't do that thorough of a pre-delivery prep!!! Glad to hear your dealer responded appropriately to your problem!!!

[robbyr]

I've always been push mower guy but end of last mowing season started kinda looking at ztr's. Boy it all started kinda running together. Friend has a 60" bad boy and swears by it. I happen to like most Husqvarna stuff so got to looking at them. Seems there are millions of options, sizes, engines, brands, etc. I do have a DR brushcutter with Kawasaki engine, its a champ. Good luck with yours, I'm still looking.

[djdicetn]

I've always been push mower guy but end of last mowing season started kinda looking at ztr's. Boy it all started kinda running together. Friend has a 60" bad boy and swears by it. I happen to like most Husqvarna stuff so got to looking at them. Seems there are millions of options, sizes, engines, brands, etc. I do have a DR brushcutter with Kawasaki engine, its a champ. Good luck with yours, I'm still looking.

robbyr,
Yeah, I feel your pain. I pursued the purchase of my first ZTR this past fall and there are SO MANY good ones out there that you have to decide whether you want a "residential", a high-end residential with some "commercial components" or a truly "commercial" ZTR based upon your needs(particularly how much area you mow, how many years you expect your investment to last or maintenance cost) and of course most importantly your budget. You need to make sure, when comparing different brands/models, that you are comparing "apples to apples"(it's easy to end up comparing a high-end residential to a commercial) and you just need to make sure the major components(engine series, trannies, deck thickness gauge, etc.) are at least "similar" to make sure any big $ difference isn't because it's a "apples to oranges" comparison. I too ended up with my head spinning after actually looking at 4-6 different choices but my advice to you is to (1)make sure you buy from a local dealer that you feel comfortable with after looking at their ZTR's(any needed service after the sale is important) and stay away from big box retailers that can't provide after-the-sale service; (2)the predominent ZTR engines for reliability are the Kawasaki's(FR series is residential, FS series is heavy duty and FX series is commercial); (3)warranties are important factors as they can indicate just how well made the ZTR is(especially note a ZTR that has both a Residential and a Commercial Warranty as this is a very good indication of reliability) and (4)try to find a ZTR in your price range that has a 7gauge(or 10gauge), chain suspended deck because these will be the most durable and easy to keep level(for a smooth finished cut). I ended up making offers on a Gravely(my 1st choice overall), a Bad Boy(my 2nd choice), a Hustler(my 3rd choice) and a Dixon(my 4th choice). But there are LOTS of other good ones(I also liked the Toros and the Husqvarnas..MZ series). I am VERY happy(only 6 hours so far) with my Gravely Pro-Turn XDZ 152 Commercial mower and the dealer came off almost $1,000 from the MSRP(including taxes) and the 2013 model went up another $300. If you have a local dealer that carries Gravely mowers I recommend you check them out. Also, don't be afraid to "haggle" with the dealer for an "out-the-door" price, especially if you can "afford" to pay cash...I was fortunate enough to have some savings for retirement that I could use without impacting my retirement too much. Good luck and I hope the info I provided will be helpful!!!

[robbyr]

Thanks for the info, don't know what I'll do yet, sure not getting any younger. Another mowing season is upon us