TMR
Gold Member
After reading many of the comments as new owners took delivery and began to use the new Husqvarna GT48DXLS my dealer finally found one and I took delivery last Friday. First mowing was a quick mow of our cabin yard which took about one hour...I primarily was pleased except for some scalping which I first attributed to the 48" deck as I previously had used a 42" deck. Turns out I had not adjusted the guide wheels which I believe solved that problem.
Yesterday I mowed a portion of a field that I mow 2-3 times per year. The field is part of the reason I wanted a strong GT with a strong transaxle, engine and good/great grass clipping "exit". My hour to 1 1/2 mowing in the filed with grass/weed/small brush from 8" high to some brush growth about 2' tall was certainly a good test of the new mower. It is a BEAST! It handled a pretty good chunk of the filed with almost zero bogging down and threw the clippings/cuttings of what ever I mowed over a long distance. Also did not clog at all! The new guide wheel setting kept it from scalping except when I purposely attacked an ant hill or two. One small complaint is the throttle is located so it slows when I occasionally went under hanging brush...which happens fairly often as I was cutting the edge of the field.
Some summary observations...
1) I wore ear plugs and head set protection as I always do and noise was not an issue. Engine appears less noisy than the deck when engaged. No problem.
2) Not sure I like the arm rests...time will tell.
3) Seems not to use excess fuel...still on first fill.
4) I did get stuck with the deck in some mud on right side with the deck already on full height. I went to get my truck to pull it out but then I remembered the rear locking axle. Returned and engaged the locker and it came right out! I still think I may see if chains fit but I will use it longer to decide. Locking Diff...Great feature and one of my "must haves" when shopping for it. Note...also did not want an "auto" locking diff.
5) LOVE the key setting so it allows deck to continue to operate in reverse...will need to learn to set it there initially because each time I stopped I set in the wrong place until the first time I backed up...
6) Wish it had a brush guard...in my mind I thought it did??? Will need something with my use.
7) Little concerned about how much harder to work under deck...blades/belts/spindles as I have a history of need to replace/repair pretty often. It looks heavy. May need to get a quality lift and support system.
Well, I will add to my comments as I get more hours on it. BTW...I definitely use/abuse the tractor and felt I needed "Sturdy" in a big way. I probably would have jumped to a SCUT or an JD X7xx but I mow in too tight areas and was already nervous about upsizing to a 48" deck with the larger wheels but I think this size will work OK. So far I really believe that my choices other than this "limited edition" model would have been a JD X590 or the equivalent in one of the other couple of lines that still build on the heavy/sturdy transaxles...and would have cost at lest 2X the $3K I paid for the GT48DXLS.
BTW...dealer (who is new owner of the business) had a hard time getting one but his rep said they are going to build more...FWIW?
BTW...is there a "manual"? The package appears to have very basic info...along with a Kawasaki engine manual. No specific operating manual for this model???
Thanks...TMR
Yesterday I mowed a portion of a field that I mow 2-3 times per year. The field is part of the reason I wanted a strong GT with a strong transaxle, engine and good/great grass clipping "exit". My hour to 1 1/2 mowing in the filed with grass/weed/small brush from 8" high to some brush growth about 2' tall was certainly a good test of the new mower. It is a BEAST! It handled a pretty good chunk of the filed with almost zero bogging down and threw the clippings/cuttings of what ever I mowed over a long distance. Also did not clog at all! The new guide wheel setting kept it from scalping except when I purposely attacked an ant hill or two. One small complaint is the throttle is located so it slows when I occasionally went under hanging brush...which happens fairly often as I was cutting the edge of the field.
Some summary observations...
1) I wore ear plugs and head set protection as I always do and noise was not an issue. Engine appears less noisy than the deck when engaged. No problem.
2) Not sure I like the arm rests...time will tell.
3) Seems not to use excess fuel...still on first fill.
4) I did get stuck with the deck in some mud on right side with the deck already on full height. I went to get my truck to pull it out but then I remembered the rear locking axle. Returned and engaged the locker and it came right out! I still think I may see if chains fit but I will use it longer to decide. Locking Diff...Great feature and one of my "must haves" when shopping for it. Note...also did not want an "auto" locking diff.
5) LOVE the key setting so it allows deck to continue to operate in reverse...will need to learn to set it there initially because each time I stopped I set in the wrong place until the first time I backed up...
6) Wish it had a brush guard...in my mind I thought it did??? Will need something with my use.
7) Little concerned about how much harder to work under deck...blades/belts/spindles as I have a history of need to replace/repair pretty often. It looks heavy. May need to get a quality lift and support system.
Well, I will add to my comments as I get more hours on it. BTW...I definitely use/abuse the tractor and felt I needed "Sturdy" in a big way. I probably would have jumped to a SCUT or an JD X7xx but I mow in too tight areas and was already nervous about upsizing to a 48" deck with the larger wheels but I think this size will work OK. So far I really believe that my choices other than this "limited edition" model would have been a JD X590 or the equivalent in one of the other couple of lines that still build on the heavy/sturdy transaxles...and would have cost at lest 2X the $3K I paid for the GT48DXLS.
BTW...dealer (who is new owner of the business) had a hard time getting one but his rep said they are going to build more...FWIW?
BTW...is there a "manual"? The package appears to have very basic info...along with a Kawasaki engine manual. No specific operating manual for this model???
Thanks...TMR