Should I buy GT52XLS

[Crimson0087]

Hey guys,

I am thinking about purchasing this garden tractor and want to ask some questions. I have read some positive and negative reviews about some husqvarnas. First question

1. On the kawasaki model is the chassis a sturdy heavy duty chassis? One guy said the chassis would bend while he was mowing.
2. How does the mower do on the lowest cutting setting. I have read bad things about the fabricated deck. Does this mow well. I will be mowing bermuda grass at the lowest 1.5 inch setting.
3. Does it mulch well?
4. Over all am I making a good purchase with this mower or would I be better off with a john deere x310. I know the husky has the better transmission than the x310 but how well does the other stuff hold up. I have a VERY bumy rough yard and I want to make sure the chassis isnt going to crap out or the front axles break bumping around my yard at 7.2 miles per hour.

This will be my first lawn mower I want to buy a good one ONCE! and hopefully it last a good 20 years like my dads JD did.

Also I have a few steep hills. I wish this mower came with a smaller deck. Oh yeah last question. If I wanted to put one of the smaller decks like the stamped 42 inch or something from another husky would it fit this well? I want this tractor but I would prefer a smaller deck with my dips in my yard.

 

[s219]

I was not impressed when the Husky mowers when I shopped them. Ended up with a Deere X380. Seems like Deere is the only company making decent mowers anymore (but note that their lesser 100 series mowers aren't great).

 

[widefat]

Hey guys,

I am thinking about purchasing this garden tractor and want to ask some questions. I have read some positive and negative reviews about some husqvarnas. First question

1. On the kawasaki model is the chassis a sturdy heavy duty chassis? One guy said the chassis would bend while he was mowing.
2. How does the mower do on the lowest cutting setting. I have read bad things about the fabricated deck. Does this mow well. I will be mowing bermuda grass at the lowest 1.5 inch setting.
3. Does it mulch well?
4. Over all am I making a good purchase with this mower or would I be better off with a john deere x310. I know the husky has the better transmission than the x310 but how well does the other stuff hold up. I have a VERY bumy rough yard and I want to make sure the chassis isnt going to crap out or the front axles break bumping around my yard at 7.2 miles per hour.

This will be my first lawn mower I want to buy a good one ONCE! and hopefully it last a good 20 years like my dads JD did.

Also I have a few steep hills. I wish this mower came with a smaller deck. Oh yeah last question. If I wanted to put one of the smaller decks like the stamped 42 inch or something from another husky would it fit this well? I want this tractor but I would prefer a smaller deck with my dips in my yard.

I have had the 52XLS for a couple of months now, bought new. I also have a rough, bumpy yard and liked the heavy duty tranny and fab deck. Mine has the Kaw engine.
The husky is a rattle machine - it has two or three rattles that annoy me and speak of ill-fitting parts.
My cutting needs are different - I cut at 2.5 to 3 inches. I noticed that if the grass is more than 2 or 3 inches above the cut setting, it does not do well - a bad haircut and you have to make another pass. If you are within 2 or so inches of the cut height, then it looks good.
It is a fast mower - faster than my body can tolerate in my bumpy yard.
I have not had it long enough to talk about durability, which was why I went with the 52XLS. Only time will tell. However, something in my gut tells me I should have spent a little more for a Deere.

 

[Gem99ultra]

As many on here already know, I'm a Husqvarna fan, having most everything they sell including a couple of Husqvarna mowers, trimmers, etc. The old Husq Rider 155 I bought in 2002 has been a true workhorse. The GTH52 with the fabricated deck and Kaw engine I bought in 2013, I'm not overly excited about.

I probably bought the wrong mower for actually mowing grass. The GTH is a rough cut machine. Even with the mulching kit, I'm not overly pleased with the quality of cut. I suppose I'm trying to compare it to the Rider, which cuts golf course smooth.

One reason I bought the GTH was to cut 25* dam banks. With the turf tires, it struggled to get enough traction. I swapped those out for all terrain type rear tires, and it simply will not slip or get stuck. In that regard, it's a hoss. In addition, the weeds just don't get to high for it to simply bull right on through. It'll cut just about anything including small branches. The blades on that thing are super thick - more like a brush hog blade.

Probably with the standard mower deck it would cut a bit smoother. The fabricated deck is plenty heavy duty; you'll never ever wear it out or bend it up. The mulching kit? It doesn't work very well in my opinion, at least not for pretty lawn mowing.

I've not heard about any frames bending on these mowers, but that would be my least of concerns. They are heavy duty. And, I doubt you'll ever be cutting grass at 7 mph - not even with a commercial ZTR.

On the other hand, for $3400 list price and to primarily cut Bermuda grass, I suspect that you can do better. I know JD fans are big on their JDs, but my first hand experience is that they are also overpriced, and expensive to maintain. JD parts are way overpriced. Heck - so are all other brands!

Not to bore old forum members, but my Husqvarna Rider 155 is now 14 years old, logged over 2500 hours on it, very few repairs other than normal maintenance, and cuts grass like no other mower I've ever owned. It'll be a sad day when it makes its final cut. But the GT and GTH models? I'm not sold on those. Not at >$3K price tag.

 

[widefat]

Yesterday, I had to mow a small section, about 3/4 acre, that had not been touched this year. The field grass was about 3 feet high. I really should have used my bushhog, but it was 6 miles away and the rain clouds were building.
So, I jumped on the 52XLS and went to town. Make no mistake - it pushed through the field grass and did not bog down. Definitely a good machine for ugly work.