Dixie Chopper XCALIBER 3.50 star(s) (4)

DixieChopper is JUNK
Model Year: 0

I purchased a New Dixie Chopper ZTR Excalibur 74 inch cut new in 2007. I have barely got 500 hours on the unit. My home has a 10 acre yard I mow with it. I have had several mowers in my lifetime, the DIXIECHOPPER is by far the worst I have ever owned. I live out in the country 30 miles from the nearest town where a Dixie Chopper dealer WAS located, Sappington Outdoors in Jackson, Missouri. Sappington dropped DixieChopper as a dealer. Sappington's shop foreman told me it was because of their poor service. The dealer I originally purchased the mower from was Mid America Outdoors, they too have went out of business. After purchasing the mower new from Mid America. I had to haul it back up to them 2 weeks later because of problems. The mechanic who was working on it at the time was aggravated that he was having to work on it and he told me, "These DixieChoppers are the worst mowers ever, I hate them". I found another dealer in Charleston Missouri which is 50 miles one way from me. They gave me the same spill too, DIXIECHOPPER has poor service . They too have since went out of business. Here is a SHORT list of the problems I have had with this mower. #1. Excessive oil consumption (I could mower for 3 hours and have to put a half quart of oil back in it. I complained and had to take it again to the dealer and received a letter from Parke Lucas, who was at the time National Service Manager for Dixiechopper, his letter to me dated 7/30/2009 simply read, and I quote, "According to Generac, one ounce of oil per hour is acceptable consumption". #2. The mower deck would not hold its correct height, it kept slipping, finally after much back and forth they replaced the manual with an electric. #3. The front end had to completely be replaced after much back and forth. #4. The Hydraulic pumps for both sides had to be replaced after much back and forth argruing. #5. In the course of the 500 hours on the mower .. it has broken a number of belts...way over 20 belts. #6. The governor on the engine would not allow the engine to keep a high enough RPM. I took the mower to Mid America in Sikeston and they put a new governor in the engine. The replacement of a governor is a major job . The entire engine has to be torn down. They could still not get the engine to turn the correct RPM, and simply told me it was the best they could do. Now the turn around 2600 while wide open and mowing. Dixie Chopper manual clearly states to mow at no less than 3200 RPM. #7. One of the bolts in the mower deck came loose destroying the bearing and lower spindle breaking yet another belt. #8. A month later, yet another bolt broken on deck along with tension spring, and another belt and Idler pulley busted. #9. The Throttle linkage have broken numerous times. #10. At the last of the year last year, the Transmission deck belt broke 9 times, each time I mowed I broke a belt and had to replace it.

Pros: None.
Cons: Junk worthless mowers.

XCaliber Dominator 4X4
Model Year: 2013

4wd drive option is a tremendous help with the steep hills and inclines. Biggest negative is that due to length, this unit is not really suited on cutting yards that contain lots of obstacles such as trees. Due to weight, it is almost impossible to turn mower without damaging the turf.

Pros: 4WD option is great for steep inclines and is very stable even on 40° slopes. 4WD drive option is also great when cutting when ground is still soft and most mowers would get stuck.
Cons: Turning is a chore and cutting a piece of property with lots of trees will slow the cutting time to a crawl.

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Rating My Mower
Model Year: 2012

Overall, it seems my DC has been reliable not to forget about fuel usage being its diesel fuel vs gasoline.

Pros: Mows great even if I mow more than 1/3 of length of grass.
Cons: Not the quietest mowers that's for sure!

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Best Mower Ever Owned
Model Year: 0

I'm in sandy land. I have bad knees. My other zero turn leaves my front wheels buried in the sand. I would have to get off and pick the front of the heavy mower out of the sand, or sometimes have to go get a jack and jack them up to get them out of the sand. That is a lot of work for a person who can't walk well. However, I wanted a zero turn because they are so much faster and I am mowing about ten acres. Only about two acres of that are that sandy that I couldn't run a regular zero turn, but who wants to change mowers to mow different part of your property? This mower will mow it all with no problem. It is the best mower I have ever owned. It the fastest, but the only down side is it is also the dustiest mower I've ever been on. I would buy another if they still make them when I wear this one out. It could be a while.

Pros: The best mower I have ever owned, I love it
Cons: Its the dustiest mower I have been on