60" Zero Turn Mower advice

[hawkeye08]

I am planning on looking at zero turn mowers when we replace our current riding mower. The two top of the list I want to look at are the new Kubotas (gas engine) and the BadBoys (made in USA, second largest manufacturer of zero turn).

 

[Beltman60]

i've had my eyes on the badboys myself (big, heavy built, with power, and a cup holder)
waiting for my 23 year old simplicity zero turn to die (1813 hrs. of abuise)
it just won't maybe if I quit doing my regular maintenance on it

 

[djdicetn]

Wow, 8 hours to cut 1 3/4 an acres? You must be mowing at a snail's pace. I have 16 acres with about 5 or 6 that I mow. The rest is woods and it don't take me but 3 or 4 hours with a Craftsman 42" mower and a tractor for the pasture area. I probably cut about 2 1/2 acres with the Craftsman 42". You mentioned wanting to avoid getting the "Home Depot special", but you might want to consider at least checking out the Ariens Max Zoom 60. Ariens actually owns Gravely and from what I've read the Ariens Max Zoom 60 and the Gravely ZT HD 60 are pretty much identical. I believe the pricing between the two are pretty close either way within a few $100 of each other. There are smaller deck sizes that would cost you less. I don't personally have any experience with either, but I do know many people that own Gravely mowers and love them. Do some research online and see what you find.

TXFig,
If you decide to take the above advice, I would recommend a very close look at the Gravely ZT HD. Even though the "tech specs" may be very similar to the Ariens Max Zoom I'll bet a dime to a dollar you will notice a significantly heavier build on the Gravely model. The "parent company" Ariens, even though they do have a few "Commercial models" and "similar high-end Residential models in the ZOOM series, they are historically geared towards the Homeowner with their ZTR line(and that's why they bought Gravely...to get a full line that woudl include "Industrial/Commercial" quality machines). Not saying the Ariens is not a good machine(my next-door-neighbor has a 15-yr-old 42" Ariens Zoom that has held up very well), or simply biased because I own a Gravely.......if you want a heavier-duty machine the Gravely is your best choice between those two. The little bit more $ you may pay for the Gravely will pay off in the long run!!!

 

[djdicetn]

i've had my eyes on the badboys myself (big, heavy built, with power, and a cup holder)
waiting for my 23 year old simplicity zero turn to die (1813 hrs. of abuise)
it just won't maybe if I quit doing my regular maintenance on it

You and user hawkeye08 need to look "real closely" at the Bad Boys. Indeed the frame and decks of the BB is massive and built like a tank, but the overall quality of the other components(and some negative reviews on cut quality) may require a first-look and some research before pulling the trigger on one. I can say that after making a Bad Boy dealer an offer on a 54" Outlaw last fall(was a bit surprised that although the BB website didn't specifically mention it, the foldable ROPS was a $300 add-on...the base Outlaw doesn't come with a ROPS). The dealer wouldn't negotiate on the out-the-door price to match my offer and the Gravely dealer would.....but after reading the 2013 NAEDA Dealer Survey of manufacturers(see link below) regarding what the dealer network thought about overall quality as well as some owner reviews I read on forums.....I'm glad the BB dealer didn't accept my offer. You may be lucky and they may have some models that you will be happy with, but I'm just telling you to look at them real closely!!

http://www.msdeda.com/pdf/2013 Dealer Manufacturer Survey.pdf

 

[cletus99]

TXFig,
If you decide to take the above advice, I would recommend a very close look at the Gravely ZT HD. Even though the "tech specs" may be very similar to the Ariens Max Zoom I'll bet a dime to a dollar you will notice a significantly heavier build on the Gravely model. The "parent company" Ariens, even though they do have a few "Commercial models" and "similar high-end Residential models in the ZOOM series, they are historically geared towards the Homeowner with their ZTR line(and that's why they bought Gravely...to get a full line that woudl include "Industrial/Commercial" quality machines). Not saying the Ariens is not a good machine(my next-door-neighbor has a 15-yr-old 42" Ariens Zoom that has held up very well), or simply biased because I own a Gravely.......if you want a heavier-duty machine the Gravely is your best choice between those two. The little bit more $ you may pay for the Gravely will pay off in the long run!!!

No disrespect intended, but I believe you may be wrong. From everything I have read the only difference between the Gravely ZT HD and the Ariens Max Zoom is the color paint. I believe the part numbers on the parts are the exact same and parts interchangeable between the two from what I read. Of course what I read could have been wrong also. Don't get me wrong though, I'm considering getting a Gravely ZT HD or Pro-Turn soon myself. One thing I think is important to look at with the Gravely is that you are purchasing from a dealer instead of a big box store. It will probably be a lot easy to receive support should anything go wrong. Although, if something does go wrong with the Ariens then you'll probably have to take it to a Gravely dealer for support anyways. But you might get better service since you bought from them if you go with the Gravely. I think for the OP it is going to come down to what he can afford. I don't think the price difference is going to be that much though.

Oh and when I looked into the Bad Boys I read the same thing about the overall quality of the other components. Some of the reviews steered me away also.

 

[Beltman60]

ok so that report says I made the biggest mistake in a lifetime buying a John Deere
wow am I a fool
BB makes different models and when I looked into the reviews the one I was interested in had nothing but great reviews other than problems they had back in 09/10

 

[hawkeye08]

You and user hawkeye08 need to look "real closely" at the Bad Boys. Indeed the frame and decks of the BB is massive and built like a tank, but the overall quality of the other components(and some negative reviews on cut quality) may require a first-look and some research before pulling the trigger on one. I can say that after making a Bad Boy dealer an offer on a 54" Outlaw last fall(was a bit surprised that although the BB website didn't specifically mention it, the foldable ROPS was a $300 add-on...the base Outlaw doesn't come with a ROPS). The dealer wouldn't negotiate on the out-the-door price to match my offer and the Gravely dealer would.....but after reading the 2013 NAEDA Dealer Survey of manufacturers(see link below) regarding what the dealer network thought about overall quality as well as some owner reviews I read on forums.....I'm glad the BB dealer didn't accept my offer. You may be lucky and they may have some models that you will be happy with, but I'm just telling you to look at them real closely!!

http://www.msdeda.com/pdf/2013 Dealer Manufacturer Survey.pdf

There are lots of dealers that don't negotiate prices, guess they all have bad products also. I suspect the dealer knows what he has to sell things for to stay in business...

 

[Jackspaw]

Whoa,cletus,I have about 1 1/2 acres to mow,and can take 7or 8 hours to finish. Lots of trees(74) rose bushes(40?) and plenty other stuff. Besides i'm a little old and infirm. Anyway,all those mowers wii cut the grass,and do a good job. What you buy is mostly personal preference. I use an old(2001) cub1042, and yes it cAme new from lowes would've probably lasted forever if i'd taken more care of it. Still goes though ,but slowing down. Like me. Lol. Gonna get a new one pretty soon. prob. a ferris. The smaller ones are around 5000.00. Good luck with your new mower. Keep oil in it and keep the blades off
The ground and it'lllast 10 years
Minimum.

 

[Jackspaw]

I have to agree with Hawkeye on this one. I've been to look at the gravelys. They are good mowers and will cut your grass for many years with a little love every so often. But, the gravely ZT HD series is in a class of it's own. It's between the residential and commercial models and thus the higher prices. The ariens zoom and gravely ZT models ARE the same mowers,with some different engine and deck options.
E

 

[TxFig]

Wow - lots of activity.

First: I'm certain that one reason it takes me so long is that I am basically cutting the entire yard twice ... even though my Yard Machine is a 48" cut, I put the tire tracks over the last set (over lapping the paths by at least a 3rd). If I don't do this, the cut is very uneven.
... and yes, I sharpen my blades FREQUENTLY, and I am constantly adjusting the deck balance.


2nd - it's great that I am getting advice on other brands, but without a model # and a price, it's next to impossible for me to compare what is being talked about.

your in luck
TSC has a sale this weekend on a cub cadet 54" RZT for $2800
you should be able to cut your 1 1/2 acres in less than 2 hrs for sure
ad says cutting speeds up to 7 mph
that is min over your projected $2500 budget and you would have a new zero turn

Yeah, but it's pretty darn close. I might have to go check them out...