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Brand new 2013 Ultra. I have mowed with it twice.
Pros: mows great, engine is surprisingly quiet and smooth (27 Koehler courage), 3400 Hydros, solid deck, beefy frame, nice big tires, pretty comfortable seat, like the foot operated deck lift, got it for $4500 out the door.
Cons: brackets that hold the fenders/gas tank/control panel are flimsy. They flex around when mowing, no gas gauge, the Courage engine makes me nervous due to a lot of bad reviews.

Update: the "flimsy" side brackets just needed bolts tightened. They are fine now.

Deck and frame look solid. How's cut quality?

Cuts nice and even without any adjustments.

Another positive is that the oil drain has a hose that exits at the back of the machine for easy access. Another negative is the courage engine has real cheap plastic trim. The plastic dipstick just slides in no threads. The plastic door to access the air cleaner simply closes shut no fasteners or snaps. I think I got a real nice machine for the money, though.

Aside from the engine, it seems plenty of mower, especially at the price. I looked at them when shopping dealerships, and they had a couple nice models but the Courages up me off. Isn't the pedal in an obtrusive place?

MRCo. said:

Aside from the engine, it seems plenty of mower, especially at the price. I looked at them when shopping dealerships, and they had a couple nice models but the Courages up me off. Isn't the pedal in an obtrusive place?

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I think user Heus will be happy with that Ram Ultra and the information I gleaned about the terrible design flaws on the Kohler Courage were for the single cylinder series, not the twin cylinder on that Dixon. Regular oil/filter maintenance and I think it'll do fine. I too looked at the Dixons in the Fall of 2012 and I "almost" pulled the trigger on a 52" DX100 commercial The Dixons(yeah, everbody comments about how they are owned by Husqvarna, but my dealer has sold Dixons for 15 years and he said Husq didn't change anything when they took over manufacturing the Dixon....in fact they implemented some of the Dixon features/designs into their MZ series ZTR's). They are very well built and good value for the money. Funny you should ask about the deck lift pedal.......that was one of the deciding factors(along with a better money deal) for me going with the Gravely. My local Dixon dealer also carried Bad Boy ZTR's and I was interested in them as well. I had polio as an infant which affected the muscle system on my right leg. The massive 5gauge deck and lift system on the Bad Boy Outlaw made it virtually impossible for me to adjust the deck height...try as I might. The Dixon, because of the lift placement also was a little difficult for me. The Gravely was just perfect regarding the placement, spring assisted lift and by far was one of the easiest decks to adjust I had found. A small feature for most but was pretty important for me(although I usually just store it at the highest position to take all tension off the springs and set the adjustment when I begin mowing....once and I'm done).

It has been raining here for 5 days straight. I decided to mow in a light rain today. The cut was super leaving no clumps whatsoever. I have 7.5 hours of cutting on it now. One thing that puzzles me is that the hour meter only counts when the blades are running. Is this typical of other brands?

Heus said:

It has been raining here for 5 days straight. I decided to mow in a light rain today. The cut was super leaving no clumps whatsoever. I have 7.5 hours of cutting on it now. One thing that puzzles me is that the hour meter only counts when the blades are running. Is this typical of other brands?

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You know that does sound a little strange. I'm 99.9% sure that my Gravely's hour meter runs whenever the engine is running. Sounds like that Dixon is doing a very good job for you(I really liked the Dixon's, my second choice was the 52" DX100).

Heus said:

It has been raining here for 5 days straight. I decided to mow in a light rain today. The cut was super leaving no clumps whatsoever. I have 7.5 hours of cutting on it now. One thing that puzzles me is that the hour meter only counts when the blades are running. Is this typical of other brands?

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Yea thats what a lot of them do now. Leave the key on by accident and you won't end up with hours you didn't run it.:thumbsup:

Mine is the same. I like it. I only use the mower to mow.
The distance from the garage to the lawn is maybe 25'.
I have noticed on mine the two front spindle zerks have fallen off.
They appear to be the press fit type.
Gonna have to tap two 5/16 sae in there this week.
Also, the only difference I can find between the Briggs 28 hp 49L977-0125-G5 is part # 117 in the carb Click 28 Here
and the Briggs 30 hp 49M877-5598-G5 Click 30 hp Here

Part Number #117 Briggs and Stratton 842633 Jet-Main ((Standard)) Your price: $10.55
Unless I missed something. Please let me know if you find anything.

I ride mine a mile total to and from my other property once a week. I will have to take that into consideration when performing routine service.

Some guys use these. Seem to ease the anxiety.
Info is power and power is control. It is just nice to know where we stand with our equipment right?
I think they hook to the spark plug.



Engine Digital Tach Hour Meter Tachometer Gauge Motorcycle ATV

Fella,

Thanks for all the comments on here. I just purchased a 2014 Dixon Ultra 61, I did a lot of investigation between numerous brands and found the Dixon to have the most bang for the buck. I have mowed with it once (only had it 3 days) and absolutely love it. I have almost 2 acres and used to take me over 2 hrs on my Cub Cadet tractor (46" deck). I mowed with the Dixon and it took me less than 1 hour. I mowed it so fast that I found my self depressed that the mowing was all done lol. I cant wait for the grass to grow so I can mow again.

I looked at numerous different models and talked with numerous dealers, everyone of them said if you want a mower that will last get a better transaxle. The Dixon Ultra 61 came with the 3400 transaxle, to get the 3400 in other brands you have to spend more money than I did for the Dixon. The Dixon seems so well built, 2" x 3" frame is awesome, big tires add to the fact that its going to last for along time for me.

Dixon61 said:

Fella,

Thanks for all the comments on here. I just purchased a 2014 Dixon Ultra 61, I did a lot of investigation between numerous brands and found the Dixon to have the most bang for the buck. I have mowed with it once (only had it 3 days) and absolutely love it. I have almost 2 acres and used to take me over 2 hrs on my Cub Cadet tractor (46" deck). I mowed with the Dixon and it took me less than 1 hour. I mowed it so fast that I found my self depressed that the mowing was all done lol. I cant wait for the grass to grow so I can mow again.

I looked at numerous different models and talked with numerous dealers, everyone of them said if you want a mower that will last get a better transaxle. The Dixon Ultra 61 came with the 3400 transaxle, to get the 3400 in other brands you have to spend more money than I did for the Dixon. The Dixon seems so well built, 2" x 3" frame is awesome, big tires add to the fact that its going to last for along time for me.

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Congratulations you've got a fine piece of lawn equipment there!! Dixon was my "second choice" in the Fall of 2012. They've been making them for years and build a solid ZTR!!

I have a Dixon Ultra 52 - Zero Turn Mowers 2013 Ultra 52" coming for a test next week. I wanted a DX, but for the difference I think the Ultra will be enough for a home user. This is a new unit and he is giving me a good price. Now if I can mow without hitting things or tipping it over.

bckskin2 said:

I have a Dixon Ultra 52 - Zero Turn Mowers 2013 Ultra 52" coming for a test next week. I wanted a DX, but for the difference I think the Ultra will be enough for a home user. This is a new unit and he is giving me a good price. Now if I can mow without hitting things or tipping it over.

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You might want to mention that you are cutting 5 acres....that's not "normal Residential" use and may require consideration of an entry-level Commercial duty ZTR.

The Ultra will be more than durable enough to mow 5 acres a week. There's not much difference between the DX and the Ultra anyways.

I am testing a 52". I would love a 61". My only complaint so far is the lack of a fuel gauge. The ride is a little rough, but that is the short wheel base. I am still debating the DX161. The 52" did a great job mowing my front pasture. Much faster than the garden tractor.

bckskin2 said:

I am testing a 52". I would love a 61". My only complaint so far is the lack of a fuel gauge. The ride is a little rough, but that is the short wheel base. I am still debating the DX161. The 52" did a great job mowing my front pasture. Much faster than the garden tractor.

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Yep, I almost pulled the trigger on a DX152 myself. The Dixon DX100's are nice machines for the money!!!