airens max zoom 52 vs gravely zt hd 52??

[Goddahavit]

Hello all, I am a homeowner in search of a zero turn as my toro rider of 15 years died at 300 some hours sigh....

I have several slopes and a front bank, however a neighbor with a exmark came over and had no issues going up, down, even diagonal on it.

Money is absolutely a deciding factor, so jumping up even 500 more in the line is not going to happen.

It is 1.5 acres to mow.

That said, i really like the kubota kommander48 and i am comparing it to the airens and gravely 52.

My local dealer both are close, in fact i have 3 kubota dealors in 15-20 min and 1 gravely/airens dealer in same range. I also have exmark toro and hustler, really like the fastrack but not spending 5799 for a 54 or 5599 for a 48.

how about the kolhler on the airens vs the kawi on the gravely? i have been quotes 4899 for the 52 maxzoom and 200 more for the gravely with the kawi?
he stocks the airens would order the gravely.

He doesnt seem to want to move off his prices, in fact the kubota dealor is the same, there i was looking at the 48 e series.

the reason i want to stay under 5000 is everything just explodes and before you know it im buying a 10k mower to mow my grass, sigh, if i cant get a quality mower for under 5k than im going to box store junk, sad to say but have to draw a line someplace and 5k is it.

in fact i was considering the 48 maxzoom, but not sure how to trim with the 48, the 52 has enough of an overhang to stick into beds, and under trees.

So long winded and rambling but any thoughts?

 

[djdicetn]

Hello all, I am a homeowner in search of a zero turn as my toro rider of 15 years died at 300 some hours sigh....

I have several slopes and a front bank, however a neighbor with a exmark came over and had no issues going up, down, even diagonal on it.

Money is absolutely a deciding factor, so jumping up even 500 more in the line is not going to happen.

It is 1.5 acres to mow.

That said, i really like the kubota kommander48 and i am comparing it to the airens and gravely 52.

My local dealer both are close, in fact i have 3 kubota dealors in 15-20 min and 1 gravely/airens dealer in same range. I also have exmark toro and hustler, really like the fastrack but not spending 5799 for a 54 or 5599 for a 48.

how about the kolhler on the airens vs the kawi on the gravely? i have been quotes 4899 for the 52 maxzoom and 200 more for the gravely with the kawi?
he stocks the airens would order the gravely.

He doesnt seem to want to move off his prices, in fact the kubota dealor is the same, there i was looking at the 48 e series.

the reason i want to stay under 5000 is everything just explodes and before you know it im buying a 10k mower to mow my grass, sigh, if i cant get a quality mower for under 5k than im going to box store junk, sad to say but have to draw a line someplace and 5k is it.

in fact i was considering the 48 maxzoom, but not sure how to trim with the 48, the 52 has enough of an overhang to stick into beds, and under trees.

So long winded and rambling but any thoughts?

The Kawaski IMHO is worth the extra $200 on the Gravely, aside from that they are very similar machines. And the Kubota Kommander is a comparable quality so at least you are comparing apples to apples. All three would be good ZTR's for the money and of course being a Gravely owner I would recommend it. You will need to compare closely the components across the lines(like the Kohler versus Kawa) including deck, spindles, trannies and of course warranties. That and price should allow you to pick the one you feel like is best for you after looking at(and if possible demoing) each of them. I have about the same area(1.5 acres) and am very pleased with a 52". A 48" would still get the job done a lot faster than a lawn tractor.

 

[Goddahavit]

Any idea on hills? I read the gravely to be a bit slippery or spin easily?

 

[djdicetn]

Any idea on hills? I read the gravely to be a bit slippery or spin easily?

I'm no expert on ZTR's but would think that traction would be related to the weight of the machine and tire tread/inflation. You don't mention whether you are looking at the ZG124E or ZG123S 48" Kommander, but they run 726lbs-749lbs. The Gravely ZT HD 52 runs 832 lbs(and the 48" 823lbs), so they are the heavier of the two brands. I can't find those specs on the Ariens Max Zoom, but would expect them to be similar to the Gravely(Ariens Company now owns Gravely and most models are very similar across the two lines). BTW, for a real apples-to-apples you should compare the ZT HD 48" to the Kommander 48" and maybe the ZT HD 52" to the Kommander 54". I think both the ZT HD's and Kommanders run 10" rear turf tires so they would most likely have similar traction characteristics. Do you have "steep" slopes??? It is recommended you mow up/down slopes on ZTR's versus sideways.