Badboy

[Arnezie]

Got some stripes and new employee I gotta remove the strip 1 more tme it's still a little to long

Am I the only one who can't see the stripes ?

 

[djdicetn]

Am I the only one who can't see the stripes ?

They are not very pronounced and I don't really see them either, but striping may take a couple of mowings to really show up. I would be curious as to what user ken helton set the deck height at(the grass looks cut pretty short). Stripes will be more pronounced if you cut the grass at 2"-4". Anything shorter than that won't have enough height in the remaining grass blades to "bend them" very well.

 

[ken helton]

Yea they are kinda weak but we have had some rain lately so I'll see what happens maybye I'll raise the deck up some thanks for advice

 

[rut3556]

Y is badboy left out? I just bought one it's built better than mowers 1000 more expensive? Just don't. Get it

I too am interested in the Bad Boy. If my Kubota TG1860 ever goes south on me the B.B. is high on my list.

 

[dwost]

Almost 500 hours on mine and it's still running strong. General maintenance is primarily the only thing I've had to do. I've had one spindle go out on me at 420 hours but that is fairly common with the maintenance free options on most mowers. I also had to replace a couple bearings on the forks but nothing major. They are great mowers. Their biggest issues is dealer support. I purchased mine (60" Lightning) directly from the factory and had it shipped to my house. I've been running it since late 2008. They are definitely built like a tank. They don't have all the bells and whistles as some but they get the job done and when set up correctly will cut and stripe with the best of them. Definitely worth looking at if you are in the market for a Z. Here is one of my posts from lawnsite a few years back showing my striping roller build and also the cut pics. You will need to go a couple pages deep to find them but this should give you an idea of what they will do. http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=265997

 

[rvtech]

I have an early model (2005) AOS with a 72" deck. I purchased 3 used from a local commercial mowing company and then resold 2 of them. The one I kept had 1300 hours on it. It now has approximately 1800. I mow 5 acres. The cut quality stinks. I often have to go over it twice. I've tried a variety of blades. I find the meg-mow blades to work the best, but they are a pain to sharpen. The non floating deck scalps on nearly any small bump that a rear wheel dips into. It tends to eat deck drive belts. Parts are hard to get. Part numbers are hard to find as their online PDFs don't show my year and the newer models are different. A neighbor bought one from me and he has the same complaints. That all said, it is very fast to mow. If the grass is short and can be cut properly without going back over it, it works great. Mine has a 31 h.p. Vanguard which has plenty of power to swing the 72" deck. The blade speed is good. The mower deck is well built, but doesn't cut well. I think the heavy weight of this mower also contributes to the cut quality. The wheels leave a heavy imprint due to excessive weight which causes the grass to mat down where the wheels travel. I'm ready for a different mower.

 

[rut3556]

Well, that's not too encouraging. :frown:

 

[dwost]

I have an early model (2005) AOS with a 72" deck. I purchased 3 used from a local commercial mowing company and then resold 2 of them. The one I kept had 1300 hours on it. It now has approximately 1800. I mow 5 acres. The cut quality stinks. I often have to go over it twice. I've tried a variety of blades. I find the meg-mow blades to work the best, but they are a pain to sharpen. The non floating deck scalps on nearly any small bump that a rear wheel dips into. It tends to eat deck drive belts. Parts are hard to get. Part numbers are hard to find as their online PDFs don't show my year and the newer models are different. A neighbor bought one from me and he has the same complaints. That all said, it is very fast to mow. If the grass is short and can be cut properly without going back over it, it works great. Mine has a 31 h.p. Vanguard which has plenty of power to swing the 72" deck. The blade speed is good. The mower deck is well built, but doesn't cut well. I think the heavy weight of this mower also contributes to the cut quality. The wheels leave a heavy imprint due to excessive weight which causes the grass to mat down where the wheels travel. I'm ready for a different mower.

I've heard similar complaints on the older models. I believe they also redesigned the deck with mine? Not positive but I think so. I do know they revised it further going from mine to the brand new models. Mine actually has a floating deck using adjustable arms in front and it's hung from chains on back. 72" decks have a tendency to scalp anyway due to the size. If you cut short and hit any unevenness you will more than likely end up in that situation. As for blades, give the Oregon G6's a shot. I've done extensive testing (I can post another link from Lawnsite) and they by far work best for evenness of cut and disbursement. Also take some time to make sure your deck is level (side to side) and pitched 1/8-1/4" down in front. This will aid in suction and also cut quality. Sorry to hear of the issues, hopefully these tips may help you out.

 

[L454S]

Have one place locally that sells Bad Boy. I checked them out last week shopping for my ZTR. They do look very stout and well built, BUT, it was about $1000 more for one similar in specs to the Hustler Raptor SD54 I was comparing it to. I could not justify the $1000. The RSD is every bit as beefy and stout looking.

 

[djdicetn]

I've heard similar complaints on the older models. I believe they also redesigned the deck with mine? Not positive but I think so. I do know they revised it further going from mine to the brand new models. Mine actually has a floating deck using adjustable arms in front and it's hung from chains on back. 72" decks have a tendency to scalp anyway due to the size. If you cut short and hit any unevenness you will more than likely end up in that situation. As for blades, give the Oregon G6's a shot. I've done extensive testing (I can post another link from Lawnsite) and they by far work best for evenness of cut and disbursement. Also take some time to make sure your deck is level (side to side) and pitched 1/8-1/4" down in front. This will aid in suction and also cut quality. Sorry to hear of the issues, hopefully these tips may help you out.

I took a look at the pics in your link....VERY NICE machine you have in that Lightning Z and a nice striper kit(and professional striping cut)!!!! Unfortunately they no longer make your model and I think it evolved into the Outlaw XP. I considered the Outlaw, but all of the reviews at that time(Fall of 2012) were mixed(some had your experience and cut results and others were like user rvtech...hated the cut). With such "mixed" reviews I found it difficult to take a chance that I would get one of the "good ones".