Exmark Radius E First Impressions and Lazer CT Comparison

[cruzenmike]

Yesterday afternoon I took possession of a 2019 Exmark Radius E 48” mower. Since I am no stranger to Exmarks, I figured I would share by first impressions and offer up a comparison between this mower and my previous one.

A little background: my last Exmark was a 2006 Lazer Z CT that was given to me by my parents. When I got the mower in 2017 it had 441 hours and was in need of some TLC. Over the the past two years I had replaced a handful of pricey parts including the PTO clutch, all 4 tires, spindle bearings, belts, blades, pulleys, engine seals/gaskets and the complete fuel system. When all was said and done the machine was finely tuned and ran perfectly. Being 13 years old this year I decided that I wanted something new, with a warranty as I feared I would be putting more money into the CT in the coming year or so (hydraulic system). I decided to go cheap for the time being and ended up with a 2019 Cub Cadet LX42 that did not cut properly so I ended up returning it. Seeing as I was genuinely satisfied with my previous Exmark and having just had a terrible experience with the Cub Cadet, the only logical decision at that point was to purchase another Exmark.

I was initially torn between the Radius E and Radius X. I liked that the Radius X came with a name brand (Kawasaki) engine and some upgraded features over the Radius E, but I could not justify the extra $2500 for the 1 acre of grass that I am cutting. I also considered a 52” mower, but it was another $500 for a deck that was just 4" wider; again not worth it. So, I ended up with the Radius E 48”. Compared to my Lazer Z CT, the Radius E has more horsepower, faster ground speed, arguably better deck and of course a 4 year warranty. For this initial impression I am going to be comparing the Radius to my previous Lazer Z CT.

Engine: My CT had an 18hp Briggs Vanguard, that despite many people’s dislike for Briggs, I found the engine to be powerful, smooth and quiet. I was not too fond of the OEM branded engine in the Radius but I had asked around for the past year or so and have not heard of any bad things about the engine. Also, I cannot argue the fact that from a specifications standpoint the Exmark Commercial 708 engine has a lot of great features that should make for a durable and reliable engine. I can say that after mowing for about an hour in some taller grass, the engine certainly has enough power, 24.5 horsepower to be exact. The engine is a tad bit louder than my Vanguard was so I may need to start wearing hearing protection where I never felt I needed it before.

Deck/Cut Quality: The deck on the Radius is of typical Exmark quality and when compared to the Trivantage deck on my CT it appears as if they are not very different. I had read before that the Ultracut Series 3 was designed similarly to the Trivantage deck so in theory there should be very little difference. I did notice today while cutting that I was missing some dandelion stems here and there while mowing whereas I never missed any with the CT. This might be attributed to cutting at 3.5” instead of the 3” that I would cut with the CT, or that I was in a bit of a hurry as rain was approaching, or that the grass was a bit longer than what it would typically be when I cut. So, maybe not a fair comparison but I will monitor the cut quality of subsequent cuts.

Driveline: My CT had separate Hyrdo-gear 10cc pumps and Danfoss drive motors whereas the Radius E has Hydro-gear ZT-2800 integrated pump/motors. While the ZT-2800s also have 10cc pumps, they are capable of moving the Radius to 8mph; the CT was only capable of 7.2mph. It is hard to tell the difference between the two drive systems but it does seem that the integrated pump/motors are a bit quieter.

Build Quality: The Radius E is of course very well built. I never had any issues with the build quality of the CT, if anything I figured that the Radius would be a step down. At 912 lbs, the CT was almost all metal with the exception of the tank and fenders. The Radius carries over much of the design and engineering of the current Lazer Z with very little plastic and again a solid, heavy (849 lbs) build. I did notice in a couple uneven areas of my lawn that the one front caster of the Radius would come off of the ground. Maybe this is because the frame on the Radius is more rigid than the one on the CT. This is not a bad thing at all, I just didn’t realize that my CT might have had a little flex in it.

Final thoughts: The Exmark Radius E is an excellent mower for the homeowner and would likely suit some commercial users looking to spend under $6k on a nice cutting mower. I had considered other brands such as Ferris and Scag but in the end I was most persuaded by not only my own experience with Exmark but also the higher resale value of Exmarks in general. While resale value shouldn't hold much weight for investments like this, I have to consider the likelihood that this mower will be replaced with something bigger or smaller in a couple of years when we move. An Exmark will sell faster and at a higher price than most other mower brands. All in all I am quite happy with this machine and look forward to laying down some nice stripes in my lawn this summer.

 

[cruzenmike]

5 HOUR UPDATE!!

So I just turned 5 hours today on the Radius E. I actually cut just my fenced in part of the yard to get it to 5 hours so that I could do the first oil change. First, lets talk about the oil change:

A couple of weeks ago I went to my local Exmark dealer and asked for the supplies needed for my first oil change. The dealer is reputable, but smaller and only sells Exmark, Hustler, Stihl and Arctic Cat. With their limited selection of mower makes, so is their selection of maintenance supplies. The guy pulled out the genuine Exmark oil filter and 3 quarts of oil. The only Exmark oil they stocked was the Premium 20w-50 synthetic. The total for the filter and 3 quarts of oil was just shy of $65. Oil changes on my last Exmark with genuine Briggs oil and filter would cost around $30 and that was with enough oil to flush the engine first before I changed the filter and topped it off.

Since I am a sucker for using only genuine OEM parts and oils, I did not argue with what I got since I want to ensure optimum performance and long life out of my equipment. For the past week as i anxiously awaited the 5 hour milestone, I got to thinking about the extremely high cost of the supplies to do my oil change. That is when I stumbled across this: https://www.mowpart.com/toro-132-48...MIkcfN9aWI4wIVRUsNCh3mgQsqEAQYASABEgJKsvD_BwE

Toro, who owns Exmark, and also uses this same engine (708cc v-twin) in their Timcutter lineup, puts together a complete maintenance kit which includes not only the filter and synthetic oil, but also an air cleaner, fuel filter, two spark plugs and fuel additive for less money than I paid for just the oil and filter at the Exmark dealer. So this got me to thinking, why don't I just use the Toro branded oil and filters as they are likely the same as the Exmark variants?

I ended up keeping the Exmark filter as I did not have time to run and get a Toro one, but I picked up 3 quarts of the Toro Synthetic oil for $8.99 each at the local Ace Hardware and did the oil change. As for the oil change, the fluid coming out of the engine was dark brown as I expected it to be for the break in period. The oil came out smoothly as the engine had just ran for 15 minutes and took about 10 minutes with the hose down to run out completely with no dripping. The easy drain oil tube is nice, but I do have one BIG complaint about it; The cables for the throttle and choke are in the way!! I tried to route the hose under these cables and ended up splashing oil on myself. Outside of that, there was enough room to change the filter and topping it off took about 2.25 quarts.

Now for an update on my initial impressions:

Much of what I stated in my initial impressions is still my opinion although I feel as if I might have been a bit off in my view of the cut quality. I am still not certain as to whether or not it cuts quite as nicely as my CT did, but in ideal conditions the cut quality is certainly acceptable. I have included a picture of the stripes this mower leaves behind. This is mostly perennial rye with some blue grass cut at 3" high.

I did have one issue with a front caster tire losing its air, but after filling it a few times it seems to be holding. The dealer that I purchased it from did tell me to bring it in any time and they would fix it for no charge. I will have to see what happens in the weeks to come.

The only two dislikes that I have with the mower are the rear tires, which seem to lack traction and the engine noise which is significantly louder than my previous mowers. I have heard of many issues with Kenda tires having a little less grip than Carlisles, especially when new due to the petroleum products used in their manufacturing processes. As for the engine noise I have started wearing ear plugs when I mow. While I had not "needed" them before, it is still a good idea nonetheless.