Help me decide ZT mower
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RatRacer
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Don't give up on the ZT-2800. Get the part numbers off the actual units of your desired rig. ZT-2800 come in 3 flavors, and by my understanding and research, 2 of those flavors have steel cut gears vs. powder metal gears. Dig, ask, dig some more. Find the truth.
See the 22" tire sub-note.
Thanks!! I will look into that!Don't give up on the ZT-2800. Get the part numbers off the actual units of your desired rig. ZT-2800 come in 3 flavors, and by my understanding and research, 2 of those flavors have steel cut gears vs. powder metal gears. Dig, ask, dig some more. Find the truth.
See the 22" tire sub-note.
djdicetn
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Don't give up on the ZT-2800. Get the part numbers off the actual units of your desired rig. ZT-2800 come in 3 flavors, and by my understanding and research, 2 of those flavors have steel cut gears vs. powder metal gears. Dig, ask, dig some more. Find the truth.
See the 22" tire sub-note.
RatRacer,
Good catch!!!!! That difference in the better gears plus the fact that the ZT-2800 is serviceable(has oil filter) confirms it is not purely Residential "grade" like the sealed EZT and will do the job when heavier duty(3100, 3400) is an overkill.
Just came from the Clipper dealer. Come to find out the guy who runs this dealership is a Shivvers-Shivvers Mnfg. builds these machines LOL! He obviously is very knowledgeable. He said the rep from Hydro Stat or whatever the company is called was in and did a "training" info deal and said that unless you are on a commercial machine and mowing long hours the 2800 unit is plenty rugged/tough enough for these heave residential ZT mowers. He basically said it is a waste of $$ to put the 3100 or bigger on them. I think I am sold on the CC just not sure if I will go with the joystick or the twin levers. The wife will have input on that decision. 
DJ---- Do you have the nicer "suspension" seat on your Gravely? The upgrade on the Gravely ZTHD is about $250 for the suspension seat. The upgrade for the similar option on the Clipper is $500. After further consideration, I think as rough as my ground is the suspension seat would be probably more of an asset than the joystick or the flip up deck as much as I hate to admit it. The upgraded seat would put the Gravely at the identical price as the CC. Hmmm this is the hardest decision I have made in a long time LOL!
djdicetn
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Yep, my Pro-Turn XDZ100 comes standard with the full suspension seat and I love it. You have a dial on the front where you set your body weight and then adust the lumbar support. It's a nice ride and well worth $250(I don't know about $500). If you don't get a full suspension seat you'll probably kick yourself later. I hear ya about decisions. I ended up making "counter-offers" on a 2012 Bad Boy Outlaw, Dixon DX100 and Hustler FasTrak Super Duty but the Gravely dealer didn't hesitate for a minute to accept $1k less out-the-door than MSRP(plus taxes) and I never looked back. In hindsight I'm kinda glad I didn't get the Bad Boy, but would have probably been happy with the Hustler or Dixon(ALMOST made an offer on the Toro Z-Master 2000 Commercial too). I don't envy where you are at, decision-wise, a bit:0)
That's what I figured. I also looked at Badboy-(maybe it was the perdy lil' thing they have in their promo videoes LOL) but it really appealed until I dug deeper. Just not quite the same quality I don't think. 4 guys I work with, plus our dealership's owner all have Gravely's and love them to death. I have 3-4 guys I know with Clippers, who I trust, but not quite to the level I do the Gravely owners, and they love their CC's. I think it comes down to $$ and comfort and I am thinking the Gravely will probably win out. I really would like to add the Bigdog to the mix but there just isn't a dealer around to speak of. I also looked at the Simplicity and the suspension system looks great, but the rest of the machine just doesn't stack up.
Ok, I am looking at the new Kubota Kommander z100 series. I like the style it has, i.e. looks cool LOL. I like that it has the suspension seat standard. I like that it comes with LED headlights. I like the large rear tires and low center o gravity. I like that it has the 3100 series hydros. I like the deck height adjustment knob. I like the ROPS-although I wish it was foldable. I like the 4 year warranty. Really, the only thing that keeps it from being my 1st choice over the Gravely and Country Clipper is the Kohler engine. I also want to check into Exmark cuz they have a 2.99% for 72 months which would make me able to maybe "buy up" due to a cheaper payment.
djdicetn
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SCMCG,
OK, someone correct me if I'm wrong.....only the 48" Kommander(ZG123S) and 54" Kommander(ZG127S) come standard with the led headlights and suspension seat. And they have a deck adjustment "Knob"????(hand lever or foot assisted...I can't tell). I think if you compare apple models-to-apple models the ExMarks with those features/components will be significantly more $$$. I always emphasize that the different brand(model/series) comparisons take into account similar features/components, not just price. You can't compare the price of a Kommander(with ZT-3100 trannies) to a Hustler with ZT-2800 trannies and then see what your best deal is. Then again sometimes you give up comfort options like a suspension seat to get a different brand ZTR that's built better. It's a difficult shopping experience to say the least:0)