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Hello all,

So my wife and I recently purchased 5 acres with around 3.5 acres of grass on it that needs to be mowed and have nothing but a push mower. So, I've decided we need a zero turn. So, I narrowed my sights down to an Ariens Apex 60 (991163), I can get one from Lowes for $4999. It has a Kaw FR730, 10 ga fab deck, large tires, and weighs 870lbs. But I would really rather buy from a local dealer so I can actually get service on the thing should something go wrong for one, and for two I would rather my money go to a local business than to a big box store.

So, my local dealer does not keep and Ariens mowers in stock. He has a Gravely ZT HD 60 (991166). It has a Kaw FR730, 10ga welded deck, large tires and, you guessed it, weighs 870lbs. It however costs $5600. The only differnece I can tell is that the seat on Gravely has rubber isolators...which you could buy seperate and add to the Apex model for $150.

So as far as I can tell these are the same mowers painted different colors. So i guess my questions is, does anyone know any other differences? The dealer really dosen't want to budge from their price but it's a hard sell to get me to spend an extra $600 for what appears to be the same thing.

Any advice or comments are welcome!

FWIW
Ariens is the residential model
Gravely is the commercial model.
In theory the Ariens should have a design life of 2 hours / week for 26 weeks a year for 5 - 10 years
The Gravely has a design life of 5 hour / day for 26 weeks a year for 5 years .
Commercial mowers usually are built more robust with extra greasing points & replaceable bushes ad have a longer warranty period ( hours wise )

As for the actual differences best thing to do is download the parts manuals for both and see if the parts numbers are the same

As for pricing
Lowes will be paying at least $ 1000 less for the mower than the local dealer because of volume sales discounts
Then Lowes will be getting the floor stock for free and only paying Ariens for the mower 30 days after it has been sold
The dealer will be paying for the floor stock 30 to 90 days after it is delivered into the shop
Lowes will also be getting free delivery , the dealer will be paying for the delivery
Lowes might employ a spotty faced 15 y/o to assemble the mower, ( sort of ) before you pick it up so it may or may not be good to go when you get it home
The dealer should (if they are dilligent ) be paying a technician to assemble & check the mower before it is delivered so it should be right to go the instant it touches your drive
Then there is after sales service
Lowes = none
Dealer = full service

Down here the usual level of service for mowers bought from discount stores goes like this :-
1) accept the job and put it at the back of the que so no one looks at it till all of the other mowers have been assessed so the tech is working on it only when there is no other jobs to do .
2) provide you with a quote and ask for part payment up front
3) after payment order all of the parts in from the franchise agent ( even if they have the parts in stock & often a very long wait ) plus fit only brand name ( most expensive ) parts .
4) after the parts arrive, wait till there is nothing else for the techs to do before servicing your mower so servicing your mower is not costing them regular customers.

The way things work is while the dealer is charging $ 600 more for the mower he is making $ 500 less .
Most dealers will only discount a mower when the credit time is about to expire so they have to borrow money to pay the factory.
Even then the iscount will usually only be a touch more than the credit cost of borrowing the money .
Down here most dealers are paying the factory almost what the big box stores selling price is for their floor stock so they can not match the big box price without making a loss on the mowers.

Being independent I get a lot of what should be warranty work from people who do not understand that buying from a big box then taking he mower to a dealer is considered like spitting in the dealers face then expecting them to like you.
So big box customers pay me full price for what should be free because the dealer is taking too long which of course voids their remaining warranty .
I regularly pick up repairs from dealer workshops and believe you me they are happy to get rid of what they consider a cheapskate nuisance customer.

Some dealers do look at doing the big box stores warranty work as an oppertunity to gain a new customer but most see them as scum and treat them accordingly .

Thanks for the response!

I'm aware that the Ariens is designated as the residential unit and Gravely is designated as the commercial unit. They do both have the same warranty too, in hours and years. But, as you laid out in you're post, it's not very easy to use unless you purchased the mower at the dealer. That's a good suggestion about comparing the parts manuals, I just may do that in the morning.

You're breakdown on price does put in perspective a little bit better. Honestly I really would rather give my money to a dealer, if for nothing else than supporting local businesses, but the price being 12% more is a little hard to swallow. Maybe I'll see if they can throw in a hitch something to sweeten the deal, or maybe go to a different dealer and see if they'll be more willing to deal. Decisios decisions.

Also, I'm an auto mechanic by trade, so assuming nothing is terribly broken, like frame cracks or total engine warranty, I'm most inclined to just fix it myself. Hopefully the only shop this thing ever sees is my garage lol.

afink said:

Hello all,

So my wife and I recently purchased 5 acres with around 3.5 acres of grass on it that needs to be mowed and have nothing but a push mower. So, I've decided we need a zero turn. So, I narrowed my sights down to an Ariens Apex 60 (991163), I can get one from Lowes for $4999. It has a Kaw FR730, 10 ga fab deck, large tires, and weighs 870lbs. But I would really rather buy from a local dealer so I can actually get service on the thing should something go wrong for one, and for two I would rather my money go to a local business than to a big box store.

So, my local dealer does not keep and Ariens mowers in stock. He has a Gravely ZT HD 60 (991166). It has a Kaw FR730, 10ga welded deck, large tires and, you guessed it, weighs 870lbs. It however costs $5600. The only differnece I can tell is that the seat on Gravely has rubber isolators...which you could buy seperate and add to the Apex model for $150.

So as far as I can tell these are the same mowers painted different colors. So i guess my questions is, does anyone know any other differences? The dealer really dosen't want to budge from their price but it's a hard sell to get me to spend an extra $600 for what appears to be the same thing.

Any advice or comments are welcome!

Click to expand...

Are you a veteran, if so Lowe’s will give you an extra 10%. Discount, tell your dealer that, bet he will also come down 10%.

afink said:

Hello all,

So my wife and I recently purchased 5 acres with around 3.5 acres of grass on it that needs to be mowed and have nothing but a push mower. So, I've decided we need a zero turn. So, I narrowed my sights down to an Ariens Apex 60 (991163), I can get one from Lowes for $4999. It has a Kaw FR730, 10 ga fab deck, large tires, and weighs 870lbs. But I would really rather buy from a local dealer so I can actually get service on the thing should something go wrong for one, and for two I would rather my money go to a local business than to a big box store.

So, my local dealer does not keep and Ariens mowers in stock. He has a Gravely ZT HD 60 (991166). It has a Kaw FR730, 10ga welded deck, large tires and, you guessed it, weighs 870lbs. It however costs $5600. The only differnece I can tell is that the seat on Gravely has rubber isolators...which you could buy seperate and add to the Apex model for $150.

So as far as I can tell these are the same mowers painted different colors. So i guess my questions is, does anyone know any other differences? The dealer really dosen't want to budge from their price but it's a hard sell to get me to spend an extra $600 for what appears to be the same thing.

Any advice or comments are welcome!

Click to expand...

10% veterans discount, if veteran.

afink said:

Thanks for the response!

I'm aware that the Ariens is designated as the residential unit and Gravely is designated as the commercial unit. They do both have the same warranty too, in hours and years. But, as you laid out in you're post, it's not very easy to use unless you purchased the mower at the dealer. That's a good suggestion about comparing the parts manuals, I just may do that in the morning.

You're breakdown on price does put in perspective a little bit better. Honestly I really would rather give my money to a dealer, if for nothing else than supporting local businesses, but the price being 12% more is a little hard to swallow. Maybe I'll see if they can throw in a hitch something to sweeten the deal, or maybe go to a different dealer and see if they'll be more willing to deal. Decisios decisions.

Also, I'm an auto mechanic by trade, so assuming nothing is terribly broken, like frame cracks or total engine warranty, I'm most inclined to just fix it myself. Hopefully the only shop this thing ever sees is my garage lol.

Click to expand...

I know it is hard to swallow but I for one am not making big money as I am always competing for repairs against the price of junk new mowers from China .
Even so most of what is bought for personal use comes from the local shops despite a lot of it being up to 50% dearer because I want to have local shops.
When Lowes & Woolworths did the Masters joint venture hardwear supermarket down here they used all of Lowes dirty tricks like giving any one with a business tax number a trade card which amounted to a 10% to 30% discount and the idiot local flocked to the store.
The local hardwear store closed down so now it is a 10 mile dive to get anything
And the worst of it was it made their mowers very cheap compared to all of the local mower shops which just about killed the only mower retailer here as it robbed him of sales for at least the following 5 years because mowers are a durable item.
I did a price check on parts they sold from the same wholesaler as I use.
I was on a 5% volume discount at the time and the advertised maximum volume discount I could get was 42% so Masters would be getting at least that + free floor stock + 30 days or more credit on stock after it was sold , yet they were showing discounted parts prices about 15% higher than my usual retail price on parts that I was paying at least 37% more for .

While 10% off for veterans sounds nice, a job for those veterans is even better and their discounts kill off the very local small businesses that are likely to hire a war damaged veteran .

And yes many dealers can offer cheaper or even free accessories to sweeten the deal. won' hurt to ask, particularly if you let them know you want to shop there but are having trouble making the price difference.
The rest is up to your conscious, weather a strong community with jobs for the locals is more important to you than a one off $ 600 cost once in 10 years .
People tend to forget that every time you open your wallet there are consequences far beyond you own bank account.
People with good jobs have the time to supervise their children, families with both parents working 2 jobs and still not making ends meet do not have this luxury and their children then have the oppertunity to run wild .

In 2019 I bought a ZTX 42" and I'm really happy with it. I looked at 3 other brands and the Gravely dealer, who was the owner of the dealership, was the only 1 that asked me how much lawn I cut, the terrain, and the obstacles I had to mow around before talking price. He wanted to sell me the mower I needed. I told him what I had to spend and he dropped $600 to meet that. When we went out to look at the mower a technician came out with us to answer questions, explain the technical features of the mower and what he did to prepare the mower for sale. The warranty is 5 years with no hour restriction. The dealer mentioned that if there was any warranty work a tech would come out the 30 miles and repair it.
Every time I went into the dealership for parts I needed for some of my other equipment and blades and filters for my mower he came out of his office to say hi and ask how things were going.

Thanks for all the advice and perspective. I pretty much have a plan, I've two local Gravely dealers, and one maybe 30 miles away. I'm just going to shop around and see what kind of deal I can get, and try to avoid shopping at Lowes. I don't really need to be convinced that big box stores are the enemy, it's pretty obvious. I've got a little time still so I'm not racing to spend money as fast as possible or anything. Also, not a veteran, so no dice on veteran discounts.

In case anyone is still wondering, I went down the rabbit hole and started comparing parts diagrams and part numbers for the two models I'm looking at (Ariens 991163, Gravely 991166). They are actually the same, frame P/N is one digit off, likely color. The spindles, pulleys, brake cables, caster bearings, tires, transmissions, deck belts, drive belt, control panel, everything in the deck adjustment, all the same P/N. The only difference are cosmetic items.

Small edit: Although the Gravely has the same caster bearings, the fork tube has a greaseable cap installed, the Ariens has a sealed cap, no grease point. So, there are some slight differences here and there, but overall, very similar.

As a mower gets close to the end of the credit time a dealer will generally offer a discount on that mower only
So there might be two on the floor and if they say $ 200 off this one, it will only be for that one and not the others so if you get offered a deal, don't dally around because if some one else gets it then it is gone.

Do yourself a really big favor and buy a compact tractor like a BX Kabota with a Diesel engine or similar. Not a Zero made today that lasts half as long. Just saying...

I bought an Ariens IKON 52" last year, and have been very happy with it. I had a 46" lawn tractor previously, but it's cut my mowing time in half, because you can cut at a much faster speed. I think the Ariens/Gravelys are much better made than other mowers, even John Deeres.

There are a lot of good mowers. Grasshopper, Exmark, Ferris etc.

I bought a ZTHD52 3 years ago from a semi-local dealer (50 miles away), gentleman gave me a phenominal deal, taking my 7 yr old Hustler Sport 48 (Honda engine) as a trade. I mow 3 acres with plenty of obstacles, it generally takes less than 2.25 hours. I've been very pleased with the mower, had no issues, other than normal maintenance. It will do a good job when grass is still wet, I usually cut at 2.75 to 3", and grass is a mixed bag of everything, predominately Fescue overseeded.

Given my experiences, I'd purchase another Graveley, and purchase it form a local dealer. Hopefully several years in the future!

MowManMow said:

Do yourself a really big favor and buy a compact tractor like a BX Kabota with a Diesel engine or similar. Not a Zero made today that lasts half as long. Just saying...

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I wish I could! But that 10 -$15k price tag is wayyyyy out of budget

Y'all realize that Ariens owns the Gravely brand so the products in botth brands will be very much alike and the Gravely will have things like greasable spindles.

Went looking today at several dealers. The farther away Gravley dealer has 2 last year stock ZT HD 52", Kaw FR691, for $4999. Pretty good deal. Went to some other dealers, just because why not?

Only other thing I saw that i liked was a Cub Cadet ZT3. 60" deck, FS730 engine, ZT-3100's, cool suspension system on the front casters. But the deck just looked...cheap, and the deck adjustment system seems very breakable, some twist knob setup. But the price is right, $4999. Didn't seem to be at the quality level of the Gravely honestly.

Lots of very good points about buying from dealers vice big box stores. I researched the ZT mowers (Deere, Hustler, Bad Boy, Scag, Husqvarna) for over six months before deciding on a Gravely ZT HD 48" two years ago. Only difference I could find between the Ariens and the Gravely model I got was the paint color. I love the machine, the power it has with the Kawi FR691, and the speed at which you can mow. We had Gravelys on our farm when I was a kid (60+ years ago) and they are built tough. Service is key and you'll not get that at the box stores when something breaks at the least convenient time. I recommend supporting the local dealer 100% because in most cases if you treat them right, they'll treat you right. I bought mine from a dealer 30 miles away. He delivered it to my property, gave me a short training, safety, and service demo and I haven't had a problem since he left. I have the mulch blade kit and besides cutting grass, I use it to shred the left over garden plants in the fall before rototilling them in the ground for the winter. A truly impressive machine I think you'll be very happy with.

Just pay the price the dealer asks and look fwd to a good service relationship. Think your overthinking this whole thing.

I took care of our local cemetery for the last ten years and there is around 20 acres to mow. When I started the cemetery board had just bought a new Gravely 52" zero turn commercial mower. Once I figured out how it worked (zero turn) I would mow at least once every two weeks or more as nature deemed necessary. Over the years that I worked there the board bought three different Gravely commercial mowers (all 52") and I can honestly say we had very, very little problems with any of them. My daughter and son-in-law also bought a 60" Gravely standard zero turn mower and for the last five years have had zero problems with it. At the time the board bought their 1st zero turn mower they also checked with John Deere for a comparable mower and they were around $5000 more mostly for the color of paint. About the same time as when I started at the cemetery I bought a Husqvarna 4623 zero turn from Lowes for around $3000 and I wish I would of spent the extra $2000 or so and got a Gravely as when ever I have a problem with my mower you just as well forget about going to Lowes for help. BOTTOM LINE GET A GRAVELY, YOU WON"T BE SORRY.

afink said:

Hello all,

So my wife and I recently purchased 5 acres with around 3.5 acres of grass on it that needs to be mowed and have nothing but a push mower. So, I've decided we need a zero turn. So, I narrowed my sights down to an Ariens Apex 60 (991163), I can get one from Lowes for $4999. It has a Kaw FR730, 10 ga fab deck, large tires, and weighs 870lbs. But I would really rather buy from a local dealer so I can actually get service on the thing should something go wrong for one, and for two I would rather my money go to a local business than to a big box store.

So, my local dealer does not keep and Ariens mowers in stock. He has a Gravely ZT HD 60 (991166). It has a Kaw FR730, 10ga welded deck, large tires and, you guessed it, weighs 870lbs. It however costs $5600. The only differnece I can tell is that the seat on Gravely has rubber isolators...which you could buy seperate and add to the Apex model for $150.

So as far as I can tell these are the same mowers painted different colors. So i guess my questions is, does anyone know any other differences? The dealer really dosen't want to budge from their price but it's a hard sell to get me to spend an extra $600 for what appears to be the same thing.

Any advice or comments are welcome!

Click to expand...

Buy a John deere with a kawasaki engine and 54inch deck.
After market parts are everywhere. JD is at least 10 times easier to work on.
At 22 years of age money can be tight from time to time, with a 2 year warranty ,aftermarket parts and JD being easy to service or work on yourself you end up saving money doing some of the work yourself....with that in minded, JD Would be my FIRST choice.

I have a gravely zt hd 60. I use it to mow my 8 acres every two weeks. Probably more like 6 acres with my long drive way and various structures on the property. I am on year two of using the machine and have done nothing but oil changes, blades, fuel and air filter. I found it used for $3500 with 30 hours on it. It is a little rough riding especially when you're on it for 4 hours but its a solid machine.