Looking to buy a Ariens Apex or Gravely ZT HD

[DougPatrick]

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.

 

[qmark]

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

 

[Joes6353]

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!

 

[afink]

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

 

[nodrog]

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.

 

[afink]

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.

 

[churchill]

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.

 

[Ralph63]

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

 

[Dredge Rat]

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.

 

[Kycrash]

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!

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.