Buying Advice Maybe buying a new Gravely "pro turn 48"

[jonesandjones]

I'm looking at buying a Gravely Pro Turn 48 (not the 100xdz model, just the Pro Turn). It is my understanding that this is more or less Gravely's bottom of the line professional model. Gravely's website has this machine starting at $6699.00 and most local dealers (South Florida) are selling it for 5999.00. I found a dealer that is willing to sell it for approximately $5350.00. I have financing ready to go and I'm supposed to go sign the papers on Monday.
I found a Bad Boy CZT Elite for $5800.00, but have not negotiated that price yet. Both dealerships are within reasonable driving distance. I see that the Bad Boy has larger drives, electronic deck height control, larger rear wheels and more available accessories.

I live in South Florida and will be cutting mostly St. Augustine grass approximately one acre with a lot of trees. The lot is mostly level except for a drainage ditch in front of the property with about a 15ｺ slope.

I'm looking for advice on which mower to go with.

Thank you for any advice.

JJ

 

[mack126]

I'm looking at buying a Gravely Pro Turn 48 (not the 100xdz model, just the Pro Turn). It is my understanding that this is more or less Gravely's bottom of the line professional model. Gravely's website has this machine starting at $6699.00 and most local dealers (South Florida) are selling it for 5999.00. I found a dealer that is willing to sell it for approximately $5350.00. I have financing ready to go and I'm supposed to go sign the papers on Monday.
I found a Bad Boy CZT Elite for $5800.00, but have not negotiated that price yet. Both dealerships are within reasonable driving distance. I see that the Bad Boy has larger drives, electronic deck height control, larger rear wheels and more available accessories.

I live in South Florida and will be cutting mostly St. Augustine grass approximately one acre with a lot of trees. The lot is mostly level except for a drainage ditch in front of the property with about a 15ｺ slope.

I'm looking for advice on which mower to go with.

Thank you for any advice.

JJ

I have a bad boy magnum z and also cut about 1 acre of grass. Its a 27 hp and cuts just fine with a 48 inch deck. This is 3500 dollar mower. I see now they offer 0% for four years and two year warrenty. I am very happy with mine.

 

[jonesandjones]

Thanks for the reply,

It would be nice to save the $2K and I will consider it.

I'm just wondering how the CZT elite stacks up against the proturn 48 (model991200) as far as reliability, fit and finish, and most important, ease of maintenance.

Thanks again,

JJ

 

[djdicetn]

Thanks for the reply,

It would be nice to save the $2K and I will consider it.

I'm just wondering how the CZT elite stacks up against the proturn 48 (model991200) as far as reliability, fit and finish, and most important, ease of maintenance.

Thanks again,

JJ

Last fall I made offers on a Bad Boy Outlaw and the Gravely Pro Turn XDZ100(at that time the entry-level commercial...they introduced the "regular" Pro Turn in 2013). I went with the Gravely and have never looked back. That's a good price on the Pro Turn 48 and aside from the FS KAwa instead of the FX, the ZT-3200 trannies instead of the ZT-3400 and the 10gauge deck instead of the 7gauge deck; it's basically the same machine as the XDZ series. i don't think you would regret getting the Pro Turn for a second!!!

 

[jonesandjones]

Last fall I made offers on a Bad Boy Outlaw and the Gravely Pro Turn XDZ100(at that time the entry-level commercial...they introduced the "regular" Pro Turn in 2013). I went with the Gravely and have never looked back. That's a good price on the Pro Turn 48 and aside from the FS KAwa instead of the FX, the ZT-3200 trannies instead of the ZT-3400 and the 10gauge deck instead of the 7gauge deck; it's basically the same machine as the XDZ series. i don't think you would regret getting the Pro Turn for a second!!!

Thanks for the advice!!!

I pulled the trigger on the Pro Turn! It should be delivered tomorrow and I will have the entire holiday weekend to use it!! The deciding factor for me was the track records of the 2 machines. I could find absolutely nothing negative about the Gravely while there were some less than favorable reviews on the Bad Boy. I also have a soft spot for the Ariens brand. My Ariens 21" walk behind is 16 years old and I have done nothing to it other than regular maintenance and it still runs great! I also considered the fact that the Gravely/Ariens line has been in business since, I believe, 1916. They must be doing something right!

All that said I don't anticipate any issues with the FS engine or the lighter deck as the mower was purchased for residential use only. I am a little concerned about the ZT-3200 trannies though. Almost every other high end mower in this class and size seems to have the 3400 trannies. Still, as you said, it was a good price and with 0% financing for 48 months, it was a really good deal.

Thanks again,

JJ

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

Thanks for the advice!!!

I pulled the trigger on the Pro Turn! It should be delivered tomorrow and I will have the entire holiday weekend to use it!! The deciding factor for me was the track records of the 2 machines. I could find absolutely nothing negative about the Gravely while there were some less than favorable reviews on the Bad Boy. I also have a soft spot for the Ariens brand. My Ariens 21" walk behind is 16 years old and I have done nothing to it other than regular maintenance and it still runs great! I also considered the fact that the Gravely/Ariens line has been in business since, I believe, 1916. They must be doing something right!

All that said I don't anticipate any issues with the FS engine or the lighter deck as the mower was purchased for residential use only. I am a little concerned about the ZT-3200 trannies though. Almost every other high end mower in this class and size seems to have the 3400 trannies. Still, as you said, it was a good price and with 0% financing for 48 months, it was a really good deal.

Thanks again,

JJ

Hopefully we can get a review and pictures!

 

[djdicetn]

Thanks for the advice!!!

I pulled the trigger on the Pro Turn! It should be delivered tomorrow and I will have the entire holiday weekend to use it!! The deciding factor for me was the track records of the 2 machines. I could find absolutely nothing negative about the Gravely while there were some less than favorable reviews on the Bad Boy. I also have a soft spot for the Ariens brand. My Ariens 21" walk behind is 16 years old and I have done nothing to it other than regular maintenance and it still runs great! I also considered the fact that the Gravely/Ariens line has been in business since, I believe, 1916. They must be doing something right!

All that said I don't anticipate any issues with the FS engine or the lighter deck as the mower was purchased for residential use only. I am a little concerned about the ZT-3200 trannies though. Almost every other high end mower in this class and size seems to have the 3400 trannies. Still, as you said, it was a good price and with 0% financing for 48 months, it was a really good deal.

Thanks again,

JJ

I have read some info recently that seems to accurately describe the difference between the Kawa FS(Heavy Duty) and FX(Commercial) series engines as basically the same engines except that the FX having the Commercial Donaldson dual air filter system. And yeah, the base Pro-Turn may not have the Lifetime Warranty X-Factor deck, but a 5 Year deck warranty indicates it's built to last. The HydroGear ZT-2800 is the entry level serviceable heavy duty tranny, the ZT-3100 is considered "Commercial grade" and the ZT-3200 is identical to the ZT-3100, but has upgraded gears inside. I think if you follow the recommended maintenance on the ZT-3200's you won't find them to be a "weak link". Like user lmf said, we want pictures and honest owner feed back which will be useful to other forum users considering taking the ZTR plunge. Welcome to the growing Gravely family and I agree about the heritage of quality of both the Gravely and Ariens machines(my next-door-neighbor has a 15-yr-old+ Ariens Zoom 42" which is a light residential unit and it's still going strong). Enjoy and keep us informed on your new big boy toy!!!

 

[jonesandjones]

I have read some info recently that seems to accurately describe the difference between the Kawa FS(Heavy Duty) and FX(Commercial) series engines as basically the same engines except that the FX having the Commercial Donaldson dual air filter system. And yeah, the base Pro-Turn may not have the Lifetime Warranty X-Factor deck, but a 5 Year deck warranty indicates it's built to last. The HydroGear ZT-2800 is the entry level serviceable heavy duty tranny, the ZT-3100 is considered "Commercial grade" and the ZT-3200 is identical to the ZT-3100, but has upgraded gears inside. I think if you follow the recommended maintenance on the ZT-3200's you won't find them to be a "weak link". Like user lmf said, we want pictures and honest owner feed back which will be useful to other forum users considering taking the ZTR plunge. Welcome to the growing Gravely family and I agree about the heritage of quality of both the Gravely and Ariens machines(my next-door-neighbor has a 15-yr-old+ Ariens Zoom 42" which is a light residential unit and it's still going strong). Enjoy and keep us informed on your new big boy toy!!!

Well, I had a chance to use the new mower today and it is great! :wink: The controls are smooth as silk and the drives seem to be more than powerful enough even on the steep slop in the drainage ditch in front of our house. It took on my severely over grown lawn without even trying. The only thing I noticed was the ROPS is high enough to catch some low branches and as it is behind the operator, it is difficult to know when you catch something. Nothing a little pruning won't cure. I cut my mowing time in half and I'm not even used to the mower yet.

This thing is built like a tank! The difference between this and my old residential tractor is like night and day. It is solid as a rock and it doesn't bounce around on bumpy terrain like my old mower.

The seat is very comfortable and seems to conform to my body like a recliner. I considered upgrading it for the full suspension seat as I have serious back problems but after an hour of mowing I felt just fine so for now I will save the money.

The Kawasaki engine runs smooth enough although not as smooth as a Honda. That said I have yet to see any other engine that does. The Kawwee engine has plenty of juice and never once dropped RPM even in very heavy grass. I did notice some heat on my back when standing still but once the mower is moving it is not noticeable.

As far as the quality of the cut, I have no complaints. I set the deck to cut 3.75" but I will raise the deck to 4.00" next time. 3.75" was just a bit too low for my St. Augustine lawn, never the less, the lawn looks like a carpet. (Even though it was allowed to get way over-grown while I was shopping for a new mower). The lawn now now needs some serious de-thatching. A pull behind de-thatcher would be a nice accessory so it's time to look at the Gravely accessory site.

The best thing about my new Gravely Pro Turn is it makes it fun to mow the lawn again!!! :laughing: I may need to fertilize the heck out of the lawn just so I can get it to grow faster and have an excuse to mow more often!

Only time will tell but I feel confident I made the right choice. I can only imagine how nice your mower must be with the extra bells and whistles you mentioned but I will have to make due with imagining because my Pro Turn 48 is more than enough mower for what I will use it for and I dare say I will have this mower for many many years to come.

The Wife is much more techno-savey than I am so I will have her post some pictures tomorrow. (After I get the mower all nice and clean again).

I'll keep everyone posted on how my new "big boy toy" is doing. It is still growing season here in Florida so I will be mowing every 7 to 10 days.

Thanks again for all your help!!!

JJ

 

[djdicetn]

Well, I had a chance to use the new mower today and it is great! :wink: The controls are smooth as silk and the drives seem to be more than powerful enough even on the steep slop in the drainage ditch in front of our house. It took on my severely over grown lawn without even trying. The only thing I noticed was the ROPS is high enough to catch some low branches and as it is behind the operator, it is difficult to know when you catch something. Nothing a little pruning won't cure. I cut my mowing time in half and I'm not even used to the mower yet.

This thing is built like a tank! The difference between this and my old residential tractor is like night and day. It is solid as a rock and it doesn't bounce around on bumpy terrain like my old mower.

The seat is very comfortable and seems to conform to my body like a recliner. I considered upgrading it for the full suspension seat as I have serious back problems but after an hour of mowing I felt just fine so for now I will save the money.

The Kawasaki engine runs smooth enough although not as smooth as a Honda. That said I have yet to see any other engine that does. The Kawwee engine has plenty of juice and never once dropped RPM even in very heavy grass. I did notice some heat on my back when standing still but once the mower is moving it is not noticeable.

As far as the quality of the cut, I have no complaints. I set the deck to cut 3.75" but I will raise the deck to 4.00" next time. 3.75" was just a bit too low for my St. Augustine lawn, never the less, the lawn looks like a carpet. (Even though it was allowed to get way over-grown while I was shopping for a new mower). The lawn now now needs some serious de-thatching. A pull behind de-thatcher would be a nice accessory so it's time to look at the Gravely accessory site.

The best thing about my new Gravely Pro Turn is it makes it fun to mow the lawn again!!! :laughing: I may need to fertilize the heck out of the lawn just so I can get it to grow faster and have an excuse to mow more often!

Only time will tell but I feel confident I made the right choice. I can only imagine how nice your mower must be with the extra bells and whistles you mentioned but I will have to make due with imagining because my Pro Turn 48 is more than enough mower for what I will use it for and I dare say I will have this mower for many many years to come.

The Wife is much more techno-savey than I am so I will have her post some pictures tomorrow. (After I get the mower all nice and clean again).

I'll keep everyone posted on how my new "big boy toy" is doing. It is still growing season here in Florida so I will be mowing every 7 to 10 days.

Thanks again for all your help!!!

JJ

Again, welcome to the growing Gravely family of the forums!!! Somehow, I knew what kind of first-time mowing experience review you would post even before reading all of your praises:0)

Yeah, I have a clear conscience every time I recommend a Gravely to users here that are shopping for a new ZTR for all the reasons you eluded to and that it's hard to beat the quality you get for your money when compared to almost any competitor's ZTR with similar build & features. I picked up a mulch kit at my dealer Friday and looked forward to getting it installed and see how well it dealt with the excessive grass clippings that the mild & wet summer we have had here in middle TN has caused. The Kentucky Fescue has grown so fast and so thick I've been having to mow over the windrows "several" times to disperse the clippings. I was VERY impressed again with the "heavy-dutiness" of the kit(the box containing the baffles and 3 blades weighed 50-75lbs) and the instructions were very clear(easy enough that a caveman could do it:0)

Well I jacked up the Gravely Saturday with my MoJack(you'll want to look into getting one of these...they are GREAT) in the driveway and cleaned underneath the deck with my power washer. I no sooner got done with that and the sky "opened up" and it began pouring rain(I barely got the Gravely back into the garage :0(
It poured for about an hour, so I resolved that even though the grass was REALLY needing cutting I would most likely get the kit installed and not be able to try it out for several days(the forecast had 40%-50% chance of rain all weekend). I took my time and the installation went smoothly. Yesterday(Sunday) the sun came out around noon, so around 4:00PM I decided to go ahead and give it a try even though mulching wet grass is not recommended and I didn't expect the best first-use results. I set the deck at 3"(I normally cut at 2 1/2") and I was VERY surprised that I cut the whole front yard without a hint of grass clippings(it dropped a little bit towards the end, but mowing over that area one more time got rid of them).

Towards the end of mowing the back yard, it did "drop" several large chucks of wet grass clippings and when I was done the clipping buildup underneath the deck required washing out but I am pretty certain that next time I mow(no rain within 24-48 hours, so the grass will be good & dry) and only cutting 1/3 of the total grass height that the buildup underneath the deck won't be as significant(those clippings I cleaned yesterday were "extremely wet"). But all things said....I was VERY HAPPY with the effectiveness of the Gravely mulch kit and would recommend it for the part of the growing season when the grass is very thick and grows very fast. My front yard looks as nice as my neighbor's and he got out there Saturday morning before the rain hit with his Ariens Zoom(which I envied for years when I was using a lawn tractor before I bought the Gravely). Now my yard doesn't make his look bad by being next to it:0)

 

[jonesandjones]

Again, welcome to the growing Gravely family of the forums!!! Somehow, I knew what kind of first-time mowing experience review you would post even before reading all of your praises:0)

Yeah, I have a clear conscience every time I recommend a Gravely to users here that are shopping for a new ZTR for all the reasons you eluded to and that it's hard to beat the quality you get for your money when compared to almost any competitor's ZTR with similar build & features. I picked up a mulch kit at my dealer Friday and looked forward to getting it installed and see how well it dealt with the excessive grass clippings that the mild & wet summer we have had here in middle TN has caused. The Kentucky Fescue has grown so fast and so thick I've been having to mow over the windrows "several" times to disperse the clippings. I was VERY impressed again with the "heavy-dutiness" of the kit(the box containing the baffles and 3 blades weighed 50-75lbs) and the instructions were very clear(easy enough that a caveman could do it:0)

Well I jacked up the Gravely Saturday with my MoJack(you'll want to look into getting one of these...they are GREAT) in the driveway and cleaned underneath the deck with my power washer. I no sooner got done with that and the sky "opened up" and it began pouring rain(I barely got the Gravely back into the garage :0(
It poured for about an hour, so I resolved that even though the grass was REALLY needing cutting I would most likely get the kit installed and not be able to try it out for several days(the forecast had 40%-50% chance of rain all weekend). I took my time and the installation went smoothly. Yesterday(Sunday) the sun came out around noon, so around 4:00PM I decided to go ahead and give it a try even though mulching wet grass is not recommended and I didn't expect the best first-use results. I set the deck at 3"(I normally cut at 2 1/2") and I was VERY surprised that I cut the whole front yard without a hint of grass clippings(it dropped a little bit towards the end, but mowing over that area one more time got rid of them).

Towards the end of mowing the back yard, it did "drop" several large chucks of wet grass clippings and when I was done the clipping buildup underneath the deck required washing out but I am pretty certain that next time I mow(no rain within 24-48 hours, so the grass will be good & dry) and only cutting 1/3 of the total grass height that the buildup underneath the deck won't be as significant(those clippings I cleaned yesterday were "extremely wet"). But all things said....I was VERY HAPPY with the effectiveness of the Gravely mulch kit and would recommend it for the part of the growing season when the grass is very thick and grows very fast. My front yard looks as nice as my neighbor's and he got out there Saturday morning before the rain hit with his Ariens Zoom(which I envied for years when I was using a lawn tractor before I bought the Gravely). Now my yard doesn't make his look bad by being next to it:0)

Wow! You must have read my mind!! I was thinking about cleaning the underside of the deck just this evening and I was going to ask how you clean your mower deck and how often you do it. I really want to take care of my new toy...

It will be stored in a utility shed I have out back as there won't be room for it in the garage. (Yes I am one of the few people in Florida that actually keeps cars in the garage). I will have to run an electrical service to the shed so I can dehumidify it. The salt air and humidity here eats up everything!

I also stocked up on plenty of ethanol free 90 octane gas for the Gravely and the rest of my lawn and garden equipment. (I also use it in my motorcycle). I really don't like some of the things I have read about the negative effects of ethanol on engines that aren't used daily, especially anything with a carburetor. I know there are additives to deal with ethanol but why bother when there is a station that sells the ethanol free stuff nearby.

I'll call the dealer tomorrow and ask about the MoJack as well as the mulch kit. If it works on your Kentucky Fescue it should work really well on my St. Augustine (What most folks up north consider crab grass)... I also found several tow behind dethacthers on line as well as some plug aerators I would like to add to my lawn arsenal so I will need the towing attachment as well.

Today was a beach day for me and the wife so I didn't get a chance to take any pictures before it got dark but I will post them soon!

JJ