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Ok just like most I am looking . 4500 is my limit no more and I will probably finance so used is out.
Here is what I have come with so far(I am in no hurry)
Under 4k for these
1. Badboy magnum 48 with a Kawasaki ....my good friend owns a shop and this is what he stocks
2.gravely zt 42xl not sure what engine .... Another friends shop kids go to school together
3.toro timecutter 5060 Kawasaki .......closest
4. Hustler raptor sd 48
Maybe but it's really close to that 4500
5. Dixie chopper 48 zee2
Here is the kicker I pull a cyclone rake . My lawn is a little over an acre and this will only be used for that acre....

Hi Winfrbob,

If you are looking as I was recently (see previuos post) I would make a few suggestions regardless of the brand.

-No small tires like 16 x 6.5 get something in the 20 to 23 height range. An acre is a lot to cut & unless it's golf course smooth you'll appreciate the bigger tires.
-Compare the fabricated deck to the flimsier metal stamped deck. You won't ever wear out the fabricated deck whereas the metal stamped decks tend to crack, bend and come apart. Week before last when I was buying my mower a guy came & picked up a reinforcing bottom plate hr'd ordered for his stamped deck.
-Find one with the industrial cannister air cleaner for extended engine life.
-The higher torque Kawasaki engine is hard to beat.
-I just took advantage of Husqvarna's 48 month 0% interest financing. The guy at the mower shop entered my info on the computer & within 10 minutes had my approval.
-It's a difinite plus to have a foot panel (floor board) that raises up for ease of cleaning, belt replacement & most importantly, greasing that center mandrel.
-If you don't have a place to store it inside then go ahead & buy a cover for it (a carport is not inside storage).
-Go with the zero turn vs lawn tractor type. I have a Craftsman 48' garden tractor that I use on my 5 acres to cut up close to trees in the woodsy part. I have a Kubota tractor & 5' bush hog mower to cut an area kinda swampy with sapplings and did use it to cut my pastures. Then when I got my first zero turn was blown away at how much quicker i could mow the pastures.

Well, hope that helps,

sprayu2


PS Used a 50" cut Dixie chopper in landscaping for a while & had lots of problems with it, just saying.

Welcome to LawnWorld!

We moved your thread to the Mower & Equipment Buying & Pricing forum.

Thank you........ I went and looked around and I a really liking the freedom z.......

Winfrbob said:

Thank you........ I went and looked around and I a really liking the freedom z.......

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Scag is a good mower. Raptor sd is another good choice.

Ok my wife actually thinks I should get a more commercial mower ahhhhh she knows me well:thumbsup:.
so I went and looked at the farris is 600 so nice I like this one to.... I don't like the bagger price......though

I would suggest you take a close look at the Kubota Kommander.

Rivets said:

I would suggest you take a close look at the Kubota Kommander.

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I plan to... the ferris.dealer happened to have a gravely to me it didnt look as well built. I am still leaning towards the skag seeing as its a grand.less then the ferris.....

Winfrbob said:

I plan to... the ferris.dealer happened to have a gravely to me it didnt look as well built. I am still leaning towards the skag seeing as its a grand.less then the ferris.....

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If you are following your wife's advice for a "more Commercial" ZTR(and abandoned the $4,500 limit:0)....I hope you looked at the Gravely Pro-Turn instead of the XT XL. The ZT XL is my LEAST favorite Gravely model, but if you go back and look at the Pro-Turn I think you will find it to be as well built as any other brand in that price range(currently $6,099 No Haggle Price for the 48"). Make sure you are comparing "apples-to-apples" across brands(similar trannies, deck, engine, etc.).

djdicetn said:

If you are following your wife's advice for a "more Commercial" ZTR(and abandoned the $4,500 limit:0)....I hope you looked at the Gravely Pro-Turn instead of the XT XL. The ZT XL is my LEAST favorite Gravely model, but if you go back and look at the Pro-Turn I think you will find it to be as well built as any other brand in that price range(currently $6,099 No Haggle Price for the 48"). Make sure you are comparing "apples-to-apples" across brands(similar trannies, deck, engine, etc.).

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Agreed on the XT XL should keep it branded under Ariens lol...but those Pro-Turns are nice. Wish my dealer wasn't such a jerk when I was buying, I would of given the Pro-Turn a much closer look.

Yeah i am trying to stay 7500 tops.......and i want a vacuum bagger to replace my cyclone rake.....so that gravely is probably out i also want thos machine to be not giant we park in are garage and this thing has to fit in there also

Winfrbob said:

I plan to... the ferris.dealer happened to have a gravely to me it didnt look as well built. I am still leaning towards the skag seeing as its a grand.less then the ferris.....

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You may also want to look at the snapper pro s125xt or s150xt. The only difference between Ferris and snapper pro is the suspension ( both owned by b&s). The snapper pro is much less expensive and you can get a quality machine in the s150xt in the $6000 price range. Fx series Kawi engine and the zt5400 hydros, as well as the 48" or 52" icd deck. All of the machines in the $6000 price range are well built mowers. Test as many as you can before you buy. The s125xt offers thr fs series engine and zt3400 hydros with the 52" or 61" icd deck in the $5000 price range.

Winfrbob said:

Yeah i am trying to stay 7500 tops.......and i want a vacuum bagger to replace my cyclone rake.....so that gravely is probably out i also want thos machine to be not giant we park in are garage and this thing has to fit in there also

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I'm not much on baggers(tried a lawn sweeper for collecting grass clippings and hated it) as I lean towards using a mulch kit to deal with clippings. The "emptying" of a lawn sweeper or bagger seems to be more trouble than it's worth. Is a "vacuum bagger" the same thing as a "powered bagger"??? Gravely indeed has an 8-bushel Commercial Bagger that fits the Pro-Turn. Their heavier-duty 12-bushel bagger(with an optional "dump-from-seat" accessory) only fits the Pro-Turn 200 XDZ and Pro-Turn 400 XDZ models which are both way above your budget. I don't know how much the 8-bushel bagger is, but with the 60" Pro-Turn(with Kawa engine) running $6,599 at Gravely's "Haggle Free Pricing", you could most likely get it and the bagger within budget.

Wow you either are in love with that gravely of yours or they just pay you hahahaha......
Ok I looked at most in my price range......
1. Ferris is 600 5 k with a Kawasaki 2200 for the bagger
2. Scag freedom z 5200 . 1300 with a peco bagger
3. Toro titan 5k ... 1300 toro bagger
Yes these are all powered vac systems.......I am trying to get out of my cyclone rake or I will be about a 20 foot long mowing nightmare ......:laughing:

Winfrbob said:

Wow you either are in love with that gravely of yours or they just pay you hahahaha...... Ok I looked at most in my price range...... 1. Ferris is 600 5 k with a Kawasaki 2200 for the bagger 2. Scag freedom z 5200 . 1300 with a peco bagger 3. Toro titan 5k ... 1300 toro bagger Yes these are all powered vac systems.......I am trying to get out of my cyclone rake or I will be about a 20 foot long mowing nightmare ......:laughing:

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I own a Ferris and find the bagger price absurd...is it really that different to justify that price compared to the others? Btw Djdicetn is paid off by Gravely and Ric is paid by Toro...JK.

DSepe said:

I own a Ferris and find the bagger price absurd...is it really that different to justify that price compared to the others? Btw Djdicetn is paid off by Gravely and Ric is paid by Toro...JK.

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Lol, it does seem like they are paid by their mower brands. I think they have been impressed by their mowers and want everyone to get one. All of the mowers in the commercial range are great machines. I have tested several. You cant go wrong with any of them.

DSepe said:

I own a Ferris and find the bagger price absurd...is it really that different to justify that price compared to the others? Btw Djdicetn is paid off by Gravely and Ric is paid by Toro...JK.

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I wish someone would contact Gravely and ask them where my royalty check is!!! With my wife & I both taking early retirements recently, I could use the supplemental income:0)

And I wish someone could convince me of the benefit(s) of a bagger system. Like I stated earlier, if user Winfrbob is only concerned with grass clippings disposal a mulch kit is much cheaper, just as effective and a WHOLE LOT easier(after the installation....all you do is just mow:0)

Of course, I understand that some owners use a bagger, cyclone rake, etc. for leaves in the Fall(I have septic lines....so no trees or need for that, even though I believe the mulch kit would take care of "some" leaves). Maybe user Winfrbob can give us the skinny on what he's dealing with in Connecticut that we don't have to deal with here in Tennessee:0)

Well to be honest if it were just me I would mulch but I have kids and if they run through the yard ,my yard is in the kitchen from there shoes. It drives my wife kinda crazy that's the bagging deal. So I just got off the phone with a dealer I think I am going to get a grass catcher for most mows and then use my cyclone just for leaf season. That way it's olny about 700 extra bucks ......

Winfrbob said:

Well to be honest if it were just me I would mulch but I have kids and if they run through the yard ,my yard is in the kitchen from there shoes. It drives my wife kinda crazy that's the bagging deal. So I just got off the phone with a dealer I think I am going to get a grass catcher for most mows and then use my cyclone just for leaf season. That way it's olny about 700 extra bucks ......

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Let us know what you went with once you make your decision.

Ok well I ended up going with a scag freedom z 48 inch $6300 out the door with a peco bagger I won't recieve it until feb. ..... The dealer seems really great they put up with me stopping in all the time with new questions......:wink: