small yard. help appreciated.

[digitalman]

Our new arrival:



going to take it on its maiden tour.... report back later

 

[txzrider]

congrats!! I am sure you will be pleased.

 

[digitalman]

Took about 30 minutes to do the lawn. I am sure I could do it more efficiently once I get used to the controls and best way to use it for my yard. As I am sure everyone else can attest, there is a learning curve here. There was a few times where you are fighting against instinct especially when going backwards. A lot of it will be retraining my self to push and pull the bars to how the mower responds.

All in all I am happy with it. One thing that I realized will using it. I am glad I got the 42". There are times that there is a huge advantage to have the blade cut out further then the wheels (like where the road curb is).

I was also surprised how much power it had going up the incline. It tackled going up and down it with no problem at all.

I am looking forward to the mulching blade to arrive. The dealer said he would pick it back up and install it when it arrives. That will help make the mower a little more maneuverable too without the side discharge guard.

 

[1894]

Looks nice !! Congratulations !!

 

[digitalman]

Never fails.... I think this story depicts my wife's greatest frustration.

The problem with buying a really nice ZTR mower, is then when you are done mowing the lawn. I realized that I need to use the trimmer. SoI found our really old Black&Decker electric plug in trimmer (yes, I know) and go and get the extension cord.

As you can probably figure out, I started messing with the trimmer and thinking about how much of a piece of crap it was compared to the gravely. I plug it in and press the button.... the results were strait out of a movie. The whole spindle of string got tangled up into a mess... the engine made a awful sound.... and for a breif moment, I would swear I saw a puff of smoke come out.

So now that I have made the investment into one really good mower.... I am having to think about a trimmer. When I told the story to my wife, she just shook her head and said it was typical. Then she actually said (in a less then thrilled tone), yeah, and I bet you looking at blowers too.

What can I say, she knows me too well.

 

[djdicetn]

So, I'll admit that despite what everyone says about big box vs dealer... my preference was to get a mower at Lowes... since it is so easy to get 10% off there. This weekend we were at my inlaws house. They live on a farm and my father in law has had a lot of equipment over the years.

My wife mentioned to him that I was planning on getting a mower and he and I started talking about it for a little while. I asked him his impression about brands and such and he (not surprisingly said that engine brand matters a lot more then the overall brand). He strongly encouraged me to get a better brand engine.

When we started talking about where to buy his one suggestion about not buying from lowsor home depot; was that when the mower comes out of the "box" they often need a bunch of tweaking. Saving 10% at the store might be a wash once you end up having to bring it to a dealer to get an initial servicing. Why not just develop that relationship right off the bat. Plus a dealer is more inclined to take care of their customers first vs drive up customers.

When I thought about it like that the 10% savings didn't seem to matter as much.

So I spent the last couple of days talking to/visiting a few independent dealers.

Snapper: They were nice though were really trying to push me into buying the only RER mower they had in stock. It looks like it had spent a bit too much time in the rain, because I would swear there was already rust on it. I asked about ordering a different model, and it seemed like it was going to be an inconvenience. In the end I decided to look else where. Plus, I never felt like I was saving money going with a smaller mower.

Cub Cadet: Really liked the dealer. My kids did too. I brought them to the dealer to give my wife a break and the lady gave each of them a nice plastic cup with a magnet and a few lollipops. Really liked the CC, I was seriously considering either the LX1042 or the RZT S 42. The idea of a steering wheel was appealing. While they didn't have any 42" ZTRs in stock they were happy to order it.

Toro: I was really interested in the 30" ZTR and was excited that they had it in stock. When I walked in they guy told me the price was $2300.... I said isn't there a $150 toro promo going on? He said, yeah, we can honor that. Then we started talking about the mower and he suggested I jump up to the 42" since that comes with the kawasaki engine and was only $2600. I said does that one qualify for the $150 off. He seemed like he didn't want to admit that it was.

So while I was thinking this over, I decided to check on the engine in the 42 (something didn't sound right here).... sure enough it was a Kohler. So, I walk back in and the guy "goes on break" and the store manager starts talking to me. He seems more knowledgeable and doesn't seem to be as greedy about giving me the toro promo. Unfortunately for him, by now I am ready to leave.

Husqvarna: Next on the docket was the 30" ZTR from HQ. After talking to the guy a little, he looked up some stuff and found out that there isn't any of them anywhere. He said it could take a month or more to get it. He started to point out the 42" but then said he also carried Gravely. This wasn't a brand I was as familiar with, but in my reading on this forum, it seems to be a well regarded brand.

He mentioned that they also have a 30" model which uses a B&S engine that could be ordered. He then said that he had the 42" in stock, which had a kawasaki engine (yeah, I checked to verify). Said it could be delivered today. This was a lot more then I wanted to spend ($2700), but I think in the long run it will be money well spent. Plus they did 4 years no interest. After a quick check in with my wife, I pulled the trigger.

I will also say that the 2 guys I talked to before buying were nice and i never got the impression that they were pushing me to buy more then I wanted to which is a very different feel from other salesmen I have encountered.

In the end the Gravely ZT42 is much more then I thought I would spend.... but also much more then I would have had. I'll do a mow with it later today and post some pictures.

digitalman,
Welcome to the growing Gravely clan on these forums!!!!! Even though I refrained from recommending the Gravely(although my satisfaction with mine gives me that inclination:0) I think you will not regret getting the ZT 42!! It is definitely comparables to the ones on your final short list and way better than if you had bought a big box retailer ZTR. I think as you use it you will become more assured that spending a few extra hundred dollars will pay off with the Kawa engine and other nice features. One thing, though, that I am curious about.....we had been discussing ride quality because of your bad back. I only looked at the ZT HD and Pro-Turn 100XDZ models when I was shopping and I wonder just how you would "rate" the comfort of the ride you are experiencing on the Gravely entry-level Residential ZTR without a suspension seat. Let us know what you think so we will know!!! Thanks and enjoy!!!!!!
P.S.
Since your father-in-law knows farming equipment I'm certain he will recognize the Gravely brand. Giving him some credit for influencing your final purchase decision could only earn you some "points" with the wife(and him:0)

 

[digitalman]

digitalman,
Welcome to the growing Gravely clan on these forums!!!!! Even though I refrained from recommending the Gravely(although my satisfaction with mine gives me that inclination:0) I think you will not regret getting the ZT 42!! It is definitely comparables to the ones on your final short list and way better than if you had bought a big box retailer ZTR. I think as you use it you will become more assured that spending a few extra hundred dollars will pay off with the Kawa engine and other nice features. One thing, though, that I am curious about.....we had been discussing ride quality because of your bad back. I only looked at the ZT HD and Pro-Turn 100XDZ models when I was shopping and I wonder just how you would "rate" the comfort of the ride you are experiencing on the Gravely entry-level Residential ZTR without a suspension seat. Let us know what you think so we will know!!! Thanks and enjoy!!!!!!
P.S.
Since your father-in-law knows farming equipment I'm certain he will recognize the Gravely brand. Giving him some credit for influencing your final purchase decision could only earn you some "points" with the wife(and him:0)

Thanks

My back problems are more nerve related. Bouncing around tends not to aggravate it as much as pushing and controlling a standard mower. And like I said at the beginning, it doesn't happen all the time, but when it does kick in it is extremely painful. I hate sounding like a wimp, but I also know I need to acknowledge my limitations. Plus, I really hated using a push (or self-propelled) mower in general.

My wife was there when I asked her dad what he though, and she appreciated that I did that. Plus it made for better leverage later on to explain why I spent more then we had talked about on it. Her parents are a bit older then the age of most of our peer's parents and have been out of the farming industry for quite some time. While he may not be aware of all the newest stuff on the market or who is king of the hill, he does still like to talk shop.

After I purchased it, my mother in law said "gravely has been around for a long time, and you can't go wrong with them". My father in law was glad that I didn't get a B&S or kohler engine. While he wasn't aware of kawasaki as a top choice for mowers, he knew the other two weren't wise decisions.

 

[txzrider]

Have I got a trimmer for you to check out... I have one and trimming is amazing.. edging takes practice.
PECO Z Trimmer - YouTube

 

[Bomba]

Have I got a trimmer for you to check out... I have one and trimming is amazing.. edging takes practice.
PECO Z Trimmer - YouTube

Thant Peco trimmer makes me laugh! There are so many products out there now and this is a good idea. There must be a booming lawn care industry here. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

 

[digitalman]

Thant Peco trimmer makes me laugh! There are so many products out there now and this is a good idea. There must be a booming lawn care industry here. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

That looks really cool. It isn't going to work for my needs, but very impressive.

I am looking at a few husqvarna trimmers. I noticed that there are 2 and 4 cycle engines. I know that the 2 uses mixed vs the 4 you put them in separately. But what is the benefit of one over the other?