Export thread

I'm looking to buy my first zero turn mower. I have 1.5 acres to mow, mostly flat with one small hill. I'm trying to stay under $5000 in this purchase. I've been looking at 50-54" models, but some say I should be open to 48".

In my research, I'm finding that I like the following specs:
- Kawasaki engine (should I also be including Kohler?) -- avoid Briggs & Stratton
- Fabricated or welded deck -- avoid stamped deck
- ZT2800 or ZT3100 transmission -- avoid EZT
- Foot deck control
- Low center of gravity
- Hitch option (my wife wants a hitch for a cart)

The models I'm paying liking the most right now are:

Gravely ZT XL 48" or 50"
Toro Timecutter 50" MX5060
Dixie Chopper Zee 2 48" or 54"
Husqvarna MZ 5225 (Kohler engine)
Hustler Sport 48" or 54" (downside: has EZT)
Hustler Raptor 52" (downside: has EZT)
John Deere Z425 (downside: has B&S engine)
John Deere Z445 (downside: has B&S engine)
Husqvarna MZ5424S (downside: stamped frame)


I've also looked at Bad Boy (no hitches), Big Dog, and Troy-Bilt. I really like the look of Big Dog, but there's not a dealership close. Troy-Bilt doesn't seem to fit in the same class, although Consumer Reports loved it and my son likes the feel of it.

I'm keeping John Deere in the running because there's a reputable Deere dealership down the road from me, so I know I'll have service for a Deere.

I've also searched Craigslist for commercial mowers in my price range, but I'm planning to finance about half my purchase and that doesn't work on Craigslist.

I'd appreciate any input to help me choose between these mowers or any mower in this format that I'm missing.

I voted for the Hustler Sport, ONLY because you didn't give me the Big Dog choice!

Don't know how far your closest dealer is but I'd go with the R or A series units, no matter what.
Best bang for the buck, made by Excel also. Pics in my album.

Can't say enough about mine. See post 11 here.
http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/gener...dog-r-series-powerbar-754-a-2.html#post103906

I'd avoid Kohler. Kawasaki best engine out there now I found out.

Charles

I've added the Dixie Chopper Zee 2 to the list as well. I realized we have a dealer nearby and it meets the specs.

I just bought a Hustler Fastrak for $4999 plus tax. They had a 2011 they were willing to sell a little cheaper.

lawyervon said:

I'm looking to buy my first zero turn mower. I have 1.5 acres to mow, mostly flat with one small hill. I'm trying to stay under $5000 in this purchase. I've been looking at 50-54" models, but some say I should be open to 48".

In my research, I'm finding that I like the following specs:
- Kawasaki engine (should I also be including Kohler?) -- avoid Briggs & Stratton
- Fabricated or welded deck -- avoid stamped deck
- ZT2800 or ZT3100 transmission -- avoid EZT
- Foot deck control
- Low center of gravity
- Hitch option (my wife wants a hitch for a cart)

The models I'm paying liking the most right now are:

Gravely ZT XL 48" or 50"
Toro Timecutter 50" MX5060
Dixie Chopper Zee 2 48" or 54"
Husqvarna MZ 5225 (Kohler engine)
Hustler Sport 48" or 54" (downside: has EZT)
Hustler Raptor 52" (downside: has EZT)
John Deere Z425 (downside: has B&S engine)
John Deere Z445 (downside: has B&S engine)
Husqvarna MZ5424S (downside: stamped frame)


I've also looked at Bad Boy (no hitches), Big Dog, and Troy-Bilt. I really like the look of Big Dog, but there's not a dealership close. Troy-Bilt doesn't seem to fit in the same class, although Consumer Reports loved it and my son likes the feel of it.

I'm keeping John Deere in the running because there's a reputable Deere dealership down the road from me, so I know I'll have service for a Deere.

I've also searched Craigslist for commercial mowers in my price range, but I'm planning to finance about half my purchase and that doesn't work on Craigslist.

I'd appreciate any input to help me choose between these mowers or any mower in this format that I'm missing.

Click to expand...

lwyervon,
You do realize "most" votes you get will be because that voter owns that brand....right??? So you are NOT hetting a fully un-biased response(yeah, I voted for Gravely:0)
But, as an aside, If I were you I would NOT buy from a big box retailer(Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) because where would you go for Warranty Service if needed? And, if I were you(and I do have 1.5 acres like you), I would personally suggest the Gravely ZT HD series instead of the XL(the HD is high-end residential with some commercial-grade components). I started out with the same "budget" as you but sson learned that for $5K, some of those machines just weren't up to the task(not all, but many). One thing I would highly recommend is that you check out the Dealer Survey of manufacturers in the link below for all brands you are considering(not all may be included). If their dealer ain't happy with "Product Quality".....would you be????? Hope this helps!!!

http://www.msdeda.com/pdf/2013 Dealer Manufacturer Survey.pdf

P.S.
I believe both of those John Deeres have stamped decks too....that's an awful big chunk of change to not get a heavier duty fabricated deck:0(
If you raised the bar to a $5k-$6k budget, it would open up a BUNCH of possibilities for a really good, durable ZTR..just my opinion.

djdicetn said:

lwyervon,
You do realize "most" votes you get will be because that voter owns that brand....right??? So you are NOT hetting a fully un-biased response(yeah, I voted for Gravely:0)
But, as an aside, If I were you I would NOT buy from a big box retailer(Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) because where would you go for Warranty Service if needed? And, if I were you(and I do have 1.5 acres like you), I would personally suggest the Gravely ZT HD series instead of the XL(the HD is high-end residential with some commercial-grade components). I started out with the same "budget" as you but sson learned that for $5K, some of those machines just weren't up to the task(not all, but many). One thing I would highly recommend is that you check out the Dealer Survey of manufacturers in the link below for all brands you are considering(not all may be included). If their dealer ain't happy with "Product Quality".....would you be????? Hope this helps!!!

http://www.msdeda.com/pdf/2013 Dealer Manufacturer Survey.pdf

P.S.
I believe both of those John Deeres have stamped decks too....that's an awful big chunk of change to not get a heavier duty fabricated deck:0(
If you raised the bar to a $5k-$6k budget, it would open up a BUNCH of possibilities for a really good, durable ZTR..just my opinion.

Click to expand...

I agree, people are going to vote for the brand they own and actually if your looking for a fully un-biased response based on the facts the Dixie Chopper Zee 2 / 48" is the best mower of the choices he put up in the poll. It has the Kawasaki Engine the 2800 drives and it's probably the best built out of the bunch. The Hustlers both are the EZT which is the bottom of the barrel so I'd discount those first off, the JD both have B&S engines so I'd dis count those and the Husqvarna has a stamped deck so that's gone.The other Husqvarna and as much as I'm a Kohler fan I'd say no to it so that leaves the Dixie,Toro, and the Gravely. Now as far as the Toro goes, IMO if your not buying the top of the line residential Titan at least your wasting your money. So now your down to two and I know your a Gravely fan and I'm a Toro fan but Imo it's Dixie by process of elimination. Now hows that for an un-biased response :smile:

Those Dixie Choppers are UGLY tho-IMO LOL! I just couldn't bring myself to buy one.

I'm going to offer my opinion as far as your Hustler choice's go, since my dealer is a Hustler/Big Dog/Snapper/Toro rep. I immediately gravitated to the Hustlers, so he would not even bother to seat me on a Toro or Snapper when I spouted my req's. My first desire and test was the FasTrack, given its solid stance and low COG for my hills. Then tested the Sport, then Raptor. While he went inside to get pricing, he pointed to the Big Dogs he wanted me to test and compare the Hustlers to.

The R series Big Dog compares to the Fastrack, with Sport pricing. ( if you try that one later)
The A series 346(I wouldn't go any smaller) compares to the Sport, with almost Raptor pricing, and has ZT-3100's

Build quality is the same on both lines. Big Dog factory reps are hungry, and will drag a machine just about anywhere and leave you to demo it for a couple weeks, if you're serious considering. They are running 0%/48mo now too.

I never tested any others on your list, so I'll leave those alone.

Ric said:

I agree, people are going to vote for the brand they own and actually if your looking for a fully un-biased response based on the facts the Dixie Chopper Zee 2 / 48" is the best mower of the choices he put up in the poll. It has the Kawasaki Engine the 2800 drives and it's probably the best built out of the bunch. The Hustlers both are the EZT which is the bottom of the barrel so I'd discount those first off, the JD both have B&S engines so I'd dis count those and the Husqvarna has a stamped deck so that's gone.The other Husqvarna and as much as I'm a Kohler fan I'd say no to it so that leaves the Dixie,Toro, and the Gravely. Now as far as the Toro goes, IMO if your not buying the top of the line residential Titan at least your wasting your money. So now your down to two and I know your a Gravely fan and I'm a Toro fan but Imo it's Dixie by process of elimination. Now hows that for an un-biased response :smile:

Click to expand...

Ric,
You know I always thought the Dixie Choppers were pretty decent for the money but read a "scathing" user post on the Tractorbynet forum about his Excalibur(high-end model). You would NOT BELIEVE all of the problems he had with that ZTR from day one and the dealer had it more the first two years than he did. Also, in the "Dealership Survey"(see link below), the Choppers were rated 4.80 overall by their own dealer network(with the average for all manufacturers being 5.43). Toro had an overall 5.63 and Ariens(Gravely) a 6.10 overall. Snapper was another disappointing number at 4.04 overall. Even though this a "dealer" survey not an owner/end-user survey....if a dealer is unhappy with "Product Quality" or the other 11 rating categories.....do I want to buy one??? Another thing, locally here in Middle Tennessee, D.T. McCall purports to be the largest Dixie Chopper dealership nationwide. They are historically a furniture/appliance sales business that's been around for decades. Something about buying a ZTR from a furniture store kinda turned me off from the word go. Sorry, I have to disagree and personally I wouldn't take a chance on one. Survey link:

http://www.msdeda.com/pdf/2013 Dealer Manufacturer Survey.pdf

RatRacer said:

I'm going to offer my opinion as far as your Hustler choice's go, since my dealer is a Hustler/Big Dog/Snapper/Toro rep. I immediately gravitated to the Hustlers, so he would not even bother to seat me on a Toro or Snapper when I spouted my req's. My first desire and test was the FasTrack, given its solid stance and low COG for my hills. Then tested the Sport, then Raptor. While he went inside to get pricing, he pointed to the Big Dogs he wanted me to test and compare the Hustlers to.

The R series Big Dog compares to the Fastrack, with Sport pricing. ( if you try that one later)
The A series 346(I wouldn't go any smaller) compares to the Sport, with almost Raptor pricing, and has ZT-3100's

Build quality is the same on both lines. Big Dog factory reps are hungry, and will drag a machine just about anywhere and leave you to demo it for a couple weeks, if you're serious considering. They are running 0%/48mo now too.

I never tested any others on your list, so I'll leave those alone.

Click to expand...

RatRacer,
Yep, the Big Dog R Series and the Toro Titan series mentioned by user Ric are VERY good high-end Residetial units!!! There are no Big Dog dealers around me but I "almost" bought a 2012 Toro Titan MX5480 before deciding on the Gravely and am quite certain I would have been happy with it.

P.S.
That survey I mentioned to Ric rated the Hustler brand(includes the Big Dog) at 6.26 which was the highest Outdoor Power Equipment manufacturer rating of all(higher even than Scag and other "preemo" brands).

djdicetn said:

Ric,
You know I always thought the Dixie Choppers were pretty decent for the money but read a "scathing" user post on the Tractorbynet forum about his Excalibur(high-end model). You would NOT BELIEVE all of the problems he had with that ZTR from day one and the dealer had it more the first two years than he did. Also, in the "Dealership Survey"(see link below), the Choppers were rated 4.80 overall by their own dealer network(with the average for all manufacturers being 5.43). Toro had an overall 5.63 and Ariens(Gravely) a 6.10 overall. Snapper was another disappointing number at 4.04 overall. Even though this a "dealer" survey not an owner/end-user survey....if a dealer is unhappy with "Product Quality" or the other 11 rating categories.....do I want to buy one??? Another thing, locally here in Middle Tennessee, D.T. McCall purports to be the largest Dixie Chopper dealership nationwide. They are historically a furniture/appliance sales business that's been around for decades. Something about buying a ZTR from a furniture store kinda turned me off from the word go. Sorry, I have to disagree and personally I wouldn't take a chance on one. Survey link:

http://www.msdeda.com/pdf/2013 Dealer Manufacturer Survey.pdf

Click to expand...

Dixie Chopperｮ Zee 2 Mowers Designed for High-Performance Residential Use

Zee 2 mowers are designed for fast performance, quality cutting and comfortable operation.



Dixie Chopper's ELITE Cutting System allows the new Zee 2 mowers to produce high-quality cutting performance at any speed.

Coatesville, Indiana (PRWEB) January 31, 2013
Dixie Chopperｮ, the manufacturer of The World痴 Fastest Lawn Mowerｮ, announces the Zee 2 series, its newest and largest line of residential zero-turn lawn mowers. Designed for homeowner use, Zee 2 mowers include a variety of features for fast performance, quality cutting and comfortable operation.
The Zee 2 series includes three models: 2142, 2348 and 2354. Model 2142 features a 21-horsepower Kawasakiｮ FR engine and 42-inch (106.7 cm) cutting deck for mowing up to 2.45 acres per hour. Model 2348 features a 23-horsepower Kawasaki FR engine and 48-inch (121.9 cm) cutting deck for mowing up to 2.8 acres per hour. Model 2354 features a 23-horsepower Kawasaki FR engine and 54-inch (137.2 cm) cutting deck for mowing up to 3.15 acres per hour.
All Zee 2 models include a 4-gallon (15.1 L) fuel tank with a stainless-steel body for maximum protection from impact, corrosion and sunlight. They also come with Dixie Chopper痴 ELITE Cutting System. This triple-blade deck features high blade-tip speeds to create a powerful vacuum for mowing all varieties of grass in any condition. Additionally, the ELITE Cutting System has a 1.75-inch (4.4 cm) blade overlap, allowing Zee 2 mowers to produce high-quality cutting performance at any speed.
For additional operator convenience and comfort, the all new Zee 2 control panel includes dual cup holders, a tool compartment and a 12-volt accessory plug for charging cell phones or other devices during operation.
Other standard features include a Hydro-Gearｮ ZT2800 transaxle, flip-up floor pan, adjustable seat and foot-operated deck lift. Options include a ROPS two-post roll bar for increased rollover protection and an Easy Reach tool for picking up trash and other objects from the seat of the mower.
Zee 2 mowers are backed by a three-year limited warranty, including two-year parts and labor coverage and one-year parts warranty. The engines offer a three-year limited warranty, and all stainless-steel components come with a lifetime warranty against rust.
About Dixie Chopper
Working in his barn near Greencastle, Indiana, Art Evans created the first Dixie Chopper in 1980. Today, Dixie Chopper remains family owned and operated with Evans acting as chairman, and the company continues to lead the industry in innovation and quality. Known as "The World's Fastest Lawn Mower," Dixie Chopper prides itself on providing quality and reliability in addition to speed. For more information on the company痴 complete lineup of zero-turn lawn mowers, contact Dixie Chopper, 6302 E County Road 100 N, Coatesville, IN 46121-9689, call 765-246-7737, or visit the company's website at Best Commmercial and Residential Zero-Turn Riding Lawn Mowers | Dixie Chopper.


Here's another link Dixie Chopper Mower: Review of XCaliber

2013 NAEDA Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey
The
NAEDA Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey
was emailed exclusively to selected dealers in the U.S. and
Canada in January 2013.
Over 1,000 dealers participated in this yearç—´ survey. This includes a 22% response rate from NAEDA dealers
and an increase of over 20% from last yearç—´ response. Over 3,000 individual dealer ratings/evaluations were
received and tabulated compared to 1,900 last year.

The problem I see with this survey is it included the US and Canada with isn't a problem but when you consider the number of dealers there are in the US alone the survey hasn't touch over probably 1 or 2% of the dealers in the US. Over 3000 dealer ratings were received from the US and Canada compared to 1900 last year..... Crap there are probably half that many dealers in the state of Florida alone so how good is there survey. The problem with surveys are it's to easy to make them say what they want them to say and arrive at the figures they want same as the poles they take in politics.

Ric said:

Dixie Chopperｮ Zee 2 Mowers Designed for High-Performance Residential Use

Zee 2 mowers are designed for fast performance, quality cutting and comfortable operation.

Dixie Chopperｮ Zee 2 mowers are designed for high-performance residential use.​

Dixie Chopper's ELITE Cutting System allows the new Zee 2 mowers to produce high-quality cutting performance at any speed.

Coatesville, Indiana (PRWEB) January 31, 2013
Dixie Chopperｮ, the manufacturer of The World痴 Fastest Lawn Mowerｮ, announces the Zee 2 series, its newest and largest line of residential zero-turn lawn mowers. Designed for homeowner use, Zee 2 mowers include a variety of features for fast performance, quality cutting and comfortable operation.
The Zee 2 series includes three models: 2142, 2348 and 2354. Model 2142 features a 21-horsepower Kawasakiｮ FR engine and 42-inch (106.7 cm) cutting deck for mowing up to 2.45 acres per hour. Model 2348 features a 23-horsepower Kawasaki FR engine and 48-inch (121.9 cm) cutting deck for mowing up to 2.8 acres per hour. Model 2354 features a 23-horsepower Kawasaki FR engine and 54-inch (137.2 cm) cutting deck for mowing up to 3.15 acres per hour.
All Zee 2 models include a 4-gallon (15.1 L) fuel tank with a stainless-steel body for maximum protection from impact, corrosion and sunlight. They also come with Dixie Chopper痴 ELITE Cutting System. This triple-blade deck features high blade-tip speeds to create a powerful vacuum for mowing all varieties of grass in any condition. Additionally, the ELITE Cutting System has a 1.75-inch (4.4 cm) blade overlap, allowing Zee 2 mowers to produce high-quality cutting performance at any speed.
For additional operator convenience and comfort, the all new Zee 2 control panel includes dual cup holders, a tool compartment and a 12-volt accessory plug for charging cell phones or other devices during operation.
Other standard features include a Hydro-Gearｮ ZT2800 transaxle, flip-up floor pan, adjustable seat and foot-operated deck lift. Options include a ROPS two-post roll bar for increased rollover protection and an Easy Reach tool for picking up trash and other objects from the seat of the mower.
Zee 2 mowers are backed by a three-year limited warranty, including two-year parts and labor coverage and one-year parts warranty. The engines offer a three-year limited warranty, and all stainless-steel components come with a lifetime warranty against rust.
About Dixie Chopper
Working in his barn near Greencastle, Indiana, Art Evans created the first Dixie Chopper in 1980. Today, Dixie Chopper remains family owned and operated with Evans acting as chairman, and the company continues to lead the industry in innovation and quality. Known as "The World's Fastest Lawn Mower," Dixie Chopper prides itself on providing quality and reliability in addition to speed. For more information on the company痴 complete lineup of zero-turn lawn mowers, contact Dixie Chopper, 6302 E County Road 100 N, Coatesville, IN 46121-9689, call 765-246-7737, or visit the company's website at Best Commmercial and Residential Zero-Turn Riding Lawn Mowers | Dixie Chopper.


Here's another link Dixie Chopper Mower: Review of XCaliber

Click to expand...

Ric,
I would safely assume that the OP of this poll having that ZTR on his short list has already reviewed the Dixie Chopper website and there is not a lot of "recent activity" on the Dixie Chopper forum here(except maybe the http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/dixie-chopper/15262-gone-through-6-belts-so-far.html thread). But below is an owner comment excerpt from the sister Tractorbynet forum thread I mentioned earlier(same one the "scathing" owner review was in that I mentioned...can't recall if the "dealer name " was mentioned by that user and therefore why the administrator subsequently "deleted it"):
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am in the third season of owning a Classic. Of the several large deck mowers I have owned over the years, the DC Classic is the best built high quality machine. It will cut anything you throw at it without breaking. BUT it will get stuck in damp grass or muddy areas. It is fantastic on flat or gently rolling ground, but it is unstable mowing on the side of a slight grade. It will mow up a grade like gang busters, but going down that same grade, you have little control. Before I purchased the DC I had a conventional riding mower with a 52" deck and it had no issues mowing ground with a slight grade and it never got stuck in damp or slightly muddy areas. I have not owned a ZTR mower before this one so I do not know if this is just a characteristic of these, but one has to be very careful when turning to prevent tearing up the turf - must really slow down to a craw. My Classic has a Generac engine with fuel injection, but it is a gas hog. I mow about 8 acres and it uses about 5 gal. of fuel per mowing. I know where it got the name "chopper" because that describes the ride. It is a real kidney buster, due partially to its short wheel base. It could really use a sprung suspension on all four wheels. A high dollar "suspension" seat is offered as an option, but I not sure that will solve the harsh ride. I live in a rural area and the only dealer selling heavy duty mowers was the DC dealer. Since purchasing the DC I have looked at other ZTR mowers. I think the Grasshopper with the main pivoting wheels in the rear and the mower deck with smaller pivoting wheels in the front is the better design.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'll abandon this personal debate in the interest of not continuing to hijack/sidebar the OP's thread, but the dealer rating and all of what I've read thus far about the DC's wouldn't convince me to buy one.

Ric said:

2013 NAEDA Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey
The
NAEDA Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey
was emailed exclusively to selected dealers in the U.S. and
Canada in January 2013.
Over 1,000 dealers participated in this year痴 survey. This includes a 22% response rate from NAEDA dealers
and an increase of over 20% from last year痴 response. Over 3,000 individual dealer ratings/evaluations were
received and tabulated compared to 1,900 last year.

The problem I see with this survey is it included the US and Canada with isn't a problem but when you consider the number of dealers there are in the US alone the survey hasn't touch over probably 1 or 2% of the dealers in the US. Over 3000 dealer ratings were received from the US and Canada compared to 1900 last year..... Crap there are probably half that many dealers in the state of Florida alone so how good is there survey. The problem with surveys are it's to easy to make them say what they want them to say and arrive at the figures they want same as the poles they take in politics.

Click to expand...

Ric,
OK, maybe the responding dealers aren't representative of ALL dealers nationwide, but 3,000 respondents is a lot. Even though this is not a "consumer/end user" survey, many of these categories would influence my purchase of a particular manufacturer's "Outdoor Power Equipment"(aka my Zero Turn Mower). In addition to the Product Quality, Parts Quality and Parts Availabilty categories(if any dealer is not happy with product quality or parts........would I be if I bought one????), I would also put significant weight before purchasing on some of the other rating categories such as Product Technical Support, Return Privileges, Warranty Procedures, Warranty Payments and Manufacturer Response to Dealer Needs /Concerns. If a manufacturer has been unresponsive/problematic with ANY dealer in ANY of those areas the likelihood that it would directly affect the dealer's after sale ability to fix problems that I have with the equipment is also very high. IMHO, this is a pretty good "report card" and would definitely affect my inclination(for instance) to buy a Bad Boy ZTR with the rating it got!!!! And actually I almost bought a 2012 Bad Boy Outlaw last fall, but fortunately got a better deal on my Gravely. For this I am glad. Enough said, as I cannot denounce or vouch for the reliability of information disseminated by the NORTH AMERICAN EQUIPMENT DEALERS ASSOCIATION.

djdicetn said:

Ric,
I would safely assume that the OP of this poll having that ZTR on his short list has already reviewed the Dixie Chopper website and there is not a lot of "recent activity" on the Dixie Chopper forum here(except maybe the http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/dixie-chopper/15262-gone-through-6-belts-so-far.html thread). But below is an owner comment excerpt from the sister Tractorbynet forum thread I mentioned earlier(same one the "scathing" owner review was in that I mentioned...can't recall if the "dealer name " was mentioned by that user and therefore why the administrator subsequently "deleted it"):
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am in the third season of owning a Classic. Of the several large deck mowers I have owned over the years, the DC Classic is the best built high quality machine. It will cut anything you throw at it without breaking. BUT it will get stuck in damp grass or muddy areas. It is fantastic on flat or gently rolling ground, but it is unstable mowing on the side of a slight grade. It will mow up a grade like gang busters, but going down that same grade, you have little control. Before I purchased the DC I had a conventional riding mower with a 52" deck and it had no issues mowing ground with a slight grade and it never got stuck in damp or slightly muddy areas. I have not owned a ZTR mower before this one so I do not know if this is just a characteristic of these, but one has to be very careful when turning to prevent tearing up the turf - must really slow down to a craw. My Classic has a Generac engine with fuel injection, but it is a gas hog. I mow about 8 acres and it uses about 5 gal. of fuel per mowing. I know where it got the name "chopper" because that describes the ride. It is a real kidney buster, due partially to its short wheel base. It could really use a sprung suspension on all four wheels. A high dollar "suspension" seat is offered as an option, but I not sure that will solve the harsh ride. I live in a rural area and the only dealer selling heavy duty mowers was the DC dealer. Since purchasing the DC I have looked at other ZTR mowers. I think the Grasshopper with the main pivoting wheels in the rear and the mower deck with smaller pivoting wheels in the front is the better design.

Click to expand...

In this "scathing" owner review, The owner says Of the several large deck mowers I have owned over the years, the DC Classic is the best built high quality machine he apparently has owned. The problem with his review is that he is comparing a ZTR to a conventional riding mower, he states himself he has not owned a ZTR mower before the Dixie Chopper. The problems he states he is having come from his lack of knowledge in knowing how to operate a ztr correctly, I can see that by his statements about tearing up turf and mowing like gang busters up and down grades and having little control going down hill, to me that clearly says the Manufacturers Manual was ignored if it wasn't he would have known you mow across slopes never up and down and you never turn down hill, always up the grade with a ZTR . I'm sorry but his "scathing" owner review is not the fault of the DC it's the owners fault in not knowing how to correctly run the mower.

djdicetn said:

And, if I were you(and I do have 1.5 acres like you), I would personally suggest the Gravely ZT HD series instead of the XL(the HD is high-end residential with some commercial-grade components).

Click to expand...

Yesterday I got a lead on a new 2012 model Gravely ZT HD 52" for sale for $4700, originally $5100. It has the Kawasaki motor, the 3100 transmission, 10 gauge welded deck, pretty much everything I'm looking for. I've talked them down to $4500, so I'm going to go for it.

Thanks for all your input! I probably wouldn't have even asked about the HD if you guys hadn't encouraged me into looking one notch higher at the HD and the Titans.

lawyervon said:

Yesterday I got a lead on a new 2012 model Gravely ZT HD 52" for sale for $4700, originally $5100. It has the Kawasaki motor, the 3100 transmission, 10 gauge welded deck, pretty much everything I'm looking for. I've talked them down to $4500, so I'm going to go for it.

Thanks for all your input! I probably wouldn't have even asked about the HD if you guys hadn't encouraged me into looking one notch higher at the HD and the Titans.

Click to expand...

I think you'll be very happy with it! :thumbsup:

Ric said:

In this "scathing" owner review, The owner says Of the several large deck mowers I have owned over the years, the DC Classic is the best built high quality machine he apparently has owned. The problem with his review is that he is comparing a ZTR to a conventional riding mower, he states himself he has not owned a ZTR mower before the Dixie Chopper. The problems he states he is having come from his lack of knowledge in knowing how to operate a ztr correctly, I can see that by his statements about tearing up turf and mowing like gang busters up and down grades and having little control going down hill, to me that clearly says the Manufacturers Manual was ignored if it wasn't he would have known you mow across slopes never up and down and you never turn down hill, always up the grade with a ZTR . I'm sorry but his "scathing" owner review is not the fault of the DC it's the owners fault in not knowing how to correctly run the mower.

Click to expand...

Ric,
Nope you need to re-read what I said....the Forum Administrator "deleted" the scathing review leaving the one I posted with good/bad comments. The one deleted listed at least 20 MAJOR problems with the XCalibur over 2 years and still not right. Don't know why a "really bad user/owner review" got deleted and the one I posted did not:0(

lawyervon said:

Yesterday I got a lead on a new 2012 model Gravely ZT HD 52" for sale for $4700, originally $5100. It has the Kawasaki motor, the 3100 transmission, 10 gauge welded deck, pretty much everything I'm looking for. I've talked them down to $4500, so I'm going to go for it.

Thanks for all your input! I probably wouldn't have even asked about the HD if you guys hadn't encouraged me into looking one notch higher at the HD and the Titans.

Click to expand...

Congrats. I wish I could find any last year models anywhere around here.

lawyervon said:

Yesterday I got a lead on a new 2012 model Gravely ZT HD 52" for sale for $4700, originally $5100. It has the Kawasaki motor, the 3100 transmission, 10 gauge welded deck, pretty much everything I'm looking for. I've talked them down to $4500, so I'm going to go for it.

Thanks for all your input! I probably wouldn't have even asked about the HD if you guys hadn't encouraged me into looking one notch higher at the HD and the Titans.

Click to expand...

lawyervon,
A $600 savings on that ZTR is a very good deal and I wouldn't hesitate a minute to pull the trigger either. You'll never even notice it is "last year's model"(minimal changes if any) and you would be hard pressed to get a similar machine in any of the brands you consiered for $4,500. Let us know if you are as happy with your Gravely as I and other Gravely owners are(I'm still waiting to read the first "bad review" by an owner and haven't seen one since last August when I started shopping). Hope my biased opinion didn't sway your decision too heavily(I think you are saying it pretty well had everything you were looking for:0)