Gravely ZT HD?

jmk654

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Hey all, first time posting. Looking at getting into mowing as a side business this year. I am hoping to get 8-10 yards a week. Been researching and looking at a few dealership over the last couple of months. I have locked in on the Gravely ZT HD, seems to have the features, price and decent warranty. A couple of questions before I bite the bullet.
-What are your thoughts on this mower? Good or bad?
-What are your thoughts on the Kohler 7000 vs Kawasaki FR691V?
-Also my local dealer only has a 52" and 60", my buddy swears that a 48" is a must when doing residential. Can you please weigh in if the difference between 48" and 52" would be enough to lose business because of the extra width?

Thank you in advance for your help.
 

Lawnboy18

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All in all looks well made when looking at pictures. It has a fab deck. That is a good plus. Has commercial entry level hydros. Another good thing. Warranty is allright, but not the best. Only 1 year if commercial.

People hate Kohler. You know what, I have 4 mowers with a Kawi engine. They are fussy motors at times. Then again, they get used a lot. Who knows. The choice is yours. Try a Kohler maybe!?

Also, mower doesn't have that roll over bar so you dont get injured/die if the mower flips on you. If you do many slopes I suggest you pay more to get a mower with that roll over bar. Money can't buy a life if you die.
 

jmk654

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All in all looks well made when looking at pictures. It has a fab deck. That is a good plus. Has commercial entry level hydros. Another good thing. Warranty is allright, but not the best. Only 1 year if commercial.

People hate Kohler. You know what, I have 4 mowers with a Kawi engine. They are fussy motors at times. Then again, they get used a lot. Who knows. The choice is yours. Try a Kohler maybe!?

Also, mower doesn't have that roll over bar so you dont get injured/die if the mower flips on you. If you do many slopes I suggest you pay more to get a mower with that roll over bar. Money can't buy a life if you die.

The ROPS can be added for a bit more. It has the hook ups just not the bars. Won't be doing many slopes so not real worried about it.
 

Lawnboy18

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Ahh ok then. You'll be fine without it. But, might be good to have in futur if you tackle hills and have more yards.
 

Ric

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Hey all, first time posting. Looking at getting into mowing as a side business this year. I am hoping to get 8-10 yards a week. Been researching and looking at a few dealership over the last couple of months. I have locked in on the Gravely ZT HD, seems to have the features, price and decent warranty. A couple of questions before I bite the bullet.
-What are your thoughts on this mower? Good or bad?
-What are your thoughts on the Kohler 7000 vs Kawasaki FR691V?
-Also my local dealer only has a 52" and 60", my buddy swears that a 48" is a must when doing residential. Can you please weigh in if the difference between 48" and 52" would be enough to lose business because of the extra width?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Well right up front I'll let you know I'm not a Gravely fan. You'd better listen to your buddy and buy the 48" because he's right for residential work. The perfect mower for residential work IMO would be a 36" Grandstand, with it you have the zero maneuverability and a walk behind capability. The 48" will get you into places you wont get with the 52 or 60" mowers like back yards with a 4 foot gate. Personally for the money you can do a lot better than that gravely.
I have my own business and run the Toro, I also work part time for a church which run the Gravely, the ProTurn 148 and the ProTurn 272 and I can tell you the Toro mowers have a far better cut than either of the Gravely mowers. As far as the engines go I'd go with the Kawasaki and change oil every 50 hrs along with air and oil filters. The engines will only be as good as the maintenance preformed.
 

Hoopjohn

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I do lawn care about 2 days per week and am happy with the Gravely ZT48 with the Kawasaki motor. In this area ROPS are useless and absolutely nobody has them/uses them, simply because there are low branch tree limbs on nearly every property. A 48" mower (possibly even smaller) works best in most situations. My only complaint with the Gravely ZT48 is the occasional tire spin that chews up lawns. I do my absolute best to prevent wheel spin, but it still seems to occur. Another guy in town has a very expensive John Deere 4WD mower. He does about 100 lawns weekly. It may indeed make financial sense for him. I see lawn care as how much money one has remaining after equipment, maintenance, repairs, fuel, depreciation are covered. It seems many in lawn care are addicted to the smell of new equipment. I happen to think equipment should be used until reliability wavers. Having paid for equipment is a delight.
 
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