New Zero Turn? Need help!

cruzenmike

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So, I have decided on going with the Ariens iKon X-52, simply because it offers far more features and what appears to be a sturdier deck than the Toro. I would spend nearly all of the $400 cost difference to get the Toro to have some of the basic features like arm rests, hour meter, rubber floor mat and still be cutting 10" less per pass and not have the rather nice deck lift assist for quickly clearing debris and obstacles beneath. Now comes the fun part, which engine? The Kawasaki (FR691V) is what I have priced out at $2999 but for $100 less I can go with the Kohler (KT735). Now while I know that the auto choke on the Kohler is something that has given few a problem, it cannot be all that bad. And with HP and TQ ratings within 1 unit of measure apart, does it really matter. I guess I am just looking for proof, evidence, testimony or what not to support spending the extra $100 for an engine with slightly less power. Please help! Thank you.
 

primerbulb120

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It's sort of a toss up from what I've heard. I would probably go for the Kawasaki, but I'm a commercial user so my mowers see more use than yours will. :wink:

The FX600V on my ZTR has about 400 hours on it. Cold or hot, it takes less than a second of cranking to start it. Starts faster than my truck does. :laughing:

I'm not a fan of autochokes. More stuff to break.

If I were you, I would pick the Kawasaki but the Kohler should work just as well for your needs. Not much help, am I :laughing:
 

cruzenmike

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It's sort of a toss up from what I've heard. I would probably go for the Kawasaki, but I'm a commercial user so my mowers see more use than yours will. :wink:

The FX600V on my ZTR has about 400 hours on it. Cold or hot, it takes less than a second of cranking to start it. Starts faster than my truck does. :laughing:

I'm not a fan of autochokes. More stuff to break.

If I were you, I would pick the Kawasaki but the Kohler should work just as well for your needs. Not much help, am I :laughing:

I think that the auto choke is not necessarily the weakest point in that engine out any others. My Honda mower has auto choke and it is going on it's 8 year without any issues. I would bet that I have at least 300 hours on it. But, that's a Honda and I am completely biased to them. Regardless, a mechanical choke should work every time and when it doesn't, it should be an easy fix. I am heading out today to test drive a few mowers, one being the Gravely ZT X which is is the closest one to what I want. I figured I would take the Hustler for a spin just for comparison. I will let you know how things go.
 

primerbulb120

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With an autochoke engine, you have to let the engine warm up before you shut it down. If you run it for a minute, shut it down and try to start it again the choke will still be on and it will flood.

Interesting about your Honda mower. My first one had a faulty autochoke from day one and I had to pull the air filter and poke the choke plate to make it go off. All the rest of my Hondas have had manual choke.
 

cruzenmike

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With an autochoke engine, you have to let the engine warm up before you shut it down. If you run it for a minute, shut it down and try to start it again the choke will still be on and it will flood.

Interesting about your Honda mower. My first one had a faulty autochoke from day one and I had to pull the air filter and poke the choke plate to make it go off. All the rest of my Hondas have had manual choke.

I absolutely love my Honda. I happened to see that Home Depot had one of the plastic deck Honda mowers on clearance marked down from $599 to $486. If I wasn't forced to have a rider based on my yard size, I would buy one just to have a second!
 

cruzenmike

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I have not been able to get to the dealer to order my mower yet due to a time consuming remodel in my daughter's bedroom. I happened to be at Home Depot tonight ordering her carpet and getting some more paint and as I pulled into the parking lot I saw some crates with orange mowers in them. Sure enough, it was an Ikon X. I knew that they carried the model, but I did not expect to see it in stores. I parked the car, left the wife inside, and went out to pull up the plastic and take a look. I was so geeked. Then we got inside and sure enough there was one sitting there all assembled. I am telling you, for the price, you just cannot beat this machine. Kawasaki engine, welded deck with foot lift assist and very comfortable seat; it's really nice! The closest thing to it was a Toro priced at $3499. I cannot wait to get this mower!!
 

7394

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I absolutely love my Honda. I happened to see that Home Depot had one of the plastic deck Honda mowers on clearance marked down from $599 to $486. If I wasn't forced to have a rider based on my yard size, I would buy one just to have a second!

Yikes, I was freaking when I saw some new push mowers have plastic carbs:thumbdown:, now the deck, Yoy !!!


I have not been able to get to the dealer to order my mower yet due to a time consuming remodel in my daughter's bedroom. I happened to be at Home Depot tonight ordering her carpet and getting some more paint and as I pulled into the parking lot I saw some crates with orange mowers in them. Sure enough, it was an Ikon X. I knew that they carried the model, but I did not expect to see it in stores. I parked the car, left the wife inside, and went out to pull up the plastic and take a look. I was so geeked. Then we got inside and sure enough there was one sitting there all assembled. I am telling you, for the price, you just cannot beat this machine. Kawasaki engine, welded deck with foot lift assist and very comfortable seat; it's really nice! The closest thing to it was a Toro priced at $3499. I cannot wait to get this mower!!

Cool, sounds like you found your new Hot Rod. :thumbsup:
 

cruzenmike

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Yikes, I was freaking when I saw some new push mowers have plastic carbs:thumbdown:, now the deck, Yoy !!!




Cool, sounds like you found your new Hot Rod. :thumbsup:

I was concerned at first when I bought the Honda but I remember when the HRX series first came out, Honda had some marketing campaign where ads showed a Honda Pilot driving over the deck and it not breaking. Call me a fool, but I was sold. After 6 hard summers, it has only suffered some scratches. I would surely recommend the HRX series to anyone willing to spend a premium price for an otherwise outstanding mower. If someone cannot stomach the price, there are plenty of other less expensive yet quality mowers out there.
 

7394

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I guess I'm too "old school", seems everything is plastic these days. I would have liked to see that test.

I know today's society is a disposable one, where things are designed to only last so long. Otherwise they don't have to sell you another. Yep, I'm old school.
 

cruzenmike

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Okay, so here we are, ready to make a purchase. I have gone back and forth, and at times feel like I am the most indecisive person in the world, but here we go....

Some of you who have seen my other posts and are aware of the issues that I have had with my current Cub Cadet. I do not blame the brand, rather, I purchased something used and ended up having to sink a bunch of money into it shortly after I got it. Either way, I am ready to move on and need to get something quick here. I had purchased the MTD front snow plow for the Cub Cadet which will work with any new Cub. I also have a trailer (wagon) and ideally would like to have some other attachments like roller, aerator and dethatcher. Now, while I feel that I would either need or like all of the things that fit with a garden tractor, I fully realize that >75% of the time I am using this machine it will be to cut. A zero turn will save loads of time and may give me a better cut. So, I am still quite set on the Ariens Ikon X if I go zero turn, I will just have to give up the attachments and purchase a two stage snow blower in the fall/winter. Should I choose to go with a garden tractor, my two top picks are the Cub Cadet XT1 GT50 and the Husqvarna GT48DXLS. The differences between the two are listed below:

Cub Cadet Husqvarna
$2699 $2999
50" Stamped Deck 48" Fabricated Deck
K58 hydro K66 hydro with electronic diff lock
1-4" cut .5-3.5" cut
25hp Kohler 7000 24hp Kawasaki FR730V

Looking at the specs of these two mowers, and knowing that I am going to maybe use some attachments, and push snow in the winter, is the Husqvarna worth the extra $300? Also, does anyone cut higher than 3.5" on their lawn (not fields)? Lastly, what is the overall quality of the Husqvarna vs the Cub Cadet? I appreciate everyone's input!

FYI - you cannot find any information on the Husqvarna as it is a new 2017 model and dealer specific.


Mike
 
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