Buying a mower for the long haul

Darryl G said:

I'd try to get the best deal from the most convenient dealer if they are a good shop. That will likely be the dealer you'll go to for parts and service and they'll be much more helpful if it's their machine. Expect a cold shoulder there if you buy it somewhere else. I still vote for the XRZ for you though. Have you or can you take one for a spin?

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I agree the shop you buy from will put you ahead others that bought from other places

X 3.................... I can verify that

I decided on the Bobcat CRZ 52”. Haven’t signed anything yet but I told the dealer I’m buying from to break one out of the crate and get it set up for me so I can pick it up tomorrow. I’m paying 4,299. The dealer I was at Saturday selling for 4,800 came down to 4,600 but the tone of their voices and demeanor changed after I challenged their pricing so I decided to move on. I just swept the trailer, put air in the tires and grease in the hubs since it hasn’t moved in some months.

Any tips on a pre delivery inspection before I sign my life away?

Congratulations. It depends how picky you want to get. Some dealers don't bother with really setting the machine up properly. They just uncrate it, do any final assembly and made sure it starts, goes and mows. What they should do is to deflate the tires to operating pressure (shipping pressures are pretty high), properly pitch and level the deck and make sure the drive levers/tracking are properly adjusted. It's nothing you can't do yourself, but it would be nice if every dealer considered it part of selling a machine. Maybe it's different on your seat, but the forward/backward adjustment on my seat had me stumped. You have to push it in towards the cushion to adjust...not very intuitive.

I think you will be happy with your choice enjoy your new toy

Thank you all! It will be dark by the time i get it home so will probably have to wait until tomorrow to try it out.

You'll have a scheduled oil change at 10 hours or something, so might want to pick up a filter and and couple of quarts of oil while you're there. Included with new machine purchase by my dealer, as is a T-shirt and hat, lol.

Darryl G said:

You'll have a scheduled oil change at 10 hours or something, so might want to pick up a filter and and couple of quarts of oil while you're there. Included with new machine purchase by my dealer, as is a T-shirt and hat, lol.

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Agreed, my Dealer also, I don't mind wearing their shirts if they treat me right. :thumbsup:

Ok guys- the deed is done. Picked it up this afternoon. I loaded it into the trailer with 0.1 hours on the meter. Some initial thoughts- The frame and deck are very robust- extremely robust compared to other brands and models I looked at. The Kawasaki motor is extremely smooth. Not sure why but the front wheels are not symmetrical- the passenger side front wheel extends out to that side farther than the driver side front wheel extends out to its own side. It rode harsh but the rear tires had about 25 psi and the front tires had about 40 psi. I adjusted it according to the manual so hopefully that will make the ride a little softer. The Bobcat spec for weight is pretty accurate. There was a CAT scale on my way home and I stopped and weighed my truck. I know that my F-250 with me and a full tank of gas and my 16' utility trailer empty weighs right at 9,500 pounds. Tonight I was 10,260 with the mower on the trailer so the Bobcat brochure is pretty accurate.

It was already night when I got home so no mowing tonight. I have some things to do tomorrow afternoon but may be able to sneak away for an hour or so between appts to give her a test run.

Here's to hoping for many many many trouble free years of mowing!!!

Grats!

The deck probably isn't adjusted properly if the tires were still at shipping pressure, so don't freak out if the cut quality isn't up to par. I really hate that dealers do that! You'll likely have to adjust the pitch and level yourself.

The whole deck is offset to the left to increase overhang and trimming ability on that side. I suspect that has something to do with the front caster placements.

I keep the hydro fluid a little high in my machine as it's difficult to see if it's at the full line which is very low in the reservoir and hard to see. With it a bit higher I can check at a glance. It's normal for the hydro oil levels to drop a little after first use because a little air may remain trapped inside the units and work it's way out. Be careful not to get any dust/dirt in the reservoirs!

Another common issue is low oil level on Kawasaki engines from dealers. They screw in the dipstick to check it. The proper way to check is without the dipstick screwed in. It's stamped right on the dipstick.