Gravely/Ariens Owner Check-In --- Read This First!
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djdicetn
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VERY NICE machine(seems to look even better with a lady sitting on it:0) Wish I could get my wife on mine(I can't convince her how easy it is to get used to the controls and how much FUN they are to mow with). Welcome to the growing Gravely family on the forums...you're gonna love that Pro-Turn 260!!! I was just going back and forth with another user about my "verbatim" welcome to Gravely purchasing users. I told him that over the last two years, since I joined the forum, I've probably posted that welcome "at least" 25-30 times and wondered if one of the admins could research all posts with "I just bought a _______ ZTR" and create a sticky with statistics for which brands have had the most new owners over a period of time. I can assure you that Gravely would be in the top 5. I've had my Pro-Turn 152 since Sept. 2012 and have about 56 hours on it. I've added several Gravely accessories to it(sunshade, mulch kit, striper kit) so if you start toying with beefing up your 260 shoot me message and I'll give you the skinny on them(Gravely's accessories are as heavy duty as their ZTR's). I also added my own "headlight kit" and I have a sticky in the Build-It-Yourself forum(see below for a link to it). I came out a LOT cheaper than getting an OEM kit and it works great!!!! Enjoy your Gravely!!!!!
http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/build-yourself/18564-ztr-light-kit.html
Gary L.
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My wife had never driven one with this type of controls and she hopped on drove like she had hours on one. It took me a bit to get comfortable that I wasn't going to run over our cat or one of the wife's flower beds. By the time that I finished our two acre lawn I drove about like my wife did when she first hopped on the machine.
Thanks for the link to the lights!
Gary
I am also new to this forum. I have a Gravely ZT HD 52" that was purchased in 2011.
I mow about 6 to 8 acres of lawn. However, the machine gets a good workout around brush and vines. It's standing up well. Does a great job when the blades are sharp and is fun to use. I can cut grass about four times faster than on a tractor mower.
Problem-
The hydastatic drive belt is about to fail. How do I get access to change it?
I mow about 6 to 8 acres of lawn. However, the machine gets a good workout around brush and vines. It's standing up well. Does a great job when the blades are sharp and is fun to use. I can cut grass about four times faster than on a tractor mower.
Problem-
The hydastatic drive belt is about to fail. How do I get access to change it?
djdicetn
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Welcome to the forums and the growing Gravely family here!!! That ZT HD has served you well for mowing that kind of acreage. How can you tell that the drive belt is about to fail? You will most likely have to remove the deck to replace it. Do you have an Owner's Manual? It should describe how to do that. If not, you can contact Gravely and they will assist you. Unfortunately, I've never had to do any repairs on a ZTR so I'm not a lot of help on that. Maybe you should call your Gravely dealer and ask how much they would charge to replace the drive belt. It may not be worth doing it yourself. Here's a link to Gravely Customer Support if that will help:
Support Home Page
I am able to visually see that a section of the belt backing is missing. There is about a 4 inch piece gone. I don't know why it hasn't broken. The Owner's Manual does not provide enough information regarding access.
I know it is above the mower drive belt on the power spindle, so I have to remove that one first. I am able to access the hydrastatic drive belt at that location but can't even see the other unit pulleys or tension spring.
The machine may still be in Warranty. If so, I'll take it to the dealer. If not,Gravely dealer is expensive. I figure that once I get through a belt change and hydraulic oil and filter change while cussing the Mississippi humidity and misquitos that I'll be able to tackle most of the maintenance during the life of the mower.
I have removed the blades for sharpening and change-out twice. We picked up the front end of the machine with a strap attached to the bucket of a friends tractor. I'm planning to go to Factory Supply and pick up a $100 dollar lift for future maintenance.
djdicetn
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Hmmmmm...2011 being right at 3 Years old may be iffy on Warranty coverage:0(
And like most equipment(even cars) there are a lot of things considered "normal wear' that are not covered like a major component(like the trannies) would be. Yeah, I bought a MoJack lift and love it. They carry them at Lowes or Tractor Supply. Harbor Freight also has a nice one. Maybe you could Google and find a belt(that Customer Support site will help you find the part# by entering your Model#/Serial#) at a decent price, then call the dealer and tell them you were going to replace the belt yourself but wondered what they would charge you for labor to do it. My dealer's Service Manager told me they would do the tranny service if I brought in my own oil & filters. Some dealers may not do that, but it won't hurt to ask. If it were me and they charged $75 or less for labor I would let them do it before I tried it myself.