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Kawasaki or Kohler for new gravely ZT HD?

#1

G

G_TX

I believe that we have decided to get a gravely ZT HD 52" for mowing around our house (about 2 1\2 acres). It is available with a Kawasaki FR engine or a Kohler 7000 series.

Which one would be a better choice? Any reason to choose or avoid one or the other? Thank you, for any possible help.


#2

BlazNT

BlazNT

All the answers you are going to get are personal opinions. They will not mean a hill of beans.

1 vote for Kohler from me.:laughing::laughing::laughing:


#3

Ric

Ric

G_TX said:
I believe that we have decided to get a gravely ZT HD 52" for mowing around our house (about 2 1\2 acres). It is available with a Kawasaki FR engine or a Kohler 7000 series.

Which one would be a better choice? Any reason to choose or avoid one or the other? Thank you, for any possible help.
Click to expand...


I've run both the Kohler and Kawasaki engines. I ran the Pro Courage series and had any issues. Same with the Kawasaki FS and FX series and Haven't had any issues. I really like the Kawasaki engines and if I had the choice of the two I'd go Kawasaki. From what I understand there really having some problems with the Kohler 7000 series. Check out the thread below and post 21 it talks about the issue that the individual had.

http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/showt...w-Hustler-is-Junk-biggest-mistake-I-ever-made


#4

B

bertsmobile1

I like Kohlers because the bucket design makes servicing the engines really easy .
It also hangs the oil filter down so it is easy to replace without spilling oil all over the mower & drive belts.
The hydraulic lifters mean no valve lash problems which is the most common "won't start" problem I see.
Now this is for the Courage Command series.

The engines I least like working on are the Kawakasi's .
If they were designed for use on a mower then he was a sadists with a warped sense of humour.
Impossible to access oil filter and impossible to change cleanly. Blower housing that takes an hour to remove because of impossible to access mounting bolts.
Take your tool box into the mower shop and do a pretend removal of the oil filter and blower housing.
You can see them all but you cant get a spannar to to any of them clean and undoing 6 bolts 1/6th of a turn at a time is a PIA
If you want to keep the engine for a long time these parts need to be removed every season.
I charge an extra hour on Kawakasi powered mowers.
Even worse are the Donaldson type air filters.
No need to fit them to the blower housing like they are and in fact they would work 200% better on a bracket high enough to remove the blower housing and connected with a short hose.


#5

G

G_TX

Ric said:
I've run both the Kohler and Kawasaki engines. I ran the Pro Courage series and had any issues. Same with the Kawasaki FS and FX series and Haven't had any issues. I really like the Kawasaki engines and if I had the choice of the two I'd go Kawasaki. From what I understand there really having some problems with the Kohler 7000 series. Check out the thread below and post 21 it talks about the issue that the individual had.

http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/showt...w-Hustler-is-Junk-biggest-mistake-I-ever-made
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input Ric


#6

G

G_TX

bertsmobile1 said:
I like Kohlers because the bucket design makes servicing the engines really easy .
It also hangs the oil filter down so it is easy to replace without spilling oil all over the mower & drive belts.
The hydraulic lifters mean no valve lash problems which is the most common "won't start" problem I see.
Now this is for the Courage Command series.

The engines I least like working on are the Kawakasi's .
If they were designed for use on a mower then he was a sadists with a warped sense of humour.
Impossible to access oil filter and impossible to change cleanly. Blower housing that takes an hour to remove because of impossible to access mounting bolts.
Take your tool box into the mower shop and do a pretend removal of the oil filter and blower housing.
You can see them all but you cant get a spannar to to any of them clean and undoing 6 bolts 1/6th of a turn at a time is a PIA
If you want to keep the engine for a long time these parts need to be removed every season.
I charge an extra hour on Kawakasi powered mowers.
Even worse are the Donaldson type air filters.
No need to fit them to the blower housing like they are and in fact they would work 200% better on a bracket high enough to remove the blower housing and connected with a short hose.
Click to expand...

... Sorry for an ignorant question, but what part is the blower housing? Why does it need to be removed each season? Is this where the air filter is?


#7

BlazNT

BlazNT

Blower housing
blower housing.jpg
Dirt and grass can get under it and lower cooling.


#8

G

G_TX

Ok, thanks. I didn't know that's what they called the plastic engine cover.


#9

B

bertsmobile1

Well I usually call them a cowle down here and the UK usually call them shrouds but most on this forum are Amercians so I changed to suit the masses.
Very important to be removed regularly and cleaned underneath also check on the condition of the wiring and top oil seal.
Furry things like to nest in there and then the heads overheat and you get all sorts of problems.


#10

BlazNT

BlazNT

It is actually the way to keep the engine cool. The Blower housing/engine cover goes over the flywheel/blower and directs air over the engine to cool it. The main reason you are supposed to run engine at full RPM is to keep engine cool. So engine is designed to run full RPM so everything attached to engine is designed to work at full RPM as well.


#11

jekjr

jekjr

In my area of the world i have not seen anybody that has had problems with the Kawasaki engines on any brand of mowers. I can't say that for the Kohlers. I know of several that have had major issues with them.

Also changing the Oli in the Kawasaki engines that I have seen is not that messy if you go about it correctly. I have three Scag Tiger Cat mowers with Kawasaki engines and we can change old without making a mess.


#12

D

DK35vince

jekjr said:
Also changing the Oli in the Kawasaki engines that I have seen is not that messy if you go about it correctly. I have three Scag Tiger Cat mowers with Kawasaki engines and we can change old without making a mess.
Click to expand...
I had a Kawasaki on my Hustler FasTrak and now on my Super Z.
Very easy to change oil and no mess.


#13

7394

7394

Kawasaki here too. :thumbsup: No mess oil & filter changes either.


#14

X

xios72

Was at a local gravely dealer yesterday and was quoted $4599 for a ZT 48hd with Kawasaki engine . How do you like mower if you purchased it? Is that a good price for the mower?


#15

G

G_TX

xios72 said:
Was at a local gravely dealer yesterday and was quoted $4599 for a ZT 48hd with Kawasaki engine . How do you like mower if you purchased it? Is that a good price for the mower?
Click to expand...

Yeah we did end up getting the 52" with the Kawasaki. We haven't had it long at all, but it seems like it is made well and it does mow well. I got a few quotes through email before I went to get it. They were at different dealers for $5295, $5235 (for the 60" that was too big, and only size they had left) and $4895, but I don't know what they were asking for the 48".


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