Mowingman
03-27-2001, 09:07 PM
I am in the market for a 72", diesel ztr. I tried out 3 machines in last few weeks. Here are my observations.
Tested machines : DC= Dixie Chopper xxwd2600
EX= Exmark Z XP
GH= Grasshopper 321D
All are midmount type.
All tested on rough ground with heavy growth of 6-8" tall wet ryegrass and weeds.
Deck & Cut Quality:
DC: Cut looked good and deck never plugged.Height control pedal awkward to use. Heavy springs on pedal kept pulling deck up to 2.5" height. could not cut at 2.0"
EX: Cut looked good and deck never plugged. Height control lever and pedal easy to use.
GH:Good cut and no plugging. Height pedal easy
use.
Engine & Power:
dc: Yanmar 25.6hp is a proven engine in mowers. Never lugged down in tough mowing
ex: Daihatsu 27hp. I think this engine is fairly new in "mower use" . It had good power and never lugged down
gh: Kubota 21hp engine was too small. However, the new 428D model has the larger 28hp Kubota eng. Kubota has a good reputation in mowing equip.
Ride:
dc: Stable side-to-side ,but choppy front to rear. seemed heavy in rear end.
ex: Very Smooth
gh: Very smooth
Seat, Controls, & Inst.
dc: Comfy seat but it does not adjust forwark or backward. Had to reach too far when pushing steering levers forward. Very smooth steering and this unit did not have the VTC system. Inst good and love audible warning. IT probably saved this eng. when cooling fan failed to run.
ex: Comfy seat, is adjustable. Controls easy to reach. Inst. ok.
gh: Great seat made of Cordura to minimize sweating and sticking to seat. An important feature down here on 100 degree+ days. Controls and insts. all well placed.
Overall Design And Quality (My Opinion Only)
dc: Good design and easy to work on. Wiring quality is poor and looks like my sons model train wiring or worse.
Dc has good track record with diesel machines.
ex: Well designed and solid quality. However their twin mule-drive system looks like a potential maint problem. This may be a work-in-progress as this is their first diesel and rep. kept showing me things that are being improved on current production models.
gh: Very well designed and high quality shows throughout. Have many years experience with diesels.
My Choice: I have placed an order for a Grasshopper 428D machine today. All 3 machines are very good. However,I believe the local Grasshopper dealer will be the most responsive if I should have any problems. Also, the factory is only a 5 hour drive from here. I was very impressed when I went by the factory and the president of GH spent 3 hours giving me a tour and answering my questions.
Ihope the above info helps those of you who may not get to demo these machines. I will be glad to answer any spefic questions. Remember, these are just my opinions and observations.
Tested machines : DC= Dixie Chopper xxwd2600
EX= Exmark Z XP
GH= Grasshopper 321D
All are midmount type.
All tested on rough ground with heavy growth of 6-8" tall wet ryegrass and weeds.
Deck & Cut Quality:
DC: Cut looked good and deck never plugged.Height control pedal awkward to use. Heavy springs on pedal kept pulling deck up to 2.5" height. could not cut at 2.0"
EX: Cut looked good and deck never plugged. Height control lever and pedal easy to use.
GH:Good cut and no plugging. Height pedal easy
use.
Engine & Power:
dc: Yanmar 25.6hp is a proven engine in mowers. Never lugged down in tough mowing
ex: Daihatsu 27hp. I think this engine is fairly new in "mower use" . It had good power and never lugged down
gh: Kubota 21hp engine was too small. However, the new 428D model has the larger 28hp Kubota eng. Kubota has a good reputation in mowing equip.
Ride:
dc: Stable side-to-side ,but choppy front to rear. seemed heavy in rear end.
ex: Very Smooth
gh: Very smooth
Seat, Controls, & Inst.
dc: Comfy seat but it does not adjust forwark or backward. Had to reach too far when pushing steering levers forward. Very smooth steering and this unit did not have the VTC system. Inst good and love audible warning. IT probably saved this eng. when cooling fan failed to run.
ex: Comfy seat, is adjustable. Controls easy to reach. Inst. ok.
gh: Great seat made of Cordura to minimize sweating and sticking to seat. An important feature down here on 100 degree+ days. Controls and insts. all well placed.
Overall Design And Quality (My Opinion Only)
dc: Good design and easy to work on. Wiring quality is poor and looks like my sons model train wiring or worse.
Dc has good track record with diesel machines.
ex: Well designed and solid quality. However their twin mule-drive system looks like a potential maint problem. This may be a work-in-progress as this is their first diesel and rep. kept showing me things that are being improved on current production models.
gh: Very well designed and high quality shows throughout. Have many years experience with diesels.
My Choice: I have placed an order for a Grasshopper 428D machine today. All 3 machines are very good. However,I believe the local Grasshopper dealer will be the most responsive if I should have any problems. Also, the factory is only a 5 hour drive from here. I was very impressed when I went by the factory and the president of GH spent 3 hours giving me a tour and answering my questions.
Ihope the above info helps those of you who may not get to demo these machines. I will be glad to answer any spefic questions. Remember, these are just my opinions and observations.