comments about Dixie Chopper from the best in the business

[jimmy jammz]

Hello to all please list your comments and <br>thoughts about the product Dixie Chopper , Is this truely the best in the world?????

[HOMER]

YES!<p><br>NUFF SAID<p>HOMER

[Eric ELM]

I have to agree with Homer. <p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.townserver.com/elm/&quot;&gt;Eric@ELM&lt;/a&gt;<br>

[gorrell]

Homer and Eric obviously haven't been on a grasshopper, Lynn:)

[Barkleymut]

As far as reliability and the durability of mowers I think Dixie Choppers are the best. They are a little more expensive than the others but remember, you get what you pay for.

[mowerparts]

When you look at mowers check out the layout of the machine in terms of maintenance and repair. Looking at the Toro/Exmark, Grasshopper ( even the new rider ) and what ever else you want to look at the Dixie has the most room to work on ie., you can put your had in most spaces and have ample room to move your hands. Down time I belive is the most important area to look at when buying a piece of equipment new or used. If the mower is easy to work on the less down time you will have. I also buy from dealers who offer loaners when a machine will be in the shop for more than 24 hr.s

[AB Lawn Care]

Can anyone tell me if they know the offical dixie chopper web site.<p>THANKS!<p>from:Adam'<br>AB LAWN CARE

[Evan528]

Dixie choppers are very good mowers from what i hear. after being on this forum for some time ive had that drilled into my brain. i have never used one but i would bet on it after hearing them bragged about by some people so many times.(eric)the official website is www.dixiechopper.com.

[gene gls]

There are NO best mowers out there.Thats why there are so many different brands and types on the market.They all have their place in the market.You have to decide whitch one is best for you and your properties.

[Retro67]

Gene, you are correct. How can you say this mower or that mower is best? Have you used all brands made? Unlikely since all brands made aren't ditributed in all areas.&lt;p&gt; There are several good mowers out there. Each fills a certain niche. Some are better in wet grass, some tall grass. Some are more maneuverable than others. Some are more compact. You get the picture. What may be very important to you, may not matter at all to me.<br>&lt;p&gt;<br>Example: If I lived in Florida, I couldn't have a mower that was not good in wet grass since they have constant rain there. In Illinois, I find I rarely have to consider this factor. It's all relative. Don't let someone tell you this is the best or that is the best, without finding out &quot;best at what?&quot; What does this mower do that another won't?&lt;p&gt;John<br>

[geogunn]

choppers are not a viable option in my area. nobody uses them. the closest dealer is 100 miles away. perhaps dixie chopper should go after a few more dealers.<p>GEO

[Eric ELM]

As I have said in previous posts, The best mower out there is the mower each of us own. How else can you justify buying it. Most people won't go out and buy the worst mower on the market, knowing it will fall apart, except in cases where your just starting out and that is all you can afford. Dixie Choppers are very popular in my area and have held up better than anything I have owned. To me, a very important thing to consider is reliability. I realize they all can break down, but my 2 Choppers, 1-7 years old and 1-6 years old, has never failed to finish a days work because they were broke down and wouldn't run. I've spent $40 on unexpected repairs, a gasket replacement on the one motor that didn't idle right. The only thing I haven't been real fond of was the way the decks lifted. If you change cutting hights, the front moved up or down more than the back, but that has been changed on the 2000 model. It now has a heavier guage 4 chain lift. The Choppers are the only mowers with the Quad Loop Hydro System, which is normally found on 100 plus horsepower machines. To me, that is over kill on their part, but it just improves reliability for us users. I've owned 3 Choppers, total of over 7,000 hours and I have never replaced any spindles, wheel motors, hydro pumps or engines, the 4 most expensive things to replace. If the closest dealer was several hundred miles from me, I would make the drive for another Chopper when I wear these out.<p>You more experianced guys that have a better track record than this, please tell us about it. I don't expect to many posts to top this record, but here is your chance. :)<p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.townserver.com/elm/&quot;&gt;Eric@ELM&lt;/a&gt;<br>

[Lazer]

Reading this thread, I can't believe I actually missed this forum!<br>:)

[Retro67]

Lazer-<p>I'm with yah, there. &lt;p&gt;John

[curlawngreen]

What are your preventive main. costs.<br>$40.00 in 7000 hours. No tires, blades, belts, bearings, wheel bearings, bolts, etc?

[Eric ELM]

I said I spent $40 on unexpected repairs. I expect things like belts, tires, oil, filters, gas and blades to be needed. I have not replaced any bearings. <p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.townserver.com/elm/&quot;&gt;Eric@ELM&lt;/a&gt;<br>

[curlawngreen]

Thank you for the reply to my second question if you could help, please respond to my first question of what are you preventive costs. Thank you.Tim

[weve]

I've also had very few repairs on the Dixie Choppers I've had since 1993 (1900 hrs.). I trade more often than Eric but get very good resale value. At least two of my trade-ins are still being used by another commercial mowing business. Also Dixie Chopper has covered expenses on at least two upgrades to my machines.<p>----------<br>Larry<br>

[Eric ELM]

Tim, I replaced the back tires on both machines 2 years ago and I should be able to get anther 2 years out of the back ones. That was $300 for 4 Turf Boss 2's mounted on and including rims. The front tires usually end up full of plugs before they wear out, but have replaced a few over the years. Over the past 7 years, I have bought 15 sets of blades and still use the wore out ones on top, the newer ones on the bottom. None of them are bad enough to throw away. I replace the belts each spring so I don't break down. I get a complete set of belts for each mower, $30 each set, $60. All mowers, I figure need tires, belts, blades. What I was telling about is my experiance of the expensive to replace parts on a mower. You asked about bearings, NONE. I don't know why I'm getting drilled. A guy answers questions and gets criticized. Come on Lazer, defend me!! Like that would ever happen. :)<p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.townserver.com/elm/&quot;&gt;Eric@ELM&lt;/a&gt;<p>

[lawrence stone]

What $75 for one tire on a rim? I buy my drive tires for $17 and change them with my<br>bare hands.

[Lazer]

New rims really make a mower look sharp.<p>There's nothing wrong with shopping for the best price on tires, but knock-off brands wind-up costing more with flats and quick wear-out.<p>Larry, perhaps not all contractors possess the same dexterous fortitude you have to change tires by hand.<p>Carl

[geogunn]

to eric and all others of the unshakable chopper faith:<p>GET US A DEALER DOWN HERE SO WE CAN TRY OUT THESE MACHINES!!!<p>by the way eric, checked out your latest pics on your web page and I was impressed. no way anybody could have a three martini lunch and keep lines that straight!!!<p>seriously, I noticed the rear wheelbase width of the choppers was huge. how does this compare to the rear wheelbase on the laser z of the same deck width?<p>thanks to all<p>GEO

[Lazer]

Dixie's got different size width. (Try to keep up w/ Exmark) Their old ones were all quite narrow. Certain newer models have widths that are wider than Lazer Z. <p>I'm sure Eric knows more. (About Dixie's anyway) lol

[Eric ELM]

Lazer, it's good to see the comments again. :) Geo, the 50&quot; deck is 49&quot; wheel width, the 60&quot; deck is 59.5&quot; and the 72 is 71&quot; width. Call the factory, there are a lot of new dealers not listed in the directory. They are updating their site soon and will have the new listings. Thanks for the comments on the pictures. I used to plant corn on the farm and the rows had to be straight so the other farmers didn't laugh at us. :)<p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.townserver.com/elm/&quot;&gt;Eric@ELM&lt;/a&gt;<br>

[Eric ELM]

Lazer, it's good to see the comments again. :) Geo, the 50&quot; deck is 49&quot; wheel width, the 60&quot; deck is 59.5&quot; and the 72 is 71&quot; width. Call the factory, there are a lot of new dealers not listed in the directory. They are updating their site soon and will have the new listings. Thanks for the comments on the pictures. I used to plant corn on the farm and the rows had to be straight so the other farmers didn't laugh at us. :)<p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.townserver.com/elm/&quot;&gt;Eric@ELM&lt;/a&gt;<br>

[AB Lawn Care]

I agree when Lazer said that knock off tire brands will cost you in the long run.We years ago bought a used 16.5 diesel walker mower it came with tires that looked good but thay where cheap 2 ply tires.We punchured those tires at least 4 times that summer,and the one time we took it in to fix the tire we found out that a rose thorn was the cause of the flat tire.Don't be fooled buy a cheap price when it comes to tires.Make shure its a 4 ply,we have allways had problems with 2 ply.<p>from:Adam<br>AB Lawn Care

[RAMCO]

I KNOW A LOT OF YOU LGUYS LOVE THE DIXIE CHOPPER I AM A JOH DEERE DEALER AND HAVE TAKEN 13 IN ON TRADE FOR THE NEW JOHN DEERE MID Z FOR SEVERAL REASONS, 1 IS PRODUCT SUPPORT AND THE OTHER IS THE QUALITY OF CUT OF THE NEW 7 IRON DECK. I AM NOT TRYING TO CONVERT ANYONE BECAUSE IF YOU TRY THEM YOU WILL SEE THE DIFFEENCE I AM SAYING THAT I HAVE ABOUT 10 OF THESE USED I NEED TO SELL ANYONE INTERESTED THEY ALL RUN AND ARE IN GOOD SHAPE.

[JML]

Bobcat zt200 series, is an excellent mower.

[Nick]

How does the SCAG fit in? This is what I was considering buying this season.

[gorrell]

Nick, I've got a Scag STHM 61&quot; 3 wheeler that has been absolutely trouble free. Scag, Toro, and I believe Ferris use tapered roller bearings in their spindles, which definitely is a big plus, because no one enjoys changing a bearing. Quality of cut may be a shade less than my Exmark turf ranger, but still quite good. Very high quality built machine. Thanks, Lynn

[Eric ELM]

I only know of one crew around our area that has a Scag. It seems like they have to work on it all the time when they cut across the street from me. Chuck, the moderator of this forum had them and called them Orange Junk. He switched to Exmark and now has bought a new Dixie Chopper. :)<p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.townserver.com/elm/&quot;&gt;Eric@ELM&lt;/a&gt;<br>

[michael bucher]

Just wondering what you all think about Ferris. Looking to possibly buy a couple 60&quot; sitdowns. They claim to be the only commercial mower made with an independant suspension system. Any drawbacks to these mowers? Thanks!

[Lazer]

michael,<br>Those Ferris' are nice. Smooth, low center of gravity, good cut. I like 'em.<p>Eric, your buddy sound like the Dow Jones: Starts out in the basement with Scag, moves up to the pinnicle of Exmark and then settles a bit to Dixie Schleppers. :)

[SNOWMAN]

I have read some of these dicussions on mowers, i used grasshoppers for a long time but tried an ex-mark lazer z the only mower to use .<br>I have four of these in our business, they are very versitile absolutly trouble free once they cured the spindle bearin problem, they are sealed now and life time warratied.<br>As for a dixie chopper you quys have obviously never used any thing else!<br>the cut on an ex-mark is by far superior and you can cut at a higher speed.

[SNOWMAN]

Ramco<br>John deere makes great tractors but it comes to lawn mowers they defintly have to take a back seat to the lazer z.<br>As for the choppers you have taken in on trade that isn't saying much.

[HOMER]

Snowman, your head must be frozen. You mean to tell me you can cut faster on the lazer than you can on a chopper???? HUH My friend with the Lazers couldn't out cut me. I am biased of course and so is everybody else. When somebody asks about a mower I'm gonna tell them to demo them and make their own mind up, it's really a matter of opinion.<p><br>Oh, I was joking about your head being frozen!<p>Homer<p>CHOPPERS RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Barkleymut]

I will keep my Chopper and will buy another when my business warrants it. The AxeMark may be a good mower, but I sure have been happy with my Chopper, and by the way I haven't seen to many AxeMarks that go 14 MPH.

[Eric ELM]

Snowman, this is the modern age now. Where do you find that an Axemark will cut faster than a Chopper. I don't know of an Axemark that goes 14 MPH. You better get your facts straight.<p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.townserver.com/elm/&quot;&gt;Eric@ELM&lt;/a&gt;<br>

[accuratelawn]

It does not matter what brand of mower you have. Mowing at 14 mph is BS.

[gorrell]

Amen to that! I don't know of too many places that any of us mow that you can carry a ground speed in excess of 8 mph and do a quality job of mowing. Thanks, Lynn

[HOMER]

Some places you can't, but there are quite a few that I mow that I can, and believe me when I tell you, it will mow, and mow just fine running wide open. I didn't believe it either before I bought one, my &quot;other mower&quot; only runs 6.8mph and it won't cut everything when I try to run it wide open. Another good quality is when I have finished mowing and the trailer is 500 yds away, I can get there p.d.q. Time is money right?<p>Homer<p>Seeing is believing

[lawrence stone]

That may be true with the warm season turf in<br>your area but up North you will find that<br>it will be difficult to even mow at 6 mph<br>a bluegrass/ryegrass lawn on May 15.<p>The turf is way too thick and due to the vast<br>amounts of clippings you can easily overload<br>even the best machines.

[jeffclc]

And I thought that I was the only one who thought that the mentioned mowing speeds were high. I agree with Larry, you definatly cannot cut that fast here up north. <p>I would say that maybe 5mph is max, and that is under ideal conditions. With all the hills, obstacles, bumps, ect, I would not want to travel that fast. <p>Besids, The customer wants to see you work for your money, not run like the Datoyna 500.

[Lazer]

lawrence,<br>That's where your $500 mowers come back to haunt you. <p>The mowers we use will easily cut thru any 7 day growth at 6+ mph. Sure, we have to double-cut, but we do that anyway.<p>Your earlier post said your mowers will cut right thru 10 day May growth. What happened?

[lawrence stone]

Actually I don't have any problem mowing<br>10 day old turf at 5.2 mph in top gear while<br>making only one pass.<p>That would make my $500 machines more productive that your $6000 ones. Correct?

[fireball]

i agree with Larry. Why cut twice when once will get it done. Eric's two blade theory deserves further merit

[lawrence stone]

Fireball wrote:<p>&gt;Eric's two blade theory deserves further merit <p>I still can figure out how this works.<br>My high lift blades are mounted on the machines ready for next months up coming<br>thatch fest. <p>So I joust went out into the garage and <br>brought out the &quot;bucket o blades&quot;.<p>The only way I can stack blades and line<br>up the center hole is to put a gator blade<br>on the bottom and a low lift balde on top but<br>this compeletly defeats the purpose of using gator blades to begin with. <br>

[fireball]

maybe we need eric to clarify it a little better. I assumed that he was using two gator blades per spindle. He mounted them perpindicular to each other. You know, in the shape of a +. I don't have any grass to try it out on to see if it actually works good. The only drawback that I see is that if they don't stay perpindicular to each other, they become off balance and just take more horsepower to turn. I don't think you would notice this situation on a high horsepower machine such as a dixie chopper but you would on a 14hp 48&quot;WB. Eric please check in

[Finecut]

Eric,<p>Maybe you can convince Mr. Stone to post pictures of his mowing jobs so we all can see the lofty heights we need to reach. It's rather difficult for us to imagine what it is we must be doing wrong. I've been told a picture is worth a thousand words...and we all know Mr. Stone is never short on words. Maybe more pictures and less words would be the remedy. Certainly worth a try!!!!

[Lazer]

lawrence,<br>Read your 2 posts again, they contradict each other. Hit the Edit botton to correct.<p>BTW: The older Toro's went 4.5 mph top speed unless you increased to the new tire size or changed your pulley.

[lawrence stone]

I can mow seven day old bluegrass in May in<br>one pass at 5.2+mph (I have the engines &quot;adjusted&quot;) with 15&quot; tall drive tires<br>with a 52&quot; toro with a 16HP Kohler with a stock deck pulley without<br>leaving any noticable clippings.

[lawrence stone]

Fireball wrote:<p>&gt;Maybe you can convince Mr. Stone to post pictures of his mowing jobs <p>I am sorry but I must respect my customers privacy. I don't think they would appreacite<br>me breaking my confidentiality agreement by<br>posting a pic of there lovely home for all<br>the rift raft in this forum to see.<p>Somebody has to work for the Tony Soprano <br>types and if I ever need a favor it's no<br>big deal.

[curlawngreen]

To be a&quot;PRO&quot; you sign a contract that won't let you use them as referance?

[Lazer]

I think perhaps they're more interested in the lawn than the home.<p>Show a picture of a lawn only.

[Eric ELM]

Fireball, I have used 2 Gators on each spindle, but found that having a highlift and a gator together works better for me on my newest Chopper. The 93 Chopper has a little bit different deck, so I use a highlift and a regular blade on it. Just try different combinations to see what works best for you but put them in an X formation. If they slip a bit when hitting something, not a big deal, just loosen the bolt and fix it. I have tried the gator on top and bottom, it seems to work fine either way. Like I said, just experiment and see what works best for you. <p>As far as pictures go, my customers see me taking pictures. As long as they aren't in it or their address shown, there is nothing wrong with it. I take them from the road. If someone didn't want their house shown on your lovely lawn, black it out. I would be interested in seeing those $500 mower cuts too. <br>BTW: Several have commented that the Lazer has the best cut. I'm still waiting for someone to send me a picture of this great looking lawn. None so far. <p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.townserver.com/elm/&quot;&gt;Eric@ELM&lt;/a&gt;<br>

[slagerlawncare]

riftraft? hmmm....you boo santa claus at parades don't u?<br>

[fireball]

thanks eric, like I said:it has merit and once I have some grass, I'll give it a try<p>Larry won't be able to show his quality lawns until he gets permission from his customers so wait guys. He does bring up a good point though. Always check with the customer first before you start showing pictures. <p>A few years ago, one of my customers house showed up in Philadelphia magizine. The magazine identified it as being owned by the former state insurance commissioner who went on to be a TV commentator. The problem was they had the same name. The magazine looked up the name in the phone book and assumed they had the right house. My customer tried to correct them, they did nothing, customer's lawyer then did something, customer got 300,000. $50,000 came from TV commentator cause he didn't try to correct the wrong either. Be careful with pictures.

[Lazer]

Eric,<br>I've got some. I don't know how to load my scanner and put it on the internet yet.<p>Bear in mind your stripes look really distinct IN PART because of the higher H.O.C.<p>+ I'm not sure a Lazer or any rotary mower can match your pics anyway!

[yardsmith]

put another vote in for the Bobcat zt200.<br>If you like lazers, & haven't bought one yet, demo the ransomes bobcat zt200. They're very similar setup, lower center of gravity than the dixie, will mow across the face/side of a hill better than the dixie, & I think are more comfortable. Plus they have a better engine / pulley configuration than the lazer. PLEASE see post entitled &quot;what's your fav. ZTR mower&quot;. This topic was covered in that post (in order to not be redundant & type all the info again).<br>Lazers are good & have come a long way, but I like the bobcat/bunton a little better- enough to buy it over the lazer.<br>Dixies will mow like a bat out of hell on flat/ relatively flat ground, but so will most every mower. but I have a lot of hills where I live, & a dixie won't hold a hill- they sit too high up, & they still look like they're from the late 70's. Most of the die hard dixie guys I know haven't demo-ed very many other mowers to see if they like any others better.<br>Don't blast me too hard, dixie guys :)<br>----------<br>Smitty ô¿ô<p><p>

[SNOWMAN]

HOMER AND ERIC<br>ITS obvious you guys are dixie chopper lovers<br>but demo a new exmark you will through rocks at your out dated mowing contraption. My comment about mowing faster was doing a better job of cutting with the floating deck design. If I owned a chopper I would want to go fast so know one good see me.<br>

[SNOWMAN]

If choppers are so much better then why is the exmark lazer the number 1 selling midmount mower in the industry.<br>Well there isn't any need for all of us to be arguing about are preferences in mowing equip. To anyone trying to get Ideas on what to buy demo any brand you can, take it out to what you are mowing and compare.<br>Thats the great thing about this country, we can all have are own oppions and hopefully no one will shoot us for it.<br>If I came on a little to strong and offended anybody I didn't mean to. This forum was for all of us to talk and learn more about what we do and our competion.<p>

[Lazer]

Exmarks meteoric rise over Dixie and others can be largely attributed to better parts availability and dealer support.<p>Dixie has lacked a strong dealer network and that has diminished sales.

[Karian]

The perfert lawnmower comes with the perfect employee. It doesn't exist.

Peace
Brian

[Soupy]

Karian, You must have dug real deep for this thread. I'm glad to see a new guy using the search engine.

Welcome to Lawnsite :drinkup:

[jimyjon]

No good ones out there, like cars some are just worse than others, tee hee.
demoed several, including dixie chopper, fine machine! chose the Ferris 3000IS, love it! but read my thread "Ferris fire danger"
jimijon
certified GM master tech retired

[Five Star Lawn Care LLC]

its kinda funny b/c some of these guys that where aganst DC when this thread was started are now die hard DC addicts


gorrell for one was talking about grasshopper and scag...and now he has i belive 4-72" 50hp desil dixies.....pretty huge change

[Patrick.B]

been having my pm144z gravely for four months now and alot of guys around here have dixie chopper and scag and Gravely ..i know chopper are good mower too and i will not talk bad about any mower you guys have ...guess it like everything else ..take care of it and it will last a long time but maybe in few years i will try dixe chopper ........Thanks guys ,,,,,,Good luck to you all......

[Patrick.B]

agree with snowman ,,,,,,most lawn service guys will buy what they think it best for there business just like buying a truck ..i went with Gravely and believe you me ..my pm144z gravely cut great and LQQK good when mower customer Laww....

[nmi007]

some of you guys are pretty damn funny on here sometime i just got to add that the guys here use grasshopper awsome mowers cut very well in wet grass first time i set eye on it stop me in my tracks i've demo'd exmark,grasshopper,bushhog,montana nice riding mower same as a badboy,cub,scags awsome mowers,no test on toro,zipper ,yazoo,country clipper,or husqy but over all for price &quilty i am going to go with a dixie 2006 self leveling dual tanks fill from both sides life time casters fan in middel of spindel for grass & cooling can close discharge shut from unit standard 4000 rpm generac engine basicly a upgraded van guard started building this 1999 after years of building van guards from 1980 for rv,s (generators) shelf purging pumps greaseable spindles vtc steering exmarks seem to bounce the heavy deck to much only other i would buy if not for cost ratio would have been scags or grasshopper are both awsome mower plenty of people round here have proved that research for about 2 1/2 years now so glade that you can search past info here most problems i've seen for dixie was 2005 deck that they fixed & hoses leaking after 6,7,8 years of use but maintenance can be a big factor in all of the judgements & a major % of dc owners love them later hope this site is here a long time o ya by the way dc has one about like this go to links at dc's web

[nmi007]

well i went & got a dc ztr 50in cut 25hp generac had it about 4.5 hours & took it back i sucked 3 gal. in 1.5hrs & the bar tread tire have no mercy on a lawn . traction is all you get it will eat a piece of turf in nothing flat other than that it seem to run nice but that was the 2 thing i ask the dealer about & he was not truthful so he lost that sell.