Gravely VS. Lesco walkbehind mowers

[winterparker2b]

Im considering a new walkbehind, either Lesco or Gravely:

Lesco (P/N 703685)
48" gear drive
Kawasaki 15 HP
5 spd. plus reverse
$2560 (w/ tax and mulch kit)

Gravely (Pro 150)
50" gear drive
Kawasaki 14 HP
5 spd. plus reverse
$2760 (w/ tax and mulch kit)

Both are belt drive (of course), both about same size cut, similar engines, the Gravely has there extremely easy cut hight adj. , the Lesco has a "shim" style adj. , close on price.

Now heres my deal, how well do the Lesco's mulch. I had an older (6-7 yrs) Gravely 36" 12 HP Kohler that I really liked. I have neaver seen anything mulch as well as it did, and I want something that will mulch just as well if not better (if theres such thing).

Please let me know what you all think, especially if you have run both of these! Thank you much.....

[Richard Martin]

I would pass on both of them. If you must have a Gravely get one of the new 2002 mowers. They are a much better mower than the old Pro 150. You'll be able to tell it's one of the new one's because they only come in a 48" cut. The old 50" deck leaves a horrible cut at any speed above 2nd gear. That 50" Gravely is last year's mower and should be a lot cheaper than that. Also the 50" doesn't mulch at all. The new 48" does.

[Bunton Guy]

Gravely over lesco if you have to....but I would buy a Bunton if I were you !

[glowman]

Gravely! I bought a 1336G 13HP Kawasaki 36 inch. I also looked at the larger models and I think they come with the stripping kit. The 36 inch belt drive operates and cuts really nice. If you ask they might drop 100 bucks off the price. I paid $2089 for mine and the larger models were not that much more, Maybe $200 to $300 more at Feldmens Here in Kansas City. Good luck

[wesLESCO48]

i dont know about gravely's but my 48' lesco hydro doesn't
mulch at all it just builds up at the discharge side and falls on the ground in clumps whether its wet or dry grass. on my lesco i could only get a plate to block the discharge, no baffles. i have heard good things about toro and exmark, but i have no first hand experience.

[johnhenry]

I wouldnt go either way. I would uy from these brands on wb. Hustler,ferris,exmark,toro. All these brands are top of the line and in no order. remember dealer plays abig part in it

[65hoss]

The new model Gravely's should be really good. I wouldn't get the older style.

[Eng Mwr Guy]

Buy Gravely and you will likely be happy. The new WB should stack up extremely well against the competition.

Course I am biased.
:p

Barry
Gravely Guy

FWIW, Wishing all of you the very best.

[MrUPS]

May I ask you guys what a good price for a 48" Wb 15 Hsp Kawasaki belt driven would be??

[mac43rn]

I say this becuse I have one of the new gravely's. The thing has been in the shop three times, and is going back on friday moring. The main problem, before today, has been the height adjustment. You cannot change the deck height without working up a sweat. Now the engine is leaking oil. I have had this mower since february. The problems have been pointed out for over one month and still no resolve to the issue. I even purchased an ariens push mower. After three different mowers (I could not find one that had all four wheels touching the ground on an even surface). Funny thing about it I had one of the "tech support" members of ariens/gravely tell me, "even if only three wheels are touching the ground, there is no effect on quality of cut." I find this had to believe. My advice to you is:
1. Do not get a new gravley, especailly if you plan on making a living.
2. Get an exmark

-If anyone has any other questions you can email me direct at 43mac@adelphia.net

The response here is nice, I will answer any questions privately. Doing so here could hurt a few reputations.

[slbroug]

For what it's worth - I am a homeowner and bought this mower last year for mulching my 13,000 sq ft property. I was tired of emptying a Craftsman rider and slow three-point turns. It was the best equipment decision I have ever made. I just cannot imagine ANY machine doing a better job of mulching. Mine is the fabricated 36 " deck with 14 HP Kawasaki. The new Pro G and Pro H walkbehinds are improved in that all have twin-cylinder Kawis and all decks are now fabricated (with the suggestions of many pros that contribute to this site).

Now it takes 30 minutes to cut my lawn and it looks the best of any in my neighborhood. My conclusion is that a Gravely 36 is perfect for homeowners and an excellent value for the money. I saved ~$500 over buying an Exmark - also a very good mower. I could not justify paying the extra $ for similar design features and a high-cost ad budget Only time will tell if this is correct, but it is a risk I'll happily take. The Gravely is a tank by any standard.

:cool:

[Dennis E.]

Go for the hydro! When those belts get wet,forget it!
My first mower was a Gravely 40 WB and that thing was a beast.
12.5 Kawasaki. Belt driven. Lasted me 7 seasons and then I traded it in. Yes,it was still in excellent running condition. The downside was I could not tolerate the belt driven part of it any more. Went with the hydro.

[Turf Technologies]

I run a Lesco Hydro 48 i love it mulchs very nicely. High grass is gonna clump on a Wb no way around it, there blade speed isnt as fast as a ZTR.Just have to clean it up. Get a hydro though.Wb are the best for small lawns too.