Grillo ZTRs

[BigJim]

Anyone out there using the Italian Grillo ride ons?The dealer gave me a glowing report on them.I was wondering if anyone else was using them,how do they compare to the similar looking yellow ones made in the USA?.

[perfection lawn care]

Never even heard of it, what kind of price tag is on it. Looks like a walker copycat only green.

[southside]

Jim,
I don't think they export them to the US. Price wise here they are
a bit dearer than a Walker. The petrol model has a 20hp Briggs
motor in it. The diesel is a Kubota. They are apparently a nightmare to work on. Looks like a dodgy knock off of a Walker.
Only one contractor in Brisbane has one,whereas there are hundreds of Walkers. Dealers always give glowing reports.
Give it a miss mate.

[lawrence stone]

Are they made by Fiat?

[rwleigh]

GRILLO was at the expo last year. I did'nt price any because I could not understand there language.

Also there is another unit just like it made by FERRARI.

[WREBELMACHINE]

It's actually GILONDO FERRARI.

It is a bigger machine than the grillo unit.

[mowingmachine]

The original is almost always better than the copy. I wouldn't buy it just because I wouldn't want to support a company with their buisness practices. I would rather support the company that had the original design.

mowingmachine

[rwleigh]

Just currious but what do you mean buisness practices?

[mowingmachine]

It's obvious that the Grillo is a direct copy of the Walker mower. It cost Walker alot of time and money to develop the product they have now. Any company that is going to run their business like Grillo doesn't deserve to be in business. There are several other companies in the lawn and garden industry that are good at direct copies as well. Doesn't make since to support the wanna-be company when you can have the real thing.

mowingmachine

[captdevo]

mowingmachine

that makes no sense!

where would we be if someone didn't try to perfect anothers product or service for that matter.

examples:

cars, trucks, planes, trains, tractors......even mowers


i wouldn't say it's copycat or stealing ideas....it is perfecting or adding to an idea.


it's what makes the original designer think to better it for the end users.

[rwleigh]

I agree with you captndevo everyone copies someone else if they did'nt we would all be useing the original swisher ztr.

[Russo]

My eyes start watering just looking at the steering handles and thinking about hitting a stump. I never ran a Walker. Any of you guys get jossled in the groin?

[Fantasy Lawns]

"Benchmarking" has been a way in everyone’s business .....what are we doing here right now .....gathering information ...making future decisions based n the advice of others thru experience ....after all "coping" is the best complement one can pay to another

[GCS LawnService]

Do not like what I see with the steering handles looking like a painful accident waiting to happen. Wrong color of green for me........ I'll stick with John Deere green. Did I see that it possibly has a Briggs and Stratton? I'm definately out!

:blob3:

[mowingmachine]

I don't mean copying the design of a ztr or of the concept of a mower. I mean copying intricate details in design that make it look like a Walker mower. It looks as if the Grillo practially copied the design prints on some of the parts. It is one thing to design a ztr and improve on the problems and it is another thing to make it look exactly the same. If you look at most ztr brands they look similar because they are a mower and are built around many of the same ideas but if you look at the details they are greatly different. Another example of a copy job was the original Great Dane Surfer and the Wright Stander. If they were painted the same color most people would not be able to destinguise the difference. That wouldn't have been the case with two companies that would have built a product with their own ideas. The small details would have looked totally different. It was very obvious by observation that one was a direct copy of the other right down to how the steel was cut and formed on individual peices. Almost as if Wright Stander had given their design prints to Great Dane. Not a legitimate way to develop a product period. The court happened to feel that way with Great Dane as well. Just my thought.

mowingmachine

[Martino]

Originally posted by mowingmachine
The original is almost always better than the copy. I wouldn't buy it just because I wouldn't want to support a company with their buisness practices. I would rather support the company that had the original design.

mowingmachine

Just curious as to how you know which company had the original design?

Also, in terms of your comments regarding Wright Stander vs. Great Dane, there were a great many differences between the 2 machines. As I understand it, the major issue was the placement of the platform in relation to the wheelbase. The court made NO finding, by the way, that ended the lawsuit. The parties to the suit came to an agreement and settled the case. The terms of the settlement were supposed to have remained private.

[MOW ED]

Saw it at Expo but didn't think much of it. Besides I just cant run down to my neighborhood Grillo dealer for a spare belt or new blades. Stay in Europe. No offense.

[mowingmachine]

The first time I saw the Grillo mower in question was I believe either this year or last year at the EXPO in Louisville. Grillo has been showing at the EXPO before I started going and that was in 93'. If that product was as old as the Walker there is a good chance they would have started showing the mower long before. Also for anybody that knows the Walker family knows they wouldn't stoop down to copying. The Walkers are good engineers and if it isn't their design they wouldn't want it.

The first time I saw the Great Dane Surfer was around the mid 90's. I talked to one of the guys that helped develop the unit and he told me that they went from concept to prototype in about 2 weeks. For anybody that knows anything about new product development on the scale of a ztr knows that is very very unlikely. Unless, they aquired another unit and tore it apart and then made all their parts around it. There are so many parts that look almost exactly alike on the two mowers. It would be interesting to aquire some of the origninal units and see how close the parts dimensions match. As far as I know Wright Stander is being paid a royalty for every Great Dane Surfer ever sold. That info came from one of the guys at Wright. Just some thoughts. Take is however you want to.

mowingmachine