Gravely ZT 50 vs Hustler Sport 48 Kawasaki

[ewarren423]

Is this even a fair fight or is the hustler worth the ~900 price difference.
Will be for a residential lawn of ~.75 acres.
thanks!

[ewarren423]

Well I finally did it....made the purhase!

I ended up with the Gravely ZT XL 48.
I was sold on the Deck, Tire Size and the ZT2800 transaxles.

I took it for its first test drive on our lawn.
Slightly wet from an on an off shower type day.
No clippings and it was really stable.

I'm thinking I made a good move. This board was definitely helpful, as I didnt know a thing about these a few weeks ago.

[MS_SURVEYOR]

ewarren423, you made a good choice!

You already put the Gravely through it's paces!

Now how about a picture or 2?

Glad we could be of help.

[ewarren423]

thanks! i'll post some this weekend.
silly question....what happens if you dont disengage the transmission bypass levers on these things (keep the unit in push mode)...will it still operate normally???

[MS_SURVEYOR]

I don't think so? I have pumps and wheel motors on mine. But the transaxle on my Lt will not move whens disengaged to push mode. I'll look in to that when I have more time for you.

I had time!

ZT2800 Service and Repair Manual

[ewarren423]

thanks MS!
complex system!!
my translation of this is it shouldnt move if the unit is in roll mode, but i could be wrong!

now i just need to figure out how to adjust the trunnions that hold the deck, i noticed it pitches a bit in the back.

i love new toys!!

[ewarren423]

Question for you pros....
looks like the unit doesnt quite roll when the transmission is disengaged.
the levers don't seem to pull out enough in the locked position. if i pull them a bit more i can feel the transmission bypass and the wheels turn freely.
simple fix or should i call the dealer?
thanks!!!

[sprinter]

Originally Posted by ewarren423

Well I finally did it....made the purhase!

I ended up with the Gravely ZT XL 48.
I was sold on the Deck, Tire Size and the ZT2800 transaxles.

I took it for its first test drive on our lawn.
Slightly wet from an on an off shower type day.
No clippings and it was really stable.

I'm thinking I made a good move. This board was definitely helpful, as I didnt know a thing about these a few weeks ago.

Whew! I was just going to reply to your post title that (having considered and demo'd both) Hustler is not worth the cost. I ran into the same issue. It's fine, but I could not justify that cost difference. I was looking at the next step up on both, but the issue is the same. Your Gravely is a good choice for sure.

Now let's see some pics!

[TacoDaTugBoat]

I think I am getting a Gravely ZT XL 48 soon. Haven't heard a bad word yet and the guys at the shop are real helpful. They are also a full service Stihl dealer that I have been buying from for years.

[sprinter]

Originally Posted by TacoDaTugBoat

I think I am getting a Gravely ZT XL 48 soon. Haven't heard a bad word yet and the guys at the shop are real helpful. They are also a full service Stihl dealer that I have been buying from for years.

I think you will get the best response by starting a new thread so more people will see it. Be ready to answer the inevitable questions: How large an area will you mow, what kind of grass, how often will you mow, how long do you want it to last, your budget, etc. You'll get tons of advise including all the other models you should look at. Having said that, the Gravely XL will be good for a smallish area like sub 1 acre or so in residential use (not commercial). Anything other than that, you should budget more like 5K or more which means, in the Gravely arena, the ZT HD which was my first choice for a while but I have a few acres. I also wanted this to be my last mower which meant a bit more money. My best advise after studying and demoing until my grass couldn't wait any longer isn't so much for a particular make or model because they are so similar at each price point, but rather to spend until it hurts because it only hurts for a little while and spending on repairs and replacement mowers hurts a lot more.

Nothing wrong with the XL itself, just make sure it will do the job you need it to do for the next 15 or 20 years which the proper model will do.