i had the chance to actually use the magna matic blade sharpner at the expo . i was really impressed at how easy it was to sharpen blades with this machine. i also demoed almost every mower they had at the expo . my top 2 picks are exmark and dixie chopper .
Yea this expo was good not as good as some in the past. But I rode every mower there. There is some feedback from what I though. Some will disagree with me but this is just my 2 cents. 1. Dixie Chopper. Fast and smooth. No pump wine. Verry good ride. Most productive mower. (not best cut but can make the most money with one) 2. Exmark. Good stick controle, Il rate this #2 cause nothing makes a better cut. 3. Scag. Verry comfortable seat. (probably best seat) Verry low center of gravity. Decent cut with these too. 4. Hustler. Not as good of a ride as any of the top 3, But not as bad as the others. 5. John deere. Verry bad stick controle. Hardest sticks to push, when bolth were all the way fordward went off to the left hard. Good ride, HIGH PRICED!! 6. Ferris. Probably worst ride. Shocks are worthless. And when you take a corner fast they scalp. Also high priced. (for what you get) 7. Gravely. Verry cheaply built, Low powered engines. And not much cheaper then the top 3. 8. Bad Boy. (dixie chopper wannabee) Horriable ride. Verry loud, Not responsive on the sticks. Horriabe seats. Wrost driving mower there next to the JD. Rated JD high cause it has a good cut. This is JUST my oppinion. Say what you want. Feedback is good. Everyone likes something different.
i dont believe gravely is built cheap at all. I thought the Gravely's and hustlers were by far the best built. i just wish i could demo them in uncut grass to see the result
Would you say the trip was worth it for you? I know I saw a ton of things I never knew existed, as well as a lot of equipment I wish I had on my trailer. 2 1/2 days seems like a long time until you see how much there is to see and demo. I had a chance to ask some questions of the various manufactures reps. about problems with my equipment too. Met a lot of great 'Lawnsite' members as well, when you came by the 'TURF' booth to renew or start your subscriptions. (No, this isn't a paid advertisement. I just really had a good time with some great new friends.) If I can get the work caught up again, I heading for Orlando. Anybody else got thoughts/comments on Expo to share? Jim
I went on Sunday and loved the show. I liked seeing all the new and different ideas. I also talked to the guys at Bad Boy Mowers. I bought an Advanced Chute System OCDC and had been having some minor issues with it. Everyone one there was TOP NOTCH. I was explaining the issue to one of the guys and the boss walked up and he was filled in on the situation. Without me even asking, Hell even hinting, He asked for my name and address and is sending me a new unit. They really care about their customer and went out of their way to make things right. One better is he wants my unit back to they can figure out whats going on and make sure it doesnt happen again.
Went to Expo for the first time....really enjoyed it. Took my wife too. I agree that Gravely was a good one. My demo ride was superb and I'll probably purchase one. Found lots of items that will speed up my work detail and make life in general easier. I was surprised there were brands of mowers there I had never seen or heard of. I thought I knew them all. Just went Saturday and really got to see most everything. But next time, I'll take another day so I'm not rushing through so fast. Don't want to miss anything. I would really recommend this for newer people. I've been at it about 5 years and have never stopped learning. (by the way, my wife loved it and had a great time in Louisville and at the show with me).
i would highly reccomend the expo to everyone starting out or that have been in business for awhile. i also liked the smoothness of the dixie hydros . the gravelys were fast but controls were crap and alittle too bulky imo . the next 2 products i am going to buy are the mower anti sclap wheels from innotech and the no tubes product tire sealant. i watched this jam an ice pic in an atv tire and it sealed instantly . same with a bicycle tire too .
I agree that tire sealant was amazing. Oh yea and one of the funniest things I did was there was a booth with some generators (no names mentioned). They were foreign. I asked them what they waranty was and he looked at me with a puzzled look on his face and said "waranty"? An older man bedise me laughed and walked away. It was pretty funny, had a good laugh about it. Just one more reason to BUY AMERICAN!!!!!!!
First year in business, first year going to show. I liked it a lot, reminds of the boat shows we used to go to with in-laws at the McCormick place in chicago, huge, lots to look at, and makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. I didn't demo every mower, but made a short list of the ones I specifically wanted to demo, our Scag dealer is going to be a strictly Toro dealer so I will have to find suitable replacements for my Scags (tough to beat IMO) or use a dealer farther away. We have been getting into more and more hardscapes so we demoed quite a bit of the heavier equipment like the uni-loaders, mini-ex, etc. loved the ditch witch with the V-8 btw. Lots of cool and not so cool hand held & hand tool items. I have all Echo handhelds, really good to see the level of customer service at all of their display areas and especially liked the wood carving. I was not impressed with Ferris or BadBoy mowers, top two favs are still Scag & Hustler. Also thank you Kohler for the free Brat and shot of water This will for sure be an annual event for me, my wife, and one or two lucky employees and their spouses. Great chance to demo and check out new stuff.
This was my first EXPO, looking forward to next year. I would have liked to have seen some large enclosed trailers, I'm interested in one with a break-room or port-a-let. I also would have liked to have seen some larger mowers, like the Toro Grounds Master (I think that's what it's called) or some large Bat-wing mowers in the 15'-20' range. I only had six hours to spend on Saturday, so if I over looked anything I've mentioned, it's my loss. All in all, I thought it was a good show.
