Because of a thread I posted on lawn site I was personally contacted by Gravely corporate with an opportunity to fly to Orlando Florida to test the new Pro Turn 400 series!
They say a company is only as good as its employees. Gravely knows how to hire talent. Everyone I met and spoke with on and before this trip was awesome. They were honest, knowledgeable and genuinely good people. The type of people I like to surround myself with.
Gravely is owned by Ariens, a family owned privately held company. Almost all parts are made in house, even the pulleys. Gravely does not use distributors and works very closely with all its dealers and even landscapers like us. They will even help the companies it works with run more efficiently. All you have to do is ask!
When I arrived Gravely had a Pro Turn 452 waiting for me. The first thing I noticed was the fit and finish. It was amazing! Just as good or better than my Scags. The welds were perfect and the powder coat was like liquid glass. It was obviously assembled with care from the wire routing to the decals.
The next thing that caught my eye was the size of the frame and front end, they are massive. The deck is 7 gauge throughout including the baffles! Durability is not going to be a problem. I would say the 400 series is built better than it has to be. It reminds me of Kubota, what I consider industrial strength. No corners were cut, this thing is built like a tank.
The comfort is what is going to set this apart from the competition. I felt little to no vibration and the air seat was awesome. I was able to fly over bumps probably faster than I should have. The seat and foot platforms are isolated from the frame with rubber bushings. The control arms also have adjustable rubber bushings and I felt no vibration in my hands.
The Hydro-Gear 5400 was very smooth and quite. I asked a lot of questions about the Hydro-Gear and Gravely has almost no warranty claims and has run them for 4 years now. It is mounted lower than separate pumps and wheel motors to help with stability.
Gravely had left the irrigation system on for most of the day so I could cut some wet grass. I spent most of my time cutting as this was my biggest concern. I experienced no clumping or stringers. The deck stayed clean! The cut was beautiful on southern grass. Next they took me to a field with grass 8-9 inches tall. This would be the closest thing to northern grass. The x-factor deck had no problem with discharge and the grass doesnt stay inside the deck to long. Similar to my Velocity decks. This was a huge relief for me as my concern was with the small discharge opening. Again the deck stayed clean. The x- factor deck has very good vacuum and discharge pressure. Even in the tall grass it didnt need double cutting! The 24.5 hp kawi (formally 27 hp) had no problem in the tall grass. I honestly cant say the x-factor deck will cut as good as the Velocity on northern grasses YET but Im much more confident and willing to give it a shot. I will not lose anymore sleep thinking about it.
In conclusion I will be ordering a Gravely Pro Turn 452 next week! I will continue my honest review once I start cutting up here on northern grasses.
Gravely told me We have one of the best warranties in the industry, but you wont need it! I have no doubt Gravely will stand behind their equipment and be there if I need them!
Enjoy the pics!!
They say a company is only as good as its employees. Gravely knows how to hire talent. Everyone I met and spoke with on and before this trip was awesome. They were honest, knowledgeable and genuinely good people. The type of people I like to surround myself with.
Gravely is owned by Ariens, a family owned privately held company. Almost all parts are made in house, even the pulleys. Gravely does not use distributors and works very closely with all its dealers and even landscapers like us. They will even help the companies it works with run more efficiently. All you have to do is ask!
When I arrived Gravely had a Pro Turn 452 waiting for me. The first thing I noticed was the fit and finish. It was amazing! Just as good or better than my Scags. The welds were perfect and the powder coat was like liquid glass. It was obviously assembled with care from the wire routing to the decals.
The next thing that caught my eye was the size of the frame and front end, they are massive. The deck is 7 gauge throughout including the baffles! Durability is not going to be a problem. I would say the 400 series is built better than it has to be. It reminds me of Kubota, what I consider industrial strength. No corners were cut, this thing is built like a tank.
The comfort is what is going to set this apart from the competition. I felt little to no vibration and the air seat was awesome. I was able to fly over bumps probably faster than I should have. The seat and foot platforms are isolated from the frame with rubber bushings. The control arms also have adjustable rubber bushings and I felt no vibration in my hands.
The Hydro-Gear 5400 was very smooth and quite. I asked a lot of questions about the Hydro-Gear and Gravely has almost no warranty claims and has run them for 4 years now. It is mounted lower than separate pumps and wheel motors to help with stability.
Gravely had left the irrigation system on for most of the day so I could cut some wet grass. I spent most of my time cutting as this was my biggest concern. I experienced no clumping or stringers. The deck stayed clean! The cut was beautiful on southern grass. Next they took me to a field with grass 8-9 inches tall. This would be the closest thing to northern grass. The x-factor deck had no problem with discharge and the grass doesnt stay inside the deck to long. Similar to my Velocity decks. This was a huge relief for me as my concern was with the small discharge opening. Again the deck stayed clean. The x- factor deck has very good vacuum and discharge pressure. Even in the tall grass it didnt need double cutting! The 24.5 hp kawi (formally 27 hp) had no problem in the tall grass. I honestly cant say the x-factor deck will cut as good as the Velocity on northern grasses YET but Im much more confident and willing to give it a shot. I will not lose anymore sleep thinking about it.
In conclusion I will be ordering a Gravely Pro Turn 452 next week! I will continue my honest review once I start cutting up here on northern grasses.
Gravely told me We have one of the best warranties in the industry, but you wont need it! I have no doubt Gravely will stand behind their equipment and be there if I need them!
Enjoy the pics!!