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GRAVELY PRO TURN 452 REVIEW!! With Pics!

223K views 695 replies 63 participants last post by  McFarland_Lawn_Care 
#1 ·
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 doesn’t 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 didn’t need double cutting! The 24.5 hp kawi (formally 27 hp) had no problem in the tall grass. I honestly can’t say the x-factor deck will cut as good as the Velocity on northern grasses YET but I’m 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 won’t need it!” I have no doubt Gravely will stand behind their equipment and be there if I need them!

Enjoy the pics!!
 
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#4 ·
Great review!
I'm glad that you got the chance to test it, and as for the pics, I say thanks again.

Like I said before you left, that discharge chute makes me think it'll cause clumping up here in the north on wet turf, but I'll be glad to be wrong. I already made my decision just before you left, and have my new machine in my shop now, but I'm still interested in these Gravely's.

Keep up the great reviews!:)


BTW- Are those run flats, or pneumtaics up front?
 
#10 ·
Great review!
I'm glad that you got the chance to test it, and as for the pics, I say thanks again.

Like I said before you left, that discharge chute makes me think it'll cause clumping up here in the north on wet turf, but I'll be glad to be wrong. I already made my decision just before you left, and have my new machine in my shop now, but I'm still interested in these Gravely's.

Keep up the great reviews!:)

BTW- Are those run flats, or pneumtaics up front?
They are hybrid runflats. Some air is used for extra cushioning.
 
#12 ·
Thanks for the review and pics! I think that you will be very satisfied with it. It is a very nice looking mower.

How did you like the deck height selector? It looks very similar to the one on my Gravely 260 Pro Ride. I also think that the 24.5 hp Kaw. (formerly 27 hp) will be more than enough power for that combo. I have that engine on my Pro Ride and have cut some thick, heavy spring growth lately and have yet to bog the engine down. Of course, that Pro Ride deck discharges so well that it doesn't probably need as much power as some of the tighter baffled decks need.

Keep us posted when you get it and take some pics of its cut.:)
 
#14 ·
Thanks for the review and pics! I think that you will be very satisfied with it. It is a very nice looking mower.

How did you like the deck height selector? It looks very similar to the one on my Gravely 260 Pro Ride. I also think that the 24.5 hp Kaw. (formerly 27 hp) will be more than enough power for that combo. I have that engine on my Pro Ride and have cut some thick, heavy spring growth lately and have yet to bog the engine down. Of course, that Pro Ride deck discharges so well that it doesn't probably need as much power as some of the tighter baffled decks need.

Keep us posted when you get it and take some pics of its cut.:)
That dial adjust deck is slick!
 
#17 ·
I bet he is returning the famous line that GMLC used to use when discussing the Bad Boy mowers----EL means Entry level mower. Remember, Stan has a Bad Boy.:)
Ah yes, I had forgot that to be honest. I do know that Stan has a BB though. Let the fun begin:laugh:. Thanks Razorblades. :)

Hey, at least Stan isn't running "The Beast" :dizzy::hammerhead::hammerhead::laugh::laugh:
 
#18 ·
I used to live in Altamonte Springs on the north side of Orlando. We built homes and condos all over the area though, so I was wondering where you were at exactly for this demo? Might have been right near there at one time or another.
I believe the community was called "reunion" or something like that.
 
#21 · (Edited)
A couple things I forgot to mention. The frame has dedicated tie down areas fabricated into it. Also the deck is hung with control rods instead of chains to prevent the 200 pound deck from swaying on hills. I will get a good test on hills and update the review. Another thing that impressed me about Gravely was they kept asking me what I didn't like, not what I liked!
 
#23 · (Edited)
Thanks for the review and pics. Good looking machine.

Just curious what other mowers (brands, sizes) you are running or have run so we can get a base line as to what you're comparing the Pro Turn to.

Some questions I have are, how heavy or light did the deck lift feel? It looks like the seating may be higher than some which may be unavoidable to incorporate the air seat system. Or maybe it looks more like this due to being a 52"/smaller machine. I'm probably more use to looking at the 60" units and larger. Were you able to try it out on any hills or banks? Compared to Hustler SZs I've been running most recently, It looks like the engine is placed farther back in the frame. Another words, there is more sticking out from behind the back wheels. I wonder if it would feel lighter in the front end, or cause any issues with a bagger? Would you recommend opting for the full pneumatic tires to improve the ride even more? Any negatives? So far all I'm hearing is good.
 
#25 · (Edited)
I bet he is returning the famous line that GMLC used to use when discussing the Bad Boy mowers----EL means Entry level mower. Remember, Stan has a Bad Boy.:)
Yep, you're right Razor, I posted an answer before reading your post. Had to give him a little bit of a hard time. :)

He's gonna love that seat, I rode a 460 around a dealer a few weeks back and that seat is great. I wondered (a few years back) why someone didn't use a true air ride seat.
 
#26 ·
I liked this model too when I seen the first pictures of it a few months ago. I would like to know if they got the balance right on this one, giving it more downhill traction. The 260 I had, had no downhill traction at all, which is why I gave it back to Gravely, that and the deck did not mulch, or stripe as well as my other mowers. To bad too because the Gravely people are very professional and the mowers seem well built. How about those control arms in stead of deck chains...lets see where did I see those first ... oh yeah BB doesn't use chains either. lol Keep us updated with the traction compared to your Scag.
 
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