New Mowwer

[Joe W.]

Just got back from the Maryland Turf show and need some insight on a new mower. I will be starting part time in the spring and have a couple of mowers I am looking at, Exmark, Toro, Gravley and Lesco. At the show the Toro guy wouldn't give me the time of day (big turn off). The Exmark guy(excellent mowers I understand) gave me a price of "the mid twos I guess". The Lesco guy seemed to be interested in what I was looking for and gave me a price of $2149.00 for a 48 inch belt drive. All of the mowers I was looking at were 36 to 48 inch belt drive mowers. The Gravley dealer is about 5 miles away, the Toro and Exmark dealer are about a 45 minute drive. I stopped by the Lesco dealer on the way home and was impressed with the parts inventory they had as well as fertilizer and other stuff. The lesco dealer is about 15 minutes away. My big question is, is Lesco a good mower. Thanks for the help.

 

[cleancut]

I've used Gravely's for 4 years now..I have the pro150 walk behinds and the pro260z rider..I've had some minor problems with the w/b's but they're easy to work on and I've been given great service by the Gravely people..All of the mowers are good but one of the main reasons that I went with the Gravely is because the deck heights are so easy to change and they're easy to work on...I also have a Honda w/b that is great...Hope this helps ...Clean-Cut

 

[tlcgrounds]

My Metro Hp and TurfTracers Are the work horses of my fleet. I can always count on them. Reliable and inexpensive to maintain.. They are like tanks!!!!

 

[Trimline]

Aside from the very poor customer service and mechanic availability at our Lesco dealer, the 48" belt drive we purchased last year has held up incredibly well. We had a rear wheel bearing go after about 200 hours, but the machine is solid. Blade tip speed leaves something to be desired, and even more so in remotely wet or long grass. The price sounds excellent, too, we paid 2499 new. Look at Exmark, their service and parts availability is impeccable, and their mowers are very high quality.

 

[GLM]

I have a Gravely Pro 150, 12.5 Kohler 36" and the only reason that I bought it(used) was because it was really cheap!(I wanted a scag) After using it full time this past summer I would give it two thumbs up. My biggest complaint is that the mower is very long and it can be tough to trim with it. On the other hand with high lift blades this thing will pic up acorns pine needles and everything else in its path. It also has an awesome quality of cut! Even though I'm a scag man at heart the Gravelys been a performer. Good luck Jon G.

 

[Joe W.]

Thanks for the replys. I will go back and look at the Gravley and maybe the snapper this weekend.

 

[Green Finger]

Hey Joe,

I was there yesterday and I had a good time. Got a chance to see the Dixie Chopper and Walker mowers up close and personal. There aren't any dealers in our area.

Hope, you make the right choice in selecting equipment. Just keep the maintenance up and you'll be find.

Don't look back.

 

[Cutter1]

When I first started out, I used Lesco. THey were very reliable with the Kaw engines. Pretty good cut, but ran excellent. One problem with lesco here is their repair time. THey don't have a full time man to do repairs, so down time is an issue. The lesco was a good price and a good deal. I liked the warranty and the price, but I switched to exmark and will never go back. I would look at an Exmark metro if you want a good belt driven machine. Maintenance is extremly important (IMO), so go with the dealer you are confident in.

 

[Michael Fronczak]

I've had just the opposite problem. I run Lesco equipment, they just got a fulltime mechanic, but even before, Iwould call if I had a problem they would have it fixed very quickly. When it was somthing that couldn't be fixed while I waited, they give me a demo machine, even if it's not a warranty repair.
I went to Exmark dealer last week, because I was looking at new ZTR, the new Viper price right now is as much as a Lazer or Toro. The dealer said no demos(or used) avalable as loaners, always has machine up in 24 hrs, also said he had a huge parts dept, funny every time I've been in for parts they don't have it.
Dealer definitly makes the difference.