Gravely ZT HD-52....100 Hour Review!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- I had promised to do this video! We are coming into grass cutting season #3 here on Catbird Hill with the Gravely ZT HD-52. I have done a couple of previous videos on the Gravely ZT HD-52 zero turn mower that we purchased in early 2021. Here I will give you my opinion on the mower and its performance and durability after 2 full cutting seasons. Thanks for watching!
#gravely #zeroturnmower #lawncare #kawasakiengines
I got a 2018 Ariens Ikon X 52 and it’s been great. No problems still going strong !!!!
Great Mower ! I paid up for the nicer seat, worth every penny. Set it for about 20 lbs over your weight. Rides like a dream. I also mow 5 acres of rocky, uneven terrain. The Gravely is a beast, cuts saplings and thick brush with ease. I think it could cut through rebar, but I won't try ! 😀
@@andrewvandam9453 Way to go!
I bought my Gravely late last fall. Just did 10 hour maintenance. My first zero turn. Love it! Like you my lawn is more converted farm land not smooth rolled turf. This mower is nothing like my old lawn tractor. I’m sure I made a good decision. Watching your videos just confirms it.
Just purchased one today! They told us to engage blades in full/high throttle as well.
Love my Gravely, it’s a best and amazing what it cuts. I’ve cut really tall grass and rough pastures. 6-8 acres at a time.
@FireManTTSOM Thanks so much for watching and for your comment. I truly believe they are the best value on the market right now.
I have a gravely Pro Turn 160 with the Yamaha engine and a Gravely ZT/HD 48” for our property and both of them are excellent mowers love them. And my kids love to use both of them too
I've had my Gravely for 6 years.. Always engage at low rpm. 800 hours never lost a belt and my belt still looks brand new. I cut 4 acres 2x a week. Never an issue with anything.
So strange how some people suggest engaging at low rpm, but the gravely manual suggests only engaging at high rpm
Always engage the PTO anywhere from 3/4 to full throttle. Always disengage PTO at engine idle. Doing these 2 things will make the PTO clutch last longer in the long run. This is for any zero turn mower brand.
I’ve had my ZT52HD since the summer of 2010 and I love it! I cut a little more than 2acres and prior to this unit it took close to 4 hours to cut with a husqvarna 48”. I had a right side transmission leak and I busted one belt due to sweet gum balls (the trees are no more btw). Other than that no issues! BTW use gator type blades on it!!!
Thanks so much for watching and for your comment! I am coming up on 200 hours, and it's running like a dream.
just got me a Gravely also. found a couple other professional lawn guys highly recommend them
Thanks so much for watching and for commenting.I know you will be very happy with it. Just turned three hundred hours with absolutely no issues at all.
@@thebradleysoncatbirdhill6849original belts at 300 hours? What blades do you run on it? Any cut quality problems? I have a new 2023 Gravely ZT HD 60 and absolutely love it!
@@travisricks3436 Yessir! OEM blades. I love this machine!
I think you made the right choice. I am liking your model better than the new models I have looked at.
Thank you, sir!!!! Almost 300 hours now, and I still love it! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Coming into my 5th year of my ZT HD 52. 230 plus on the hour meter. Hasn't been back to the dealer for anything. I considered it a bargain at $5200 when I bought it. My son is on his second Gravely (ZT HD 60). I heartily endorse the ZT HD!
So glad to hear that you have been pleased! So far,. I could not imagine using anything else!
Thanks so much for watching and your comment!
Love my ariens apex 60 . Have 133 hrs on a 2021. No issues. I do throttle down before disengaging pto
Thanks for your 100 hour review. I am headed out today to buy a new mower, it will be a Gravely ZT HD 52. I own an old Gravely ZT1640 from 20+ years ago, that has been demoted to #2 for quite awhile for a conventional mower. I am excited to put a ZT back in the #1 slot. I live on an old farm, so I can identify to the difference between cutting that and a neighborhood lawn,
Thanks so much for watching and for your comment, Jim! I continue to be beyond impressed with the quality and performance of the ZT HD52. I am at well over 200 hours now with nothing other than routine maintenance! If you haven't already done so, please consider subscribing to my channel, as I will be doing regular reviews of the machine as it ages. Happy mowing!!!
Good video!! I have a pro turn 252 has 648 hrs and I still havw the same pto and deck belt on it. Been a good mower for sure.
Thanks so much for watching and for your comment!!!! I am still so happy that I made the purchase.
It has been perfect for my needs!
I'm about to buy my first Gravely.
What a great review. I'm looking to purchase a gravely myself in a 52 inch with a Kawasaki engine.
I did notice while you were mowing a slight rattling sound and now it makes sense to me that I believe it's your foot rest access that pops up for your belts. There's some rubber isolators that would prevent that metal from rubbing and making that sound that seem to be missing or never installed from the factory.
Pretty much appreciate the review.
Thank you, sir! Yes, the rattle comes from the foot plate.
Mines 10 years on and the foot plate had the rattle on it too. Live the mower has been a good one.
Gravely has a good reputation. The care that you give your equipment, it will live a long life on Catbird Hill.
Hey Gary!
I really like their product. The customer service is superb. One of the techs lives a few miles from me, and he picks it up for balancing and sharpening at no charge! They treat you like family!
Hope all is well on the farm!
The mud guards look a lot better on newer machines like this. Nice angle upwards rather than a big black rectangle like old machines.
Thank you very helpful. I’m about to buy a 60” gravely. Great info.
Great video almost pull the trigger on the exmark radius s series it was 9k$ not including tax etc .. saw this gravely model in all black called the gravely ZT HD stealth .. with 52 inch deck they had a special going and rebate saved 1200$ - I jumped on it ..getting delivery this week .. got this model all black limited edition with the kaw 691 engine and zt3100 hydros and it has great reviews
Thanks so much for watching and your comment!!! I actually saw that model in the Gravely dealership. It definitely makes a statement. Enjoy!!!
Im on 5 acres and my Massey Ferguson 135 lost oil pressure today😢. Ive neen wanting a zero turn for a while and gravely do a zero interest deal here in Darwin Australia. They look tough. My land is ex farm but flat so it'll smash it I recon. Good review mate and nice property.
Thank you, Steven! I don't think you can go wrong with a Gravely! Best of luck!
The gravely dealer I bought my ZT X from said 3/4 throttle up to full throttle. The constant tension belt system is meant to take up any slack and it’s designed to be engaged at higher rpms
Thanks for your comment! That is about where I am landing after speaking to a lot of technicians.
Good review I just pulled the trigger today for that model. I got an ex farmland type of land about 1.5 acre. I'm glad ypur satisfied with yours.
Honestly, it was the best value at the time. The dealer reputation for service is outstanding compared to the other brands.
Thanks so much for watching!
thanks for the positive review, just bought one today
Thanks for watching and your comment! I know you won't be disappointed with your purchase!
I have that mower for my business and love it.
Great review John.
We won’t be mowing grass here in our part for Iowa for a few days. We have gone from 4 days of 80 degree weather last week to 22 degrees yesterday and / inches of wet heavy snow on top of a good coating of ice.
Tomorrow, I go pick up my new grapple. Excited for that.
These gravely‘s are amazing machine. I have an old four wheel tractor with a 60 inch deck. I’ve had to replace the carburetor on the Kohler, magnum, 18 engine, but other than that the tractor itself is just phenomenal. I keep thinking if it’s seriously breaks down, I will upgrade to the zero turn mower. However, we have 7 acres and I’m 63. I think I might give out before the mower does.
I agree, Darrell! I think there are a lot of Gravelys who've outlived their owners, lol!
I mow 5 acres with 2 Gravley's........a 52in & a 60..........I use the 52 for around tree's, barnlot & outbuildings.............and the 60 for open areas. It takes Me aprox 3.5 hrs , when I did it with a Lawn Tractor, it took 9hrs !!! In early spring the grass grows fast & thick in my area......I mow every week until the hot weather slows the grass, ....at my age, I doubt I could do it on Lawn Tractor.
@@georgeheidkesr1759 you’re absolutely right, these zero turn mowers can dramatically cut the lawn mowing time. And I may upgrade for that reason alone.
Great video! I do have some thoughts on the throttle speed relative to engaging and disengaging the blades. A tech explained to me that the higher the engine speed when the PTO is engaged the greater the impact there is on the clutches and they tend to break faster. Now interestingly on the disengagement cycle he said that the slower the engine speed the better because if the engine is at 3600 rpm (which is the ideal speed) if the blades are suddenly disengaged there is good chance that the engine will over rev due to the sudden loss of load. Now I had a lawn company in Florida and have personally over 8000 hours running Dixie Choppers and EXMarks. During that time I always engaged and disengaged at the lowest engine speed. Never threw a belt, never stalled out my motor and more importantly never had the PTO fail. Each of my mowers averaged over 2500 hour of the hardest usage imaginable. Now since selling my business I am looking to pick up a 52 inch Gravely. Only has 69 hours and the price is $3500.00 so that seems to be a great deal, especially after watching this video. I only have 1.5 acres to mow at my house but for me except for January the mowing season is year round.
Hey Doug! Thanks for watching and your comment!
I think this will be a perennial debate.
I have since spoken to a lot of techs from different manufacturers.The overall consensus right now seems to be about 75% saying engage at full throttle and the remaining at 3/4.
I can only speak from personal experience with the Gravely that if you engage at anything less than 50% throttle, you'll stall the engine.
You got one of the best
Thanks so much for your comment!
I am very happy that I took my time and waited before I made the purchase.
Thanks for the update. Looks great.
Thanks for watching!
Nicely done! Looks like you chose well!
Can hardly wait to get mowing at this end. Very unusual winter here. Still snowed 3 days last week, and I think there is a growing market for anyone who creates a snowblower attachment for a zero-turn mower. hahaha
Howard, I'm going to start working on that idea right now!!!!🤣🤣🤣
I have grown up being trained to engage the pto at the lowest possible engine speed without killing the engine.
Even if that is wrong, my old habits will die hard.
That's how I always do my PTO stuff, even on my tractor. My lawn tractor has a manual lever engagement, I do low throttle and throw the lever as quickly as possible to keep from slipping the belt too much...After 4 seasons I finally replaced the belt about 1/2 way through season 5 last year...My previous lawn/garden tractor had an electric PTO, always engaged it at low throttle as well, and after 21 years of mowing, it still had the original PTO on it, changed belts a lot through the years as most of that 21 years I was mowing 2 acres with it...never skipped a beat, I still miss that old Craftsman GT6000...they don't make them like that anymore....it had the Briggs & Stratton 18HP Twin Opposed engine, and 44" mower deck. Sadly it didn't have an hour meter on it, but in 21 years of mowing 2 acres, and all the other yard/garden chores that it helped with, it had to have well over 2,000 hours on it.
I brought it's 42 inch cousin Ariens. Way overkill for my 1/4 acre city lot. Lol. But loving it.
As long as it has a cup holder, you're good!👍
Save yourself a thousand and buy the Ariens Apex 52 from Lowe’s. Same exact mower. Ariens owns Gravely. I purchased the Apex 60 and absolutely love it.
I won’t buy a mower from a box store. I support local dealers.
You sold me.
This mower is almost $7,000 OTD now
Hello John! Good looking and running tractor. Nice review and it is obvious how well you take care of your equipment. How is the saw mill coming along?
Hey Marty!!!!
Thanks for watching!
I have been so busy at work, that the sawmill is "second fiddle". But I hope to do a test cut this weekend!
Hope you and family are doing well!
Really interested in this exact mower, do you have any complaints with deck vibrations/ rattle? that seems to be the main complaint i read about from other people online. Beautiful place you have there!
You have the vibration isolation seat correct? Is there a need to upgrade to the full suspension seat? Is it a spine crusher?
Hey Roger! Thanks so much for watching and your question. I actually got the standard seat.I'm 190 pounds, so considering that, it is perfectly comfortable for me so far.
Get the Trac Seat Suspension kit! You will NOT regret it!!
Like the video...but I would recommend getting to the review quicker. Cut the opening four minutes for your viewers, we don't need to see you cut grass and tell us about catbird hill.
Guaranteed the clutch went once and the deck broke
Nope,....300 hours, same belt and clutch. Good luck!🤣
Hello from Pennsylvania I’m planning to buy a used one. Do you think is a good investment?
Thanks for watching, Jesus! YES!!!!
Absolutely a great value!
I've decided to B U Y a Gravely for my property. It'll be B O U G H T right after vacation.
You will be very happy! Thanks for your comment!
just wished it had 2 gas tanks
YES!! 2 gas tanks would be awesome!!!! That’s my only complaint about this mower.
Good to know ….I just bought a zt hd 52 😄 got 1.7 hrs so far ! Oh yeah there a little over 6k here in South Carolina but still great deal
Congratulations! I think you will be very well pleased!