Anybody have a 72” zero turn?

[MParr]

I have a 2018 Gravely ZT HD 52. My son is on his second Gravely. He traded in the previous model ZT HD 52 for the current ZT HD 60. I mow around 2 acres, and my son does at least double that. Trouble free so far. If it's absolute cut quality you're after, some pro's swear by the Exmark Lazer Z as the king. It's about twice the price of the Gravely.

I traded a Toro Timecutter HD 54” for a Gravely Pro Turn 160. It’s an absolute beast. The X Factor II deck really throws the clippings and it stays relatively clean. The construction and build are by far better than any other mower that I looked at. Better than a Hustler FasTrac SDX! Better than an Exmark. Better than a Toro Z Master. Better than a Ferris. Better than a Scag. Sure, you can get a heavier made Scag but, it will cost considerably more. In fact, you would have to move up to a Tiger Cat II to match a Pro Turn 160. It’s not worth the extra money for the features and lower steel gages of the Tiger Cat II. The Hustler X One and Super Z models are pretty stout. Those two Hustler models would have been my second choice. My local Gravely/Toro dealer has a better inventory than my local Scag/ Hustler/Exmark dealer. Replacement blades don’t really matter. I can get them from either dealer.

 

[MParr]

Those look pretty cool, but probably for young guys. I'm not sure worn knees will work with a stand up.

Or hips.

 

[dlundblad]

Does that hill slope into the pond? Have you used a zero turn before? They can be a real pain on any kind of slope and I won't mow around our pond with any of our zero turns. I've made that mistake too many times before! Using a ZT on a yard with a lot of slopes can be misery if you're not able to mow up and down them instead of across them.

It does, but the pond side isn’t as severe as the other side.

I’ve driven one about 20 years ago at a “dealer demo day” with my dad. It was interesting. Lol.

 

[drkbrent]

I managed a property in the past that had 4 acres to mow with a lot of obstacles and a 72" zero turn. We planned to keep the 72" for the flat areas and use the 60 in the areas the 72 would scalp. Ended up selling the 72" pretty quickly because nobody used it and the cut of the 60" was superior in every way, especially if the grass was damp.

The other bonus was that the 60" mower (a Hustler) cost less than half what the 72" cost (Deere).

Agree 100%. Bought my Grasshopper with the 72” deck then sold it for the 60”. Like you said, the cut is better in every way. Now, my dad has the 72” and loves it, but he just has big fields to mow and isn’t so concerned with the quality of cut.

 

[dlundblad]

Thanks guys.

My dealer is going to loan me a demo sometime this week hopefully. It’ll be the 60”.