Congrats on the purchase! I really like the look of the drive tires. Have fun with it!Pulled the trigger today. I was considering three options: Toro Titan (available at Lowes), a Ferris and the Ariens Apex.
I called Bruno's and their 500S was what fits my budget (they quoted about $6500 w/ delivery). There's a huge price gap to the next model IS600 which puts you into commercial territory, nearing $10K. With the 500S you gained the nice suspension and serviceable spindles which I really liked, but it had ZT-2800 transaxles which lack the expansion tanks (super easy to fill and monitor fluid level) that the ZT-3100 on the Ariens has. Availability and local dealer favored the Ariens.
The Toro Titan at Lowes caught my eye. The deck really stood out, they use angled steel as reinforcement @ front of the deck, where they tend to get bashed on tree roots, hidden stumps and such. All other makes w/ fabricated decks just slap a narrow 3/16" thick flat bar across the bottom portion, which is at least something, but flat bar bends like any other flat steel if you hit it hard enough. It was less expensive but lacked armrests, had cheaper plastic moldings, was very clear it's built to a lower price point.
Long story short, the Ariens won out. I was able to haggle the dealer down to normal MSRP on the Limited model, $6599. They threw the expected financing charges on there for using the 0% APR / 48mo, but still came in under $7K after tax and Arien's $350 off promotion. All dealers I talked to (across all makes including Bruno's) had similar financing options. The catch is that you HAVE to pay it off in 48 months, otherwise you get deferred interested (could possibly be in the thousands) slapped on if you don't pay it off in time, so buyer beware. A lot of people don't understand this and simply make the minimum payments, which is less than what's required to pay it off in 48 months.
I think I got lucky in that the floor/display model (the one I was looking at) was sold yesterday. I imagine that's the one they drive out front once a day for who knows how long, only to return it to storage when the shop is closed. Probably racks up a lot of hours doing nothing. They had another one in inventory they brought out, has 0.3 hours on the clock.
Sorry for the long winded post, but hope these comparisons help other searching for ZTM in 2024. Now to the photos, gets delivered tomorrow.
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Zero turn experiences?
- Thread starter 92saturnsl2
- Start date
Anyone know how to decode Arien's manufacture date from their serial number? Tire code shows July 2023, maybe there's something on the Kohler engine I can use for their build date? Machine was advertised as a '24, probably makes no difference in the grand scheme of things. Arrived about an hour ago with 0.5 hours on it.
The owners manual for your motor can be found here:
https://kawasakienginesusa.com/engines/fr-series/fr730v
They recommend 20W-50 in temps over 32 degrees but looks like 10W-40 is OK.
https://kawasakienginesusa.com/engines/fr-series/fr730v
They recommend 20W-50 in temps over 32 degrees but looks like 10W-40 is OK.
I plan on using Kawasaki's 15w-50 after the initial break-in (I'll let the original oil go about 5 hours) since I'll be right in the dog days of summer here.
I asked the guy that delivered it what they use for factory fill and he said they're shipped from Ariens without oil and they use Kawasaki 10w-40 for the initial fill. I eventually plan to transition to a 15w-40 diesel oil for year round use (50 hour OCI) after a couple changes with the "genuine" Kawasaki oil.
I'm still curious about the build date.
I called the dealer and learned it's a 2023 model. I was mistaken; to their credit they didn't advertise it as a 2024. They explained to me the Limited Edition was made in 2023 only for Arien's 90th Anniversary and dealers are allocated so many based on sales volume. So they had a few leftovers from last year to sell. Makes no difference to me.
I'm more upset that it's been hotter than blazes with no rain for over a week. Other than about an hour mowing some high spots in my backyard, I've not been able to use it. Once temps get this hot and dry, the cool season grasses go dormant. We got a good long shower today (weatherman missed that by a mile), so a mow in the next few days is probably on the table.
I'm more upset that it's been hotter than blazes with no rain for over a week. Other than about an hour mowing some high spots in my backyard, I've not been able to use it. Once temps get this hot and dry, the cool season grasses go dormant. We got a good long shower today (weatherman missed that by a mile), so a mow in the next few days is probably on the table.
Absolutely gorgeous zero turn mower!
Looking forward to reading a detailed review of how it mows and runs, and, of course, some photos of the grass!
Looking forward to reading a detailed review of how it mows and runs, and, of course, some photos of the grass!
I'll start with my only complaint:
Not the quietest deck drive, there's a small bucket of bouncing bolts sound when the deck is engaged. This was noted in many reviews / forums I've read. I studied the belt drive while I had my son running it and there's nothing wrong with it, just inherent in the design I suppose. It's not terribly offensive, but it's there.
This is the first full mow I've done using it (front and back yard) and I've got a good handle on the controls. There's a science to tight turns where you won't tear up some grass. I find myself just using both levers forward with one wheel super slow, the other faster depending on desired turn radius. If I try the recommended "put one wheel in reverse, other forward to keep both wheels moving," I tear some grass up. Need more practice.
The 60" deck works awesome on my hills / varied terrain and is a serious grass cutting machine. I cut sideways across the hills to test stability, and it's more stable than my lawn tractor. Only place it scalped the grass was one spot where there's a very quick up and down, but blades were well above dirt.
The old codger that delivered it to me suggested I mow high as taller grass will crowd out weeds. So I kept it at the 3.75 setting which I'm not sure corresponds to inches, but it's 2/3 the way up there on deck height. I used to mow much lower.
Started the mow at 2.2 hours on the machine. Finished in 1-1/2 hours, what used to take me 4 hours with the old lawn tractor. I think trimming time will end up being about the same or more because there's places I won't take this new zero-turn that I used to mow with my old machine. Inside a tree grove where there's hidden stumps and roots. I didn't care about the old machine hitting stuff, I'm a lot more cautious with this one.
Given the recent heat/dryness it was far from peak grass growing season, so definitely not a challenging mow. But I'm pleased how quick it was with a substantially better cut. The Kawasaki engine is extremely quiet and never gave even a hint of straining.
Post a photo of the mower!
Ok, twist my arm...
Here's a few, with one shot of my son giving it a try when we first got it. I personally like the white and can conclude that if you just want mowing features, it's not worth the extra $500. The USB ports are handy and I think the rubber seat isolators (standard on Gravely) might help some but it still rides like a lawn mower. I don't think I'll ever use the headlamps; in this climate, darkness = dew and wet grass. Rubber "floor" mat is nice. If I'm not mistaken, Ariens/Gravely is the only US company left that is still family owned and hasn't changed hands. That's worth at least something.
Dude! That’s freaking awesome!
Congrats!!
It looks fantastic.
So cool that your son is able to share the joy of a new piece of equipment with you!
Congrats!!
It looks fantastic.
So cool that your son is able to share the joy of a new piece of equipment with you!
Good choice.Pulled the trigger today. I was considering three options: Toro Titan (available at Lowes), a Ferris and the Ariens Apex.
I called Bruno's and their 500S was what fits my budget (they quoted about $6500 w/ delivery). There's a huge price gap to the next model IS600 which puts you into commercial territory, nearing $10K. With the 500S you gained the nice suspension and serviceable spindles which I really liked, but it had ZT-2800 transaxles which lack the expansion tanks (super easy to fill and monitor fluid level) that the ZT-3100 on the Ariens has. Availability and local dealer favored the Ariens.
The Toro Titan at Lowes caught my eye. The deck really stood out, they use angled steel as reinforcement @ front of the deck, where they tend to get bashed on tree roots, hidden stumps and such. All other makes w/ fabricated decks just slap a narrow 3/16" thick flat bar across the bottom portion, which is at least something, but flat bar bends like any other flat steel if you hit it hard enough. It was less expensive but lacked armrests, had cheaper plastic moldings, was very clear it's built to a lower price point.
Long story short, the Ariens won out. I was able to haggle the dealer down to normal MSRP on the Limited model, $6599. They threw the expected financing charges on there for using the 0% APR / 48mo, but still came in under $7K after tax and Arien's $350 off promotion. All dealers I talked to (across all makes including Bruno's) had similar financing options. The catch is that you HAVE to pay it off in 48 months, otherwise you get deferred interested (could possibly be in the thousands) slapped on if you don't pay it off in time, so buyer beware. A lot of people don't understand this and simply make the minimum payments, which is less than what's required to pay it off in 48 months.
I think I got lucky in that the floor/display model (the one I was looking at) was sold yesterday. I imagine that's the one they drive out front once a day for who knows how long, only to return it to storage when the shop is closed. Probably racks up a lot of hours doing nothing. They had another one in inventory they brought out, has 0.3 hours on the clock.
Sorry for the long winded post, but hope these comparisons help other searching for ZTM in 2024. Now to the photos, gets delivered tomorrow.
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Actually had real grass to grow yesterday, took 1.6 hours per the meter to mow both front and back. Time has been cut more than half and I'm definitely getting better at operating it.
My only real complaint is this thing is a nightmare to change oil. The only Youtube video I could find was a Gravely ZT HD 60 (basically same thing, different color and trim). Those have a removable panel to access oil drain tube and filter. The Ariens has a couple "windows" cut out where they seem to expect you to do the work from. I pity those with large hands.
Problem A: Filter couldn't be removed by hand and required removing dipstick tube and one hydro expansion tank to get a strap wrench in there. Strap wrench worked but could only make about 1/32 turn each time before repositioning because of limited space. Easily a good half hour getting the filter off (the new one will be installed correctly). Filter was on so tight that the metal twisted like a corkscrew. Zero room for the punch a hole w/ screwdriver trick.
Problem B: When removing filter, the engine has a nice baffle to drain oil away from said engine. However there's no provision underneath for the oil to drain, except one tiny hole. So you end up with a giant pool of oil underneath the engine, with some areas impossible to clean up.
Problem C: The oil dipstick tube juts out at an angle that makes it near impossible to place a funnel. The dipstick tube is angled straight toward a trim piece that's in the way. It's so bad that you can't check the oil using the dipstick without bending it slightly while removing it. I may have to do future fills from the block itself w/ tube removed. At one point I thought the funnel was secure, but a small gust of wind was all it took and I had a big mess on my hands.
Used Mystik (Citgo) JT-8 Semi-Syn 15w-50. One thing I notice about this engine is it runs HOT. I only ran it lightly 10 minutes to warm up the oil-- at that point the oil was almost too hot to touch. I think Arien's recommendation of 15w-50 is a solid one. On the bright side a PH16 size filter fits it (just barely) so I can use up some of my stash. The OE filter translates to a Fram PH8170, but specs are generic enough (9-17 psi bypass) that almost any filter with a 3/4-16 thread and same gasket dimensions that physically fits should do just fine. Motorcraft FL-400S looks like an ideal fit also.
After a lot of curse words it's done. I intend to change it next at 25, then every 50-75 hours after that.
My only real complaint is this thing is a nightmare to change oil. The only Youtube video I could find was a Gravely ZT HD 60 (basically same thing, different color and trim). Those have a removable panel to access oil drain tube and filter. The Ariens has a couple "windows" cut out where they seem to expect you to do the work from. I pity those with large hands.
Problem A: Filter couldn't be removed by hand and required removing dipstick tube and one hydro expansion tank to get a strap wrench in there. Strap wrench worked but could only make about 1/32 turn each time before repositioning because of limited space. Easily a good half hour getting the filter off (the new one will be installed correctly). Filter was on so tight that the metal twisted like a corkscrew. Zero room for the punch a hole w/ screwdriver trick.
Problem B: When removing filter, the engine has a nice baffle to drain oil away from said engine. However there's no provision underneath for the oil to drain, except one tiny hole. So you end up with a giant pool of oil underneath the engine, with some areas impossible to clean up.
Problem C: The oil dipstick tube juts out at an angle that makes it near impossible to place a funnel. The dipstick tube is angled straight toward a trim piece that's in the way. It's so bad that you can't check the oil using the dipstick without bending it slightly while removing it. I may have to do future fills from the block itself w/ tube removed. At one point I thought the funnel was secure, but a small gust of wind was all it took and I had a big mess on my hands.
Used Mystik (Citgo) JT-8 Semi-Syn 15w-50. One thing I notice about this engine is it runs HOT. I only ran it lightly 10 minutes to warm up the oil-- at that point the oil was almost too hot to touch. I think Arien's recommendation of 15w-50 is a solid one. On the bright side a PH16 size filter fits it (just barely) so I can use up some of my stash. The OE filter translates to a Fram PH8170, but specs are generic enough (9-17 psi bypass) that almost any filter with a 3/4-16 thread and same gasket dimensions that physically fits should do just fine. Motorcraft FL-400S looks like an ideal fit also.
After a lot of curse words it's done. I intend to change it next at 25, then every 50-75 hours after that.
I've got that mower. Love it. Are you near Winchester? Great dealer there.
Dealer is on the middle Peninsula, Fleet Brothers. I haven't needed them for anything except the initial purchase decision but they were great to bring me 3 different brands to try out.
The used z turns I looked for were all mostly worn out commercial mowers that they wanted a lot of money for. Those guys who ride commercial mowers abuse the heck out of them. Oil never gets changed in a timely manner due to being so busy. I couldn't find a decent one.
The Briggs Commercial V-Twins are good engines.
Great ground for a Zturn. Your grass is still green. Mine is pretty well burned up from heat and drought here in eastern WV.
My family used to camp on that high bluff on the Rappahanock. Grays Point at Topping. I know it's all changed now.
