# Ariens Zoom 60 Zero Turn Mower



## Washington95 (Jun 18, 2010)

Any one with comments/experience with one of these?
Has 26 hp Kawasaki motor.  Cost is about $5000 at Home Depot/Lowes.  60 inch cut.  Or better one around same cost (no more)?  Residential use only.  Only thing not rated highly by Consumer Report is bagging and mulching, which I don't need anyway.

Posted initially under Gear Review then realized probably should have been here.


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## misguided (Jun 18, 2010)

*mower*

i can't say much about it other than from sight.  i've looked them over as i go in home depot and i can tell you that it is nowhere near the mower of a hustler.  check with the guy at vidalia small engine in vidalia- 912-537-4926. he gets right on the pricing.  for $5k he can get you really close in hp and cut but the quality will be much better.  i have a 60" super Z i got from him 2 yrs ago and it gets it done.  we use it for home- but between my yard, grandmother, and brother we cut about 13 acres each week(IF we finish)- mostly bahai.  has the 25 or 27 hp kohler(can't remember) and it is plenty.  now my old jd has the kawasaki and it is a great motor but over time the quality of the deck is what will show on the ariens.  if you have a pretty smooth yard and aren't doing heavy cutting it will probably be fine though.  i'm hooked on hustler so i am bias!


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## Doyle (Jun 18, 2010)

My hunting buddy has one that is a few years old.  The biggest problem he has had is finding replacement blades.   Seems nobody carries them (at least for his model).


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## rjcruiser (Jun 18, 2010)

For that price, I'd buy a one or two year old commercial unit.  I know...you're not using it commercially, but the deck and the hydro's will be much better...you'll go faster, your cutting time will be less.

I've got a Hustler mini z 42" that I love (has the kawasaki engine).  Goes faster than anything I've had in the past and the deck is super solid.  Also, made in the USA - Hutchinson Kansas to be exact.

Good luck.


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## Ga Sportsman (Jun 18, 2010)

rjcruiser said:


> For that price, I'd buy a one or two year old commercial unit.  I know...you're not using it commercially, but the deck and the hydro's will be much better...you'll go faster, your cutting time will be less.
> 
> I've got a Hustler mini z 42" that I love (has the kawasaki engine).  Goes faster than anything I've had in the past and the deck is super solid.  Also, made in the USA - Hutchinson Kansas to be exact.
> 
> Good luck.





Exactly right......For that money, you can buy a very slightly used straight up commercial unit.  Anything w/ under 300 hours is really just getting settled in on a commercial unit.

I understand fincancing may be better at Home Depot especially if you already have a card, but check w/ a bank and get a loan......You can really get a super mower off of craigslist w/ low hours in the $4k range. 

Now, that being said, Ariens makes a good unit......If indeed they are the ones making it.  The John Deere units you buy at Home Depot are NOT as good as the John Deere units you buy from the JD dealer.  I know that from a bad personal experience w/ the mower, although Home Depot was helpful in refunding the price.

Good luck


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## HALOJmpr (Jun 18, 2010)

Don't buy anything without going to look at the BAD BOY at Tractor Supply .... 27hp Kohler Professional 60" cut and a fabricated 7 gauge steel deck with a 1/4" leading edge ... it is a big orange tank.  The have a slightly smaller 48" with a 26hp Briggs Professional that's just $3499 .... worth the time to go compare them and parts are easily available through TSC or Bad Boy!!!


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## Washington95 (Jun 20, 2010)

Few updates.

You're right Misguided, the folks you recommended will make a deal if I understood them right; a Hustler 23 hp Kawa that the locals want $6400 for they sell "out the door" for $5100.  Not many will touch that if price is correct.

Also, some info dealers told me as I spoke with them:

1.  Bad Boy is made by Hustler?  Just less expensive version?
2.  Hustler has 4 yr limited warranty; others run about 2 yrs on frame, motor (Ariens) warranted separately (3 yrs)
3.  Ariens is owned by Gravely, or vice versa.  Gravely a large very reputable industrial grade maker prior to buy out, may still be.
And that said, supposedly the Ariens Zoom 60 with the 26 Kawa is exactly (part for part) the same as one of the Gravelys, but the dealer I spoke with, who recommended it over the Ariens wanted about $600 more.  Think the Gravey was a HD 60 or something like that.
4.  The Kawasaki engines are supposedly the leaders today in small engines.  Quality of B&S and Kohler dropped significantly in past year or two, or so they say.   I've personally had several mowers with B&S engines and had no problem, but that was several years prior to supposed drop in quality, but I always took good care of them.  Several dealers who sold both pushed the Kawa above others.  The only one who didn't was heavy into B&S.  Again, I have no beef with B&S so far, but am looking for an engine that is the best bang for the buck.
5.  Until you get into the really pricey (and  one dealer said there are about 60 ZTR mfgrs!!! all with high price commercials units) the Ariens outweighs the others  Also has the "Commercial Z-3100"transmissions some of the more expensive ones tout in their ads.

I'm sort of old school if you haven't yet figured that out.  Back when the auto mfgrs went to plastic and ultra thin skin, reduced weight (or no) frames, they told you what a favor they were doing you, and all that probably did translate to better gas mileage, but it also translated into super high repairs for minor damage.  And the whole while they were "doing us this favor" their cost went down while ours went up.  

For these reasons I tend to look at heavier as better in many instances.

Thanks to those who responded.  Still looking.


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## Ga Sportsman (Jun 20, 2010)

I wasn't aware that Bad Boy was made my Hustler.  Very well could be, just not to my knowledge.  I thought it was a new company that just got into the ZTR mower game within the last couple of years.  Hustler has been around for a LONG time.......They argue w/ Dixon as to whom was the first to create a "zero turning radius" mower.  I had a Hustler Super Fast Track and it was good......Kinda miss it.  I have been looking at the Bad Boys but haven't run one yet.  Had no idea that they were carried by some Tractor Supply stores.  They have some good features.  Claim to have the coolest running hydro system to prolong the life of the pumps.

I too prefer a Kaw engine over Kohler and especially B&S.  Have had very good luck w/ Kawasaki engines although I recently had a Grasshopper w/ a Kohler w/ 2100 hours on it and started right up and ran like a top.  Used a little oil, but ran great.  Guess it just matters if you get the right one or not.  Good luck.  I knew that Gravely and Ariens were the same company.  Gravely makes a very good machine as well.


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## rjcruiser (Jun 21, 2010)

Ga Sportsman said:


> I wasn't aware that Bad Boy was made my Hustler.  Very well could be, just not to my knowledge.



Neither did I.  After looking online, I think they are separate companies...BadBoy mfg in Arkansas and Hustler based out of Hutchinson, Kansas.



Ga Sportsman said:


> I too prefer a Kaw engine over Kohler and especially B&S.  Have had very good luck w/ Kawasaki engines although I recently had a Grasshopper w/ a Kohler w/ 2100 hours on it and started right up and ran like a top.  Used a little oil, but ran great.  Guess it just matters if you get the right one or not.  Good luck.



Yeah...I think Kawasaki's are the top of the food chain...that is what I've got on my current motor.  I've had a couple walk behinds with the Kohler Command 15hp and they were good engines.  Have no idea the hours as they didn't have a meter, but they took some abuse and kept going.

Hustler also offers the Honda motor...which is supposedly slightly quieter than the Kawasaki and has gotten good reviews.  Never had a Honda over 5.5 hp, so I can't say on those.


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## Twenty five ought six (Jun 21, 2010)

rjcruiser said:


> Neither did I.  After looking online, I think they are separate companies...BadBoy mfg in Arkansas and Hustler based out of Hutchinson, Kansas.




That Badboy has a 35 HP Cat diesel as an option.


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## rjcruiser (Jun 21, 2010)

Twenty five ought six said:


> That Badboy has a 35 HP Cat diesel as an option.




Two W's come to mind

Wowza!!!

and 


Why???

I guess there's a Tim the tool man Taylor in all of us.  If I had $13k to blow on a mower, I'd buy it.


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## Confederate_Jay (Jun 21, 2010)

I promise you the Bad Boy is better built than anything in HD or Lowes.  I love mine and you can buy 2 of them for the price of some of those other commercial mowers.  I wish the deck on my bush hogs was that thick!

By the way I also own a Yazoo Kees ZT max and a Cub Cadet RZT50


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## Washington95 (Jun 25, 2010)

I ended up with Hustler Super Duty Fastrak.  Looks good so far, best price was in Vidalia misguided.  

By the way, anybody looking for a big diesel (sp?) might go to the shop misguided mentioned.  They have what might be Hustler's largest ZTR.  It is a HEAVY duty diesel, they say lists for over $16, they're asking $10, and that might be "out the door", meaning saving the additional tax cost.  A lot more than I wanted, but maybe not if I cut grass commercially.


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