I looked at these units two weeks ago, among several others. I ended up going with a Toro Timecutter with the "my-ride" suspension system. I absolutely love the unit for comfort, quality and features.
I'm an Aussie. I bought a secondhand Husqy, top of the range residential mower and it cost me $7,500. New, it was $14,000. I hope you Americans appreciate the cheap prices you pay for everything.
@@tonywiggins8073 Well, our government has killed manufacturing in this country. They did it back in the 80s by signing a treaty with the UN, to wind back our wheels of industry to allow 3rd world countries to move ahead. We used to manufacture everything ourselves, now we import everything. BTW, a top of the range Zero turn here costs $27,000. Yeah, ridicules.
@@crustydownunder Hmmmmmm! Yeah that is Redonkeyless! I had to get a 1.5-2 inch shoulder deck bolt for mine and it should be like 50¢ to $2 max. They won’t $11 plus for it. So I cut a wire coat hanger and doubled it up and made my own makeshift cotter pin. I bet I’ll never have a problem or it back out again. The original backed out somehow and the only people who took it off was an authorized repair shop so they prob didn’t tighten it up enough! So the deck hanger bar/brace flipped up and over to the inside of the deck where the pulleys are and the metal pulley grinded a slit in it. I kept wondering where all the sparks were coming from🤣🤣😎. But after it settled and cut the groove it quit sparking 🤣🤣. I thought the blade had hit something and was barely tapping/hitting the inside of the mower deck housing or a mandrel bearing went bad. BUT - Note to self - anything strange happens get off the mower immediately and check it out!
What happens more often then not is a commercial customer goes to the big box store and buys a residential model and completely destroys it using it commercially and then complains how it didn't hold up and is junk when they are the ones who paid 4 grand instead of 15. I see it daily
Husqvarna was one of my first mowers as a kid. The deck size was an off size I think? 23 inch? It was definitely from the early 80s. Great seeing them keep the quality going! I'd run the Husqvarna over my toro super recycler
I'd say they are tuff lol I'm going on year number 5 of zero maintenance other than adding oil when it shuts off once in a great while from being low on oil
For folks with acreage, the MZ61 is great. I just got one and what used to take me three hours to mow with my Z254 now takes two hours. My house sits on 10 acres and I mow half of it.
I confirm that and I'm an Electronics Engineer! I could write several reasons and some are not malicious BUT Farmers can no longer work on their Own Tractors because there is so much proprietary systems on their Tractors. The motivation is profit growth, the reason is the Cuts to the Capitol Gains Taxes (the promise of "Trickle Down" was NEVER sincere). Your perfectly good Lawn Tractor, Tesla (and I'm a big fan of Electric Cars), Printer can be DESIGNED to last a fixed amount of time..........
@@bravocharlie639I'm a service technician of 40 years in the office machine industry. I repair anything from small desktop printers, to commercial equipment the length of an entire wall. Since Covid, and the ensuing supply chain issues, I can equivocally and totally agree with you. No B.S., I have literally replaced more circuit boards these last two years, than the total previous 10 years pre-covid combined. Manufacturers have been forced to shop production around the world for whoever can produce the parts. As a result, their ability to handle quality control has taken a hit.
I have the MZ61, it is okay, works well, just need a way to make it more durable during moments of hitting mud and wetland, have to use chains to keep it moving sometimes. Granted my yard is mostly falt land and some hill. Not so much wetland or mud. But the few spots it does get stuck at messes up the yard a bit lol. Not complaining by far, the MZ61 is just before commercial use so, for what it is, it gets the job done beautifully. Just need to get proper sized chains for it now..
Look up the price of a new screen and wiring harness. I'm fine with checking my own fuel level and turning a key to start. The suspension seat is fine but if the mower is bouncing around under you, the blades are as well and the cut quality will suffer. We'll see how these new blades pan out. I believe he said cast iron? We don't use cast iron flywheels on racing gokart engines because it can shatter and they're not even coming in contact with lawn objects. I wonder if these could shatter and spray shrapnel if you encounter a large unseen rock or obstacle?
1.5 acres is a relatively small amount to mow. I think the xcite z350 or z380 would be a perfect option. Kubota mowers a generally over priced, and the residential mowers are kind of outdated.
This was a fair update. There was no mention of the cut quality of the mower, and the gas tank is quite small for cutting anything over a few acres. I sold mine because of the cut quality, as I had to go over it multiple times to get an even quality cut, and it wind rowed the grass. I purchased a Ferris 61" at a significantly higher cost, but we are VERY happy, as we mow approximately 4 acres and a VERY concerned with the quality of the cut.
@@FrostyTheSnowman12321 My wife's most important consideration is AN EXCELLENT CUT, and she was not getting it with the Husqvarna. We paid quite a bit more for the Ferris, but the ride is EXCELLENT and the cut is EXCELLENT!!! After 4 years all we have done is sharpen the blades and change the oil twice.
Actually purchased new blades, it cutting and windrowing the grass no change with new blades! I had to go over the grass numerous times to chop it up to a finer degree.
I called to order one and they have said they will not even be in stock till 2024 even the regional sales manager told my dealer on the phone in front of me, so good luck getting one.
I’ve had a husqvarna lgt2654 since 2013 and I have to say as a runner I haven’t had any problems. But the transaxle sucks. I’ve already replaced 4 in it. Never again. The tuff torq transaxle I was always told ITS A SEALED UNIT!! Cannot work on it. Well I just did 2 weeks ago because it wouldn’t move So I took it apart and cleaned everything. Refilled with new oil and guess what. It works. Moral of the story. I could’ve fixed my first one knowing what I know now.
"Maintenance free" or "Sealed for life" are just platitudes that indicate a component that will last just long enough to get out of warranty. Buy a mower with serviceable transaxles, and if they're "not serviceable" then service them anyway. Your equipment will last longer.
I work at a small engine repair shop that is also a dealer for Husqvarna and several other brands. Just looking at this I'd say stay the hell away from it. Is it definitely better than the Husqvarna 254? Yup, but then again a goat is. People don't realize that the more gimmicks a piece of equipment has, the more complicated and expensive the unit will be to fix when they start to have problems. The only brand I recommend is Toro. They seem to remember the phrase "it's just a fucking lawnmower!". Straightforward machines whose low-end models hold up longer than some of the "commercial" units from other brands. I'm not a spokesperson for Toro or other brands. But when you fix a variety of the brands out there on a daily basis, you learn what's junk pretty quick.
I’ll never understand why mowers have numbers on the deck height as opposed to the actual height. And who in the world wants or needs LED lights on a mower?! But I like the small storage area and the integrated tie downs.
One question I have that doesn't seem to be addressed by anyone is are the control levers adjustable and how do they adjust? It looks like there is a lever and knob that might let them move in and out, but I can't tell if those are actually for adjustment or removal.. I've even looked up the manual and there's no info on it. If anyone knows, please tell me...
However after all that they ( Husqvarna) still has a solid front axle so when mowing an uneven lawn one is often balancing on two wheels. On opposite corners of the mower feeling very unstable! Also I have a Husqvarna z254 with a 26 hp engine and love except for the solid front axle. 👍
My yard is very rough and rocky WA state mountains My tractor beats me up every time I mow. I mower about 2 acres I now have a Cub Cadet tractor 50 in deck 6 yrs old . I used to mow our church with a zero turn Gravely I liked using that $16,000 out of my price range. What do you recommend I'm 6'2" 300 lbs?
Not a fan of the electronics added. Too many added points of failure as zero turns typically see some fairly rough duty. Maybe I missed it but what was the cutting width? Are the front tires inflatable or solid? Where is the oil change drain, fill, and filter location? Does it auto shutoff safety features? No rollover bars? Anyone who has ridden a zero turn knows these things can get very hinky on a slope, especially if the grass is even slightly damp. The Kohler engines are great, but no mention if EFI or not. Last, there is no way those blades will stay sharp for 5 years. No way.
I'd take a CubCadet and the solid tube frame over this. Or a Ferris with full suspension. I Run a big Block 37 hp commercial Ferris. Fast and super reliable. But $$$.
*THIS MOWER APPEARS TO SCREAM - MECHANIC🤔* I have two of the z254's. They're not so comfortable, but I sure can fix them myself when they break-down. So far, after 500 hours on them, they've held up great. I cut 17 acres. Know that fancy electronics bring with them hidden cost....
The Bad Boy Maverick is a good choice since it has nice wide tires, plus a ROPS bar. If you want to save money, the ZT Avenger is a good choice since it has 12" wide tires, and costs under $5000. You could add a rops bar to it to make it safer on your sloped area. Check out my most recent video to see more info on the ZT Avenger
The stuff in the handles are just a couple on/off, start/stop switches. They are definitely not complex, in fact they are not only added for the additional convenience but they also act as a redundancy back up for the critical controls, just in case the (actual added complexity) digital control panel fails. If the computer fails you still can operate the unit by using those additional controls on the sticks. Those switches you think are gimmicks actually add reliably. 👍
3oohours for residential I think they changed up owner's over the covid an raised there prices a little bit but I been running Kubotas for 5 years now an my next mower is gonna be a Kubota
I see something that is really cool and all but is gonna be out of price range for most consumers. And the maintenance and warrenty on this would be a big concern. When you start getting into all these fancy gadgets and buttons, that just means there's more to go out and will have to be fixed at a high cost if the warrenty is out. And no blade stays sharp for 4 or 5 years. Nonsense.
To be honest, I wasn’t quite too impressed with this mower. The seat suspension is a real cheap knock off from a real suspension seat. I myself am on a Husqvarna PZT 60 that I bought back in October of 2015 for $6399.00. It’s a step down from their biggest model which is a PZ series that mower was about 15,000 and change. But my PZT 60 has 3400 hydro-gear transmissions, where the PZ series had separate pumps and wheel motors. The only thing that I do not like about my mower is, I wish I had a oem suspension seat which was about a $400 option. I wish they had designed it with fuel gauges for both 6 gallon tanks. Other than that it’s been a good mower they’ve done away with the PZ series. I’m not sure what the new line is but they’re top models are around $1300.00. I cut 6 acres and it gets it done in about three hours. Lately I’m starting to have problems with my starter Not turning the engine. I can here the solenoid clicking so I’m not sure where the problem is. I got a great battery. Great connections, no sulfur buildup on the positive or negative terminals. I don’t know if it’s a fuse or if it’s something in the handles. I’m not sure but I always got to give it two or three turns and then she’ll fire right up. But it’s definitely something that I want to look at because I don’t wanna fry my starter. If there’s anybody out there that has the exact same model a PZT 60 with an 810 EFI vanguard please let me know what you did to correct your problem? like I said I’m getting the click so I believe it’s my solenoid because the starter starts up. I know it’s not the ignition because I’m getting power to the starter it’s just not turning over. Any help would be appreciated if someone has the same model. I never tried, jumping the solenoid because I’m not 100% sure how to do that. I believe some people say you just get a wire hook it to the positive terminal and then hook it to the positive side of the solenoid, and I’m assuming that’s the one with the red indicator. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.
@@gleanerman2195 wow I’m sure you paid more then $55,000 for all those together. I would’ve liked to of gotten a 72 inch deck, but they didn’t make that for the Pzt. And I do remember a couple years ago that they did upgrade to all new machinery. I’m pretty sure they did away with the parker pumps and wheel motors and went to the 5400 hydros. I honestly wish my hydros were 3800. My machine weighs 1100 pound dry. That being over a half a ton I will say the machine is built like a tank!! however I think they should have put at least a 28 hp engine maybe even a 30 for that kind of weight. I remember before I bought mine, I was looking at the dealers around my area and I did test drive a PZ 60. I think it was the Kohler EFI and wow it sure was nice. Did they cut down on the weight with the new models? I’m sure they probably heavy the, PZ had 7 gauge deck thickness, my pzt is 9. However, the PZ and the PZT have the same frame thickness but you can definitely tell that they beefed up the deck. I was wondering how those newer ones rode. The other day I was watching a RU-vid video it was a Ferris mower, their top of the line and at the end of the video of the guy gave the price tag it was $28,000!!!🤯🤬. It’s got a fancy LCD instrument panel so you can see your RPM your engine temperature your coolant temperature, your speed, all kind of extra stuff that mowers never had before. I think it’s got 2 shocks n each corner. I’m guessing all that money comes from that caterpillar engine. The salesman said you can only take it to a cat dealer to have it serviced. Ferris won’t touch it even though it comes with a two-year warranty. It’s I got a 3 hp cat diesel. I would like to try and drive at one time just to see, but I have no interest in spending that kind of money on an hour. I’ve honestly thought about buying a suspension seat for my 2015 Pzt 60 810 vanguard 26 hp. It’s not like the seats on the MCAT where there really is no suspension. I do have a suspension seat, but it’s nothing like the ones that you have on the latest model and the ones that the PZs had. And I wish I had a little rubber bumpers on the edges of the deck. You would think they would’ve had that designed back in the day, but they don’t and everybody bumps the deck here and there on trees or whatever they’re getting too close to. But even the machine I have weighing 1100 pounds and not even being the top of the lawnmower, should definitely have some sort of suspension other than the seat. I that’s the my main disappointment is the suspension. I remember I live in Maryland and all the dealers around me wanted 80 399 for that Peezy T 60 with the EFI Briggs vanguard just came out with that 810 cc motor and it was being compared to the 24 1/2 Kawasaki standard motor no EFI. So I went with the Vanguard just because of the gas savings but supposedly they both are pretty much equal when it comes to power Scott big spindles it’s just built like a tank I’m assuming the new ones are still built like the old ones if not better in some areas. But $28,000 is ridiculous if you ask me for a commercial zero turn mower but if you got the money and you want it go for it. And before I get off here there was a place that I was looking at back in 2015 caught sle.com I think it was located in Texas and they were giving away a fleet package and I believe it was a trailer, a blower, a weedeater and a PVT 60 vanguard EFI and I think they were asking like $9000 And it was a hell of a deal but I just couldn’t make the ride and I didn’t have the money but it’s just crazy that local dealers were selling that same model for $8299 and I got it for $6399 by driving a New Jersey no tax got it in the off-season as well.
@@04grizzly660 The 60's were 12 grand and the 72's were 13 grand. They have a really good suspension seat and ride pretty good if they are set a little soft for your weight. They do have the 5400 hydros that I really like over the older PZ's. I've had Kawasakis which I liked but they are bad on fuel. Tried EFI 31 horse Koehlers on one set and I traded them off quick, no hp. Now we have all 33 hp. EFI Yamahas and love them, plenty of power and really good on fuel. As for the bumper, don't see any need for it, iwe torture these mowers and they hold up great. I would put these Z500's up against anything out there.
@@gleanerman2195 you’re right about the side bumpers. I’d have to hit something pretty hard to bang up that 9 gauge deck but I can only imagine nothings gonna dent that 6 gauge steel you’ve got on yours. Soon I’m gonna buy a little bottle of Husqvarna orange paint and just touch up mine because I have pulled the paint off on the sides of the deck and don’t want any rust. But back to your engine, I feel kind of dumb because I should’ve known that. Just last week I was online about the starter issue I’m having and it’s so mild that honestly it’s not really a big problem,I just don’t want any premature wear to happen to my starter, but it’s 100% she starts every time but I just don’t like the idea of it not working properly. But anyway, while I was on RU-vid, I got led to the newer models that took over the PZ line up and remember seeing that they switch to Yama’s. Lol My user name says it all I bought a brand new grizzly 660 back in 2004 and I have had zero problems with that engine and I still have that four wheeler today. Honestly I’m 45 now and I do take care of my toys and pride myself on it but I’m finding that rust is the inevitable killer when it comes to me. I got a 2001 4.3 S-10 that I bought new she’s getting close 25 years about 250,000 miles still runs good. Tiny little bit of rust on the grizzly here and they’re just from Rodney in the water and plowing snow but no problems at all with that Yamaha engine. So hopefully they’re built like their ATVs and you’re gonna have that engine for a long time. With five motors, I’m sure you got a lot of contracts, so we’re really comparing apples to oranges when we’re comparing our mowers. Yours will go through a lot more abuse and use than mine but I got a feeling that 34 hp Yamaha it’s going to definitely “revv your heart” I might check back with you in a few years just to see how they’re holding up lol. Good talking to you enjoy your weekend my friend, You can’t get more envious, and be more confident about a Yamaha engine. I’m sure the last you a long time. I’m guessing that big 72in probably has that 35 or 34 hp EFI. I know my little 26 hp kinda acts like a bush hog and finish mower in one. I use it for personal use only. I’m not a contractor but I needed a commercial mower because the regular garden tractors just weren’t doing it and that’s how my old man did it back in the day took him literally like 7-8 hours cut 6 acres. with the Pzt about 3 1/2 depending if I’m going back-and-forth or just doing counter clockwise, which believe it or not does save some time. There’s a section that’s about 2 1/2 acres and sometimes I’ll let it grow and I’ll cut it twice a year, and it has no problem cutting 3 1/2 ft grass totally overgrown with no problem. granite it doesn’t look like a finish cut, but it cuts right through 3 1/2 to 4 foot grass when the mower deck is in the transport setting that’s what I like to call my “bush hog setting” lol. well, anyway, brother sorry for rambling on and telling you my life story LOL. Nice talking to you bud from Carroll County Md.
@@04grizzly660 They all have 33 hp. engines and well over 2000 hrs. on them, so far just cleaning airfilters and oil changes, they have been really good smooth running engines so far. They are all 2018 year models and will run them till the next upgrade comes. You can't get the Yamaha on any of the new Husqvarnas now and that sux. Every winter I touch up all the wear places with paint. I've demoes them all and none come close to the Z500's.
Nice looking machine but why for an extra couple hundred wouldn’t they throw on a better motor. They had a good thing going with the Z200 & MZ series zero turns with the Kawasaki engine. Now they go and drop one of the most unreliable engines on the market on this thing 🤦♂️
As a Swede living 20minutes away from Huskvarna (city where Husqvarna is made), I find it hillarious how you guys pronouce "Husqvarna" (not trying to make fun of anyone, just enjoying it ^^)
I find it hilarious that the Swedes said to the muslims....."have our country and destroy our culture "....and they did. It's great all we have to worry about is mispronouncing the name of a lawnmower. 😂
Good question. The new suspension system, premium control panel, high end components, plus the bonus features like the headlights and smart controls. Also, the build quality is very good, the mowing deck is extremely good, blades are sharp for 5 year garunteed. 👌 check out other mowers in this pricepoint, and you'll quickly see this mower is without a doubt one of the top In its class.
All residential mowers are junk and most commercial, but the Husqvarna top of the line commercial mowers are the best we have ever ran. Z560X and Z572X
😂😮 This is bull . There not that great for the price. The more electronics the more problems. Time will tell. I’ll let somebody else learn the hard way . My last year Deere z515e is bad enough and cheaper with less things to go wrong. I want a long lasting trouble free can’t see it in this review. 😢😢😢
It’s the usual Husqvarna good looks and gimmickry but more than likely poor reliability. I had an MZT 52. but got rid of it before it completely fell apart by 200 hours.