Great review, I have owned a Spartan RZ54 for about a year now. It has the RV691 Kawasaki engine. I have to agree with you on most of your cons. My height control numbers are off, they are also red and have faded so they are almost impossible to read. My gas cap only screws on by about 1.5 threads then the cap starts ratcheting. I believe it's the tank threads that are tight, the cap doesn't spin on easily. I recently jacked up the deck to sharpen the blades and smelled gas, it was leaking out from the cap and tank threads. The rubber gasket in the cap doesn't seat on the tank. One Pro you forgot was that the foot plate lifts out so you can easily clean off the top of the deck. All in all I really like the mower and it will probably be the last mower I buy. Oh let me say I use mine strictly for my yard which is about .6 of an acre. one last thing is I wish they had built in a little bigger storage bin into the top of the tank.
This is the kind of review that I wish everyone would do . After 280 hours you should know everything you like or do not like where as most reviews are just after they got it home and did their first mow . Of course everything is just peaches and cream then because they are so ecstatic they got a new toy !! and it hasn't had true time use to tell if the mower is any good . And I like the fact that you went with the cons first because that is what people want to know the most . As far as your fuel usage I will just say that it is nearly 40hp so what were you expecting ? At least there was a trade off . Poor fuel economy but very powerful and it still makes you money . Thank you sir , I enjoyed your style of review and your honesty .
I just hit 300 hrs on my Spartan RZ HD (2020 model). You had a great review and I agree with everything you said. I see MANY people complain about the deck height and man I must've gotten super lucky - I have yet to have it slip or drop on me. I run a lawn care business and there's been many times I've used it to bush hog some tough areas too. Only other issue on mine, is about once every 100 hours the nuts that maintain tension on the throttle will loosen, which will cause your throttle to drop through vibration. I've had to tighten that 3 times now - but once you do that, you'll be good for another 100 hours or so.
Good video, my man! There is a lot of mowers at there and you get what your budget is! I personally would not put that more up against any other They all do the same job cut grass maybe a little faster maybe a little slower They all have the same issues and breakdowns!! I have a med brick HD and it does the same job you are does have the same suspension +2 dual tanks. I am very happy with it. I could say the same thing about I bought mine in 20 23 but I would not compare it to yours or any other mower 👀
I guess you mow in high theft areas that security and worry of theft is an issue. Been in the business for 20+ years and never had anyone try to steal a mower. now weedeaters and blowers yes. Nice review I am looking at them for next year and you gave me some info on things to look at when I am looking at them. the fuel cap would drive me nuts and the height adjustment would be a no go. reminds me a little of the hydriloc height adjustment on the Gravely back in the day would do the same thing slowly creep down on ya.
Your complaints seem valid to me - especially with the height adjuster. Personally, I just can’t get into a keypad on a mower. Too much margin for error imho. The parking brake issue alone makes that clear.
thank you i’m looking at one a smaller one 61 inch it’s a total of 3.5 acres between two properties i have and this being my first one and it’s between this and bad boy
I have a 2019 SRT-XD, 140 hours, with the 37 hp vanguard. It has been surprisingly very fuel efficient. Zero problems other than the replacing the keypad at 2 hours and I haven’t had any problems since. I love the keypad and don’t know where all the complaints come from. Overall, I would definitely buy another one. I really want their new blackout model called the KGZ-XD. Only thing is it’s $17k
2020 SRT Pro. The height adjuster is fine. 206 hours and never had an issue. I wonder if your deck shock was bad and your deck is bouncing around. I hated the pin system on Dixie chopper. This is a dream for fast adjustment without pending over to set the height.
So the government doesn’t allow a vented cap anymore. It has to go through a charcoal canister then out the exhaust now. What you can do is buy an older bad boy gas cap, or a diesel cap and it will have the vent and fix your issue :). I’ve had some customers their gas tank look like it was gonna explode they got so big with the air in them.
Hey guy, first time on your channel these problems you’re having with this machine I would contact the manufacturer let them replace all the broken stuff and all the upgraded stuff and it should be no charge. That’s what I would do if I were you good luck.
For any one with the shitty height assessment nob, there is a temporary solution I did with this mower take a screw driver and put it between the two holes on both sprockets and a couple of zip ties to keep the screw driver from falling out, it sounds stupid but this can save your ass when you have a lot of yards to do
What happens when water gets othe electric starting pad. That should be deal killer if you are mowing and heavy rain starts . Electronic. Pad???? I don’t know
Valid concern. So far I am 440 hours into ownership and 0 issues with the keypad. I keep the mower in an enclosed trailer or in a shed, so it is rarely rained on, and if it starts raining any significant amount, no mowing is being done, so the keypad itself has been kept mostly dry through it's life so far. I do wash the mower occasionally, and it gets wet then, but like i said, no issues so far. Spartan does now offer/make a traditional key-start system without the keypad now if that was a deal-breaker for you before.
What's the cut quality like? Kind of a important thing to know especially if your cutting commercially. Does it stripe at all or does it cut like a expensive brush hog?
Cut quality is pretty good, I would say not as good as a SCAG but very acceptable. Not all of the yards i cut can stripe and I am in the south, so our warm season grasses don't stripe as well as the col season ones typically. I did just take some pictures the other day of a yard that striped up pretty good, I'll reply again when I have a link.
It is an aftermarket product from a company called Green Guard. I absolutely love it and would recommend it to anyone. There is a mountable switch which i put on one of my lap bars that allows me to quickly close, partially close, or completely open the chute. Great for when I'm making a turn at the end of a pass and don't want to spray grass clippings on something (car, house, landscape beds, etc). You can find Green Guard online and there are lots of options, both powered and unpowered from many companies. Spartan does make one of their own as well for their mowers.
I just got rid of mine at 280hrs. The 1000v motor wasn’t an option when I got mine do I had the 27hp Kawi. Great motor but not enough power for a 61”. Fuel tanks had a fatal flaw with their mounting and they crack at the mounting bolt. The deck adjustment dial was a bad design and the decks drop and scalp on big bumps; it can break you leg. One guy on the Spartan FB group had his deck drop as he was loading on his trailer and he flipped over breaking a hand. The pin system that supposedly corrects the design flaw does not cut at the actual heights. There was a 1” difference between 2&1/2 and 3”. These mowers have serious serious bounce even with the nice seat and they worthless front suspension. The throttle had a design flaw and I had to rig mine to work right. Parking break 😆, rolls on hills. Cigarette lighter port rots after a few months; never got yo use mine once. The deck access plate is blocked by the deck pedal and very heavy. Seat sensor wires pinch easily unless you guide them when putting seat down. The digital screen was garbage. Original deck Springs were two weak. I had to replace them a few times which threw belts till they went to a better spring. Rear wheel axels break and wheel falls off. These mowers are complete garbage. I broke down and just bought a scag turf tiger 2 and couldn’t be happier. Way better cut, power, etc. The TT2 holds hills better. The tank is under seat for lower center of gravity and the tires are 26. I have hills I couldn’t cut wet w the Spartan that I now can with no slip. The new Spartans have improved a bit but not nearly enough. Now toro owns Spartan so they are aiming away from the commercial market. I paid $8k for my Spartan. Now $12k. I paid $15k for my tt2 with a ex military /police discount
I really like the mower but i am one of the ones that is having problems with the keypad im waiting on getting my 3rd one in now. When the keypad is not working it really pisses you off you cant do anything with it
I cannot really recommend one or the other without knowing your situation exactly. If maneuverability and getting into tighter spaces is something you have to do, then the 61" is still very productive and quick. The 72" will help if it's just an open field with lots of passes (to take advantage of the extra cutting width), but even if it is an open 8 acre field, the 72 might save you 20-30 minutes mow time overall, and the more broken up the 8 acres is the less it will help. Depends on personal preference and your situation, your dealer should be able to talk to you and help you out more than I would be able to over youtube. Good luck!
Great video You think kaw is bad take your chances with a Briggs and or Kohler some say Briggs kohler are great many say the opposite … I’ve had best luck with kaw engs
How does it cut? I have a 2019 rt pro with the kawi and the cut quality is horrible.. I have just under 250 hours and I really don’t want to get a different mower but I’m not sure what else to try.
I will say the cut quality is not the best out of all the mowers I've owned or tried. It is passable for what i use it for (which is mainly field mowing) and I've found using the standard lift over the high lift blades work much better. I don't know what your issues have been but mine was it leaving a lot of stragglers. Standard lift blades helped, also removing the discharge wiper from the deck helped as well. It is a little plate maybe 5-6 inches long at the rear of the discharge opening. You can remove it with 2 bolts on the deck and it helped with discharge and keeping the deck clear so it can cut better and process grass more quickly. There are also just certain properties where I know the Spartan will do well, and some where I know I'm either going to have to cut twice or use a different mower. Hope this helps!
@@lyonlawncare4145 mine is definitely leaving lots of stragglers. I mow several yards on the side (all mostly mixed grass and weeds) and it is almost impossible to not have to go back and mow quite a bit of every yard which is very frustrating. Even with clean deck, good tire pressure, and sharp blades it’s always stragglers. I will give the standard lift a shot. I’m not sure my mine has the discharge wiper but I’ll check thanks sir.
@lyonlawncare4145 I have a Hustler Raptor with a 24 hp Kawasaki. Great motor. I guess if you run a lawn care business you'd be more concerned about gas consumption
Very well put. Super informative and well thought out response.... /end sarcasm If you're going to say something like this, at least add SOMETHING as to why you think this. I feel like this video is very truthful and helpful.
