The Spartan’s deck is DEFINITELY NOT Stamped haha. It’s 100% welded/fabricated. Spartan makes Zero stamped decks. Every single deck they make, even on their $3500 mower, is 7 gauge steel and welded/fabricated
I expect this mower will last several seasons with decent care. ru-vid.comUgkx1VWTrayKBdCKAjzAcZ_Eg4dhHTae3LkN also recommend Also, I ran across the problem with it not starting the 2nd time I used it. There is a safety switch which is pushed in by the chute or mulching piece being attached to the deck. I took the cover off and it wouldn't start. Put it back on, no problem. It takes only a minute with 2 easily accessible wingnuts and no tools. This mower starts up first crank each time and it is a joy to use. It also mows in reverse by putting the key to the reverse area after starting and pushing in the triangular button. It will stay in reverse mode until you turn it off. All in all, for my homeowner needs, I really like this mower-and at 70 bucks a cut here in Miami, it's already more than 1/3 paid for itself in a month.
I’m thinking about getting the RZ pro. My neighbor just got one. The only negative I can see compared to my John Deere Riding lawnmower lx 277 that is not a ZTR that I will have to do more weed eating because neighbor says I can’t get as close to my fence. What are your thoughts how much will have to do? like a foot wider or what are your thoughts. I’m a newbie and have never had a zero turn, but I love testing his.
@@jamespt2005 I can actually get closer to the fence line on a ZTR than I could with a standard riding mower. I’m not sure where he’s getting that from. There is no going back once you go to a zero turn radius mower. In my opinion, it’s all advantages and really no downsides to it.
Spartans are beasts !! I have (2) 72" units and love em !! 1 is a 32hp Vanguard and the other is a 36hp Vanguard. Air cooled motors are truly the way to go. My first unit was a 2000 Bad boy with a 29hp Kawasaki liquid cooled motor. I will never own another liquid cooled motor again.Waaaay to much bs to keep em runnin...
Boy great analysis. I’ve looked at several of the brands you did. Including Spartan. Gravely. Cub Cadet. Ferris. At 1st things were very clear what I wanted. But as I looked now I am confused at certain details. But this spreadsheet sure helped. Thx for the time spent on this video. Spartan has been high on my list as well.
Good luck on your search! One thing I forgot to add in the video that I learned was that all of Spartan's mower's are put together by hand. You can probably tell in a few shots in the video, this means that you could practically remove/repair anything on this mower with nothing more than basic tools. Stuff like that made me even more certain of my decision as there's nothing more annoying than trying to remove machined or specialty bolts/equipment.
i also was wanting a spartan or ariens apex mower. i would have purchased the spartan but they sell the ariens at lowes and you can get some good discounts. i purchased gift cards for 10% off, then got military 10% off and they were also giving an 11% rebate at that time. ended up getting the ariens apex 60, kawasaki, for about 3700. i tried to get the spartan dealer to give me a deal and he wouldn't budge on price. after having the apex for about 3 years now, i can say its been a great mower, great cut, great in deep grass, no problems at all except decals falling off. but i will say that if the prices were equal i would probably have purchased the spartan, i think it would be a smoother riding mower. the apex is pretty rough on rough terrain.
Im sure your research led you to know that gravely is made by ariens co. So they are similar in many ways and xmark is now held by the Toro company. At the end of the day Robert foster is killin it with these new mowers.
Fantastic chart review with the exception of saying the Spartan has a stamped deck.. Far from it. 🤔 For those that are wondering, you can get this mower with a key ignition. My Pro 54” has a key ignition and was the only one available at the dealer. They can get you a key ignition if you request it. Absolute fan of Kawasaki and I will buy nothing else. Before they were bought out by Husqvarna my Yazoo-kee was a Kawasaki engine and after 20 years I sold it to my father and it is still rolling and has not had one problem with the engine. Also this mower is not hydrostatic, which in opinion is fantastic and one of the reasons why I bought the mower. This mower is built like a tank and rides like a dream. I have an acre a lot and it literally takes about 30 minutes to mow my yard.
I have to be honest, this is an awesome review! I’m looking at the Spartan mowers now and I currently have the Troy-built Mustang, it’s an “ok” mower, but it does have the kohler motor which is much better than the Briggs. Thank you so much for the video
Very nice. If anyone else is looking for mowers and are fellow veterans or first responders, keep in mind SCAG and Bad Boy mows have amazing discounts for us. And both companies have amazing mowers. Still torn between the two companies.
That was a great video. Spartan was my 1st choice 3 years ago but closest dealer was three hours away. I now have a Exmark Radius X model. Right above the one mentioned in your video. Believe me sometime I wish I would’ve brought the Spartan but the Radius has made me a lot of money. Looking for something more commercial now for my business. Maybe Scag or Toro. Dealership support is key. Still no Spartan dealership in my area. One came and left and I wonder what happened to that dealership. They are still there but no Spartans. Thank you again for the video.
Thanks for a fantastic video! I just spent a few days researching and visiting dealers, and my next step was to do a spreadsheet. But then I narrowed down my priorities to engine, transmission, and comfort and guess what - the Spartan RZHD came out on top. I ordered one today, then found your video. Excellent effort!
I wish that I would have seen this review two months earlier. I bought the Spartan RZ- pro but i should have gotten this HD model instead for a $1000 more; the upgrades are definitely worth it.😢
The Spartan definitely does not have a stamped deck, but loved the video and the effort put into this. Debating between a Spartan and a SCAG for my next commercial mower.
Patrick Farrell I have a Spartan 54” RT With a Kawasaki FR691V 32 run hours and won’t run. Dealer says parts are back ordered with no end date. Spartan Customer service was no help with resolution and told me to take it up with the dealer. Very poor support and reliability.
Thanks for the review. Very well done and infomative. These mowers really are incredible. There are so many easter egg features and benefits in the design. ~ RZ Pro 54" 23HPK
That's awesome to hear! I'm in the same boat. I've now owned it for 3 years and I still love it as much as the day I got it! Everything on it is still in excellent shape and despite me hitting some fairly large objects here and there and cutting some 4-5 ft tall grass for some family, I've yet to have had a broken belt, pulley, or spindle. It still cuts like the day I got it!
How can I get a copy of your spreadsheet? Get video by the way. I am in the market for a new zero turn. I have 4 lawn mowers, 2 zero turns and 2 tractor types. I only bought my club cadet brand new, and it was the worst investment in my life. Thank you again for the video.
That yellow brand is a cheeper version made by a manufacturer of one of the better quality Companies. They do make it using their experience in design and safety but cost cut with manufacturing. Enough said.
Hello Tyler . I have the 42 inch cut Spartan and one thing that I have noticed . It needs a push -pull rod and spring. It is the RZ-C version for 2021 . And without it the deck does vibrate. Other than that . It is a beast and mows like it's big brothers.
I live in ireland. I have been looking at the rt Pro 27 hp. I have 2 say after looking at the reviews on RU-vid I have change my mind. Nice machine on paper but that's like it.
Great video very informative your efforts are truly appreciated. The only concerns I have about your lawnmower of choice the Spartan is the Stamped Deck it is not as rugged as some of the others with their Fabricated Deck. Stamped Decks have weaker areas on them especially where the metal in bent to form the shape of the Deck. The area in the back of the lawnmower that looks like a shield looks thin and pliable with sharp edges. I love the console and all of the information it provides that alone made me take a closer look at this beast of a lawnmower. Good luck 👍🏼 I may join you in owning the Spartan as well.
I've been considering uploading an updated video. I erroneously claim the deck is stamped, but it's fabricated. I honestly don't know why I thought it was as it's been awhile. But I still own it and still love it. I've had no major issues out of it thus far.
That was an AMAZING review video. I am currently in the market for a mower to start my mowing business. This gave me hard numbers to look at which I really appreciate. I was leaning towards the Spartan before watching..... leaning even stronger towards it now. Thanks so much for all the time and effort.
I also own a brand new Spartan top of the line best you can buy but they have problems with the control knob that adjusts the deck height it comes loose and falls down and the two arms that control the speed to come loose all the time and a very sloppy but other than that the mower is great
I really liked how you broke down the important points and made comparisons, that was a great method to aid decision making. I know its been a while since you posted this but I just found it. I am looking at the Spartan SRT XD to start up a mowing business in WA state. Did you by chance have your spreadsheet in its native file? It would be so helpful if we could down load the spread sheet as a template, clearing brands and or detail data points and replace them for the brands we want to compare. Just to share, the preliminary shopping I have made, I have found several brands that have less options but the pricing is nearly twice what the spartan top of the line is.
Any reviews after using it for a while? Also pricing has changed so I’m considering buying something in the spring. Im still undecided on which brand. I’ll be cutting 1 acre.
5/17/21, Just got a Gravely ZTX-42 (right size/price 4my prop/$4089.13, tx, prep, del. out-the-door). Q: some come w/lights or light kit; who cuts grass in the dark? I sure don't.
Really a good review. I would like to echo that making the spreadsheet available would be a nice gesture. Have you ever towed anything with yours? You have the attachment But no ball, so I wonder if you have. I have a 6X10 utility trailer I would want to pull around my property for debris cleanup.
I'm in the same boat as you. I don't do this for a living, so I'm not super familiar with all the ins and outs of mower equipment, so I'm having to dig and research. Just curious if you looked much at Bad Boy when you were shopping. I was going to buy one but saw a YT video point out a lot of issues. I was thinking maybe Gravely, and now maybe Ariens or Spartan as well. Any thoughts on Bad Boy?
Yes spartan seems like a good mower for the price yes but I also read some not so good reviews on these mowers been hearing they are in the shop alot or have had 5 motors put in them... if you have time check out spartan mower reviews... although I've test drove one of these they cut well sound good but what about the long run... sometimes its not how it runs now but how long will it run in the long run... sometimes its how long the manufacturer been around and how long me personally I like john deere cause they been around 137 years so I feel more comfortable with john deere than any other manufacturer im not being baised ive test drove pretty much all mower brands but my preference simply is john deere because its close to me parts are easy to get and when and if it goes to the shop for repair it usually not long 2 weeks tops sometimes its about the price and other times its about whos been around the longest
@@ezrawaters6653 True. Engine replacement has more to do with who operates/maintains the equipment. How long a company has been in business MAY indicate they will be around for awhile longer but 😎 I have found they are good at marketing and production of there products. Several out there. Most professional, Full time mowing maintenance rather replace at 3 to 5 years tops. But really this articles importance to most readers is to compare best quality to price value. No Overnight operation will produce quality products.
Hi, if you still have this would you still liking it? I am in your shoes now. need to find a reliable mower in the $4000 range, with 54 deck, a use Hustler or Gravity can run me for that amount, and at the same time I can buy a new spartan for the same amount.wondering if it will be comparable. It one of the best reviews I have ever seen, cannot imagine the time you took to put this together. Thanks
Yes. I still like it. I have no major complaints and I've ran into no major issues with it. I believe I'm approaching around 100 hours with it - so nothing extensive, but I'm very happy with it.
I was originally looking at that model, but was unaware Spartan's listed price on their website was the financing price. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Great video Tyler! We manufacture the electronic console that Spartan uses on their mowers and I would love to use parts of this video on our website and social media. Could you please contact us at sales@gdimeters.com?
Spartan is an absolute piece of junk.They don't want honor the warranty.The starter doesn't work the stupid push button relay starter with the code is absolute junk.They don't want to warranty anything.They treat you like garbage.I wish I would never bought this.Junk paid almost ten thousand dollars and all I do is work on is junk warning
The problem with this mower coming from someone who has a lawn business I cut 60 to 70 lawns a week and this spartan will not last I replaced mine within 2 summers it’s a 54 inch srt pro. So for home use it’s ok commercial it’s not spend more for a better mower. And the warranty doesn’t cover wear and tear from working in the field they did how ever replace the spindles and tensioner. These other mowers your comparing are for light use also they won’t last for a commercial business.
What specifically that broke on your SRT other than the spindles and pensioner that made you replace it? And what do you mean by "And the warranty doesn’t cover wear and tear from working in the field "?
Tyler the attachment bolts used for deck to height adjustments were basic grade 3 or 5 bolts that have a eyelet on top they were a major weak point they did upgrade that. Still not very strong compared to my hustler /bigdog stand on mower. Also becasue the shoot was wide it made the deck prone to bending had no side support. Blades and spindle design had blades tucked up under deck to try to achieve better lift making almost impossible to cut shorter lawns which in turn caused you to hit sprinklers when tying to mow shorter yes you can use a spacer but then it’s another weak point on the bolt for blade. Also on the 54 where the blades would point at each other they were almost an inch a part causing mow hawk in grass when turning the 60 inch didn’t have that issue the blades were about 1/4 inch a part. Becasue of the deck being so thin on this mower compared to say my mower now they said the bending of deck was abuse not becasue of the thin metal they boasted about strong decks but I have welds that broke becasue of weak craftsman ship that’s not to say I never hit a fence post or anything but my mower now looks brand new with no deck issues. They used a control panel for starting mower the screen broke and I couldn’t use it wouldn’t warranty it I have to buy it that was in first year. Anything else
Well I am pretty sure that if you bent the deck and the spindles had to be replaced . Whatever you ran over to do that amount damage. I am sure the dealer and the company both considered it abuse as that there have been thousands of people that heavily used 10 gage decks without bending them up for commercial use. The spindles are commercial grade all day. I know every machine has their weaknesses to include whatever brand your using now.
@@brettfincher3332 sometimes one just can't fix or warranty "stupid"... My question is , what did the clown run over ?? Maybe he's not educated enough ta use a push mower !!!
Ben , with all due respect... I own (2)72" units with Vanguard air cooled motors...not 1 oz. of problems in the last 3 years... just change oil and move on.. What are your 15 year old cash paid grass cutting kids runnin over ? tree stumps and fire hydrants ? Maybe you haven't graduated from push mowers yet... If I were you id stick with giving the kids you hire cheap push mowers and throw em in the trash can when they tear em up...jus sayin..