# Maintenance question for new Zero Turn mower...



## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

Hi folks,
This past spring we picked up a new Gravely ZT52HD mower. It's been awesome and has far exceeded my expectations for fall cleanup! I changed the oil after 25 hours, per the maintenance schedule. Today I was starting to do final fall cleanup in the front yard and when I decided to quit for the day, I just happened to click through the timer settings and noticed that it's calling for a hydraulic fluid change in .3 hours. It's got 74.7 hours on it now and the schedule calls for a hydraulic fluid change at 75 hours, then every 400 after that.

I know some of you own ZT's. How much of a job is it to change the hyd fluid. I read the manual and it looks like a PITA! Draining it wouldn't be too bad, but filling it looks like a challenge. That is unless you just drain it and then reinstall the filters and leave the "drain plug" open, (which is really a vent because it's at the TOP of the trans) then fill the reservoir and then reinstall the plug. But then you have to purge the system.

I'm thinking about calling the dealer tomorrow and getting a price on having them do it. If it's too much, I'll tackle it myself. If it's reasonable, i may just let them do it.

So, is it a pain in the butt or fairly easy?

Thanks for any input! I'd like to get it done now so I can finish up fall cleanup and then put her to bed for the winter.

John


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## WALLEYE MIKE (Jan 7, 2001)

jpollman said:


> Hi folks,
> This past spring we picked up a new Gravely ZT52HD mower. It's been awesome and has far exceeded my expectations for fall cleanup! I changed the oil after 25 hours, per the maintenance schedule. Today I was starting to do final fall cleanup in the front yard and when I decided to quit for the day, I just happened to click through the timer settings and noticed that it's calling for a hydraulic fluid change in .3 hours. It's got 74.7 hours on it now and the schedule calls for a hydraulic fluid change at 75 hours, then every 400 after that.
> 
> I know some of you own ZT's. How much of a job is it to change the hyd fluid. I read the manual and it looks like a PITA! Draining it wouldn't be too bad, but filling it looks like a challenge. That is unless you just drain it and then reinstall the filters and leave the "drain plug" open, (which is really a vent because it's at the TOP of the trans) then fill the reservoir and then reinstall the plug. But then you have to purge the system.
> ...


John, I think you might have a low pressure system. Don't know about them. I have a high pressure system. Only time I changed the fluid was for a repair to the hydro pump. Its a closed system and shouldn't get dirty other than maybe some metal shaving at most. Got over 3,000 hours on both machines. I use Mobil1 x-50w.

Got a mulch system on it? Used one like yours last year to test out. Did OK but not as well as mine. (mine chopped a lot finer) Sure is a time saver.


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

Yep Mike,
We bought an installed a mulch kit and it worked pretty well. But a couple months ago, I picked up a set of Gator blades. Those things are the bomb!

All summer long I was cautiously optimistic but a bit skeptical about the fall cleanup capabilities of this machine. Those fears have been put to bed. This thing kicks butt!!! It laughs at piles of leaves that would have choked my Trac Vac. Last weekend, I took it over to a friend's house who lives in Shelby. She has a pretty good size front yard with three HUGE Oaks and a very large Maple. When I pulled up, she had started trying to mulch the leaves with her standard mulching mower. It was a joke. The leaves were SOLID over the entire yard and some piles were over a foot deep. I spent about 20-30 minutes and that yard looked BEAUTIFUL! 

The system on mine is probably low pressure I would think. It has a reservoir under the seat that you just open a cap to keep it filled. It uses 20W-15 synthetic motor oil. I'm going to call Hellebuyck's tomorrow and get a price for having them do the service. If it's reasonable, I'll take it over and have them do it. If they want too much, I'll get the filters through them and pick up the oil at O'Reilly and do it myself. It's not that bad of a job, but I've never done it before. It's just the filling of the new fluid that I have to figure out. I think if I reinstall the filters and leave the vent plug out, I can just pour the oil into the reservoir until it's up to the level of the vent and then reinstall the cap. Then top off the fluid in the reservoir and then purge the system. That seems pretty straight forward.


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

I read through the manual again. It looks doable, but a real pain. Looks like the materials (filters and oil) alone are gonna be probably at least $60. I called Hellebuyck's and he said that they would do it for $110 total for parts and labor. I think I'm gonna go that route. The draining and filling shouldn't be too bad, but purging the system correctly is what concerns me. I think I'll let them take care of it. That way if something isn't done right and causes a problem, it's on them and not ME.


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## sweatyspartan (May 24, 2004)

I picked up a set of gator blades for fall cleanup....HUGE difference. last year I filled 50 leaf bags...this year - 5


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

Oh I know. The mulching kit came with a set of mulching blades and they worked pretty well for cutting grass. But after installing the Gator blades, it's like night and day! I was amazed at how much better they work.


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## WALLEYE MIKE (Jan 7, 2001)

The blades I use are a hybrid. A cross between Exmark mulching blade and a gator (toothed fins)

Been mulching like you just did for more than 10 years now. No more hauling away any leaves. Beside the leaves are great addition (organic material) for the lawn and soil.


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

That's the biggest advantage Mike, not having to haul the leaves out back to dump them. I've been doing that with the Trac Vac for years. There's a BIG mound of beautiful rich black dirt back there now. I just go over the leaves a couple times with the Gravely, and they turn to dust! All of that organic matter gets spread around the entire yard to decompose and enrich the soil. And I don't have to stop every 15 minutes to empty the hopper. 

Maple leaves are a piece of cake, they just about disappear. The Poplar and Oak leaves grind up so fine that you can hardly see them after going over the lawn a couple times. I wish I'd have had one of these ZT's years ago!


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## WALLEYE MIKE (Jan 7, 2001)

jpollman said:


> That's the biggest advantage Mike, not having to haul the leaves out back to dump them. I've been doing that with the Trac Vac for years. There's a BIG mound of beautiful rich black dirt back there now. I just go over the leaves a couple times with the Gravely, and they turn to dust! All of that organic matter gets spread around the entire yard to decompose and enrich the soil. And I don't have to stop every 15 minutes to empty the hopper.
> 
> Maple leaves are a piece of cake, they just about disappear. The Poplar and Oak leaves grind up so fine that you can hardly see them after going over the lawn a couple times. I wish I'd have had one of these ZT's years ago!


Told you years ago thats the way to go. If I remember you said you had too many to mulch.

Yes maples and poplar pretty much just turned to dust. Oak chops up good but are much tougher. By spring all will be completely decomposed. Locust leaves, forget about them. Too small for the blades to work.


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