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@@user-cd2jm8bq7y Thank you for watching.

@Buldgr thanks for watching. I see that you haven't watched ANY of the videos I've done on this mower. It's not cheap by any stretch. Ariens used to be a very reputable company, but any more. When I bought this machine, I was in a bind and trusted my dealer to steer me in the right direction. This is what they suggested. After trading with them for 22 years, I thought they had my back. They didn't. They saw I was in a bind and just wanted to make a sale. If you watched this video in its entirety, I had what I considered a yugo. Little did I know at the time that I already had a Cadillac, but I didn't think it made good business since to spend nearly $2,000 on repairs on a nearly 18 year old machine. Enter the Ariens....

@@BigSouthOutdoorsTV You are 100% correct this is the 1st video I've seen. I'm sorry that you have a dealer that would treat you like that after such a long "relationship". I hate that you are having trouble with the machine but wish you the best of luck! It looks like God blessed you with lots of know how and the ability to fix things, so I'm grateful for that! God bless you!

@@Buldgr Thanks, and God bless you too.

@TABrown-xh7xc thanks for watching. That is AWESOME! I hope it lasts you for quite some time to come.

@TABrown-xh7xc thanks! Yes, they are telling we will get 4-6 inches, which will most definitely put a damper on the mowing.

@douglasgraham1916 I agree. QC used to be job one. Now it's max profit with just good enough a product to keep the customer coming back, whether it be for parts or trades. My dad always taught me you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

@NewHopeCutzandLawnCare unfortunately, I can't. We have to have it to get through those small gates. My hope is the factory forks were defective. Are y'all going to get much from Debby?

@LinKuip Thanks for watching. I'm sorry this isn't what you needed. Sometimes, repairs are in such difficult places to get to it's impossible to film anything but the before and after. If you have a machine like this, there should be a sticker with a belt routing diagram on it.

@bbjazzmanjazzman7721 Thank you for watching. I guess I'm going to have to do a follow-up video on these subjects. The yellow mark is in no way linked to the gorilla lifts. The deck hits the sides of the trailer long before the fill neck gets anywhere close to the lift housings. The blade wear is due to the fact the blades are made of unhardened steel. I took them to a metallurgist and had them tested. His findings? Only trace amounts of carbon in the steel the blades are made from. The gas neck damage was discovered only hous after taking possession of the mower from the dealer and had only been used on one property....for testing purposes. I honestly have no clue what happened or even where it happened. All I can say for certain is that when we went to fill the tank for the very first time, gas spewed down onto the trailer deck from behind the fender. How it got like that is still, to this day, a mystery.

@@hairycods2273 Thank you for watching. I've never operated a mach one. Do they discharge as effectively as they say?

@@BigSouthOutdoorsTV yes the discharge is ridiculous out of a Mach one…so much that in tall thick Johnson grass the engine really doesn’t feel any strain because it discharges so fast

@hairycods2273 My 452 has the x-factor 2 deck. The discharge capacity leaves much to be desired. My 352 has the x-factor 3 deck. It kicks grass out 15 ft and 4 ft. high. It scatters the clippings very efficiently.

@DMPB-fi2ir thanks for watching, but let me make one thing abundantly clear. Although Ariens does sell Gravely machines, Gravely is a completely separate division and are a FAR BETTER built machine over any Ariens. Ariens did not invent Gravely. It was a completely separate company started by Benjamin Franklin Gravely. The company changed hands many different times and Ariensco bought the rights to sell Gravely products in 1994. Don't be afraid of Gravely machines. I've run them since 2008 and I've never regretted my decision. They are built to go the distance.

@arthurrodesiler3109 thanks for watching. I used to have a Craftsman z6400 that was a tank. I attained it through a barter deal. It was a 2005 and I would give nearly ANYTHING to get it back, but the gentleman I sold it to won't sell it. 🤣

@@Relentlesstoad56 Thanks for watching. I love both my Gravely's. My 452 has almost 1,400 hours on it.

@Relentlesstoad56 Thanks for watching. I'm glad you love your machine. I pray it serves you well.

@@DMPB-fi2ir thank you for watching I agree with you on every point.

th-cam.com/video/PPCaqCRg_vI/w-d-xo.html

@motaz1975 Thanks for watching. You're right. It does look that way, but IT SHOULDN'T be in that condition with only 140 hours on it. The Craftsman z6400 that this machine replaced a year and a half ago was in FAAAR better condition, and it was a 2005 year model with over 800 hours on it.

@@BigSouthOutdoorsTV stupid question and maybe i missed it, but i thought it has a 3 year 300 hr warranty? is Ariens not covering any of these issues?

@motaz1975 NO, they didn't. If you are using anything under 44" for more than 1 hour a week, or if you transport it on a trailer for "pro" use, regardless of hours used, they warranty it for 30 hours only. Problem was, I was not told that fact until AFTER the sale was finalized. I used it for 5 hours and realized it was not going to hold up to meet my needs. I took it back to the dealer and they would not allow me to trade it. That's the reason I no longer trade with that dealer.

@@BigSouthOutdoorsTV wow! that is awful! i'm fortunate enough to have been dealing with a great dealer for a long time. he even took my almost 10 year old gravely in on trade for my new 52" icon onyx.

@motaz1975 I had been trading with this dealer for 22 years at the time. They had ALWAYS treated me well. I never expected them to do that after having a trading relationship for that long.

@@user-op6eb2sw9h no, engineered by GRAVELY. Ariensco bought the rights to sell Gravely mowers.

@stratos6061 thanks for watching. I've seen reviews of the Stihl mowers. They are Simplicity mowers in Stihl colors. I've never operated one, but from what I've heard, they're not that great. Don't quote me on that, but that's what I was told.

@@BigSouthOutdoorsTV Yes, they're made by Briggs & Stratton, which also owns Ferris and Simplicity. All three (Ferris, Simplicity, and Stihl) look very similar. The Stihls seem to be nearly exact replicas of the corresponding Ferris models, so they should be every bit the mower that the Ferris mowers are, with similar performance and reliability.

OK....???

@@davidholmes7215 thanks for watching. Get your model number and go to Amazon. You should be able to find aftermarket spindles for your machine.

@@BigSouthOutdoorsTV okay sir i bought after market blades for my gravley zero turn zt 34 inch will they work on it Sir they straight blades

@davidholmes7215 Yes, if the center hole is the same, and the length is the same, they will work. What you'll have to do is set your deck at the height you normally cut and measure the actual height of your blades. After doing so, raise your deck height adjustment to compensate for the difference between the oem blades and the flat blades.

@@BigSouthOutdoorsTV okay Sir i really appreciate your help

@@davidholmes7215 my pleasure.

👌

@chrisnold1440 thanks for watching. As a matter of fact, it did. The factory blades have a 3/4" drop. I just measured the blades at each height i,e. 2.5, 2.75, 3.0, etc, until I got my desired cut height on the blades. Once I figured out the difference in height between the deck adjustment and the actual blade height, knowing where to put the pin in the deck adjustment was easy. I hope this helps...

@@leecochran5912 Really? I may have to look into that.

@@BigSouthOutdoorsTV I sent the link to it on Amazon above in my post , it’s like $54.00 on there.

@stevanrose7439 thanks for watching. That was my guess at first. After taking some measurements, I realized even that isn't possible. The deck sticks out 4 inches beyond the gas fill neck. Even going through tight gates, the gate post scrapes the deck, not the fender.

@auralsonicwaves7170 thanks for watching. I had a vice but had no permanent place to mount it. I've been using this method for more than 24 years, and it works fine.

@johnw7587 I've thought about it many times, but this works well.

Too expensive ($220) for me. I do the same thing that Bryan does except I use my shop vice to hold the blades.

@@SaltyDomeRat thanks for watching. How much do you mow and how often?

@@BigSouthOutdoorsTV 2.6 acres every week. I was looking at the TC max myride 54”. Thanks for taking your time.

@SaltyDomeRat check into a Gravely pro turn z 52". It's an entry-level commercial machine. They are very good machines. Not trying to sway you, I'm just not familiar with Toro.

@@BigSouthOutdoorsTV I appreciate the advice. Happy mowing.

@TuckerSmithCoaching WOW! What an AWESOME comment. Thank you soo much for watching. I am so glad I could help. The best way to control clumping is to start at a height above what you want to lawn to be. Make several passes over the lawn and drop the deck 1/2" each time. It will take more time, but in the long run, it will save you time. Also, don't cut your lawn when it is wet with dew. Dry grass spreads better. As for keeping clippings out of flowerbeds and weed control, when mowing, discharge clippings away from beds back into the lawn. Weed control can be done by using a simple weed killer, then removing the dead material. Let me know if I can help in any other way.

@@BigSouthOutdoorsTV I used your advice to prevent clumping and it was much better 👍🏻 thank you

@@TuckerSmithCoaching AWESOME! Thank you for your support.

@goofball1810 thanks for watching. I appreciate your thoughts. Please read my responses to other comments like yours. No, we cut lush thick grass in small areas. These blades are completely different than those on the 52" Ikon. Biggest difference, they ARE NOT hardened. I took the factory blades to a metallurgist and had them tested. There is only trace amounts of carbon in the metal. Carbon is a hardening agent. That's why the blades don't last. As for the gas tank, the properties we use this machine on, there are no poles, shrubs or trees. There is a narrow wooden fence but the fill cap clears is with room to spare.

Thanks for watching. I always zag when everyone else zigs.

@@douglasgraham1916 Thank you for watching and for your support.

@StephenBiz Thanks for watching. We will be starting this job in a week or so, and I'll be filming it. I'm thinking 2.5-3 hours to do it. Stay tuned....

@rayburnett3066 thanks for watching and welcome to the Big South family.

Thanks for watching. As I've said in other responses, I've run the gambit on the possibilities of that. There was nothing on the trailer or on the few jobs we use it on that would cause the type of damage it sustained. My best guess is it was cracked when I bought it.

@auralsonicwaves7170 thanks for watching. I applied 5 coats of the oil/diesel solution, so I'm hoping it will last 2-3 years.

@95turboteggy65 Thanks for watching. Exactly! The problem is, the dealer didn't tell me until I went to get new blades. They then informed me I could only get OEM blades due to the fact it was a brand new model and design.

@jamesweaver9636 thanks for watching. OK, for the umpteenth time, the 52" blades are COMPLETELY different from the Envy 42" blades. These blades ARE NOT hardened. I assure you, we mow thick, lush grass...nothing else. I took the blades I took off this machine in this video to a metallurgist and had them tested. There is only traces of carbon in the steel they are made from. THAT is why they don't last. That is just one of the many changes they made from the 2022 version to the 2023 version of this machine. None of them are good, but that one is among the top 3 WORST.

@@JoshJackson13 Thanks for watching. You are absolutely right.

@gordonplatter9162 Thanks for watching, and THANK YOU! That's exactly what I told them the first time I saw their setup.

@@hildasakala7946 Thanks for watching. Yes, it is.

@kimly1546 Thanks for watching. Depending on how often you mow will greatly affect the answer to that question. I would start with a Gravely proturn z. It's a bottom rung commercial mower, but it would be the last mower you'd have to buy. Plus, if you ever moved and got a larger property, you're still good.

@stevekelley9697 Thanks for watching. I'm not exactly sure what you mean. Are you saying they're good or no good? Every pair of shoes and boots I showed in this video is more that 4 years old, with one pair of boots being 5 years old. Please clarify....

They are by far the most comfortable period. The price point is unbelievable it's great. Overall by far the best bang for buck regardless of price

@@stevekelley9697 I thought that's what you meant, I just wanted to be sure.

@auralsonicwaves7170 Absolutely. There is a happy medium that's fair to both parties. In this economy, no one can afford a $1,500.00 a month service bill. They'd just go buy their own mower.

@@AudiophileTommy my son/helper. Watch some of my other videos.

@@BigSouthOutdoorsTV👍 Thanks !

@ShieldArc200 thanks for watching. Didn't you see the Gravely in the background? Why would I want a bad boy? There isn't a dealer within 120 miles of me, plus their parts are proprietary, which means when you have to buy parts, they charge what they want. That translates into sky-high parts prices. NO THANK YOU! I can drive 18 miles and buy OEM Gravely parts at less than half the price from my Gravely dealer.

@jetcontracting4244 Yes, your dealer is WRONG. I sharpen my blades when they are new. Dull blades basically beat grass, and over time, leave the grass blades with brown tips. Why? They don't cut it, they RIP/TEAR IT. Sharpened blades CUT the blades of grass. Watch the video below. See the results for yourself. th-cam.com/video/dRRVXYegNWI/w-d-xo.html

@cobracommander2885 Thank you, and thank you for your support.

You're most welcome. Thanks for watching.