One year update of owning the Ariens IKON 52'' zero turn... after living with it for a year here are my thoughts, what I love about it and what I haven't loved about it!
Good review. I want to add about how good the seat is. very comfortable, adjustable and nice armrests. Also my '24 model IKON came with a great new installed oil drain tube with the drain plug at the end, so you just put your pan under it and open it up. The cut quality is excellent. My lawn looks like a carpet. The IKON is definitely the best mower in the 4K price range. IMO
I just bought this mower last week and even before delivery I ordered the same rubber mat, trailer hitch and mulch kit. I am very happy with my purchase and it works great. My neighbor has the 52" XD model and he has never had an issue with it at all.
Be ready when it comes time for blades or spindles 10 year patent . 3 spindles for ikon 60 and 3 blades over 700.00 Order blades ahead half the time parts are back ordered many places to order but all are coming from ariens . Company makes it's profit from parts .
I called Ariens to ask about the blowout and excessive dust/debris and their customer service was excellent. The rep knew exactly what the issue was and sent me a baffle kit for free which fixed all of the issues. No more dust and no more blowout. I am very happy with the machine now. Baffle kit 51802800@@willsfrantz
I have a 2023 Gravely ZT - X. I also experienced a lot of blowout when dealing with leaves. They just released a full mulch kit with baffles that solved my issue. It does have mulching blades included which work great.
I bought a husqvarna from Lowes. It started up fine and cut great. Had to adjust the lap bars a lot. Went to cut a second time , had all kind of problems. Lowes installer made a mess of putting it together. Lowes picked it up and I had the to send me the Ariens edge. Lowes made sure that the dealer put it together. I love it. Haven’t had any problems. Into my second year with it. It came with a Briggs, and works great.
Thanks for the info BUT I wish I had some noise canceling headphones to eliminate the distracting background music while you are talking. Do you know if the transmission is serviceable?
Love this video. Have the same 2023 model. My only question is regarding the oil change. I see where the tube connects but how does it start to drain? Maybe I am overlooking something in the engine manual or the mower manual but can’t seem to find anything on this
use a flat head to unscrew the little plug... don't unscrew 100% because then it will leak out of the screw opening as well... you' known when you've unscrewed enough as oil will start to drain quickly through the plastic tube.
The arrive to where they are going to be sold with the belt already installed. There was an announced issue a bad batch of belts from the belt maker and its covered under warrenty if you get 1. I would recommend not using a blower on ur filter or box. Take it out and tap it on the ground your filter will last longer. Good review. I have the gravely version
@@willsfrantzI have a Scag and ran into some bad drive belts. As for the deck belt, seems IMO, Stens took a dive to. Drive belts were lasting about 5-20 hours. Deck belt just gets funky too soon.
Hey there- Thats the model i’m looking at in this brand. Can you tell me(us) more about the Apex? I’d really like to hear an updated review from an actual owner.. Thanks
Great review. Zero turn reviews in general are hard to come by. I wished you would’ve commented on the cut and whether or not it met your needs. Thanks
Ariens now sells as of 2024 a full mulching kit that I would suggest instead...(cover , baffles and blades) you can find it on Lowes.com ... this was previously not available when I created this review.
The problem with the Ariens Ikon mulching baffles are they are bolted in place and will not allow for the option of using a bagger, which I have. The bagger is great and I can envision is coming in handy this fall in the northeast where I live. I wish they made a mulch plate that was removable.
Ariens has their own people come and assemble the mowers and has to pass inspection before sent out of lowes. Belts breaking is probably people not having it at full throttle when engaging the blades.
The plastic oil drain valve on this mower is an absolute joke. What kind of an engineer came up with that? It's installed in a very awkward place to get to. I replaced it with a Kawasaki flex drain hose. This should be standard on this mower. Oil changes are a breeze now.
I hate mine, rides ruff and will get stuck on level ground. have had nothing but problems with the Kawasaki engine. mower does cut nice but that s the only good thing
You will need that when its time to order blades or spindles and many other parts marked up by as much as 400% compaired to other mowers 10 year Patent and half the time they can not even keep parts in stock .
Good review. I want to add about how good the seat is. very comfortable, adjustable and nice armrests. Also my '24 model IKON came with a great new installed oil drain tube with the drain plug at the end, so you just put your pan under it and open it up. The cut quality is excellent. My lawn looks like a carpet. The IKON is definitely the best mower in the 4K price range. IMO
I just bought this mower last week and even before delivery I ordered the same rubber mat, trailer hitch and mulch kit. I am very happy with my purchase and it works great. My neighbor has the 52" XD model and he has never had an issue with it at all.
Be ready when it comes time for blades or spindles 10 year patent . 3 spindles for ikon 60 and 3 blades over 700.00 Order blades ahead half the time parts are back ordered many places to order but all are coming from ariens . Company makes it's profit from parts .
Great review! Looking forward to the 2 year review
Great review!
... thorough appraisal ..very helpful in determing criteria for my future purchase!
thank you for watching !
Great review. You made some good points I had not thought about when buying a new mower. Thank you!
thanks for watching !
Do you have issues with blowout from the front of the deck? I have the 42 and I blows leaves out the front of the deck as well as a lot of dust.
@@michaeld9343 When I"m mulching, yes - quite a bit shoots out the front... cutting regal lawn, no issues at all. Good question!
I called Ariens to ask about the blowout and excessive dust/debris and their customer service was excellent. The rep knew exactly what the issue was and sent me a baffle kit for free which fixed all of the issues. No more dust and no more blowout. I am very happy with the machine now. Baffle kit 51802800@@willsfrantz
I have a 2023 Gravely ZT - X. I also experienced a lot of blowout when dealing with leaves. They just released a full mulch kit with baffles that solved my issue. It does have mulching blades included which work great.
I bought a husqvarna from Lowes. It started up fine and cut great. Had to adjust the lap bars a lot. Went to cut a second time , had all kind of problems. Lowes installer made a mess of putting it together. Lowes picked it up and I had the to send me the Ariens edge. Lowes made sure that the dealer put it together. I love it. Haven’t had any problems. Into my second year with it. It came with a Briggs, and works great.
Thanks for the info BUT I wish I had some noise canceling headphones to eliminate the distracting background music while you are talking. Do you know if the transmission is serviceable?
Love this video. Have the same 2023 model. My only question is regarding the oil change. I see where the tube connects but how does it start to drain? Maybe I am overlooking something in the engine manual or the mower manual but can’t seem to find anything on this
use a flat head to unscrew the little plug... don't unscrew 100% because then it will leak out of the screw opening as well... you' known when you've unscrewed enough as oil will start to drain quickly through the plastic tube.
Hi William! Where I can buy mulching accesory for Ariens Ikon 42? Online
You said 13hrs are a season. Here in SE Kansas normal is 35 / 50 hrs pending rain
The arrive to where they are going to be sold with the belt already installed. There was an announced issue a bad batch of belts from the belt maker and its covered under warrenty if you get 1. I would recommend not using a blower on ur filter or box. Take it out and tap it on the ground your filter will last longer. Good review. I have the gravely version
thanks for that feedback and the info regarding the belts. super helpful ... thanks for checking out the video.
@@willsfrantzI have a Scag and ran into some bad drive belts. As for the deck belt, seems IMO, Stens took a dive to. Drive belts were lasting about 5-20 hours. Deck belt just gets funky too soon.
Bought my Ariens Apex jan. 2021 no issues belts still like new. 152 hours
awesome - glad to hear that.
@@willsfrantz went to local dealer to get it. The mower outlet , Mooresville in.
Hey there-
Thats the model i’m looking at in this brand.
Can you tell me(us) more about the Apex? I’d really like to hear an updated review from an actual owner.. Thanks
How is it for going up steep grades?
I have heard the deck belt issue was a batch of bad belts. They were not cured correctly at time of mfg.
I heard the same about bad belts. My new '24 Ikon and my friends '23 Ikon have no problems.
Great review. Zero turn reviews in general are hard to come by. I wished you would’ve commented on the cut and whether or not it met your needs. Thanks
he addresses cut quality in initial review. TL;DR: is good.
Great review, I just bought the 2024 model. Could you please share a link to the mulch plug you purchased?
Ariens now sells as of 2024 a full mulching kit that I would suggest instead...(cover , baffles and blades) you can find it on Lowes.com ... this was previously not available when I created this review.
The problem with the Ariens Ikon mulching baffles are they are bolted in place and will not allow for the option of using a bagger, which I have. The bagger is great and I can envision is coming in handy this fall in the northeast where I live. I wish they made a mulch plate that was removable.
Hi William, Nice Video! How wide is this mower with the chute blocker? I am hoping to fit it on a 60" wide trailer.
I think I seen where the deck is 56 inches wide
Ariens has their own people come and assemble the mowers and has to pass inspection before sent out of lowes. Belts breaking is probably people not having it at full throttle when engaging the blades.
Belt tensioner spring seems weak in tall grass. I can hear it slap, like a bad car tensioner with the ac on? Any advise?
If under warranty, I'd call the dealer. Any tinkering you do could void that.
The only thing I’m surprised it doesn’t have a gas gauge. Unless I’m over looking it. Other than that I love it.
It has a sight gauge
I find that the mulch cover creates so much dust . I’m covered in dirt after every use.
Great mowers but no antizee on front wheel bolt will freeze and you have to cut the wheel off
Dam it put antizee on the wheel bolts
What mulch cover is that
Ariens cover - purchased from them directly
13h...I have 550h on my hustler....maybe I should do a review of it.
The plastic oil drain valve on this mower is an absolute joke. What kind of an engineer came up with that? It's installed in a very awkward place to get to. I replaced it with a Kawasaki flex drain hose. This should be standard on this mower. Oil changes are a breeze now.
I hate mine, rides ruff and will get stuck on level ground. have had nothing but problems with the Kawasaki engine. mower does cut nice but that s the only good thing
my Kawasaki engine died after 800 hours
Changing the oil helps
@@brandonyoung7760guessing they did...not helpful
This or a pallet of astroglide??
You will need that when its time to order blades or spindles and many other parts marked up by as much as 400% compaired to other mowers 10 year Patent and half the time they can not even keep parts in stock .