The Gravely EVZT is one of the newest commercial battery zero turn mowers to hit the scene. This is Gravely's first venture into the battery world. They decided to go with a fully commercial zero turn as their first edition.
The Gravely EVZT zero turn mower is a step of innovation in the right direction. The industry is slowly moving to battery power more each year. Besides Mean Green, this is one of the first full commercial zero turns on the market.
Of course, a completely new type of mower can bring a lot of skepticism. The thing to consider is Gravely has had this mower in the works for several years. It has been at least 3 years because they have introduced it as a teaser the last few years at GIE. 2021 is finally the year that it is being released.
Gravely EVZT Specifications
| Specs | Gravely EVZT |
|---|---|
| Deck Size: | 60 in |
| Deck Type: | 10 GA fabricated |
| Spindles: | X3 Constant drive spindles |
| Power: | 16 kWh Li-ion (motor is roughly 21.46 hp) |
| Run time: | 5 hours (4 batteries) |
| Transmission: | Electric transaxles (5 KW per motor) |
| Wheel Size: | 13 x 6.5-6 (front casters) and 22 x 12-12 (rear tires) |
| Speed: | 8 mph (low speed) and 11 mph (high speed) |
| Comfort: | High back suspension seat |
| Warranty: | 3-year battery and 5 years / 1500 hour or 2 year unlimited hours for mower |
| Price: | $27,999 (please check with your local dealer for most accurate price.) |
Battery Powered Mower
What makes the Gravely EVZT zero turn mower special is that it’s battery powered. The Gravely team spent years perfecting this machine and it is their first electric machine. Since it is lithium ion powered, there are a lot of pros in terms of usage.
For one, it doesn’t give off fumes like gas mowers or make any noise. Contractors appreciate the lack of pollutants during their work and the homeowners and neighbors definitely appreciate the soundlessness of it.
Additionally, there are specialty jobs like nursing homes or hospitals where noise is a huge concern. In those areas, battery powered mowers are the only option for landscaping jobs.
If you’re working commercially, you can build a good customer base that away. Overall, there are few restrictions when it comes to commercial use for the Gravely EVZT zero turn mower.
Battery Life
The concern most users have with battery operated products is how long they last. It isn’t like a gas mower where you can carry a gas can and fill it up when you run out. Once the mower shuts down, you need to charge it. If that happens during a job, it can really affect your timeline and work flow. You could carry spare batteries with you but that would be very expensive.
However, the good thing about the Gravely EVZT zero turn mower is that the company took all these concerns into account during the design stage and didn’t put the final product on the market until it was fully ready. They assure customers that the machine will last a up to 5 hours when mowing. Their motto is “all day every day.”
You may be thinking… but the normal work day is 8-10 hours… how will I mow all day? Gravely is taking into account that you probably won't mowing 100% of the day. Of course, in some cases, you will. If this is your situation, I would recommend getting a portable charger or carrying extra batteries as mentioned above.
Gravely actually offers a FusionCore Portable Charger (part # 89700200) and a fast charging kit (part #79701200). The portable charger is really all you need to charge your batteries in between jobs. This will make it very easy to mow all day.
There are actually 4 mega-sized batteries in the machine. So, you put the mower on charging at night and it's ready to go in the morning. You get a good 5 hours of precision cutting out of it and then repeat the same cycle the next day. Not only does it promise expert results, it also offers consistency with daily use. And, on top of all that, it's eco-friendly.
Cut Quality
Apart from the new power source, the Gravely EVZT zero turn mower comes with all the accoutrements of the Gravely brand. From the cutting deck to the blade speed, everything is top-of-the-line.
The deck and overall build of the mower is very similar to the Gravely Pro-Turn ZX. In demoing this mower, if provided a very good cut quality. I was actually very surprised by its power and ability to disperse grass. This mower even worked well in some thick grass.
Cutting Height
The Gravely EVZT zero turn mower also lets you choose between fifteen cutting heights. The heights range from 1.5 inches to 5 inches and increase in quarter-inch increments. This is fairly standard across commercial mowers but it is worth noting.
Shifting between cutting heights is extremely easy. You simply use the level next to the seat to move the blade up or down to set the level you want. It is super easy to adjust while you’re using your mower. I really like the magnet style adjuster used to change the height of height. It makes changing heights super easy.
Comfort
One of the top features for the Gravely EVZT zero turn mower is that it is designed for your comfort. These include a high-back suspension seat with comfort grip handle bars to steer your mower.
The dashboard panel is placed to the right of the seat. Once you turn it on, you see your home screen. There, you have your battery panel which shows you the charge on each of your four batteries. The lowest charge you can run your mower on is two batteries.
The next panel lets you know what condition your mower is in, whether your parking brake is on, and how many hours the mower has been working. The dashboard is very nice and really makes the mower feel futuristic.
Safety
There’s a spindle below the deck with the motor on top. The slip clutch between the two parts prevents the motor from being damaged in case the driver hits a rock or stump or goes over some rough terrain.
So, the safety features protect the expensive core of the machine. Both the spindle and the motor are removable and can be replaced separately. Rebar on the side of the deck protects it from concrete sidewalks or other barriers you might hit. The heavy duty commercial frame takes care of the rest.
The EVZT has all of the normally operator safety features like automatic blade shutoff and a ROPS (rollover protective system.)
Warranty
The warranty for the Gravely EVZT is 3 years for the battery, 5 years for the battery chargers, and 5 year / 1500 hours or 2 year unlimited for the mower. Overall this is a pretty good warranty for this grade of mower. It is inline with most other commercial zero turn mowers on the market.
| Component | Warranty |
|---|---|
| Batteries | 3 Years |
| Battery Chargers | 5 Years |
| Pro-Turn EV Mowers | 5 Years or 1500 hours. 2 year Unlimited Hours |
Price
This is definitely the elephant in the room… there aren't many people that won't jump at the price tag on this mower. I'll say it, it is expensive. However, long term there could be some cost savings to using this mower. On Gravely's ROI calculator it appears, on average, it will take about 19 months to breakeven when compared to a gas zero turn mower. Check out the calculator here.
I'm still a bit skeptical on the price unless there are other reasons to go electric outside of cost savings. In most cases, there are. At the end of the day, the green industry is going electric whether you like it or not. At the moment, electric zero turn is expensive. In my opinion, a lot of this has to do with supply and demand (and a little to do with competition.) As the demand goes up, the competition will go up, which will drive the price of these type of zero turns down.
Test Drive Video
Conclusion
All in all, the Gravely EVZT zero turn mower is a great step forward in innovation. There are no extra belts and springs, no filters, and no oil changes. The company has removed all of the things that require daily care and maintenance without sacrificing on quality of cut or ease-of-use.
You get the same cut with half of the work. With this modern mower, all you need to do is charge it overnight and put it to work in the morning, and it’ll do the work for you. This is definitely a top choice in our book.
What do you think?
Do you want to get this mower? Let us know in the comments below what you think about this Gravely mower.
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For more information on this mower check out Gravely's official site. To find a dealer near you check out their dealer locator.
Images are from Gravely.
