New Rig! Pro 16 walk behind!

No, that's the Quick Hitch style, heavy duty Commercial 40" deck, a later version of the venerable Model MA-600. Really a shame it doesn't have a 50" deck to take full advantage of 16 hp. Don't get me wrong, the regular version of this 40" deck is my favorite & is ideal on a 12 hp. I prefer the M-106 gearbox. It will go thru virtually anything you can push over. Still not thrilled by steering brakes either.

Curious what "a pretty **** good deal" means?

I'll try to cover all the bases here...

Bill - It was covered, but that it is the 40" Commercial deck. As for my screename, I used to have mildly built Grand Prix GTP a few years ago and L67 was the code for the drivetrain so I just used that as a forum name and it kinda stuck.

Old3banger - I don't really need the deck, but the dealer was not going to knock any money off and really was not going to make any difference in the price. As soon as I get the machine and give it a little workout, I will pull my 50" QH deck off my 5665 and toss it on this machine. As soon as I get that done, I will have both of my 5665's free to prep for fall and winter prep. As far as price goes, I paid $600 for the machine, and a couple hundred for freight charges.

Deere140 - Yes, this was the tractor on machine finder.

Tiretrx - The machine will ship either tomorrow or Saturday and should be here in Massachusetts by the middle of next week. I had thoughts of a road trip to Western Michigan, but they gave me a great price from Conway freight who they use all the time.

All in all I am pretty **** excited for this machine, but this also mean I will probably sell a couple of my machines too. I actually found an identical machine to mine last week and made a call on it. It had over 600hrs on it, and the owner would not move off of $5500 for the tractor, mower deck, and blower. I found another beat Pro 16 in Upstate NY for $2500 at another Deere dealer so I think the $600 price of mine was not too shabby.

Old3Banger said:

Congrats! That's a bonafided great deal & swapping over an existing 50" QH deck will set you up w/an outstanding combo. The popular Comm 40" deck alone could easily sell for $250 & is the ideal deck for 1 of your 5665's. Definitely a 'Vision of sugar plums' until Conway delivers.

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Thanks man! I'm still not 100% on keeping that deck because I really do not need it. I picked up a another 5665 locally last week which happened to come with a 40" kidney deck too, so I will probably just unload both of them since really have no use for them.

I may give the kidney a try. It came with the package deal and the guy never used it. One of the spindles is a little iffy and it needs a belt, but I will try to rehab to at least make it useable. I hope you plan on attending the Gravely tractor show in Somers next Spring! I'm gonna load of my 16' trailer full of goodies to show and maybe do a little peddling too!

You should go turn yourself in to the good Governor of the State of MI, mister! That's not a good deal, that's highway robbery - ha!! She'll probably be after you for another 6% of an additional $2K or so that you should've paid! Congrats on the great deal - I figured you were up to something - you'd been quiet for too long about pending tractor acquisitions.

I ran across a Pro16 listing on the local Craigslist about 4-5 months ago, but someone beat me to it. Guy sold it with a 50" kidney for right around $600 - it had about double the hours yours does - and I thought that was a tremendous deal! Make sure to let us know what you think of the power comparison between the Vanguard and your 12HP Kohlers - I'm curious as to how noticeable the difference is.

60" decks are tough to find around here. There have been a couple lately though, but they are missing a bunch of pieces and are in overall rough shape. As soon as it comes in, I'm gonna toss my 50" QH deck and mow my friends 3 acre property which I take care of while he is based down South. That lawn should give it a good workout and I will be sure to capture many pictures!

I'd like to see "a 60 inch deck" that's compatible w/Pro 16 walk behind. Wasn't even aware Ariens sold such a beast.

G. Collins said:

you should put a 60 inch deck out front of that 16hp, hook up the sulky and mow some grass. You can do that easy with the steering brakes.

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Steering brakes are interesting, the way the differential tries to spin the machine around takes some getting used to & is helpful when using heavy attachments. Never got to try them out plowing snow. However, after trying out steering brakes mowing, I went right back to the classic 2-wheel w/o brakes. Even entertained the idea of removing & selling the steering brake components. Was left w/the impression steering brakes weren't for everyone.

Here is a link to the adapter kit for the 60" mower deck. http://www.oldgravelys.net/pdf/60_Inch_Center_Mount_Mower_Adapt_Kit_1189.pdf

I was told by some other Gravely folks you wanted the 5865 or the pro 16 to power a deck this big, they also suggested steering brakes for a deck this large on the walkbehinds.

Old3Banger said:

I'd like to see "a 60 inch deck" that's compatible w/Pro 16 walk behind. Wasn't even aware Ariens sold such a beast.

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3-Bang: Some Gravely history just for you (and others). This information is quoted from noted Gravely guru Phil Smith.

Gravely also made a 16 hp 2-wheel tractor powerd by a Kohler single-
cylinder motor: a K341 on a 5865 in the mid-1980's, then a Kohler
Magnum on a PROFESSIONAL 16 from 1987/88 through 1990.
Apparently somebody at Clemmons wanted to return a K341-powered Pro
Master Power Unit to its roots and provide Gravely with a new 2-wheel
heavyweight champ. It was assigned the next available 5000-series
number - 5865 - and sold with a 60" mower, attached by a special Quick
Hitch Kit. However, that mower was too big to maneuver. It also
retained big rigid caster wheels. Smaller pivoting rear caster wheels
would have helped.

The 5865 was made for only a year or two, so it is a
rare model. I saw one brand-new with a 60" Mower at Berkleigh Power
Equipment in West Reading but only one or two since.
The 16 hp B&S Vanguard PROFESSIONAL 16 was introduced around 1988 and
remained in production until Ariens discontinued 2-wheel tractors. It
was offered with a Direct Mount 50" Mower, a much better match. With
Steering Brakes, that outfit could turn on a dime and give change.

Amazing, hiding in plain sight. Have '87 & '88 GRAVELY sales brochures, must have seen the 60" deck, it should've left an impression, can't remember everything.

What a beast, the 60" deck assembly is listed at 362 lb! The Kohler Pro 16 is nearly 500 lb giving a total weight approaching 900 lb! Yikes! Steering Brakes had better be standard. A guy would need to be on steroids to manhandle that Hulk w/o them.