I expect this mower will last several seasons with decent care. kzfaq.infoUgkx1VWTrayKBdCKAjzAcZ_Eg4dhHTae3LkN also recommend Also, I ran across the problem with it not starting the 2nd time I used it. There is a safety switch which is pushed in by the chute or mulching piece being attached to the deck. I took the cover off and it wouldn't start. Put it back on, no problem. It takes only a minute with 2 easily accessible wingnuts and no tools. This mower starts up first crank each time and it is a joy to use. It also mows in reverse by putting the key to the reverse area after starting and pushing in the triangular button. It will stay in reverse mode until you turn it off. All in all, for my homeowner needs, I really like this mower-and at 70 bucks a cut here in Miami, it's already more than 1/3 paid for itself in a month.

How informational. My sweet mechanical minded husband passed away late 2018 and he maintained all of our mowers so I sold our old cub cadet and large J.D. lawn mower, (It was like mowing with a space shuttle) and purchased an Ariens IKON-X exactly like yours and decreased my mowing time from 90 minutes down to an hour.. I'm going to learn how to do the yearly maintenance on it. THANK YOU for the easy instructions and GREAT tips. I'll be back to see how to change or sharpen blades.

I purchaced my first zero turn , and I'm glad I chose the Ariens 52 in. The deck is built like a tank, literally. I've never seen quite a mower like this.

The hour meter continues to run if the key is in the on position but the motor is off. Someone at the store probably left it in the on position for a few days before you bought it. That's why they should NEVER leave the keys in them when they are on floor display.

I just bought an Arien ikon xl60. I upgraded from my Cub cadet rzt 42". I mow 2 acres and wanted a 60" for a while now. A dealer about an hour from me had 2019 models for $3499 plus tax with the Kawasaki engine. When I saw this deal I didn't think twice I drove there and picked one up. Thanks for the review on this brand of mowers!

Just want to say thank you. I was shopping for a new zero turn and you helped me out a bunch. So I went and bought me the same one you have. Let’s see if I can keep up with you and enjoy it like you do. Thank you once again. Hey lease keep it up because. I just learned on how to change the oil.

Great job I thought with the review. I like mine also, just bought IKON 52XD on Friday. Just finished up yard an hour ago. First ZTR I've owned, and wow. This mower just feels strong. And very sturdy. It just seems to not be burdened by whatever my yard threw at it. We had grass around 8" to a small patch that was at least 3.5 feet tall. Yard is sloped, full of dog holes. Cub Cadet threw another belt, so I wanted something more capable. Seems like a great mower so far. Yard is mess to cut, rain put grass into overdrive. This thing no problem with it. Thanks a lot now I know how to change oil in it. Super easy and very user friendly design. Full disclosure...also 2 large oak trees fell in a storm so cutting yard was hell on the cub cadet 42" tractor, decks are very flimsy and fluttery pulleys throw belts like crazy. Yard got overgrown. No problem for this mower.

Thanks bro.. I’m shopping for a mower & you helped me make my decision.. Great review, just purchased one from Lowe’s today. It should be delivered sometime next week. 👍🏾👍🏾

Good morning. Just bought my first zero yesterday. I really appreciate your video! It really was a big help! Again thank you!

Purchased this mower before seeing your review...sure glad I bought it. Thanks for the insight!

Thank you so much for sharing the great video! We just purchased ours and LOVE IT! You are very to use WIX brand filters, as they are the absolute BEST in the industry. We ALWAYS use full synthetic Oil and WIX filters. On our old mower, we had a dead battery only to find out a hundred more hours were on the hour meter. Our Grandson clicked the key switch on and we didn't notice until it was a couple weeks later.

Thanks for a transparent review. Just enough details to help me choose!

I watched this for a basic familiarization of the Ariens Ikon 52 before I tackle a repair on my cousins mower. Now I feel like I've owned one for years. It was pretty basic, but that's what I wanted. Thanks.

The PTO for the mower deck is operated by putting 12 volts to the magnetic clutch. There is no "air" used to operate it. The air you hear, is most likely the air moved by the lift on the mower blades.

Yup, Aries makes a nice mower. Stuff rags under the oil filter before you take it off. Pump a little grease in your blade spindles bearings (if yours are greaseable through the zerp). To get rid of the grooves in your lawn, level it with 70% sand 30% potting soil. Rake it in after you cut the grass very short. Great video, thanks for sharing.

No one talks about not being able to service the hydraulic fluids. it is a sealed unit. Just saying ! Most thorough vid I have seen.

Purchased the same mower a couple years back, couldn't be happier, so well made and engineered never go back to an MTD made mower!

They use a small battery that is sealed for shipping purposes. When it dies you can fit a standard Interstate SP35 in the slot as they have designed the bracket to accept it. A dealer would have been able to share this with you, box store no some much.

Great video. Really appreciate the tutorial on maintenance and operation.

Great video! Just got an Ariens Ikon 52". This video was very helpful!

Okay, so I decided that I was NOT going to watch a 30’+ video, even though this is the exact mower I bought a little over a year ago. Boy am I glad I changed my mind. SO much useful info here - not just the what to do or not do, but the WHY as well! (Full disclosure - you were running dangerously close to losing me during the actual mowing and ensuing discussion, but even that was kind of helpful - kind of.) Yes, it was long, but it was SO thorough! Heck, I’ll probably end up watching this again even! (Probably when my wife can watch it with me, since she likes mowing with the Ariens so much that she has basically stolen it from me and does all of the mowing now!) Very high quality audio, video, editing, etc., but mainly the content. Outstanding video - thanks!

I just purchased a Ariens mower similar to this one. Lots of very useful information here. Thanks!

Good video and I appreciate it. I'm on the verge of a new mower and this is the one I'm looking at. Have already done a good bit of research and there are many reasons I'm looking at this one. You have me pretty convinced this is the way to go. Oil filter.....you might be surprised. My HD filter comes off and goes on the same way. Makes one heck of a mess coming off just as yours did, however I fill the filter before installing and have no spillage going on if you make it quick. I believe you furrows in the yard are not so much the weight of your machine but the repetition of pattern mowing. I have the same furrows in my yard from a cheap little Craftsman riding mower with no where the weight. But the lack of maneuverability keeps running the same pattern especially on the sides of my yard. One of the big reasons I want to move to a zero turn.

Hey just found your videos. About your yard I sanded my yard to level it to get rid of the bounce and it made a world of difference in the pressure on the grass plus you need to-sharpen blades To cut the grass and not put it off the top. Sharp blades not only clip the grass evenly it helps to fill in any gaps. I have the same mower except mine is 60 inch.

Jo....Most excellent review. Really enjoyed the details you pointed out as well as sound advise. I have a Cub Cadet SLTX 1050 that after 11 years the trans-axle split at the weld seam and dropped it contents! Never had a problem until now. So I am very sure I will be buying one of these before next spring. Thanks for your review. Two Thumbs Up. :-)

Informative video...glad I found it since my Ikon 52 arrives from Lowes this Sunday.

Great vid. I make my turns in the driveway or street when I can, and then alternate mowing patterns.

If you take the 6or 8 little bolts out on the black plastic along the rear on the oil drain side, remove the plastic, gives great access to the oil drain and filter ;) Saves time in the long run.

Dude I'm very excited to have purchased this mower in the 42in variant, and it shipped today. I had to go with the narrow deck due to all the obstacles on my property, just simplifies things for me. I also opted for the 18hp Kawasaki over the 22hp kohler due to my preconceived notions of the kawi being superior.. Idk if it makes a difference, I flipped a coin. Although, I did notice that the kohler has the higher hp, the Kawasaki has a higher torque number even with smaller displacement. I've researched till I'm blue in my face. But at 52y/o this will be my first ZT mower. I've beat the crap out of 4 lawn tractors over the past 16 years on my property, and it's always the deck that winds up being the weak link. When I saw the decks on these bad boys, I knew I had to step it up a notch this year. I actually sold my 46in ariens lawn tractor with 20hp vtwin brigs to my son to make way for the ikon. The outgoing lawn tractor was probably the best I'd had to this point, and doing great after 3 years, but I'm ready to step it up. Anyway, that's my story. Just soaking up the yt vids till my ZT arrives. Thanks for your very thorough review, it doesn't take much to get this old man happy 😆.

Awesome video and very informative looking into buying a Ariens Ikon - XD in a 52 as well trying to get all info about them before buying thanks again.

Thanks, I appreciate the video as I am nearing the time to do the oil change. Love the mower! Would recommend putting some slime or other product in the tires for maintaining air pressure; here in rural AZ, that is a must for flat control.

The air noise on you blade engaging switch is actually the pulley rubbing on the belt . The reason that your meter was at 104 hrs is because someone probably left the key in the ignition and in the run position. The same thing happened to my neighbor.

Thanks for sharing, I have this exact mower and I learned a few things I wasn’t aware of. Especially the deck adjustment, I have a 10 acre place 2.5 acres is manicured with a lot of mowing next to fence posts and occasional collisions with the deck. The welded deck was a big selling point for me, but it may need to be re-aligned. Good video!

Just got mine, I love it one heck of a mower for the price. I just sold my EZR also, they bought a great mower, I just needed more cut.

Great video Jo Daddy!....very informative!... Tks for the video!

Really a nice review ! Good job

Very nice video, thank you very much! You were very much to the point and gave me a lot of great information being that I’m looking at purchasing this product. Got a Tractor style John Deere lawnmower now. But Been looking to upgrade to a zero turn pretty soon. Funny After you power washed it all I wanted to do was spray some armor all on the black plastic. LOL thanks my friend and keep up the good work! 👍👍👍😎🇨🇱

Great review excellent video quality

Pretty good review. Good on oil changes. Good on showing operation

I just bought one and I love it also!

A lot of times the grooves you are referring to can be caused by mowing when the ground is wet. A lawn company put deep ruts in my lawn from mowing the day after it had rained for days. The owner wasn't too happy when he had to top dress my lawn to fill in ruts.

Great video..I love mine as well...It's getting its first oil change today

The yellow knob(The PTO-Power take off) controls an electromagnetic clutch assembly that engages the blades so it is a 12 volt electric power control switch. The Automatic blade shut down and the Engine shutdown are controlled through the Seat switch , so if you are thrown off of or rollover the machine everything quits to keep the machine from running over you or cutting you.

When I had a RZT L 46" cut I would mow 6 ' high grass and weeds down to 3" hi never bogged down it mowed great. Now I have a ZT 1 and it mowed great also.

I just bought the same one! Great video and awesome tips!! Thanks for your time!! And yes, I subscribed!! 😁

Thanks for the video-great review

Thanks for the info. Very informative.

I change the oil by the color. Usually around 25 hours. I only Castrol. 45 years with no oil related failure. It must be pretty good. I don't run at full throttle, like the manual.says. I don't run any engine at full throttle, unless I'm racing. Thanks for the video!

Awesome review!!!!!! Thank you soooooo much !

Hands down just a great no senesce video thanks Mate

Thank you for great review 👍👍

I have the exact same mower. I love mine and wouldn't change it for anything. It does what I need on my 1+ acres and no issues what so ever...

Thanks. Im going to change my oil first time on 2 yr old mower. Best mower ive ever owned so far. I think i lost my clear drain tube so im going to try and fashion a drain pipe out of pvc.

Great review thanks so much

good stuff going to see one in person today. maybe even bring it home

Excellent video! Tough oil filter location.

You really have a detailed review. The engine has cast iron cylinder sleeves. That's definitely a plus. I think for the money and features you made a wise choice. I been looking at this mower.

Great info. Thanks for posting.

Saw the same issue with the hour meter when I purchased my Ariens. Local home center tried to sell me the fully assembled floor unit and I declined because of the hour meter had a significant number of hours on the meter but the engine had never been started or even fueled for that matter. My guess was is that the hour meter runs off of battery power when the ignition switch is in the on position and not when the engine is actually running. Coincidently this was exactly the position the key was in on the floor model. Needless to say, the manager promptly removed all the keys from the floor models...

The blades are engaged via an electro magnetic clutch, not air. Also, never engage the clutch until you have advanced the throttle to full power. Failure to do so will result in premature failure of the clutch.

Thank you for great review 👍⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Don’t forget to scrape the underside of the deck a couple times each mowing season

Awesome video the only thing I would recommend is re-checking the oil after you run the engine because the oil filter filled up

They have changed the seat mount/slide mechanism over the years as well as the deck hanger points.

Great review thank you !

During your oil change you were so careful to point out the volume needed with a filter change and the proper use of the dipstick. I could possibly have missed it or possibly you didn’t show it, but it appeared that you arrived at your final correct level without starting the engine and pumping the fluid through the filter. Once you do start it up and start mowing you’re gonna be a low on oil right from the get go.

THANK YOU...for sharing. Happy Birthday to the wife, please don't make her cut the grass today. LOL, Don't you just love the location of those filters? Mine is upside down and then break out the oil dry. Have a great day, Gary

Nice review....time to change my oil.

I Purchased a 42" Ikon X without a battery and belt several months ago. I bought the battery from Ariens directly, it was less than $50, around $30 sounds familar.

Nice review. I own the same model. A small city lot. Complete overkill on my part but I do love it. 15 mins start to finish

This is an old video by now. If the mower companies still sell mowers with those garbage plastic, yellow oil drain plugs, then do yourself a favor and get rid of those at the first oil change you do. Everyone hates the living hell out of them. The companies should be ashamed of themselves for selling these mowers with these. I got my mower about 3 or 4 years ago. After the break-in oil change I noticed how much of a mess and a hassle these things are to change oil. As I was doing my second oil change the yellow plug drain broke just by turning the little yellow knob, which is what you are supposed to do. I've heard so many complaints about it over the years. 2 or 3 things you can do here. First suggestion, go buy a flex drain hose. I got mine off of Amazon for $30 (they used to be cheaper). It makes draining oil less of a hassle and it's well built. Second suggestion. Even if you don't get a flex drain hose, replace that crappy yellow drain plug and the hard plastic base with a regular metal plug. You might get lucky with that yellow plug if you decide not to change, but most people have bad issues with it. Lastly, and related to first and second, change the plug to a metal one and use an oil extractor. You certainly don't have to take my advice on any of this, but I recommend at least searching reviews and solutions for these plugs. I love this mower other than this issue, most people do. Oh, a couple of other things. I would suggest buying from a dealer, not a box store. Box stores usually don't have service available and I'd bet they wouldn't have sold a mower with hours on it that hadn't been used like in this video. As others pointed out, that was probably caused by someone leaving the key in the "on" position. Most likely wouldn't happen at a dealer. I just find dealers a better place to buy machines due to the extra benefits. They may be more expensive, but they are worth the extra expense. Also, final thought... run the machines at full throttle. I have always been told that full throttle are how they are supposed to be run, especially when cutting. They are designed that way so the engine is more fuel and battery efficient, cools better, cuts better, and might lead to engine issues if not. I think most modern small engines are designed to be run at full throttle.

I installed a shock absorbing seat other than that this mower has been an excellent purchase. Love it

Planning on buying the XD52 ASAP. If they still have that plastic drain plug I'll probably remove it and put a metal plug in at the first oil change. Think about it, if that thing cracks and starts seeping oil...good luck catching it before your motor goes boom

The pto is ran off of an electro magnet not air

I am an ASE Master tech. A little lesson on oil filters ! Every maker of oil filters makes the filter as per specification from the manufacture which is driven by their cost per unit ( If you can save 2 bucks a unit over 100,000 units that is $200,000 saved on the cost of production), but production savings is not always reflected in what we pay, when we buy it and in this case has nothing to do with the filtering quality, one way or the other, of the filter ! So what I am leading up to is (how to get an oil filter at less cost for you) Go to an "automobile parts store", with your first oil filter and number, have the parts person (this important) look up your filter num. in the "interchange by dimension" section of his catalog and if it gives an interchangeable num, that filter number will have the same thread pitch(for the screw on) and the same diameter for the gasket interface. Now it maybe a little longer or a little fatter but if it fits without any problems, go with it and i'll bet it is half the price of the OEM filter. P.S. you'll have to add a little more oil to make up for the volume difference of the new filter.

UPDATE: It must not have acted up for the repair place. I found that wacking the starter relay with a rubber hammer would activate it. Soooo, I just carry the hammer with me to start it. (problem solved) LOL I have an old salvaged one that I will put on later...

I have the Ikon X 42" Briggs 22hp. My hour meter had 50+ hours at purchase. Home Depot just resells them and is not a dealer so they had no clue about those 50+ hours. FYI, the square tube in front of the right deflector will accept a screwdriver to hold the deflector up - no bungee cord needed, but you have to dismount. You might try lowering the tire pressure to reduce the tire marks, I think the norm is only 12 psi. For homes with crawdad holes like I get in Northeast Texas the mower will bumpity-bump your back into submission. I have to mow slower when the crawdads get bad. I think I saw rust under your deck, this comes from leaving damp grass under the deck. It will take a long, long time to rust out those thick decks, but still... My deck height wheel is so hard to turn that it is a two-hand operation, and I have to use the foot lift to assist it. The Briggs engine backfires a lot, and to run smooth the choke has to be 1/3 - 1/2 way out. This is a flaw so I'll be contacting the dealer. It is commercial grade, but not commercial certified or warranted. I bought a Harbor Freight jack for about $80 so I can change blades and clean out under the deck easier.

Great review !

That is a beautiful machine. Great video, thanks for posting.

Thanks for the video

Other than a tire that kept losimg air one that ended up in a tube being purchased the mower has been dependable with no issues

Ikon-X 42" with Briggs engine does not have clearance to drain the oil out the bottom. So I bought a cheap hand pump at WalMart and sucked the used oil out the top, out of the dipstick tube. It took forever because the dipstick tube is narrow, and the pump tube can collapse if there is too much suction. Some old oil was left behind, but it was good enough for residential work. I changed the oil, replacing the old with synthetic Briggs oil. Now it is 100 engine hours later, and the oil still looks almost as clean as when fresh out of the bottle. I will wait until I see dirty oil or at least not-so-clean oil - I don't like changing oil more often than necessary . p.s. please excuse if this is a duplicate post.

Great info vid! Thank you

I have same mower. Its really nice

Happy birthday to the wife

Hour meter: means someone left key on, the meter was running and machine was not. After 100 hours the battery died. Then it was replaced or recharged before you bought that. Had that happen before, same as yours.

A Group U1 battery is a deep cycle battery, Many mowers are coming with them now.

Your review was so good I bought one looking into the oil requirements I use 0w40 full synthetic for my vehicles made by Castrol with this oil be good in this engine

It is due to reviews like yours I elected to purchase the same mower. I like the fact it is made in America. The Kawasaki motor warranty reads Kalamazoo, Michigan so go figure that one out? (Maybe Elvis will be seen). So thanks for the review after owning it for two years. These tell the rest of the story.

The oil change is a nightmare. The hose supplied with the unit won’t stay on and kinks. I suction the oil out and then change the filter. About half the time to do the job.

Order the front spindles for the Ariens ikon XL which are wider and distribute the weight better. I'm 99% sure the mounting points are the same size for both mowers.

great video

Thanks for making this video, very helpful. Also, does your IKON have grease fittings on the front axle housings? I need to swap out my blades after my oil change tomorrow. You dont have a yard, that's a pasture lol. Worst thing about my yard are steep slopes, so I had to swap out the rear tires from those never-grip to coarse mud tires.

Thanks. .Good video

Great! Thank you.

Like what I see I think I’ll buy me one 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

I was thinking to get one of these for my next mower,are parts easily available like belts,blades,and OEM stuff? Thanks for the video man!!

Nice video, thanks

Great in-depth video. I am looking at this brand. Any issues over the last few years?

NICE REVIEW