2021 Bad Boy Maverick - why did I choose it?

[@damarpo5467]

Just brought my 2022 maverick 54" home today. In part because of your extensive research especially the hands on demo's. This is my second ZT, just wanted to up grade to little more commercial unit without breaking the bank. This mower is perfect for my needs. Thanks for making the video which cinched the deal for me! Badboy owes you a commission!

[@NoelBarlau]

Thanks. So far I haven't been contacted by Bad Boy regarding my commission. Fingers crossed! ;) Hope you enjoy your new ride!

[@rodolforequena70]

What was price?

[@damarpo5467]

@@rodolforequena70 7900.00... around 8400.00 with tax and all that junk

[@LK-bz9sk]

How much average are you mowing? Do you have any hills and uneven areas. Thanks

[@RobertBirch-mp8pd]

Mower jacks😊​@@rodolforequena70m

[@cutator]

I have been mowing with a BX2350 with a 65 inch deck since 2005. I also have 5 ft front bucket, 6ft rear blade. It has been a great multi purpose sub compact tractor. It has been an awesome tractor for the past 15 years. Then our church bought a ZT Elite last year and I mowed the property with it 4 times. This year I bought the Bad Boy Maverick 54" Deck/Mulching Kit & Kawasaki Engine. I Love it. I wish I had bought it years ago. The BX was a good mower and it cut well for 10 years. But it took me 1.5 hours longer to mow with BX vs. Bad Boy Zero Turn.

[@markchewning9880]

Love my Maverick. I mow 8 acres of field and keep it looking good. Cuts everything in my field and small trees on the edge.

[@gwrace]

Thank you for the review. I also started down the road of the ZT Elite and ended up with a 2022 Maverick 48 with the Kawasaki engine. This thing is amazing and I agree with you it's built like a tank. I just sold my 2016 LX 46 Cub Cadet tractor. I had repeat issues of welds breaking on the deck hangers and wheel bearings needing replacing. I had the mulch kit on it with gator blades and the plastic cover disintegrated more than once on me. The only good thing on that mower was the Kawasaki engine. Never had an issue. I sold it with 163 hours on it.

[@austin2187]

Looking at the maverick myself, however not sure what size deck to get. Bring you have the 48 do you wish you got a bigger one or happy with it? I’m sitting on roughly 2 acres

[@ralphplazachesmarhomes]

I am so glad I saw this video. I was ready to pull a trigger on a Bubota Z422. The salesman discourage me seen Bad Boys saying they are full of problems. Noel seem to have some good knowledge in different brands and if he seem comfortable choosing this then I am heading to the dealer today to check the Maverick and ZT Elite. I love KZbin!! Thank you Noel!!

[@NoelBarlau]

You're welcome! Go try it yourself and see how it compares. I'm not trying to sell these things, I just want to share my experiences so others can make informed decisions.

[@ralphplazachesmarhomes]

@@NoelBarlau Your video was delivered like a great story. Easy to follow. Can’t wait to see the review after 6 mo or a year. Have a great weekend.

[@cwtex59]

Just picked up a 2023 Maverick HD 54” with Honda EFI motor last week. I like how it’s built and it cuts great. I’ve had a Hustler Mini Fastrak 42” with Honda motor for 16 years and I think the two are comparable in quality. Hustler steering is a little smoother but not enough to make me spend almost a 1000 more for a comparable Hustler over the Bad Boy . Loving the Bad Boy so far to mow my 4+ acres.

[@NoelBarlau]

Nice! Mine's still going strong, no issues to report.

[@tedpappas1559]

Thanks for the great review. I have a Maverick on order and hoping to get it next month. This video helps to confirm I made the right choice for my new zero turn.

[@NoelBarlau]

Glad it helps! You're going to love it.

[@toxictophat711]

I have the old chassis this is a beast man trust me ours is 6yrs old and was built when they had this one being sold as a rebel that was way more expensive I got the Kohler no issues this thing is a beast I wish I could buy another but I went solo and got a used chopper it's faster but maverick rides better

[@n5uge12]

You absolutely made the right decision. I bought one on 01Jul2021. It was money well spent. I have 8 acres of tough field grass on very bumpy ground. The Maverick handles it with ease. I had been cutting it with a Husqvarna YT48CS lawn and garden tractor. I can now cut it in 1/3 the time, and in comfort. No more lower back pain. 2 foot tall field grass doesn't slow it down.

[@jeffmullis2859]

Just bought a maverick HD 54 inch it’s a beast and very comfortable.With the EFI Honda.

[@stevem.159]

Mine is a similar story, I had a Cub Cadet Zero Turn with non-serviceable transmissions. I had a lot of issues with the belts popping off and I could feel the transmissions starting to slip. I sold it and bout the 2020 Maverick 54 and have been very happy with it after a year of use. I mow about 2 acres. My thought processes were identical to yours, wanting serviceable transmissions, getting the 3200 series when the competitors were all 3100's, the heavy gauge deck, ease accessing the belts since the floor tilts, rubber bushing suspension, Reaper tires, and the cost/value proposition. I have the Bad Boy Mulching Kit, rear basket, the ROP, the LED light bar on the ROP, the string trimmer holder, the rear hitch kit, and the front bucket. I wanted the suspension seat but the cost was too high and I added a Seats, Inc Seat suspension for $160 from Amazon that is excellent. Cut quality is excellent and the mulching performance is outstanding. I love the mower. The only two issues I've had: It independently dumped the deck from 4.5" (highest) to 1.5" (lowest) going over a moderate bump. It was 2-3 feet to stop momentum but I had to replace grass where it happened. 4.5 and 1.5 are right next to each other on the dial and when the bump cause the deck to bounce a little it jumped to 1.5. Only happened one time though. The other issue is the location of the Zerc on the main pulley being hard to access. It's pointing to the front of the mower (towards the deck) so it's a blind attach grease gun by braille, over your head, while on your back operation. It should have been pointed to a side or the back where you could see it. Mildly irritating but not that big a deal. I still love the mower.

[@larrys7998]

Are you still happy with the Maverick and any issues with it ? Thinking very hard about the 2024 Maverick HD for $7900 !

[@NoelBarlau]

Yep, completely happy and no issues to report. Take comfort in knowing you're purchasing a solid machine.

[@larrys7998]

@@NoelBarlau Thanks Noel !

[@NoelBarlau]

@@larrys7998 You are very welcome. I really should be getting a commission from Bad Boy for this, but I'm not. ;)

[@larrys7998]

@@NoelBarlau 😂

[@mark-u4m2s]

WOW! You're getting a heck of a deal if it's an HD for $7900!

[@micahrandolph4397]

Make sure you do a video on the finish cut and if you could how it does in tall grass. I can’t seem to find a video of the new mavericks actually In action. Thanks again for the walkthrough much more in depth than other videos I’ve watched

[@NoelBarlau]

I'll do some more video recording next time I go out with it. It does leave a few stragglers in tall grass, but I don't expect perfection on grass over a foot tall.

[@stevelacy8871]

How about a new update on the Bad Boy.

[@NoelBarlau]

I'll try to make an update video.

[@mikesbarn1858]

I have a 2020 60” elite with electric deck lift. Once I worked out the bugs in it it’s been great.

[@mowingman816]

Been considering one myself I too am a tractor guy... currently I'm running a john deere e120 lawn tractor I too want a zero turn mower in the near future yea gotta do research before buying glad you can do that thanks for the video very helpful

[@toxictophat711]

This or a Dixie chopper honestly for the money I have the old maverick before they swapped to this chassis that used to be the old rebel that was a few thousand more 6yrs ago but man there beast for the money ride great but man the chopper has more speed 😂 and a lesser ride cost a little more so it's a trade off but man love the old maverick I'm sure you won't regret it

[@NJUSA36]

Your new mower looks nice wondering how you have made out with it over the last few months? I’ve been thinking about purchasing one myself.

[@NoelBarlau]

My only regret is that I didn't get the 60" deck, it has plenty of power to handle it. It's been one of my best purchases ever. Buy with confidence.

[@neiljuedes1661]

I took over the lawn mowing at work and they bought me a Toro(Timecutter) zero turn 50”. It’s a pretty good mower acept

[@michaelmcelwain2053]

Awesome no nonsense review. Looking at the HD model with Koehler engine. $ 9000 ish

[@1thinkhealthy]

Was looking for an Arians but can't find any so I started looking at the Bad Boys mowers. They seem to be pretty good, How do you like yours since you've had it a while now? Here in Michigan it's hard to find any mower right now. The dealers blame it on the virus and seem to think it may be spring before they start ramping up production.

[@NoelBarlau]

To tell you the truth, it's been the most satisfying purchase I've made in a long time. I love it. It's done everything I've asked of it, and then some. They made it super easy to change the oil by adding a hydraulic hose extension to the engine drain hole, and it runs for about 7 hours on one tank of gas. Granted, the tank is huge, (7 gallons or more) but it's super nice to not have to fill up all the time. I have about 10 hours on it now, and it's been a flawless experience so far. I highly recommend it if you believe in the concept of "Buy Once, Cry Once." After owning it for a while now, when I walk past the big box store zero turns selling for $4000 I just shake my head, because for another $2500 or so you can have a commercial quality machine and probably never need to buy another one if you're using it in typical homeowner fashion.

[@n5uge12]

@@NoelBarlau Ditto! Bad Boy mowers are tough.

[@ashleywynn4923]

Better to buy a quality products, yeah you spend more up front but on the long run you end up saving money. Been looking at bad boy lawnmowers just havent pulled the trigger yet.

[@n5uge12]

Go ahead and pull that trigger. I don't regret it for an instant.

[@mrpips000]

How do you like the dial for cut height? Have any issues with it changing on you when you're mowing? I'm trying to decide between the Bad Boy, Gravely or Scag. I'd like to look at others but there just aren't any dealers near by. Right now leaning Gravely because my Kubota dealer also sells them and would be convenient to have one dealer for my equipment.

[@NoelBarlau]

Haven't had any issues with the dial. It seems to work well. Dealership proximity was key to my decision. The Kubotas are really nice but the dealership was way too far for me. All the brands you mentioned have very good reputations, so try them all and see which one works best for you.

[@damarpo5467]

Have the dial on my cub cadet just like my Bad Boy, NO isuues, really like it, my son in law has a gravely with the pin which I really dont like. I change on the fly frequently

[@sposatoas258]

How do you still feel about?

[@NoelBarlau]

@@sposatoas258 Still love it. It was money well spent.

[@LetsDIYIt]

​@@NoelBarlaujust got my Maverick with 54" deck and Kawasaki motor 2 days ago. Went 54" solely because of my shed door opening. It's 60" wide and the 54 " is the largest that will fit (measures 58" total width). So far I've added a hitch, Trac Seat and Bad Boy mulch kit

[@jlor7675]

Ordered a 60" Maverick with the Briggs/Vanguard CXI 27hp yesterday. Almost went with the Kawasaki, but Briggs extends the CXI engine warranty from 3 o 6 years if I use the Vanguard synthetic oil. Dealer is giving me 2 gallons for free and that should last me 4 years.

[@NoelBarlau]

Can't go wrong with that deal. A guaranteed running motor for 6 years is pretty nice.

[@neiljuedes1661]

One bad thing about the Toro in order to switch from bagging to blowing out the side you have to physically take the deck apart so needless to say I bag all the time.

[@leepierce3256]

great review, can you do a video cutting that grass we see in the background, I have a 5 acre lot and want to see your mower in action! Thanks!

[@ScottyLo]

Thanks for sharing your video. Been watching tons of videos on the Bad Boy zero turn mowers and they’ve been all positive. Build quality,ride quality,design for ease of maintenance, price and they look great. I’m steering towards the ZT -Elite for my property since I only have 1 acre to mow. Hope you get many years of use with your new Maverick.

[@NoelBarlau]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I hope it was helpful. I'm still impressed by the build quality and I'm sure it'll last me many years.

[@freepress6665]

Buy them in the winter , Price is down , But You bought right , 54 inch can go through gates , good choice , Remember to do adjustments regularly , grease it every time, Why can't they powder coat the inside of the cutting area where the blades are , but consider the other type of blades with four small blades , saves on equipment from hitting rock or root .

[@chdinct6792]

Just bought a Kubota z422 withe the same Kawasaki engine and hydro gear 3600 trannys for $7200. I think I would have bought a bad boy based on reviews and specs if there were any dealers near me. Everyplace I went had one , two or no zero turn mowers on hand and couldn’t tell me if they were getting any more, so jumped on the Kubota. By the way, for $20k, that BX should come with a loader and backhoe, three point hitch, mid and rear PTOs, power steering and more. Yeah it’s relatively small but there’s no comparison to a lawn or garden tractor.

[@NoelBarlau]

They weren't budging on the price of the BX, that was made clear. They're nice, but not $20k nice. And it definitely didn't have the backhoe at that price.

[@keithtate3298]

Do you have or did you consider the mulch kit option for this mower? It's about a $300 upgrade at the dealer I'm shopping for a Bad Boy Elite with a Kohler engine. Also would like your thoughts on upgrading to the air-ride suspension seat over the fixed seat.

[@NoelBarlau]

Didn't price out a mulch kit as I wasn't going to use it. The seat is just fine in my opinion, and we don't have golf-course smooth terrain. The ride is as good as I need it to be, and I haven't considered upgrading the seat. But if you have really rough areas to mow, it might be nice to have. The only thing I regret is not getting the 60" deck, since the motor is plenty powerful enough to handle it and it would make the job even faster. The Kohler motor should be just fine, but I do love the Kawasaki engine and the Honda would even be another step up - but I'm not sure it's worth the huge price increase.

[@JohnWilliams-wt8sk]

Just picked up the twin to yours. Love it! Was it hard to get your ROPS pins in with it up? Mine doesn't seem to want to let the pins go in with it up. Waiting on grass to dry a bit and test it out.

[@NoelBarlau]

Congratulations! I haven't tried to get the pins out once they were in. But I'll try it today and see if there's any issue with it. The ROPS is nice for safety, but I'm finding it really catches the low tree branches and I'm considering lowering it, as there aren't any steep enough slopes on our property to worry about rollover.

[@NoelBarlau]

Tried it again today and there wasn't a problem inserting the pins. The one on the left was a bit difficult to remove, though. If you're still having issues with it you could run a drill bit of the same diameter as the pin through the holes to remove some of the paint which may be causing the issue. But in my opinion it's better to be a bit tight than a bit too loose, as if it's too loose it might gain an unfortunately loud rattle.

[@JohnWilliams-wt8sk]

@@NoelBarlau Thanks for checking. I will try that this weekend.

[@herman5eight]

why I almost bought the Bad Boy Maverick but instead got the SCAG Patriot with the Kawa. FX730 with 3400 trans 61 inch cut!

[@NoelBarlau]

My only regret with my purchase is that I wish I'd have gotten the larger deck. The motor is way too powerful for a 54" deck, and I feel like I'm wasting time by not having it. The SCAG is a fine machine, but I thought the price/value ratio was a bit high when compared to the other options.

[@joedonmoyer338]

Came to the same conclusion. I have the exact same mower coming in a few days..

[@NoelBarlau]

Congratulations! You're going to love it.

[@JeFFyBFC]

I’m stuck between the maverick with a suspension seat or the Ferris isx800. Imma see if I can demo both of them.. I just feel like the Ferris’ coil springs will be superior to the rubber puck absorbers. But I’ll save a little on the maverick plus it looks cooler than then the Ferris.

[@flashgo2]

Tractor Bob did a review on both.

[@damarpo5467]

suspension seat really didn't factor in with me but i agree the bad Boy turns heads when my neighbors go by! They jealous!

[@417Keto]

Did you end up getting a more and if you did was it the ferris or the Maverick?

[@bonron3191]

I noticed you have the 54 in deck how much was the 60

[@NoelBarlau]

I didn't ask, because it would have been a special order and I didn't want to wait.

[@adambowhuntz]

I think it 500$ more might be 6 hundred ish I priced them out the other day

[@bonron3191]

@@adambowhuntz thanks man

[@bonron3191]

@@NoelBarlau thanks for giving your time to reply I know I'm late thank you.

[@brianallen4614]

I wish you had looked at hustler

[@TOB-uk2xy]

Excellent overview! Thank you!

[@NoelBarlau]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@micahrandolph4397]

Thanks for an awesome review very resourceful I’m getting one in one or two weekd

[@levicurtis1082]

Great looking mower right here never drove one of these

[@albertmcfry6322]

I’m looking at a bad boy,really like them!

[@gregorymandile2321]

should have gotten the Gravely or Hustler,better cutting machines

[@albertmcfry6322]

Very nice mower!

[@900198619]

Thank you for taking the time to give us a great review! May Yeshua bless you and your family :)

[@nexushexus4365]

Good luck with yours hopefully they are built better on the newer models, the older ones were built very poorly. I noticed you compared this to a Scag Liberty Z a $4500 lawn mower to the $5900 Maverick, this is more comparable to the Freedom Z. But anyway good day.

[@donnyaldridge6452]

I am thinking of buying a new 2022 Maverick HD with the new EFI Honda Engine...

[@417Keto]

Did you happen to get that Maverick hd with Honda engine?

[@donnyaldridge6452]

@@417Keto They still don't have one! All they have is the Kawasaki..I am now looking at the new Spartan Mowers..

[@417Keto]

@@donnyaldridge6452 It's a tough decision for me, so many brands and alot of hard earned $$$.

[@JohnWells-lm5fq]

Delivered a nice even cut, has the super tight turning ability kzbin.infoUgkx1VWTrayKBdCKAjzAcZ_Eg4dhHTae3LkN also recommend I was looking for, and is just a blast to drive. It takes a little bit to get used to driving one after driving a normal tractor style, but once you've got it, you've got it. If you're cutting lines, you have to be careful spinning the mower around or the back tire will dig a bare spot. Just take it nice and slow during the turn and then it's back to full throttle across the yard!

[@justinstafford8103]

Congrats looks very nice

[@plee501pl]

Yes sir, Cub ain't what it was, neither is Briggs....nice rig...really like my kawasaki engine too

[@ChristopherONeil-s1p]

I have a 2021 just got 2024

[@mrme9517]

Bad boy hd would have a suspension seat 💺 from the factory and better engine choices with stronger transmissions but nice mower I'm going hd with a quick shoot stripe kit and led lights will sure do me just fine with the efi Honda use air to clean but only heard from a few the fuel gauge tends to fail but who needs that anyway lol

[@Theredeemedchild2]

Gravely zt HD has 3100

[@SteveSummers]

Nice

[@NoelBarlau]

Thanks Steve!

[@waynespringer501]

Holy cow you could have got the best of the best Parker transmissions on a Spartan for that price

[@NoelBarlau]

The nearest Spartan dealer is 58 miles away from me. I ruled out Kubota for the same reason - it's just too far to haul it if I need service.

[@jaystroud528]

I’m looking at the Spartan RZ-HD with Parker transmission do you think this Maverick a better riding mower cause it has the ez ride?

[@NoelBarlau]

@@jaystroud528 I'm no expert on Zero Turns. I can only say I'm happy with how my machine handles and rides. I've heard good things about the Spartan, so if that's the right decision for you I'd say go for it. Try them both yourself and then make the call.

[@joshhopper6109]

Just bought the 60" version of this yesterday took it straight home to mow the yard cause it was due and it did an awesome job went from 2+ hour job on a 48" tractor style john deer to about hour 15 maybe 20. I was kind of set against the bad boy and planning on buying a spartan because my father in law has the larger commercial 72" bad boy and I hate the way it drives. Very jerky and hard to keep it straight unless your going super fast. Cool part about those drive units is they are serviceable and highly adjustable bad part is if you don't adjust and service them they will suck. The sales/service guy at bad boy told me in the first 50 hours especially the drive units break-in / wear-in and will need some adjustment during that period. I'm fairly certain my father in laws hasn't been adjusted. The first mow was "butter smooth" as you said in your video now I just need the grass to grow so I can mow it again.

[@NoelBarlau]

I know, I've been waiting for the grass to grow here enough to justify mowing again. It's really an enjoyable ride. Congratulations on your new mower!

[@parislawncare]

Next on my list.

[@kvboyd]

Toro owns exmark.

[@viper527]

Not once did he say how it cuts! Lol

[@NoelBarlau]

In this video I literally had used it to cut for only a few minutes and had yet to form an opinion on the matter. If you check my other videos there's one of me cutting a field of grass which should satisfy your curiosity.

[@getonlygotonly]

enough with talk, lets see what it does to that tall grass in the background.

[@NoelBarlau]

Pro tip: Watch the next video.

[@albertmcfry6322]

Had a cub cadet,never again. That mower sucked,bad,bad,bad!

[@robertharris683]

😊😊😢😢

[@John_D2]

chinese motor = junk. i don't blame you there. i got a kubota z412 for $6650.

[@spydirtek]

I liked your video until you referred to the Kawasaki as "Chinese". Chinese and Japanese quality are opposite ends of the spectrum, had to kill the video at that point as it seemed to me that you don't know what the hell your talking about.

[@NoelBarlau]

If you look at the text I had to superimpose over the video, I was correcting myself and noted it was a Kawasaki engine and not a Chinese Loncin knockoff. I've been driving Kawasakis since I bought my 1980 KDX80 in about 1985 or so. I'm pretty sure I know by now where they're made.