[JAinSC]

I am thinking about buying a riding lawn mower this year - for two reasons.

1. I would like to never rake another live oak leaf out of my yard again in my lifetime. Not that I am that big of a weenie; I have raked leaves all of my life, but those darn live oak leaves that fall in the spring (right now!) area ahuge pain in the "arse."

2. We have a small piece of land that I need to keep clear (keep down the dog fennel and seedlings, etc), and a riding mower would sure make that easier.

My yard is fairly small and full of obstacles, so I was thinking of going with a rear engine mower - probably a Snapper, but they are expensive as heck. I can get a bigger front engine "lawn tractor" for the same money or even quite a bit less.

Any advice anyone?
Rear engine or front?
Brands? Snapper, John Deere, Toro, Troybuilt, Cub Cadet, Husqvarna, Craftsman...

 

[oh no]

Cub Cadets used to be good, the key word is used to be. used to be American Made, now Chinese parts/gearboxes. I just bought a used Ingersoll off of Ebay. 48" deck, 43" rototiller, 20 HP Onan motor, all hydraulic.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150221215973&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=005

I could have gotten a cheaper, new one at Walmart, but you get what you pay for.

My nephew has about 2 acres that he mows and he gets about 7 years out of a 1000 dollar Walmart one. The last 2 years of that, he works on them quite a bit.

It all depends on how much lawn you have, and how long you want to take to mow it. My nephews mower has a 42" deck. He could use a 60" deck. lol My riders, 1 Bolens 16HP Kohler, 48" deck, Ingersoll 20 HP Onan 48" deck, and my old full size Cub 48" brush hog. If I ever get all my place in lawn like I would like, I will have to get a zero turn mower.

You mention Snapper. I always thought they were cheap made for the price they ask.

I don't think you will be able to get a very good one with out spending at least 1000 dollars on a new one. I think all the cheaper ones 1000 dollars or so are made by MTD, they just stick a different paint job on them.

That Ingersoll I picked up was Case Tractors. When Case went belly up, Ingersoll bought out there lawn tractors. The big tractors partnered up with International Harvester. Made in USA in WI, now they moved the plant to Maryland. They brag that there is no plastic parts on an Ingersoll. lol

Just look them over real good. For a small place, I don't think those 1000 dollar ones are all that bad. If you look around, sometimes you can get a good used one in the paper or at an auction, OR EBAY. LOL

 

[dinger66]

go zero turn you cant beat them

 

[firechief4201]

The new rider's turn a lot better than the old ones you should have no problem just keep your deck size low.

 

[bearcat]

Get a zero turn. I is hard to imagine how handy and easy it can be to mow with a zero turn. John deere you will pay alot for the name.

 

[JAinSC]

The zero turns look sweet, but they seem to start around $3000!

I'd like to keep it a good bit below that.

 

[orion_xxvx]

I have a yard man 17.5 horse 2 cyl. and it mows about any height grass. But could use a bagger. I recomend one of those pull behind lawn sweepers they are only couple hundred bucks and do grass or leaves. I had problems starting mine and replaced starter and put tubes in all tires. Had to set gap close on sparkplugs starts first time every time now.

 

[rcjoyner]

I got an abandoned (by next door neighbor) John Deere LX-188.
Put about 10$ in it and some elbow grease.

Wish now I had bought one 20 years ago. It is the best made mower I have ever see.

Except for a 20 year old snapper, back when they were tough.

 

[coltsfan]

i bought a john deere LT160 8 years ago and all i've done to it is change the oil.

 

[whodaman]

might be able to buy a used zero radius rider from a lawn care company this would be the time to check with them . alot of lawn care companys buy new mowers in the early spring and have old ones for sale it may have alot of hours on it but if your just going to mow your lawn a machine with high hours wouldnt matter to much as long as it runs good. if you do buy a zero radius mower make sure the handles dont touch when you close them if they do touch they have either been bent or the dampianers are geting old and need to be replaced

 

[oh no]

i bought a john deere LT160 8 years ago and all i've done to it is change the oil.

The guy I bought mine from has a 160 up on Ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150225993679&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=005

Then he has this other one that I would love to own.oooh::tounge_out:oooh: Makes me drool. lol

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150225989656&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=005

 

[River Outlaw]

check out Ferris or Walker mowers. they are zero turn but you should be able to find a used one in your price range. my choice is Ferris, its a "tank" and would have no problem w/ pastures & overgrown lots. i run over 2" & under dia. trees with little to no bogging or damage to the blades. i sharpen my own so im rough on em.

 

[223reload]

I use a 42" cut craftsman. My lawn ' is 1.38 AC ,with few things to mow around ,save the house chicken pen an boat. I have had it for 7 years and have only changed blades and belt as well as one blade spindle. I works for me,cost 900.00

 

[JAinSC]

Thanks everybody for the advice. I am thinking about the 42" 20 hp Craftsman - they are on sale right now. Or for a little bit more, I could get a 42" 19.5 horse Deere. I guess I'll go look at them tomorrow and see how they look.

 

[firechief4201]

John, Both of those mowers should work well for a home owner. they both make sharp turns and are good cutting mowers. If your yard is unlevel make sure they have anti scrap wheels on the deck. I use to be in the grass cutting business. Zero turn mowers are nice but cost to much for just cutting around the house.:wink:

 

[Grimpuppy]

If you are going to go zero turn, check out Country Clipper. They are the ones that made the Snappers when they were good. When Snapper started sourcing them elsewhere cheaper, Country Clipper continued to making them under their own name. The joystick control is a thing of beauty as is the flip up deck. I have 4 acres to mow. With my old rider I would mow 3 nights a week just to keep it knocked down. It takes me 4 hours to actually mow it all now instead of just keeping it all knocked down. It will mow at 8 mph! The yard looks much nicer but the price is tough to swallow at first. They usually have good deals with financing. They offer some no interest and 2% plans if you catch it at the right time.

 

[Mark J]

I cut with a 40 year old Yazoo YR60.
Tricycle landing gear pushing a 5 foot deck out front.

I want a new one for the speed and can buy Yazoo at cost.
The farm is a dealer. Still going to be about $6500.:sad2:

 

[ShilohRed]

You can buy cheap and buy a few of them over a lifetime.
Or buy a good one for life.
Pete
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/ShilohRed/ferris IS2000Z/FerrisIS2000Z002-1.jpg

 

[whodaman]

ferris is the way to go we use ferris where i work and we dont have break downs like we use to when we used ransom's. its one of those things where alot of money now saves you alot of money down the road

 

[oh no]

Thanks everybody for the advice. I am thinking about the 42" 20 hp Craftsman - they are on sale right now. Or for a little bit more, I could get a 42" 19.5 horse Deere. I guess I'll go look at them tomorrow and see how they look.

My one neighbor has a Craftsman and he likes it. My other neighbor has a Deere with a diesel. lol The one with the diesel has at least 3 times as much lawn though, probably about 3 acres.

If I ever get my lawn done, I'll mow about 4 acres. :angry::crazy::angry: