Lawn mower for 1 acre lot

[MongoTA]

About 20 years ago I bought a 3 year old JD GT235, my first (and possibly only) eBay purchase. Bought it from a JD dealer out in Illinois for $2400, shipping to CT included. Came with a 48" deck.

I'm still using it. Still mows great. Added a Bercomac front snowblower for my 900' long driveway. While it looks like it's been put through the ringer (it has) as it's been stored outside for the past 20 years, mechanically it's still in great shape. Cosmetically, it's pretty beat up. I also use it to tow around a Cyclone Rake in the fall for leaf cleanup. It gets run year-round.

Each year I look at getting a sister GT235 in case I need replacement parts down the road, but I've never pulled the trigger. Used ones on CL or FBM are in the $800-$1500 range.

The GT series is a 'garden tractor' versus the LT series, a 'lawn tractor'. The GT is much more durable. Used prices are reasonable, new prices and the quality of some of the new stuff makes used even more attractive.

I used to mow a little over a half-acre of Kentucky Bluegrass lawn, the majority of it being my front lawn. But the lawn is getting smaller. Fruit trees, etc. I venture I now have around 13000sqft in my front yard and 3000sqft in my back yard.

I'm in the process of doing a backyard renovation, I stripped and redid the backyard grass with topsoil and sod. Plus added another new patch of grass, also sod. So two "new lawns", one 1400sq ft and the other 1600sqft. I've been mowing them this year with a 28-year old Scotts manual reel mower. I mow each lawn like a zamboni resurfaces a sheet of ice, so I never stop walking. Takes about 12-15 minutes to do them combined, that's with overlap. I do walk at a good pace and it does elevate the heartrate, as the grass is thick and lush, it's coming in nicely.

I do admit I enjoy mowing, either with the GT235 or with the reel mower. But yard maintenance and road-trip travel (I'm approaching retirement) don't mix well. I think I'm eventually headed towards a robotic mower.

 

[3rdgendslmech]

I know I'm a few months late but.....I'm getting ready to purchase a Gravely ZTX 42. Right now the local dealer has that model on sale for 4200, add a mulch kit, and a hitch plate for about 150. My wife timed me the other day and I spend about an hour and 15 minutes trimming between the push mower and weed wacker, and 45 minutes riding on a 46" husqvarna tractor. So just about 2 hours total for a half acre lot. There's 3 parts of my lot, largest being the back yard with a 24x32 barn, 18' above ground pool, play house, swing, 8x8 shed, and a flowe bed, Front yard is split into 2 sections, both have trees and landscaping, the larger portion of the front is along the main road and has 6 large trees to mow around.
This all got started when my neighbor down the street a ZT from a family member who was moving, the elec. clutch switch was bad, so I rigged him up something temporarily so he could try it. Once I got it fixed he offered me a jack and coke to mow his back yard so I gladly obliged.
I'm at the point in my life now, with 2 kids, working 9 hour days ( 11 if you count the commute, and lunch break ) and some occasional weekend work. If I can save some significant time on a task that I still enjoy doing....I'm going to. If i hated yard work, I'd hire it out.

 

[My Old Tools]

Kubota Z122r. Pulls a wagon just fine, does hills and slopes just fine. I put bar tires on the back. Zero turns excel not only on straightline mowing, they are much faster around trees and obstacles, and you can edge closer.

 

[MattRMagnum]

Buy one used. Find a vintage John Deere or Cub Cadet or Sears. It'll be a fraction of the price of a new unit, and parts are readily available. Most of the guys in my local tractor club mow 2+ acres in one go with an old tractor. Our new Craftsman is supposedly good for up to 4 acres (it was the largest non-zero turn), but seems to not like more than 1 acre without some time not mowing.

 

[Glemon]

What you want is a "Forest Gump"/Snapper rear engine 30" riding mower. Of course that exact model has been out of production for many years. MTD still makes a similar model sold under the Troy-Bilt or Craftsman or Murray brand name. These are adequate for flat lots under 2 acres. It is very important that you keep it clean and store it in a dry location. Sadly the price has gone up A LOT in the past few years.

I bought one of these a out 6 years ago, my wife has a picture of me on it. I look like a circus bear on a mini bike. It was on sale for under a grand, didn't like the hills in my yard. I returned it well cleaned up after 1 use.

I bought a Cub Cadet XT1 for about $1600 then, I see they are $2400 now. It has been cutting my half acre for 6 years now. No issues, change the oil, sharpen the blade each year, clean after using, that's it. I am sure there are better mowers out there, but it does all I need, and growing up with a human powered reel push mower I feel like the king of the world riding it. Mowing time about 20 minutes, but I have a lot of landscaping and trees to cut around.

Also works great to mulch and pick up leaves, we have a lot of leaves.

 

[jumbojak]

A lot of you guys are not factoring in some of the considerations that make lawn tractors completely impractical. Lots of obstacles and a fence render them useless compared to a zero turn. And to anyone who claims a zero turn is leaving 'ruts' around trees, you were just using it incorrectly. You never, never want to execute a turn with the inside wheel not turning. I see homeowners do it all the time. Heck, I see lawn care 'pros' do it.

Keeping your wheels moving does help but ringing trees and posts is just hard on grass. It won't happen overnight but even if you go nice and slow you will still eventually damage anything aside from a vigorous grower like Bermuda. Reduced sunlight under a trees dripline doesn't help either and I haven't figured out how to make Bermuda grow under a thick canopy.

So either ring the tree with mulch to widen the turn or straighten your pass and tighten everything up with a weedeater.

 

[bb29510]

budget $4000 better buy quick, its seem like they inflate the price every week.

one thing, i dont want to buy one that been sitting outside for the last six months at box store or TSC. I would want one that i have to cut the cardboard box off. its just me pay 4k for one that been rained on the last six months

 

[nbpt100]

There is no way possible you push mow a 1/2 acre of grass in 20 minutes.

It takes me at least an hour to mulch my .47 acre with a walk behind 21" Toro super recycler...... and I walk fast and I plan my rout so I minimize stoping and backing up. You want to keep going forward at full speed while cutting a near full cut as much as practicle to be efficient. An hour and 20 minutes if I bag some of it. Think like a zamboni driver.

 

[nbpt100]

I live in a neighborhood where everyone has about the same amount of grass. Many guys have lawn tractors and I watch them mow. They go at a slow speed. I walk as fast as they mow on thier tractors. They are constantly stopping and backing up. What is the point of having a lawn tractor if it takes and hour to mow, While I do the same size lawn with my walk behind in about the same time. Plus i get the exercise that I enjoy and is a good thing. Walking solves a lot of problems. One guy is in his 80s and has some trouble walking. I do not think anything less of him for riding a tractor slowly to mow. Heck his is 80 something. I am talking about guys who are not old enough to collect social security and could actually loose a few pounds. Do some walking or drive the damn thing on fast and save some time for other tasks or watching the ball game or something. But don't waste your time driving 3 MPH. venting a bit I guess. what do I care. drive it at 1 mph. It is their life.

 

[P0234]

I live in a neighborhood where everyone has about the same amount of grass. Many guys have lawn tractors and I watch them mow. They go at a slow speed. I walk as fast as they mow on thier tractors. They are constantly stopping and backing up. What is the point of having a lawn tractor if it takes and hour to mow, While I do the same size lawn with my walk behind in about the same time. Plus i get the exercise that I enjoy and is a good thing. Walking solves a lot of problems. One guy is in his 80s and has some trouble walking. I do not think anything less of him for riding a tractor slowly to mow. Heck his is 80 something. I am talking about guys who are not old enough to collect social security and could actually loose a few pounds. Do some walking or drive the damn thing on fast and save some time for other tasks or watching the ball game or something. But don't waste your time driving 3 MPH. venting a bit I guess. what do I care. drive it at 1 mph. It is their life.

I think a lot of the time it's a keeping up with the Joneses thing. I agree on a smaller yard, like under 1/3 of an acre, most of the time a push mower is faster.

 

[Skooterj]

I have a little over a 1 Acre Lot. I am currently mowing it with a 2006 Craftsman YT4500 tractor I got used for $600. It has a 54 inch deck, but the deck never stays level. Takes me about 90 minutes because of the uneven cutting making me have to overlap more then I should. I like the tractor for running around the yard, but hate mowing with it. I also have a used commercial Dixon 6022 zero turn. It is 24 years old, cuts great, has a 60 inch deck and cuts my yard in about 45 minutes. I got it about 3 years ago for $1200. It has a ton of hours on it, and one of the rocker bolts just came loose. It looks like it was helicoiled. I'm planning on trying to retap and EZ-Lock the bolt this weekend. If not, I'll order a new head. Most of the Dixon parts are discontinued, so I'm hoping nothing major breaks. But mowing with the Zero turn is so much better, faster, more enjoyable. When it eventually dies, I'll look for a used Grasshopper because I like the Front Mounted Deck.

I'm actually thinking about one of those robot mowers for the area inside my fence. I figure it is about 1/3 of an acre, maybe a little smaller. I like the thought of it mowing every other day while I'm at work. I think that would really improve my grass health.

I also have a 1978 John Deere 210 Garden Tractor. It has a 39 inch deck, but is by far the worse to mow with. The manual transmission ***** for mowing, but the damn thing just pulls. I use it to pull my dethatcher, aerator, wagon, plow my driveway. I even put a front mounted ball hitch on it to help park my trailer. It is a tank.

 

[nbpt100]

I think a lot of the time it's a keeping up with the Joneses thing. I agree on a smaller yard, like under 1/3 of an acre, most of the time a push mower is faster.

I think you mean walk behind mower when you say push? Many walk behinds are self propelled. There is that Jones thing in some neighborhoods. No question. Brand also matters in those areas. Where I live it is more about people like to drive stuff with motors and dont like to walk. They think everything should be motorized. I live on a road where there are a lot of people biking(motorcycles and pedal) up the coast. Now about half of the pedal bikes i see are electric. I have no issue with electric bikes. They make tons of sense for some people and at certain times. But when I see teenagers in the neighborhood riding them, I wonder what messaging the parents are sending them???? No helmet and wearing flip flop sandals. In my state anyone under 15 has to wear a helmet on a bike. You don't have to agree with the wisdom of it, But it is the law.

 

[BroncoAZ]

I moved to a new place with more lawn in May, probably 1/3-1/2 acre of actual grass on a 1 acre lot. I borrowed a 30” Exmark commercial mower (powered walk behind, twin blades, mulching) from work for this season and it’s worked out fine. I may still end up with a zero turn at some point, but I’m currently able to get the place mowed in an hour. I plan on watching for sales and watching marketplace to pick up a used commercial mower this fall. I did break a belt on the first half of a mow in August and had to finish with my ancient Craftsman 21” mower, it still cut well but was tedious.

 

[MikeinKy]

Having used both ZTR and the tractor layout I prefer a tractor with hydrostatic drive. They are less expensive than ZTRs and have, to me, the primary benefit. To me the big ZTR advantage is you can easily go fast where it's straight and slow for the turns. With a hydrostatic tractor you can do the same. Something I don't like about ZTRs is dealing with side slopes or mowing under trees etc. You really need to keep both hands on the sticks. With a wheel and pedal you have one hand free and it's easy to handle slopes with a steering wheel.

I will note, with a riding mower I typically spiral in vs going back and forth.

I have a Country Clipper with a joy stick. That way I have a free hand. I love that mower. I'm on my third one.

 

[teknikfrog]

I mow roughly 1 acre. I've mowed with:
- A deere ZT
- The 42" electric cub cadet ZT
- The 50" ZT150 cub cadet ZT

By far the best out of the bunch is the ZT150. For the price it's phenomenal.

The deere worked fine but was noisy and overpriced.

The electric could have been great but was extremely under-engineered. My dealer actually took it back and gave me the ZT150 as a replacement. One day I hope to return to the land of the EV mower but the technology is not there. The primary issue (and this applies to the Egos too) is twofold; they're skimping on battery and motors and using thin blades to do so, which is extremely problematic because they bend on anything other than a twig, but also they're using direct drive motors so if you hit a stump you basically shatter the drive motor (ask me how I know).

The ZT150 should have fuel injection but it's the only criticism I can come up with. It works great, is quiet enough, and is stout enough, and the price can't be beat. Sure you can go buy a Scag for 7k and have a better mower, but 1 acre is a small property imo and it's complete overkill.

 

[granturismo850]

I had a little too much to drink at the Livestock auction and bought a goat for $5. Took him home and tied him off in the back yard, next day I had to move him 'cause he ate all the grass, weeds and even some toys!
Went to the auction the next week and bought him a girlfriend ($17) and now we got a bunch a goats and no weeds or grass. They take care of 5 acres and some of the neighbors too!

 

[PoorUB]

Looking to buy lawn tractor or zero turn for 1 acre flat lot.
Preferable something not huge to save garage space. My budget is up to $4000.
Any input or recommendations?

What did you buy, so we can pick that decision apart!

 

[andyvh1959]

I have a 1/2 acre city lot in Green Bay, with over 20 mature trees, planting ares, shed, deck, lots of hostas, etc. Lots of things to steer around. I had an old Ingersol lawn tractor with 4-wheel manual steering and a transmission. Lots of shifting with that thing. Finally got rid of it and bought a used Simplicity 26hp ZTR, 54" deck, three blades. Way too big for the lot, though it was fast. But I'd tear up the grass (lots of sand in my soil so the grass is kinda fragile) doing the quick turns ZTRs are known for. By the time I learned to do Y turns or keep a bit of power to the inside wheel I was still causing some damage. Thought of getting a smaller ZTR like in the 42" deck size range but those are mostly the crappy residential build machines (like those to avoid at the big box stores). I had bought the ZTR for $800, then fixed it up a bit and sold it for $1100.

Then I bought a used Husqvarna (made in Sweden) front deck 19hp articulating mower. Got it cheap, $400, needed some welding repairs on the 42" two blade deck. Been great, reliable, and the deck out front makes it easy to steer around hostas/planting, and even nudging under overhanging features. Hydrostatic drive rear axle since the chassis articulates. Its defintiely a residential style machine, and Husqvarna produces other similar articulating mowers with more commercial build qualities, but they are no longer commonly sold in the US. Too bad because they are cool machines. I use it mainly for lawn cutting, but in the fall it is capable of towing large tarp loads of leaves to the curb.

 

[red]

Any comments for John Deere S130 and Bad Boy MZ rambler 42" ?

​

Bad boy hands down . . .
for another (actual professional) opinion ck out-

 

[Mr. Tool]

Back in 1997 my wife and I purchased a house that sat on a little over an acre.

We love it but I definitely knew right then and there that I was going to need a riding mower to handle the yard.

Purchased my very first riding mower from good O'Monkey Wards ( Montgomery Wards...remember them?) it was an MTD Yardman riding mower with a 42" deck. It worked and served me very well and had that for many, many years.

Back then I had paid just over $2 K for it and back then I really thought that was a lot for a riding mower!

Well back in 2015 I knew that MTD Yardman was on it's last wheel. I knew that it probably only had a couple of more years use out of it (that is if I wasn't going to put any money into it) and told my wife that I had to start looking for a replacement.

Well in the Fall of 2015 I found a ZT mower.....a Hustler Raptor Flip-Up with a 54" deck!

I placed my order for it online and it was delivered a few days later. I like it a lot! Specifically for the feature that the entire deck can be flipped up to clean under the deck, change blades, etc. without having to jack up the entire mower.

Cost?.........just over $5K !

Yes a lot more $ than what I was anticipating on spending but definitely money well worth spending.

It's not Hustler's commercial model ZT mower but more for residential purposes such as those with 1-2 acre's of property to mow.

 

[nbpt100]

Everyone has an opinion that is biased by so many factors and personal experience. When something is bad, It is bad. Like the Electric zero turns. They will get there at some point. But it is a guess as to when. The best mower is the one you have and works with out struggling to get it to start and mow. If you have an older one that is working fine. Just keep it going. Do your general maintenance. It is worth it. Unless you spend a lot for a commercial grade the home owner level machines have been cheapened over the years. If you need one you have to take a bit of a leap in faith after reading all of the reviews. Pick a good dealer who will back it up.

 

[admranger]

Steal the Walker that @watchJRgo (youtube) bought and refurbed.

And, having survived a short stint in the DC/NoVA area, push mowers are not a healthy choice.

If you aren't a DIY'er, get one from a place that sells and services their gear. You're not getting that Home Depot/Lowes mower serviced at the place you bought it and you'll have zero priority in the line at the place that does sell and service it's gear.

 

[Slednut]

If you’re young I’d buy a Scag Liberty Z with a 52 inch deck.

 

[ATC]

Looking to buy lawn tractor or zero turn for 1 acre flat lot.
Preferable something not huge to save garage space. My budget is up to $4000.
Any input or recommendations?

A Snapper style mower would be perfect.