Riding Mowers

[Jeeper]

The topic is lawn care and more specifically riding mowers. I'm in a larger piece of property with a little over a half an acre which means its time to step up to a riding mower. What are your opinion? Which brands, what size cuts, HP on engines, etc?

 

[wilbilt]

I have an ancient 12HP Murray with a 38" cut that does my 1/2 acre just fine.

I have noticed recently that most of the new mowers for sale are pretty much identical except for the color of the paint and the shape of the plastic hood. Just find one on sale that is big enough for your needs, but not too big.

 

[krusty the clown]

from my experience stay away from craftsman, poulan, husqvarna, the housings for the blade shafts break easily. i used to buy them 2 at a time and keep them on hand so i didn't have to run to town every time they broke. i bought a white (mtd) and while it's better it still has it's problems, the wheels keep falling off and the engine loads up. mtd white and my selling dealer has done little for me except give me the runaround. the next one i buy will be a john deere. i don't care how much it costs i don't want to stop mowing to fix the damn thing.

 

[wilbilt]

the next one i buy will be a john deere. i don't care how much it costs i don't want to stop mowing to fix the damn thing.

The school district I work for bought a John Deere a couple of years ago. It has a Kawasaki engine that is always breaking down, and eats mower deck bearings almost monthly.

It came from the JD dealer. The JDs at Home Depot look identical to the Toros and Cub Cadets there.

 

[jason96r]

All riding mowers are basically the same. MTD basically owns everything and the frames are all the same just buy the engine that you most like, Tecumseh I hear is going under and I recommend Briggs or Kohler is the best right now. I would get a MTD Bolus with whatever HP you would like. There is some difference between the more expensive with driveshafts and plastic parts for bushings etc. in susupension, but then you have to go real expensive in order to truly get the best. I wouldn't go John Deere as they are no different than the cheap ones and are not actually made by John Deere. Husqavarna (sp) sold by Lowes and others along with Club Cadet are quite nice though.

 

[SteveU]

If you have a lot of trees, bushes, etc. to mow around I would look at something like a Dixon ZTR or something similar as it will cut your mowing time up to half depending on how many obstacles there are. If it is mostly open, any tractor style riding mower with a 42" or so deck will work well. Most riders will have 10-20 hp engines & 30-60" decks. I run a 15 hp 42" ZTR which takes about 1 1/2 hrs to mow 2 acres.

 

[jhn9840]

If your planning on new avoid the JD and Cubs that they sell @ HD,Lowes ect... They are not manufactured by those companies and from what I've read are junk. If your budget can take it Kubota or JD from one of there dealers are good machines. The Sears stuff from the 70's thru the mid 80's are tanks.

jhn9840
John

 

[jason96r]

Forgot to mention most unless you spend are belt driven from the ******. If you want chain again more money, but is worth it IMO. Though changing the belts really isnt that hard, thats right belts like that is on your power steering and AC.

 

[Junkman]

I would look for a Kubota BX series tractor with either a 54" or 60" mower deck. I bought mine 5 years ago, and it has been a great machine. Mine is a BX22, which has a mid mount mower, front loader, and a small backhoe. It was expensive, but I will have it for the rest of my life. You can find cheaper machines, but they won't last as long. If you can't afford new, look for a used machine. They are just about bullet proof, and the Kubota 3 cylinder engine is good for about 10,000 hours with just oil changes. There are some good deals on used ones, when people upgrade because they want something newer or larger. I would stay away from the BX1500, since it is a 2 cylinder engine that vibrates a lot.

 

[Franz©]

Can't help you one bit. The newest machine in LN's fleet left the factory in 1972, and it still works better than any of the **** MTD is shipping by the trainload.
LN has multiple tractors with parts machines sitting in reserve so she will never have to buy a plastic mower.

 

[gotmud13613]

I have the older Poulan (black&yellow)20hp 42" got it from Sears almost 10 yrs ago, the only things I have replaced is the battery (last summer) amazing how long this battery lasted, blades, and 1 blade shaft (hit a rock). Other than that it's been a great mower. It mows two lawns 3/4 & 1 acre every week to week and half in the summer.

 

[mhoffm911]

A lawn tractor is something I would never buy new. I have sold too many of them at auction over the years to know that you can find a nice one for a reasonable price at auction. I do a lot of "moving" auctions, where the owner is moving out of state and doesn't want to take their tractor with them. So, watch the auction ads and Craig's List.

I have a 1976 Wheel Horse that I would not trade for a brand new one. I just had to have a head gasket replaced, but other than that it has been a great tractor for my needs. Mine has a 12HP Kohler K301s engine on it.

 

[sixty4]

Junkman is 100%! A Kubota is one of the best made riding mowers or Zero turns out there. Are they cheap (price wise), heck no! But if its in the budget I would look into one... Just my 2 cents.......
Sixty4

 

[swgray]

At work we've got a small John Deere. Its about two years old. Both front wheels and tires were replaced this past summer. The new tires are nearly bald now. One wheel has had the bushings replaced. I made the bushings as JD doesn't list them as separate from the wheel, its all or nothing.

It probably doesn't help that the guy cutting the grass is an idiot and has no idea anythings wrong until the wheel falls off. Which he then puts in the trailer he always tows with him and drives it as much as a half mile to the maintenance shop.

 

[eschoendorff]

If you have a lot of trees, bushes, etc. to mow around I would look at something like a Dixon ZTR or something similar as it will cut your mowing time up to half depending on how many obstacles there are. If it is mostly open, any tractor style riding mower with a 42" or so deck will work well. Most riders will have 10-20 hp engines & 30-60" decks. I run a 15 hp 42" ZTR which takes about 1 1/2 hrs to mow 2 acres.

The Dixons were our weapon of choice when we owned a lawn care 15 years ago. Never had a problem with them. However, for $650 i found this neat old piece of American iron:

That tractor will probably outlast my grandchildren.

 

[daw53]

I second, or I guess it is third, Junkman's Kubota recommendation. I've owned a BX23 (a newer version of his BX-22) for about 3-1/2 years now and love it! Although, the BX series are probably overkill for 1/2 acre, I will admit that when I bought mine, it only took me 10 minutes to mow my yard! My step-father used it to mow about an acre. I have since moved and now mow about 3 acres. Another good old mower is the New Holland S-series (S14, S16), which was bought by Ariens and made/marketed by them until just a couple of years ago. They are shaft drive, hydrostatic machines. I used a New Holland S14 when I was growing up and mowed lots with it. Still have it, waiting to find a new deck or do some major surgery on the exisitng one. My parents now have an MTD and it is very hard to mow with it after mowing with the Kubota - kinda like the difference between a Pinto and a Cadillac!

 

[CharlieBrown]

if you buy orange,,you will never get a lemon

Kubota...B7800 HST here..but I mow here on the place 8 acres

bout a acre or so at my business

and the youth soccer fields for 10 weeks in the fall

 

[Junkman]

I used to use Bolens HT 20 and 23 tractors, but got tired of buying gas to keep them filled. The diesel uses very little fuel for grass cutting, and I just love it. I still have the Bolens for some reason, and I hope that this summer, I will sell them. They are heavy tractors, weighing about 1500 pounds without the mower deck.... add another 300 pounds. I guess that they will sell cheap, since gas is now $3.00 a gallon. There are a lot of old garden tractor collectors out there, so hopefully one of them will fall in love with what I have...

 

[Joe B.]

Most of the Craftsman units are Husqvarna. They are actually quite good for the money. Not pro grade but a lot cheaper than John Deere for about the same quality.

I like Snapper because they are one of the few companies to ever turn down Wal*Mart. They knew that it would mean lots of sales but they did not want to go down the path of constantly lower prices that ends with all production moving to China.

mhoffm911 is right about buying used. With only 1/2 acre you are about as small as a lawn gets that you can still justify a tractor. Many people move and have to sell their ride. The guy I bought my house from had to sell his zero turn Snapper when he sold the house because he was not going to need it at his new place. I'm sure whoever bought it got a good deal. I can't buying a new premium mower for just half an acre.

The other thing I would recommend would be a large commercial walk behind mower. If you do not have any health restrictions, a walk behind mower will mow just as fast for less money and you will get some exercise. I live in an area with many 1/2 acre lots and all of the commercial landscapers use self-propelled walk behind mowers.

 

[Coach James]

I have an acre and I still use a Craftsman push mower, no self-propelled. I used to cut grass in high school for money and never liked the self-propelled. My wife has suggested I get a riding mower, but I really don't want to.

A buddy of mine finally got tired of replacing his Lowes rider every year and bought a zero turn(can't remember the brand). It was expensive, but he sure likes it.

Coach

 

[Uncle Buck]

I have an acre and I still use a Craftsman push mower, no self-propelled. I used to cut grass in high school for money and never liked the self-propelled. My wife has suggested I get a riding mower, but I really don't want to.

A buddy of mine finally got tired of replacing his Lowes rider every year and bought a zero turn(can't remember the brand). It was expensive, but he sure likes it.

Coach

Why not get ya a horse? "Wheel Horse of course!" to quote the very, very old ad!

 

[Jeeper]

Thanks for all the advice. I am surely of the mind to buy used. I started looking at craigslist to see if anything comes available. Right now I'm leaning towards a craftsman, MTD, troybilt or something along those lines. Don't think i need to spend the money on something that could be used commercially.

BTW i have a push mower and have done the lawn once....took me 3 hours. It's actually about 3/4 of an acre. don't have a problem with the exercise part (hell i'm 30 and exercise regularlly). It's really the 21" width of a cut vs a 42" that really has me interested. it's a big time saver.

Any pros and cons of a manual ****** vs a hydrostatic? I really want the tractor to be something that i can work on to keep it running. I figure the ones i've listed should have parts readily available.

 

[Junkman]

MTD makes all the tractors that you mention. They might be inexpensive to buy, but when you find out what they get for parts, you will be shocked. Much like buying a Hyundai or Kia automobile. They are cheap to buy, but very expensive to buy repair parts for them. I would rather pay more for a quality product that will not require much in the way of repairs, than buy cheap and spend time and money trying to keep it together.

 

[jimvannoy]

I have a Garden Tractor. It's just a bit bigger version of a lawn tractor. I mow about 8 acres with it. I think the mower deck is 52" or 54". It also has a manual lift on the back you can attach small implements to. I have a box blade, plow, and disc for it. Before I got it I used a regular riding mower to mow my 2 or 3 acre yard and the ranch hand at the horse farm next to me use to bush hog my pastures.

 

[CBSuperDuty]

I have a JD Ztrak 445 (biggest of the residential ZTR's that they make). So far I love it. Saves a ton of time.

 

[Jay H 237]

We have a Wheel Horse garden tractor, 10hp Kohler that we use for our 1/2 acre.

Consider a MTD brand a 'throw away' if it needs anything besides spark plugs or blades.

Watch out for some of the lower end stuff to, even from well known brands like W-H. Some of them are just 'entry models'. Since we plow and roto-till with ours we went with one with a cast iron frame and rear end. Not a thin stamped steel frame like the cheaper brands.

My next door neighbor has a Honda rider mower (not tractor) and he's had it for 12 or 13 years now and it's still going strong. I don't know how thier newer ones are though.

 

[Uncle Buck]

We have a Wheel Horse garden tractor, 10hp Kohler that we use for our 1/2 acre.

Consider a MTD brand a 'throw away' if it needs anything besides spark plugs or blades.

Watch out for some of the lower end stuff to, even from well known brands like W-H. Some of them are just 'entry models'. Since we plow and roto-till with ours we went with one with a cast iron frame and rear end. Not a thin stamped steel frame like the cheaper brands.

My next door neighbor has a Honda rider mower (not tractor) and he's had it for 12 or 13 years now and it's still going strong. I don't know how thier newer ones are though.

The newer Wheel Horse stuff (those made and sold by Toro) are only a shadow of the old Horse stuff made back in the day. The older units were/are hell for stout if you can find one. Same goes for the old IH Cub line.

 

[Uncle Buck]

The Dixons were our weapon of choice when we owned a lawn care 15 years ago.

Dixon is no longer made!

 

[Fast Orange]

I'll second the IH Cub Cadets-Kohler motors that run forever,cast iron transmissions from the original Farmall Cubs-as tough or tougher than anything else the same size.I understand that parts are easily available.One caution-try to find one from the second or third year they were made-the earliest ones had a partial frame that would crack/break where the trans bolted to the frame. I broke my Dad's in half rototilling some hard ground.Later models had a full length frame.

 

[Mandres]

I agree that buying a well-taken-care-of secondhand tractor is the way to go. I let my wife talk me into dropping 2k on a Husqvarna 54" brand new and, while nice, it doesn't mow my 3 acres that much better than a $1000 year old Craftsman (they're both made in the same factory as a matter of fact).

Since you're only looking at .5 acre I would think really hard about one of the smaller ZTRs on the market if you can find a deal on one. ZTR-drive really beats a traditional tractor design hands down unless you need to pull ground engaging equipment.

 

[Dodgepu360]

Dixon is no longer made!

yes they are http://www.dixon-ztr.com/node2087.aspx

 

[SteveU]

Back when I got my first Dixon in the mid 80's people would almost drive into things rubbernecking when I mowed, now seems like everyone has a ztr & they're no big deal anymore. Dixie Chopper would be next mower of choice but they are big bucks.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

I'm in a larger piece of property with a little over a half an acre which means its time to step up to a riding mower.

Huh? half acre, you could mow that in a few minutes with a push mower, sheesh!!!!!

When I hear "larger piece of property" I think ten acres or so.

Charles

 

[eschoendorff]

Huh? half acre, you could mow that in a few minutes with a push mower, sheesh!!!!!

When I hear "larger piece of property" I think ten acres or so.

Charles

Hey - I mow my 1/2 acre lot with my 60" Ingersoll mower and have a damn good time doing it (in 20 minutes)!

 

[Uncle Buck]

yes they are http://www.dixon-ztr.com/node2087.aspx

I am glad to hear that; a friend steered me wrong!

 

[oldtractors]

If your planning on new avoid the JD and Cubs that they sell @ HD,Lowes ect... They are not manufactured by those companies and from what I've read are junk. If your budget can take it Kubota or JD from one of there dealers are good machines. The Sears stuff from the 70's thru the mid 80's are tanks.

jhn9840
John

The cub cadets are MTD. The John Deeres at HD aren't aren't as heavy duty as their garden tractors (made in Horicon, WI). However, they are in fact made by John Deere in Greenville, TN.

 

[Brandon_Lutz]

I've got an ole John Deere 111 that I use to mow the lawn. My parents had it before I was born, and I'm 28. We put a newer Briggs and Stratton engine in it about 7 years ago. The mower is a tank. I love that thing.

 

[Freejack]

For zero turns, definitely look at the Dixons, the cone drives use sooo much less power than standard hydrodrive zeroturns, but they will require a bit more maintenence

If you are looking for garden tractors rather than a zero turn, I'd try and find either a 700 series Allis Chalmers or 900 series Deutz or AGCO Allis tractor. Made by Simplicity, very solid tractors, very deep deck with a unique floating mount system. Provides by far one of the best quality mows I've seen. I believe you can find the same tractor under the Simplicity brand, called Soveriegn.

http://www.simpletractors.com/models/ac_700_series.htm
http://www.simpletractors.com/deutz/900_series.htm


Jake

 

[Yotaforce]

I worked as a golf course mechanic for a few years and found that the older JD stuff is more reliable than the new plastic, outsourced parts ridden, electronic packed stuff they make now. My dad has a newer JD but the general maintenance parts are not cheap. I do like the zero turn, hydrostatic mowers. They are quick, agile, and pretty simple. I have to also second the fact that I have had a Craftsman rider for about 7 years now and do not recommend it. I spend about $200 a year on new parts, have to constantly repair it, and the slightest bump or rock can delay my mowing ability. THEY ****! But I can't afford a new one. One day I will find a good used mower that will cut my 4.5 acre field without breaking halfway thru. Good luck.

 

[sharpshooter]

Wow, I have only seen snapper's name brought up once in this thread. My father has always had a snapper, When I was growing up he had one, used it for about 15yrs then we moved and didnt need it any longer. Well my father moved and needed another riding mower... So guess what he bought. Me personally, in the next few months I will be looking for a riding mower for a 1/2 acre and snapper is going to be the 1st mower I look at. The maintenance part is so straight forward. you just tilt them up on the back and go, you dont have to drop the deck or any of that ****. Id stray away from mowers built like the craftmen and mtds but thats just me....