What's a good Riding Lawnmower?
 

Yes, I could go to Consumer Reports or something, but I figure that a bunch of car people would have some useful comments. (And I only have to look in one place ;) )

I haven't moved the lawn in a long long time and my family had an old Briggs and Stratton push mower. That thing lasted like 7 years and you basically couldn't kill it. We then got another one and it last much, much less. So my experience is quite limited.

Anyhow, I want a nice riding mower to cut a 1/3 acre lawn. Sounds lazy, but if I cut it quick, I can spend that time edging it out and lanscaping.

Any suggestions?

The second cheapest one at Home Depot is what I bought 4 years ago when I moved to the country... I have 1.5 acres of all grass to mow, works great, cost about $1k. Only recurring maintence stuff has been new oil and air filters, and a few drive belts.

I have a John Deere 445, with 54" mower and snow plow for winter. Very durable, and valve adjustments are a lot easier than on a 911. I can mow about 3 acres in less than an hour, at full throttle, though at speed I have trouble avoiding my wife's little trees and flowers.

I went a slightly different route and purchased a Ransomes (now Textron) Bob-cat...48" wide, 6 speeds/plus reverse, walk behind mower. I do use what's called a "Sulky" or Jungle Wheels, so all I do is stand on this steel "chariot" and let it pull me around. Actually kind of fun.

For riding mowers the zero radius turn types are the way to go. Quick to cut, manuever, dump clippings...but expensive.

Then you have the garden tractor which ca serve many other purposes from snow plow/blower, seeding, PTO driven accessories (for the larger tractors) etc.

http://www.ttcsp.com/productManufacture.asp?MID=4

<i>BTW, regarding mowers (and like anything else), you get what you pay for. The mowers I mention are commercial. It will be the last one you buy.</i>

oops....

Zero Turn Ride behind:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1076614380.jpg

Walk behind with Jungle Wheels...can even get a seat for it.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1076614516.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1076614534.jpg

Rick is on the money. Buy a good used or new commercial walk-behind mower. For your size lot, a rider may be a waste of bucks. I bought a used Exmark 36" Metro mower for $1600 with sulky. I thought it was too much money, but after the first cut I knew it was worth it. These mowers are built to last and cut really, really well. I recommend Exmark/Toro or the brand with the best dealer in your area.
Jürgen

Skag. Not sure if they make something small enough for that yard tho ......

I like this one...
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1076636341.jpg

All the big commercial brands make a good product. I believe from 36" to ???? big.

If you do go the pre-owned route be careful and take your time. Most machines are used by landscapers who use them day in and day out....obviously. You need to get a trade-in or a machine with as few hours as possible...again pretty obvious.

I lucked out because the guy I bought my mower from thought he wanted to be a weekend landscaper. After 3 weekends he decided otherwise. The mower then sat for a couple of months and I snapped it up for $1200. Much better than $3600.

Good luck.

FWIW, If you're looking to buy a set of Jungle Wheels you can <i>potentially</i> (subject to availability) get them for much less than retail. I scanned Ebay searching for a sulky with no luck. I then looked at the completed auctions and saw that Jungle Jims (the manufacturer) had auctioned off "scratch and dent" units for a very attractive price. I called and asked if they had a similar unit for direct purchase. The very nice rep said she had a couple of custom painted units left over from a large order and they wouldn't sell them through retail channels because they weren't the standard red.

What color are they? They're green....LOL. Matches my mower perfectly. Great product, great people.

Anyway, just thought I'd pass the tip on.

http://www.junglejimsap.com/

Love my Snapper Lawn Mower:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1076686315.jpg

Got torque? :cool:

In all honesty, my Snapper 8hp rider mower has been trouble free since I got it about 8 years ago.
-Z-man.

PS: Yes, the pic is real. (Real fun, too!)

Do I see a Red Baron scarf there?

I think we need to moderate that photo for content...Those shorts are just....well, too eighties?

Upgraded from a Snapper 33" rear engine(hotrodded from 8HP B&S to 14HP B&S) to the Exmark 36". The Exmark is to Porsche 911 turbo as Snapper is to Geo Metro with hamster conversion. No comparison. The Exmark cuts faster, better, and can maneuver very well. Shop around until you find a mower with low-hours.

Speaking of flying movers...
Right click, save as...

-Z.

We could talk engines here as well. I believe my mower had two or three choices from the factory. I ended up with a 14 HP Kawasaki 4-stroke. I'm very happy with it. I think Briggs and Kohler (and maybe Onan) were the choices.

1/3 acre here as well. All cut with a 21" self propelled Snapper commercial model bearing a 5 horse OHV Honda engine. I've only had it a year, after wearing out another snapper with a 6 horse Briggs in 4 years. IMHO, the Honda has more power than the Briggs ever did, despite the "drop" in power ratings. So far, so good...but it does take time. But what the hell...I'm retired, have the time. And just going for a walk for exercise bores me. I'd rather be doing something productive AS I'm walking for exercise...;) BTW, the Willamette Valley of Oregon produces 90% of the world's grass seed. Trust me on this...grass grows well and fast here...during the busy season, I often mow 2 times a week.

Wait a while..I understand that Porsche is following up the Cayenne with a line of rider lawnmowers; top end model will have twin turbos.....

2-1/2 acres here, my honda with vac bags and trailer works great.

Zman, is that you on that snapper?
If so, I take back all the kind things I've ever said about you.
Hah ha ha

ExMark is nice, but Skag takes it up a notch. I looked at both and they're similar. But Skag basically took the ExMark design and improved upon everything that's important - bearings, sheet steel thickness, etc. Of course, both are commercial machines so I doubt either would wear out from normal home lawn cutting anyway!! Mine's a blast to drive - it'll do 10MPH (19HP Kawasaki) and I've got a bit of a 'road course' laid out between the trees ...... sometimes I think I should have a helmet on ..... :D