A riding mower that will last you the rest of your life?

[pete3799]

Originally Posted by Jerome74911S

Pete, how do you turn while plowing the snow without chains on the front wheels? Mine will just go straight in the snow no matter how far the wheels are turned.

Here's mine in Snapper mower mode. Totally stuck in the mud, that's why the Bush Hog is being removed to simplify things.



BTW, with 7,700 hours on it this tractor is running great. OK it's not a lawn mower, but still. Right now the B&S I/C engine on my riding lawn mower is in many pieces - because it is burning a half quart of oil per hour and needs some attention. Not good.

Never had any trouble steering it. The loader puts a lot of weight on the front end so that helps.
My driveway looked like what your stuck in a few days ago. All dried up now. Can't believe how fast the snow has melted this week.

[E Sully]

Brings back memories of my teen years in the '70's. When I was 13 dad turned the lawn cutting over to me. Next thing I knew he told me I was cutting a few of the neighbors lawns. I would cut about 12 one acre lawns a week with the Snapper Comet and a small push mower. Had the big bagging attachment on the back. I used to love the fact I could pull wheelies with it starting in 3rd gear. That mower went a good ten years of steady abuse until Dad gor rid of it when I moved out. Thing I always found interesting is how the newer rider mowers seem to need quite a bit more horsepower to do the same thing as the old Snapper.

[yetibone]

When I was young I mowed with a '53 Cub and a 60" Woods mower that Dad re-engineered to turn the opposite direction, and a Keen Kutter push mower. The yard took me all Saturday afternoon with that Cub because it was saddled with a mower that was too big, and the engine only had 11 horsepower to start with, but 4, or 5 horses must have broke the fence and run off during the last half century 'cause that thing wouldn't even climb a hill in first gear with the PTO engaged.

Right now, I got a Deere John 425. It's like sunrise. I'd like to find a JD 430 garden tractor because it's more of a small tractor, than a big mower.

[wdfifteen]

All these stories of mowing lawns remind me of my stepson and the summer he decided to get rich cutting lawns. He had a self-propelled 21" Toro from the previous year and about May of that year he got a second one. On a Saturday morning I watched him drag them both out and line them up on the street and tie them together end to end. Then he got on his bike and went down the street a few yards, turned around and came back toward the mowers. He grabbed the handle of the lead mower as he went by and went of pedaling down the street towing these two mowers. I thought, "WTF?"
So I followed him. A local business had a lot of over an acre and he had gotten the contract to mow it. He had made a drum out of wood with a circumference of 20". He wrapped cable around it and staked it in the ground in the middle of the lot. He hooked the cable to a self propelled mower, then fired up the mower and set it free. While that one was going around and around he used the other one to trim up the corners. He figured this whole rig out himself. I was so proud of him I offered to help him haul the mowers next time.

[futuresoptions]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

all these stories of mowing lawns remind me of my stepson and the summer he decided to get rich cutting lawns. He had a self-propelled 21" toro from the previous year and about may of that year he got a second one. On a saturday morning i watched him drag them both out and line them up on the street and tie them together end to end. Then he got on his bike and went down the street a few yards, turned around and came back toward the mowers. He grabbed the handle of the lead mower as he went by and went of pedaling down the street towing these two mowers. I thought, "wtf?"
so i followed him. A local business had a lot of over an acre and he had gotten the contract to mow it. He had made a drum out of wood with a circumference of 20". He wrapped cable around it and staked it in the ground in the middle of the lot. He hooked the cable to a self propelled mower, then fired up the mower and set it free. While that one was going around and around he used the other one to trim up the corners. He figured this whole rig out himself. I was so proud of him i offered to help him haul the mowers next time.

Ingenious!!!

[yetibone]

That's the good stuff, Patrick! Sounds like your stepson is a go-gittin', industrious, and ingenious young man.

Maybe he can figure out how to make a weed eater into a tow bar, and pull three implements to the jobsite with his bike.

[june82000]

In this area of Virginia people tend to go after Wheel Horse riding lawn mowers although I couldn't really tell you why...

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally Posted by M.D. Holloway

My Son has been wanting a rider for awhile now. My in-laws grabbed an old one from one of their tractor lots and brought it down. It was outside, in a field in Iowa for 12 years without running. It had a tarp over half of it, not sure which half. They rolled it off the truck and Max feel in love with it. First thing he did was clean it up. After cleaning the gas tank out, changing the oil and replacing the ignition switch, the battery, air and fuel filter he cranked it...it turned over, coughed a little but ran!

He had to get a few new pulley wheels for the tranny, replace a few belts but he got it to run!






of course he wasn't satisfied! So he went and sourced new rear tires - just one size larger than original (cuz that's cool Dad!)...and decided to paint the hood flat bed liner black (cuz that's cool Dad!)...and then add some extra lights complete with dash switches - extra headlights, tail lights and a caution post light (cuz that's cool Dad!)...a chrome pipe off the muffler (cuz that's cool Dad!) and what mower isn't complete without a NOS tank! That makes it "stupid cool!"







He installed new blades last week. Thing works great. I don't have to ask him to cut the lawn...

and the insanity continues...my Son decide to put on an old IH tool box he got from his great grandpa and a spare tire with a spare blade to hold it on.

There is no tell'n where it will end!

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Love old Snappers! FIL sold my good one because he did not like it. Big problems with that!!!!! The other one that did not work as well (B&S motor kept giving issues) was sold and replaced with a Hustler. Love the Hustler!


Great old Masseys. I had a 180. Very strong Perkins diesel! It needed some repairs that required breaking the halves. It is now pulling a 10' box blade and running hay equipment.


Steering in poor conditions is done with your brakes. I believe yours has the multi-speed? Use low gears. Lift up the bar connecting the two brake pedals. Brake on right pedal to turn right, left pedal to turn left. Practice a few times. Agree with the FEL helping provide enough front end weight to aid in steering. Can also make your own suitcases for the front end by using concrete.

Our old unit went in places the 4wd/MWD units could not go. Enough torque to keep going through the deep mud and pull out the lumber and other equipment. And very low center of gravity, stable on the hills. Miss the old girl!

[futuresoptions]

Originally Posted by M.D. Holloway

and the insanity continues...my Son decide to put on an old IH tool box he got from his great grandpa and a spare tire with a spare blade to hold it on.

There is no tell'n where it will end!

Brilliant idea! Tell him this is what he needs to do... Put that spare on a rim and remount it like he has it, but with a smaller front tire/rim in the center of the big spare. If that won't fit, he can always mount the small spare to the tool box just above the large spare. Also tell him that he needs to find an ammo can that will fit perfectly in the open tool box. This way he can put his tools etc... in the can and keep things weather tight!

Awesome ingenuity around here man, I like it!

[peppy]

Better pictures. This mower came with 12hp the old mower had 7hp.

[Mothy]

Needs a Panamower badge in Porsche script.

[wdfifteen]

Peppy that baby is ripe for a crate motor.

[wdfifteen]

Do you realize that toolbox is from a pre-1935 Farmall F-20?

[targa911S]

The best tool I have ever owned. Yanmar 3 cyl diesel. nothing stops it. Plows all winter mows all summer.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

If I was gonna nickname this mower, I'd call it the "Shinwacker 2100."

[Baz]

When we moved to Florida in '70 - my step dad had one of those Snapper Comets. I used to mow the lawn periodically but would reach back and hold the governor open to rev that baby for short stints.....and it would do wheel stands too when going up the right angled embankment.

Other than that mowing seemed like kinda a non-event....

I used a 22" Toro recycler now at my place....takes about 15 minutes.

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Do you realize that toolbox is from a pre-1935 Farmall F-20?

He actually has 3 of them...

[asphaltgambler]

That John Deere is da bomb with the money-chrome exhaust stack!

[targa911S]

Love my Deere...thanks. The stack is a piece of sink waste pipe LOL.