"...prefe...*smak*..ably..one DAT leaves long*smak* blades of gras *smak*..near a *smak* creek"
Posted on 02/24/2018 10:13:46 AM PST by Red Badger
Will have to buy a riding lawn mower soon.
Have never owned one.
42 Inch seem to be the right size for my yard.
Have no experience with any, so I ask for your comments and suggestions on what brand to look at and what to stay away from...........................
John Deere - used for 15 years, quit mowing and hired a service. Gave mower to brother-in-Law.
He’s still mowing with it.
20+ years and going strong.
Does a great job too.
After many years and many mowers, I can tell you that it is not the mower, it’s the mowing deck that will crap out on you. Get a deck with the thickest sturdiest metal that you can. Keep it clean! Make sure that it is easy to get on and off the mower, so you can keep it clean! and the most important thing is to keep the mowing deck (underside) clean! Good luck.
Also depends on how big or the size of the lawn. They have push/self propelled also I think.
Absolutely. Hustler. Zero Turn. Built like a tank. 1/8 inch steel plate deck reinforced with a 1/4 x 3/4 steel bar rim. I use mine to mow about 5 acres weekly during the summer and probably 2 miles of shooting lanes twice a year to keep the brush out. JD is overpriced, anything made by MTD is junk.
We have a half acre yard plus we mow our neighbor’s yard at the same time, about the same size. They are very old, but we ain’t much better..................
“John Deere. The Lowes/Homey Depot models, the ‘D’ series, are garbage.”
They might not be the “Old” John Deere but they are decent machines. Maybe not if you are planning on using it for 20 years.
I have the 48” Home Depot one. They mow the lawn and do it reasonably well and if it dies in 4-5 years I’ll buy another. Just the piles of leaves this thing picks up is worth the price. I don’t baby it because it is just a lawn mower but I do the oil changes and greasings. I’ve had it for 3 years and it still seems new to me.
Snapper. I have older equipment the newer stuff is not as good
Here in Florida, ALL types of mowers get SANDBLASTED from underneath. The blades don’t last but a season.................
"...prefe...*smak*..ably..one DAT leaves long*smak* blades of gras *smak*..near a *smak* creek"
John Deere. I have a 42” hydrostatic drive LA 110 that I bought at Lowes in 2007. Have had no serious trouble with it.
Best, period? Scag commercial grade.
For homeowner use, start with worst because it’s easy: anything you can get at the box store.
Best homeowner machine IMO is the homeowner line made by Scag, found at your local Scag dealer.
(I don’t work for Scag, etc.)
Walker Mower. Zero turn...mower deck in front...easy maintenance...best, most even cutting of lawn because of the design of mower deck suspension. It vacuums and cleans your lawn like no other. That is why you see Walker Mowers on the trailers of Pro lawn cutters.
So that’d be about and acre? If so, get a husky if there is a dealer around. I got a friend who is a farmer and he used to buy all the cheap crap-home cheapo etc, and he went with the Husky five years ago. The zero turn is the way to go since you wont have much trimming to do after.
He mows abt 4 acres twice a week when the weather is raining a lot. Takes him about 20-30 minutes, but he has a big mower.
Other than that, a Deere is pretty good cept they got some real manufacturing problems as of the last few years, not only in their garden div, but industrial also. Gotta spit them units out you know.
Good info at:
https://todaysmower.com/2014-lawn-yard-garden-tractor-manufacturers/
**************************
Going from walk-behind to rider without going to a bigger lawn, a rear-engine rider like Snapper should do fine. Get the most horsepower. Smaller storage footprint, better view forward, a little easier getting on and off and easier maintenance.
Terminology: The riding lawn mower differs from the riding lawn tractor. The riding lawn mower is lighter and takes up less space but is not as versatile as the lawn tractor. You usually sit over the motor on the lawn mower and they are easier to get on and off.
I had a Craftsman rider for 15 years. Operated flawlessly. I then looked at John Deere and Cub Cadets. Saw too many complaints. I asked myself, why would I go away from Sears, when I had this great Sears rider for all those years? I now own another fine Craftsman 48 inch rider. Love it!
People talk about zero-turn mowers. Don’t do it! The mower dude needs to know that zero turn can mean a tore-up patch of grass on each turn’s pivot, if not done correctly. That’s a no-go!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.