Buying House on 1.1 Acres. Need Zero-Turn Lawnmower and Weedeater/Blower Recommendations.

[RhondaHonda]

I have a 1998 ExMark metro 48" walkbehind with 14hp Kawasaki. It is a tank. Very reliable, cut quality is great. Also have a single wheel stand-on sulky which is better on my back than sitting on a mower for hours.

Great point on the back pain! If you have a bad lower back a rider is pure agony on anything but a golf course. I have 3 riders as well but just use them for putting around the yard doing chores with a trailer or toting the kids around for fun. I absolutely loathe mowing with them as my low back is shot. A walk behind with a silky lets your knees flex and absorb lots of the punishment.

 

[wkcars]

Bad Boy Mowers have some models close to the price target, with kawasaki engine it will be more but may be able to get it closer to budget if there's a good end of season sale and some negotiating. I like honda push mowers. Also use Honda string trimmers and makita blower that use 4-cycle engines avoid dealing with mixing 2-cycle.

 

[john_pifer]

If you’ve got much of a slope I’d recommend a walk behind. It’ll last you 40 years mowing an acre a week and handle hills much better.

View attachment 115892

Wouldn’t be opposed to one of those.

There’s a drainage ditch along the perimeter of the yard (it’s a corner lot), all of which is pretty steep. I’d venture to guess that it’s too steep for a rider. I’d assumed I would be using a weedeater on that part.

Maybe one of these would handle at least part of that? I don’t know.

 

[doitmyself]

John, we don't know much about your property, so this thread will be like one of those email chains where the tiny details get addressed one at a time, resulting in 100 or more posts, LOL. Some here keep forgetting your $3500 ceiling for the mower (i.e., the excellent Scag linked above).

My preferences for engines would be Kawasaki first, then Kohler, and probably not B & S at all. I would choose a brand with a good local dealer and hope they are around 10 years later. Based on my 54" being big enough for 3+ acres, I think a 48" should be o.k. for you.

I mow 3.5 acres at my workplace with an Exmark and I have completely eliminated hand mowing simply by designing the turf and landscape to be zero-turn friendly. They trim really close if you choose a model with good offset. The rest is picked up with the weed trimmer.

Good luck. It will take time to assimilate all the info, specs., etc..

 

[#18FAN]

John, we don't know much about your property, so this thread will be like one of those email chains where the tiny details get addressed one at a time, resulting in 100 or more posts, LOL. Some here keep forgetting your $3500 ceiling for the mower (i.e., the excellent Scag linked above).

My preferences for engines would be Kawasaki first, then Kohler, and probably not B & S at all. I would choose a brand with a good local dealer and hope they are around 10 years later. Based on my 54" being big enough for 3+ acres, I think a 48" should be o.k. for you.

I mow 3.5 acres at my workplace with an Exmark and I have completely eliminated hand mowing simply by designing the turf and landscape to be zero-turn friendly. They trim really close if you choose a model with good offset. The rest is picked up with the weed trimmer.

Good luck. It will take time to assimilate all the info, specs., etc..

I posted a bare bones mower that the original poster wanted in a Zturn this is about as cheap and decently built one you can find I’m sorry it doesn’t fit the budget few will but they will be built for the original price good luck with that.

 

[Cujet]

What you want is a twin engine Dixie Chopper:

On a more serious note, I have a nice JD Garden tractor and I much prefer it to a ZT. Anyone can drive it, and that's a plus. I put a loading bucket on front for some serious dirt moving.

 

[DuckRyder]

Weed eater - Stihl Kombi Motor with attachments

Push mower - Honda HRX 217 with Hydrostatic.

Zero turn - no idea…

 

[skyactiv]

Cub Cadet makes a few consumers grade zero turns rated for 20 degree slopes. Intriguing because of the "synchro steer technology".

What people don't mention on here is that zero turns are good at tearing up grass in certain situations.
That is why golf courses typically use mowers with steering wheels

 

[spasm3]

I bought a new toro ss5000 in 2013. Currently has 200 hrs. Kawa engine. I did have to remove and clean the carb due to a fuel line degrading internally and sending trash into the carb jets.
Mower has be great I run 15w 40 in it. It has non serviceable hydros.

The draw back is the non suspension seat. Im older than when I bought it, and I now feel every bump in the yard. I'd look for a model with a suspension seat.

 

[john_pifer]

I bought a new toro ss5000 in 2013. Currently has 200 hrs. Kawa engine. I did have to remove and clean the carb due to a fuel line degrading internally and sending trash into the carb jets.
Mower has be great I run 15w 40 in it. It has non serviceable hydros.

The draw back is the non suspension seat. Im older than when I bought it, and I now feel every bump in the yard. I'd look for a model with a suspension seat.

Good advice.

I think I’ll run ethanol-free fuel in whatever I get.

 

[RazorsEdge]

Weed eater - Ego 56v
Blower - Ego 56v

 

[Elkins45]

I’ll join the dogpile and tell you $3500 is scraping the bottom of the barrel for a new ZTR. Why is a fabricated deck so important to you? I ask because it disqualifies a lot of stuff like the Toro Timecutters in your price range.

 

[Skippy722]

I spent about 18 months researching zero turns…. Landed on a 50” Cub Cadet Ultima ZT2, which has a fabricated deck, ZT-2800 serviceable hydros and a Kawasaki engine.

Immediately ruled out John Deere for their anti-right to repair stance. Hustler was pretty proud of their stuff offering smaller decks and less features than my Cub Cadet despite looking otherwise identical (things like no headlights, no arm rests, etc) at the same price. Local dealer didn’t sell Bad Boy mowers so they were out. The others like Gravely and ExMark were above my $4500 I wanted to spend. Came down to Ariens and Cub, Cub won. If I had to buy a new one right now, I’d get a Ferris with the fancy suspension though, my yard is a bit rough.

As for hills, mine does great. The steepest one I mow is about 25°, handles it no problem. I just mow it going down, if I try going across and it’s not dry it’ll slip a bit but nothing unmanageable.

 

[john_pifer]

John, we don't know much about your property, so this thread will be like one of those email chains where the tiny details get addressed one at a time, resulting in 100 or more posts, LOL. Some here keep forgetting your $3500 ceiling for the mower (i.e., the excellent Scag linked above).

My preferences for engines would be Kawasaki first, then Kohler, and probably not B & S at all. I would choose a brand with a good local dealer and hope they are around 10 years later. Based on my 54" being big enough for 3+ acres, I think a 48" should be o.k. for you.

I mow 3.5 acres at my workplace with an Exmark and I have completely eliminated hand mowing simply by designing the turf and landscape to be zero-turn friendly. They trim really close if you choose a model with good offset. The rest is picked up with the weed trimmer.

Good luck. It will take time to assimilate all the info, specs., etc..

Here’s a short video of the property that I took to show my wife when I went to look at the house for the first time:

 

[Fordiesel69]

My vote is to hold off on battery powered a bit longer for it to be refined even more than it is now. Like longer life batteries, better circuitry that is more efficent, and most of all when it does become more mainstream it will come down in price like all other consumer goods (hopefully right?).

I personally recommend echo 2 cycle eqipment for many reasons, but the main reason is the vast dealer support, vast aftermarket and OEM parts availability, and in my opinion they are still built with excellent quality (not perfect but still excellent). Id shoot for the SRM-225 (trimmer only), or the PAS-225 attachment system model. This way you can get an edger, trimmer, cultivator, and power pruner.

If you do not have a echo dealer in your area, try shindaiwa. they are one notch better (and a notch more in price too).

Frankly im done with stihl, they are just simply too expensive to maintain with the huge parts cost. Double if not triple what other companies charge.

For the mower, I tend to gravitate towards a genuine honda, or if you do not like the price of them, shoot for another brand with a honda engine.

 

[The_Eric]

Look into snapper zero turns. Seem to be a good value with reasonable components and price. Mine is a 48" deck with zt2800 hydros and a Briggs commercial turf 25hp which has been great so far. Mine also has an upgraded seat which is way better than the standard one... Paid $4400 a couple of years ago

 

[vwmaniaman]

Find a local equipment dealer. When I moved to Kentucky I found a local tracor and garden center that took trade in equipment that was in good shape. I bought a Cub Cadet with a 42" deck that had a drive shaft to the rear transaxle and a real clutch. That thing is still mowing grass. The Kohler motor has been rebuilt two times but mechanically it is tough. A trade in mower usually means they wanted something bigger or faster.

 

[doitmyself]

Look into snapper zero turns. Seem to be a good value with reasonable components and price. Mine is a 48" deck with zt2800 hydros and a Briggs commercial turf 25hp which has been great so far. Mine also has an upgraded seat which is way better than the standard one... Paid $4400 a couple of years ago

My son bought an upper end Ariens homeowners ZTR this spring, a leftover 2021 model for about $5,000.

The Ariens linked above for about $3800 is probably the quality level the OP will be seeking. 21 to 23 HP Kawasaki engine with the 2200 Hydro Tranny is at that price point. John you can Google "ZT-2200 EZT Oil Change" and study Lawnsite.com and BITOG to learn about this tranny. Some claim you can replace the fluid without removing it 100%.

The problem comes when one starts down the "Buy once, cry once" rabbit hole. Moving up to the better 2800 transmission will cost about $1,000 more.

John, regarding your video, I mow slopes similar to yours with my Exmark (not when the grass is wet). I probably have bigger tires (more grip). Mulch a little bit around your trees. Herbicide or mulch fence lines, etc. to reduce weed trimming.

 

[jeepman3071]

I've used all sorts of mowers and tractors, and I find the walk behind zero turn (gear drive or hydro) to be the best for multiple situations. They work decent on hills, can be converted to stand-on with a sulky, cut well, and can cover a large area pretty fast. Tractors are better for situations where you also need to run ground engaging implements, but they don't turn as tight compared to the walk behind zero turn. Ride on zero turns don't work on hills just because of the way the steering/hydros are set up. Have you considered a used machine? You can find a really nice used machine for a fraction of the cost of new.

 

[john_pifer]

I've used all sorts of mowers and tractors, and I find the walk behind zero turn (gear drive or hydro) to be the best for multiple situations. They work decent on hills, can be converted to stand-on with a sulky, cut well, and can cover a large area pretty fast. Tractors are better for situations where you also need to run ground engaging implements, but they don't turn as tight compared to the walk behind zero turn. Ride on zero turns don't work on hills just because of the way the steering/hydros are set up. Have you considered a used machine? You can find a really nice used machine for a fraction of the cost of new.

Yes, I would consider used. And, I am intrigued by the walk behind large mowers, because I like the idea of mowing the lawn and also being a work out. I just don’t want to spend more than 2-3 hours a week on the yard.

Am I right in my assumption that the walk behind versions would be better on my little slopes that are leading down into my front ditch?