Educate me on riding mowers

[dja4260]

I have about 1.25 acres of semi flat lawn that I need a riding mower for. The used market is flooded with units that all appear similar for $400-900 bucks.

I've seen Cub Cadets, Troy Built, John Deere, Husqvarna, Craftsman, and Toro with varying deck widths of 38-48''inch. They all look very similar with different hoods etc.

I really don't know what to look for except a maintenance record, low engine hours, etc.

I appreciate the insight!

 

[dja4260]

I've been using a 38''in, 12 yr old Yard Machine. It's underpowered and I was lent it by a buddy as his home didn't require a riding mower. He bought a new home with 1.5 acres and It's going back to him. I wasn't very fond of this thing but it was free and got the job done for the past 3 years...

 

[dja4260]

Craftsman YTS 3000 for $550. 42''in deck, new belts, blades, battery, spindles, 21 HP Briggs & Stratton, hydrostatic trans, and new fuel line/filter. Looks clean!

 

[supton]

If you are buying used I wonder if having two makes sense. I have had a couple well used ones over the years and it seems something is always breaking.

But mine have always been from big box stores so not surprising performance I guess.

 

[Lubener]

Craftsman YTS 3000 for $550. 42''in deck, new belts, blades, battery, spindles, 21 HP Briggs & Stratton, hydrostatic trans, and new fuel line/filter. Looks clean!

That's a good buy. How many hours have accrued on the meter? I don't like hydrostatic but that's just me. Just watch out for smoke which could indicate oil consumption.

 

[Zee09]

If you lived near me, I would give you a mower

 

[wpod]

1.25 acres, Something new and big.

 

[ATex7239]

Biggest deck and highest speed you can afford. Check the condition of maintenance items. Check that cranks easily and rides well. Make sure the deck engages smoothly. I rarely ever did maintenance on my equipment back when I had more land and never had issues.

Many use the same parts and engine. Don’t get too concerned about brand labels... “Nothing rides like a Deere.” Yeah, nothing except mowers with the exact same 20HP briggs and stratton engine, right?

 

[Pablo]

1.25 acres, Something new and big.

Same as me. I went 52" ZT. Glad I did.

It all comes down to obstacles. I have quite a few. With a ZT I hardly even need a weed whacker.

I will hesitate to recommend a brand. I bought a new Gravely. Jury still out.

 

[nwjones18]

Same as me. I went 52" ZT. Glad I did.

It all comes down to obstacles. I have quite a few. With a ZT I hardly even need a weed whacker.

I will hesitate to recommend a brand. I bought a new Gravely. Jury still out.

I had used a standard lawn tractor my entire life and was happy. Got a zero turn mower in trade for something and was planning to sell it. Mowed my yard once and sold my lawn tractor. Push mower hasn’t been started in years now..

 

[64bawagon]

I wouldnt own a Cub cadet, lousy engineering and stupid expensive repair parts (which you will need lots of)
Anything else thats hydrostatic drive make sure you look at the transaxle and see which model it has. The home centers sell them with undersized units and they often fail very early. Unless your property is laser flat the transaxle weakness will reveal itself on a hot day. Most units sold at legit lawn care outlets will have properly sized transaxles. Search for Tuff Torq failures, lots of reading there.

 

[eljefino]

The used market will be flooded with junky big box store models. No wonder they all look the same.

Do you want to enjoy your new property? Like, really really?

When you shop private party, look at the size of the guy's lawn. That will give you an indicator of how much use the thing got. And look for shiny rocks and stumps that he ran over, LOL.

 

[Al]

Toro zero turn. I bought the smallest one with a single blade.

 

[Egg_Head]

Your engine and deck will take the highest use/beating. Research those items, stamped deck not so good for example.

 

[chemman]

If you decide to get a regular riding lawn mower, do not purchase one manufactured by MTD. MTD manufactures mowers for several different brands (including but not limited to Yard Man, Troy-Bilt, Bolens, CubCadet, and some Craftsman that have model numbers that do not with 917.) Husqvarna makes a decent mower, and there are lots of aftermarket parts available to repair them when needed.

I own both a Toro riding lawn mower and Craftsman (made by Husqvarna) riding lawn mower and the Craftsman mower has been far more reliable than the Toro.

 

[spk2000]

Most riding mower are very similar often made by MTD just some different specifications and features you may want but will pay extra for. Personally I prefer manual everything. My battery went bad and I could jump start it but couldn't get the electric PTO to start the deck. Other mower I had was manual engage by lowering deck. Like some people say more fancy stuff to go bad. Depends on how long you keep them and use them. Mine has been very good it's a Snapper GT 3000 that cost $4,000 new. I paid $800 with 150 hrs on it. 22HP Briggs seems thirst but has some electronic carb that is supposed to be fuel efficient. Old mower was 12HP Husky that used way less fuel to do the same but much smaller. If all you are doing is mowing zero turn is faster but can be tricky in non flat areas.

 

[skyactiv]

The market is flooded with such riding mowers because they nosedived in popularity. Most everyone now wants a zero turn that has a lot of grass to mow.

3 of the 5 acres my home sits on gets mowed. I have a Ferris stand on zero turn rider with a Kawasaki engine. Owned 4 years and never an issue.

My mowing season ended, but I kept track and had to mow 32 times this year.

I've heard the cheap JD riding mowers are built in Tennessee while the good ones are built in Wisconsin.

 

[Rand]

Do you know how to work on one ? if not buy new and if you are only mowing with it get a zero turn mower.

For used:
my first choice would probably be a x300 or x500 series Deere. Yes its not a ZT mower.. but isnt box store junk and worth fixing if you break something.

I mow 8-10 acres of fields, roads and trails with a variety of tractors but really too rough for anything but a really top tier ZT and even then you couldnt get speed up like you can in a yard.

 

[RooflessVW]

I have an acre-ish and bought a Husqvarna from Lowes. The thing has been flawless for 5 seasons but need a battery.

It measured 8 volts when I got it out for the last fall mow. Jumped it, cut, did the annual service, and put it away with no battery. I'll put a new one in come spring time.

I never understood how some mowers have so many problems; there's really nothing to them. My dad's 52" Craftsman from the early 00's is still going. Deck has been patched two or three times and we had to mess around with the starter a few years back.

 

[Eddie]

I had an MTD mower and it served me very well for 9 years when I sold it to a neighbor who still sues it. My opinion is that if you have a fairly flat yard without obstacles, almost any mower will serve well IF not abused and maintained well. Some people can break an anvil. Ed