Need a new riding lawn mower. Recommendations?

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ls1mike

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Hey all,

Well it happened my beloved 1998 Craftsman LT1000 finally died and at this point it is not worth putting money into.

I am scared off all the new ones. My old mower has a traditional gearbox and I am not sure how I feel about Hydrostatic drive.

So my question to you mower folks at BITOG. What would you buy if you had to mow 2 acres?

I am looking at the John Deere D140 and D160, but I am open to other ones.

My old one was just like this.
 
Several relatives have the low end John Deere mowers (available at Lowes or HD). I have nothing good to say about the mowers. They do not hold up well, and everything is cheap.

That may also describe any new mower below $2000, but I have no experience with other mowers.

If you have the yard and extra $$, Hustler zero turn for around $2800 are very good.
 
Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
What is your max budget?


What he said.




Also, don't fear the hydro. After using one for so many years now, I find myself highly annoyed when I work on and test out older mowers that have the manual. Spending a little more money can be good, as it can get you away from the Tuff Torque K46 (which isn't terrible, just not as tough or long lived) and into a much nicer hydro.

For reference, the Tuff Torque K46 in my Deere L110 has 560 hours on it with one fluid change at around 500 hours. It still works fine.
 
Once you go zero turn you will never look back. Well worth the money if you have a lot of grass to mow. So much easier and faster than a traditional tractor mower.

Exmark is another good brand.

Exmark Zero turn
 
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I'm with Rat on these. If you have hills- try a Quest Front Steer or Toro clone
The 708 is a nice engine in this range

Originally Posted By: Rat407
Once you go zero turn you will never look back. Well worth the money if you have a lot of grass to mow. So much easier and faster than a traditional tractor mower.

Exmark is another good brand.

Exmark Zero turn
 
I am looking at spending $2500 max.

I have looked at some zero turns, not really want I want.
 
If you can afford it get a zero turn. I just replaced my Deere riding mower with a Scag Liberty Z (consumer model Scag). I reduced my cut time from 2 hours to 45 minutes with a better cut. I have patches of Pensacola Bahia which is like cutting wire. With the Deere I would have to gear down to the slowest speed to cut the Bahia grass. With the Scag I just blast through it.
 
The consumer grade JD's are junk and I have seen first hand the same as you recite.
At first the owners think they are getting the good stuff.......

Originally Posted By: drtyler
Several relatives have the low end John Deere mowers (available at Lowes or HD). I have nothing good to say about the mowers. They do not hold up well, and everything is cheap.

That may also describe any new mower below $2000, but I have no experience with other mowers.

If you have the yard and extra $$, Hustler zero turn for around $2800 are very good.
 
Originally Posted By: ls1mike
I am looking at spending $2500 max.

I have looked at some zero turns, not really want I want.


I had a Deere when I lived in VA, oil changes only for three years. Moved and left it with a neighbor, still in use today so 8 years now....and afaik no other maintenance except for the drive belts.
 
Whatever you get, make SURE it's a 2-cylinder! The 2-cylinders last FOREVER

I have a craftsman hydrostatic 2-cyl briggs intek I bought new in 1999; it still runs like new! (replaced belts + spindles multiple times).

I also bought a used 2-cyl craftsman hydrostatic in 2010 for $100; it was a 1997 model; had chewed wiring and bad deck spindles; fixed wiring and spindles, and have been 'abusing' this one to clear/mow fields / ditches, etc (to keep my 'nice' one nice). I cant 'kill' it; it just keeps running and running and running . . . .

my buddy, on the otherhand, acquired a 1-cyl JD with the purchase of his home in 2012; 2 years later it threw a ROD.
He then bought a brand new one, ignoring my advise to get a 2-cyl, he went with 1-cyl kohler engine. he was very happy with it; for 2 years he rubbed it in that he got a good deal and didn't need my advise. guess what - year 2.5 it THREW A ROD !!! all warranties expired.

so now, he's out shopping for his 3-rd rider (other two are scrapped!);
Funny thing - I've lent him my $100 2-cyl beater (till he buys another) - he says, "[censored], this thing has power & smooth & quiet " - heh heh heh...
 
If you are looking at a Deere, true quality starts with the X Series.
The X350 is around 3K new.
If that is out of budget or you need a larger machine,shop for older X series or an older Deere.
The plus with Deere is good dealer network and parts availability.
The negative is that JD green isn't cheap.
 
You can finance mowers, usually no interest, although they do charge a $150 finance fee which imo is interest, but whatever. They let you finance it for like 5 years, so you can buy an $8000 mower and only pay like $175/month
 
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
You can finance mowers, usually no interest, although they do charge a $150 finance fee which imo is interest, but whatever. They let you finance it for like 5 years, so you can buy an $8000 mower and only pay like $175/month


$8000 for a mower holy moly! With that kinda coin might as well start looking at a Kubota BX series, which is waay more tractor than any lawnmower will ever be.

IMO check out a simplicity with hydrostatic. My grandfather's got one with a 24hp Briggs twin, 50" mower deck and it's been a great tractor - no scalp mowing deck, comfy seat, plenty of power etc.
 
I purchased a Husqvarna YTH18542 18.5 HP Hydro Transmission - new back in 2005 .
I used it for 4 years on my acre lot.
Sold it back in 2009 and it never had any issues.
Only routine maintenance performed.
It's changed hands at least 3 times since is sold it, but it's still going strong .
Currently cutting two acres at least once a month.
No issues with the Hydro Trans ever.
 
You are right- a tractor stinks at mowing lawns and a lawn mower stinks at moving dirt. They ain't the same.
Apples and oranges.

Originally Posted By: Canadastang
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
You can finance mowers, usually no interest, although they do charge a $150 finance fee which imo is interest, but whatever. They let you finance it for like 5 years, so you can buy an $8000 mower and only pay like $175/month


$8000 for a mower holy moly! With that kinda coin might as well start looking at a Kubota BX series, which is waay more tractor than any lawnmower will ever be.

IMO check out a simplicity with hydrostatic. My grandfather's got one with a 24hp Briggs twin, 50" mower deck and it's been a great tractor - no scalp mowing deck, comfy seat, plenty of power etc.
 
I looked around for a bit in that price range, with a similar amount of land. Ended up with the Cub XT1 GT50. Its certainly more of a home user rider (bumpier ride than my old GT cub had) but it runs great. 3 blade, 50inch deck, 25hp. Even has some fancy bluetooth app for monitoring maintenance. I thought that piece would be pretty stupid but its not that bad.
 
Quote:
If you are looking at a Deere, true quality starts with the X Series.
The X350 is around 3K new.


Local JD dealer has $3200 on the 350. Also has a used one with some paint damage for even more(?)
The 350 series has a heavier frame and a heavier transmission as well as Kawasaki engines (except the 330).
Consumer reports rates the JD 300 series as one of the best.
Husqvarna still has the gas tank up front right next to the engine.
Not cool.
Worth the extra cost, IMHO.

My 2¢
 
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Originally Posted By: drtyler
Several relatives have the low end John Deere mowers (available at Lowes or HD). I have nothing good to say about the mowers. They do not hold up well, and everything is cheap.



Unfortunately, that seems to be the case with almost all of the homeowner grade machines. They are only designed to last a certain number of hours while mowing flat lawn.

If I had to buy a mower tomorrow, it would be a used non-home depot John Deere. You can find gently used X series machines on Craiglist for good prices.
 
I've never had or seen the results of the poor quality big-box mowers. I live in the mountains. My dad has a 1998 Walmart Murray 42in. He has rolled it (mountains), hit rocks, stumps, etc.. it still works perfectly. Only replaced belts, put tubes in the tires, and a broken spindle (again, rocks). This is almost a 20 year old machine!

I have a cheap Husqvarna-made Craftsman. It was the cheapest mower I could find with a manual transaxle. I've had it 3 years now and it works fine.

My grandpa has used a Big-box John Deere he bought 6 years ago at Lowes. It was the cheapest one they sold at the time. It has about 400 hours on it now and only had to replace the carburetor (bad gas). He's still on the original blades on his 3 acre lot that's mostly hills.

All that being said, if I had it to do over, I would definitely go zero-turn. Not a $6000 commercial mower, but a homeowner model. My little Craftsman works fine but it takes a long time compared to a zero-turn. But, is it worth 2-3 times the $$? That's up to you. And if I had it to spend for a "real" John Deere lawn-tractor, I would take the zero-turn every time.
 
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