Stovebolt.com Forums The Front Office The Greasy Spoon Opinion on riding mowers.

I have an acre. My old Crapsman 46" tractor it took me almost an hour & a half to mow. With my Hustler it's a 45 minute job or less.

When we first bought our current home which is 1/2 acre with a bunch of hills i bought a 42 inch craftsman. Mowed it for a year and got sick of storing the rider. So then i had this outrageous idea that i would get a reeeeal nice pusher and get some exercise.. so i went out and spent 1200 on a 2 blade toro push mower.. well now i have a troy bilt 46 inch aaand the push mower. Anyone wanna buy a push mower??

We, too, went the ZTR route about 20 years ago -- one at a time, we went through three used commercial units we bought off a brother in law with a landscaping business. He beat the living daylights out of them but they were pretty good and a bout the same price as you'd pay for a new, good rider. They were Toro Z Masters with Kohler engines. All we ever needed to replace were the steering dampers. In 2011, for the christmas tree farm, we decided up get a new ZTR, and for a number of reasons, ended up with a diesel-powered commercial ZTR (JD 998) which turned out to be absolutely the right choice, but that's a whole different situation ... But the Toro it replaced is still around. By the vagaries of fate, it is back on our old farm -- the new owner bought it from the people we had sold it to. Has a new Kohler engine, but otherwise is working fine. One rugged machine ...

My point -- There might be some good deals available on used commercial units. My BIL had to turn over his equipment before it was worn out for accounting/tax purposes. Other landscapers might be in the same position. Those units may be hard to find if lots of other guys know all of that ... But on a used commercial unit like a Kohler-powered Toro Z Master, don't let looks deceive you -- it may look like a bombing range target, but it might still be in good condition. If the engine is good, the rest of the mower probably is, too. With our beat up used commercials, I never had *any* issues with the hydraulic systems (wheel motors, pumps, lines, etc). I had to replace a few mower spindles, but that was operator error There are some good commercial units out there (Toro, Dixie Chopper, Grass Hopper, Scag, etc) See what the pros use around you and check if any of them are planning to offload inventory at the end of the season or whatever. Right now is probably not the best time to be shopping for any kind of mower And if you think a John Deere diesel ZTR is expensive (and it is, actually), try pricing a Steiner some time ....

On any gas powered ZTR, look for a Kohler engine. I learned on the farm that Kohlers work, the others don't (with the notable exception of Robin/Subaru and Honda, but I do not know if they power ZTRs yet ...). You will pay nearly double for a quality ZTR that you will pay for a quality tractor-type mower, but if time and convenience matter, you will find it worth the investment.

There is also a BIG difference between "Lawn tractors" and "Garden Tractors" in that Garden tractors are built more ruggedly.

I've also heard that mowers sold by the big chain stores are low-end lines of lesser quality than you will find at ag stores or equipment dealers.

Good luck, Ron. I've never met or talked to *anyone* who regretted stepping up to a ZTR -- even a Harry Homeowner one.

John

I’m sticking with the all wheel steer. John Deere x354, go test drive one.

I have 4 acres plus I make a lane thru the woods for grandkids to take golf cart on/ A true lover of Cub Cadets I had a Cub 108 to do all that but plowing the long lane was a problem. So I bought a 7624 4X4 Cub made a 54" snow blade for it and used a 6 ft. finish mower. Great compact tractor but after having to replace the pto twice. I had to do the work because my Cub dealer did not want to tackle it! It is quite a job to do. Got upset finally it just couldn't handle the woods and all the work I wanted to do. So I bit the bullet and heaven forbid I bought a John Deere 3203 love this tractor 32hp diesel 4x4 with all the toys! Now it takes 1 1/2 hr. to mow the yard a finish mower does a beautiful job mowing. I also volunteer mowing 4 huge lots that Lagro has! Mowing time for the week usually around 4 hrs. Have a 6 ft Bush Hog to mow my little field and woods aprox. another 10 acres twice a year. Life is very good at Corn's Ponderosa.

Pops

When I grow up and make mo' money I'm gonna trade in my Kubota BX23 for a Toro Ground Master to mow my 4 acres in style, LOL.
Toro Ground Master

That is awesome but my aspiration is for this.Ventrac

I had a small engine repair shop directly across the highway from me that did the warranty and repair work for Lowes and Home Depot in this area, a big operation. My gas powered 52" Troy Built is fine for the yard in Plano but no match for the 4 acres of mostly crab grass at the shop. The small engine shop owner suggested a Kabota or Ferris diesel rig but at close to 20K I'd like to get it right. If I do go with gas it's GOT to have a Honda.

Here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaPo936nu7Q

Winston Churchill (aka King of Ireland or whatever he was) approved model...

Uncanny timing for a painful topic. Riding mowers come to my house to die. We have four right now, one for me, one for the wife and two back ups for when one goes down. Yes, we mow quite a bit.
Theresa likes to mow, so it's most important that I keep her rider in the best condition as possible. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case this year as I have way too many irons in the fire. Long story short, as of yesterday not a working rider on the property (all four are down). It most definitely bumped my stress level up a few notches.

I've got a Murray, Huskee, Cub Cadet and a Craftsman. I like my Cub the best but Theresa's old green Craftsman has been the most dependable one that we've ever had and she just loves it. Too bad that it's just plain worn out.

The easiest fix will be my Cub as I think it's just the ignition switch. The others (besides the Craftsman) are in various stages of almost worn out. Seriously considering buying her something new and cleaning out the stable.

I've always wanted a zero turn, but it's hard to fork out the cash when I can buy a used rider for $500-600 dollars and get at least six or seven years out of them.

But, if I had my choice and money was not an issue I'd buy a Kubota Diesel ZTR.


My advice?

Ron, just buy her a 42" riding mower and she'll be thrilled. I was just checking out the Troybilts and Cubs at Home Depot and they seemed okay to me. Unless of coarse she is mowing more than a half acre. Then a zero turn would be the ticket.

John