Which brand of riding mower to buy?

[shawna]

I have about 1/2 acre that I currently mow with my Toro walk behind mower. I want to purchase a riding lawn mower but know nothing really about them such as what amenities and which brand would be the best...I am looking for opinions. Is there alot of quality difference in say a Craftsman to a John Deere, I assume alot of price difference. I would like to purchase a used one but again, what do I need to look for? Thanks

 

[BRIGUY]

Go look at your Toro dealer. They have nice Lawn tractors, and Garden tractors. Also give Kubota a look.

Everyone on here is going to recommend what has worked for them. Cub, John Deere and many others.

Just go out and shop features and quality on the machine, and look for a good dealer.

 

[frank_f15]

Well i will just tell you this , i put about 100 hrs /yr on my GT, it is going on 14 years now and i have replaced (besides belts , blades and batteries) is a starter motor. The name brand is CRAFTSMAN, a lot of folks will rag on sears , but when i need to replace i will most certaninly chek them out again. i beleive their top of the line GT ( not LT) will be in the $2500.00 range.

 

[slammer]

Hello, I have a couple questions before I answer...

1. Do you really want a riding mower as you said in your post or a lawn tractor?

At 1/2 acre I would suggest a lawn tractor. More versatility and comfort.

2. Are you just going to mow and maybe pull a cart?
3. Do you have a "lawn" or a "yard"?
4. Do you like to mow and not mind if it takes awhile or do you want it over with as soon as possible?

5. What is your ballpark price range?

Sorry to hit ya with all of the questions but I feel it would be irresponsible to make a specific recommendation without adequate knowledge. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Slam

 

[cphilip]

Allways have had good luck with Snapper riders. Both the rear engine and a LT. The LT 16 I am retiring after 23 years of hard use. Old B&S I/C Twin 16 on it. Still runs pretty good, still solid in every way including original deck and all, still cuts even.... it's being turned into a yard trailer puller though. And an occasional rough area cutting mini bush hog chore if need be. Expect it to continue to serve a few more years that way. Replacing cutting duties with a Hustler Mini FasTrack ZTR.

I highly recommend Snapper stuff.

 

[shawna]

I guess I do not know the difference between a Garden Tractor and a riding mower. What is the difference between a Lawn and Yard. I want to mow it quickly and am willing to pay more for a faster but good cut quality tractor/mower. I have really no rush to get it done but want a little of both speed and ?. I spoke with my neighbor who has a Craftsman (i don not have the particulars) and he likes it but says it does not bag damp grass very good, it gets stuck in the shoot. Are some better at this than others at this function? One other thing, we have a clay base so the ground gets very soft sometimes in some areas. Would a certain machine be easier on the grass than another?

 

[cphilip]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Hello, I have a couple questions before I answer...

1. Do you really want a riding mower as you said in your post or a lawn tractor?

At 1/2 acre I would suggest a lawn tractor. More versatility and comfort.

2. Are you just going to mow and maybe pull a cart?
3. Do you have a "lawn" or a "yard"?
4. Do you like to mow and not mind if it takes awhile or do you want it over with as soon as possible?

5. What is your ballpark price range?

Sorry to hit ya with all of the questions but I feel it would be irresponsible to make a specific recommendation without adequate knowledge. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Slam )</font>


Listen to Slam and give some details of what your lawn/yard lay out is like. Size, slopes, shrubs and tree's, obsticles... etc.... otherwise no ones going to be able to help much unless they know what your up against.

Almost all baggers have trouble with wet grass...

 

[shawna]

I have a large open front lawn area with no obsticles about 1/4 acre and also on the back yard, roughly the same area but on the lawn around my home I do have some tight areas where I am sure I will need to use the push mower, about 10ft wide by 50 feet long with trees in the middle. The area is very flat except for the area in front of the home where is slopes into a ditch, this is where we have the really soft ground that I will need to use the push mower also. So, overall, I have 90 % wide open area that is flat and the rest is relatively narrow where I can use my other mower.

 

[Gatorboy]

Why exactly do you need a riding mower? Have you considered a 48" walk behind, like Scag, Exmark, etc.? You will cut your yard much faster than with a rider.

Bagging grass: I'd throw that idea out the window and just let the grass fly. It's good for your lawn, and saves a huge amount of time and energy.

 

[cphilip]

I have a similar situation. Except the front is more like your two sides. And one side is similar to yours and the other about twice as wide. And then the big part is in the back. About an half acre overall. The Slope I got one as well. An old terrace thats been smoothed. But I do have a number of small trees (6) and a very large tree as well. Plus a few shrubs. I had a riding tractor type riding mower I was using. Could not manuver it well in those tight places. Had to stop and back up and rearrange and go... then would have to endlessly go back around to get a small area lined up again. Finaly broke down and bought the smallest ZTR I could get. And one built like a commercial. The Hustler Mini Fastrak. Manuverable.. seems tough. Toughest I saw in this size anyway. And gets me around those small places good. Still have to work that one slope area some. But no more than I did before. If you have small tight areas then you might want one. But not nessicarily a big deck. You can compromise like I did I suppose. Might work for you. Check that one out. I am no expert of course because I just got it. But I did do my homework. And read what people here were saying. And diagnosed my yard and what I was experiencing and think I made the right choice for me and my situation. If yours is similar it might be a good choice for you too. And you might be suprised how little push mowing you have left to do. I know it cut my string trimmer time way down from what I can see already. And cut the whole tricky mess in an hour.