Buying Advice New member. I need a higher quality riding lawn mower. Only one acre to mow.

[bountybuddy]

We bought the Snapper new in 2015 or 2016. Oil changed at 6 hour break in and at the beginning of this year. It has about 14 hours on it. I read that after 3 or 4 years they start falling apart.

 

[bountybuddy]

I read about the Hustler Fastrak SDX with the Kawasaki engine. There is a dealer about twenty miles from where I live. I sure do like it. It's overkill for my yard but it should last for many years with no problems. Please chime in if you have any thoughts on this choice. Many thanks to all of you for your help. I can't thank you enough. May all your paths be bright ones.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

We bought the Snapper new in 2015 or 2016. Oil changed at 6 hour break in and at the beginning of this year. It has about 14 hours on it. I read that after 3 or 4 years they start falling apart.

So your going solely based off a review?

Many things contribute to how long a machine will last, terrain, maintenance ext all factors in.

You have less than an acre, mostly flat yard, if you keep up on the maintenance the snapper should last a long time.

Like others have said, your not going to gain a more reliable mower in the under $2000 range, the snapper will most likely be more reliable than the zero turn, zero turns have 2-3 blades, that means more spindles that wear out and need greased, they have more complex controls with a hydrostatic transmission on each wheel, if one fails it's not cheap. Zero turns also ride like crap, you feel every bump, the commercial zero turns are much better.

You gonna lose money on the snapper, your gonna lose money from depreciation on a new zero turn also. Your better off just running the snapper till it falls apart, when it does, it will be cheaper to replace parts on than any zero turn.

If the snapper gave you lots of trouble, mows too slow or didn't live up to your expectations, I could see justifying an upgrade to a newer mower but simply off the idea that it MAY fail 3-4 years from now is silly.

Keep the snapper, it will be worth almost as much in 3-4 years with 50 hours on it than it will be now with 12 hours. So your not out a dime by waiting. Keep up on the maintenance and in 2 years if your still not happy sell it. Put that money in a CD or something and you can buy an even nicer machine by that time.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

My first suggestion if the snapper is paid for and newer is just to use it and keep up on the maintenance, make sure all the grease zerks are greased and oil changed regularly.

If the snapper gave you lots of trouble, mows too slow or didn't live up to your expectations, I could see justifying an upgrade to a newer mower but simply off the idea that it MAY fail 3-4 years from now is silly.

Agreed. Unless there is money to burn, run it, take care of it, and get your money's worth out of it.

For less than an acre, is a self propelled push mower was too much work for you,

I have less than an acre of lawn. The previous owner was a woman in her 70s who mowed the lawn herself with an ancient 5hp push mower.

Any El Cheapo riding mower will do you just fine. Unless you have tool envy and money to burn, of course.

 

[Gary Fowler]

The only thing I always hated about those style of mower is that they are light on the front end and will flip up on just a slight hill. Since you say you have flat ground, it should work plenty well for you. Unless you want to go with something like a 48 or 52" mower to lower your hours of mowing, that little mower should do fine as long as you keep the grass mowed regularly. I don't think 12.5HP will work too well in deep grass with a riding mower.
My brother in law bought a Craftsman 6500 tractor type rider to mow his acreage (about 2.5 acres) about 8 years ago and it is still going strong. He just bought a new X540 JD just so he would have power steering. The old Craftsman was just too much for him to handle with his shoulder problems and his Fibrosis of the lungs and him on full time O2. The Craftsman is still used by his visitors who wish to help him mow. I think the Craftsman was right at $2200 about 8 years ago, might be a bit more now but it would be a good upgrade from your Snapper when the time comes to replace it.

I would just keep your Snapper and mow with it as long as you can. Some folks who claim "things just fall apart after a couple years" really cause them to fall apart due to lack of maintenance. Keep the oil changed, everything greased, put a double dose of Stabil in the gas tank when storing for the winter and keep the blade sharp. It may last you more than 10 years.

 

[BoylermanCT]

I read about the Hustler Fastrak SDX with the Kawasaki engine. There is a dealer about twenty miles from where I live. I sure do like it. It's overkill for my yard but it should last for many years with no problems. Please chime in if you have any thoughts on this choice. Many thanks to all of you for your help. I can't thank you enough. May all your paths be bright ones.

The new SDX is basically the same as last years SD- Kawasaki engine, modified mower deck, engine guard. I think the SDX goes for $4200 or so, where the SD is $3800. You might be able to save some money if you can find a used SD with the Kawaski engine.

I have been very happy with my Hustler. Should take you 10 minutes to mow your yard!