Buying Advice Sick and tired of low quality riding lawnmowers

[atsah]

Is an 86 year old man going to cut his 1.5 acre lot 4533 times?

Probably not but his son might in years to come..

 

[shooterdon]

Here’s the hour meter on my Grasshopper and it’s still going strong. How many box store mowers would it take to cut that much grass. You could probably cut 5 acres an hour in ideal conditions but 3 is probably a better average. So it’s probably cut 6,800 acres give or take. That shouldn’t take more than a couple dozen cheap mower. Sure that’s probably a 12k mower but it’ll last way more than 4 times as long as a 3k mower so who’s the real winner?

My cheap $1800 Husqvarna mows my 1.5 acres in 1.5 hours. I put 30 hours a year on it. I have used it for 7 years. If it lasts 400 hours, that is 13 years. In my case, I win by buying cheap junk and taking care of it. I still win if it only lasts 200 hours. A $12k mower would be stupid for me and most people....who do not have large areas to maintain.

Invest the $10k saved over a good mower and get 6%. Buy a new piece of junk every 6-7 years if necessary. This is what my situation is.

Been thinking about a cheap ZT. It will cut my time to 20 hrs/yr. It should last 15 years??? I will be in my 80’s by then. Wishing the **** Husqvarna would die but it keeps running.

 

[DMax82]

Probably not but his son might in years to come..

I would venture to say definitely not, since that would entail cutting it daily for the next 12 plus years. Sounds like the son is perfectly happy with his mower. And since it has been made clear that there is not 12 grand available for a mower it's a moot point anyway.

 

[4570Man]

I would venture to say definitely not, since that would entail cutting it daily for the next 12 plus years. Sounds like the son is perfectly happy with his mower. And since it has been made clear that there is not 12 grand available for a mower it's a moot point anyway.

Did I suggest the OP buy a 12k or maybe more diesel ZTR?

 

[daugen]

Is it fair to say you get what you pay for?
If you do, then you are getting good value.

My father was a lawyer and could not operate an adjustable wrench.
Many folks are like that and depend totally on a dealer to fix their equipment.
I have all kinds of tools and way less ability to fix things then I'd like.
Having a good local dealer fix your $3k lawnmower and get it back to you in days, not weeks, is
a huge deal to the non mechanically minded.

The big box issue for me is who is going to fix this equipment? I have never seen a JD lawn mower/garden tractor under a 3 series at my local dealer (they only sell from that model going up, and stock none of the 7 series btw...I had to order and track mine down. Zero turns? They have dozens of them.

Even if the model is less expensive, less durable, needs repair more often, if the repair shop gets it back quickly, I think that's more important than the cost of replacing a set of cheesy 35 dollar mower spindles.

When I replaced the blades to my CC LT2, the elderly user had a place on the River with a sandy lot, the ends to the blades had totally worn off. In 60 years of sharpening blades I'd never seen that. New blades weighed half of what they should, very thin. Enough to get two seasons out of them, and that of course is when the warranty ended....Oem blades with proprietary mounting, stuck using their lightweight replacements. Guess I'll need to change blades every year then vs getting three or four years on regular blades, sharpening them two or three times a year. But does that bother me? No, I got what I paid for.

 

[ETD66SS]

I've never owned a JD before, who can tell me about this thing: John Deere 42- 47" Blower- 6" Mower Deck - farm & garden - by owner - sale

Seller says it has ~1200 hrs.

 

[atsah]

I've never owned a JD before, who can tell me about this thing: John Deere 42- 47" Blower- 6" Mower Deck - farm & garden - by owner - sale

Seller says it has ~1200 hrs.

That's a good mower, hydro on the dash, diff lock on left foot, heavy but kind of uncomfortable, $4200 is to much money though IMO..

 

[ETD66SS]

That's a good mower, hydro on the dash, diff lock on left foot, heavy but kind of uncomfortable, $4200 is to much money though IMO..

Yeah, I think it's due to the snow blower being sold with it, which I don't really need...

As I have said previously, I own a Ford 1620HST that I think is well built. I've never owned a Ford 1220HST, but I assume it would be built the same. It would be good to know what other tractor makes are comparable to a Ford 1220. I honestly have no clue about Kubota's or JD's, never owned either. It might help me expand my search.

I think I'd much prefer to spend money on an older compact tractor with a mid mount mower vs. a new riding mower.

 

[atsah]

Honestly I think with the budget and application, I would buy a brand new Cub X2 or similar with a 48 inch deck, cutting wet grass with the 48 as opposed to a 52 or 54 and 24 or 25hp shouldn't be an issue..

 

[atsah]

Mow the lawn a little more often so it doesn't get to high and thick..