I have no idea what to buy

[JWR]

At post #81 we have had NOT ONE RESPONSE by the OP. He Lit the fuse and 80 posts later here we are. All we know so far is:

1. You need to mow about 1.9 ac of grass or so
2. It snows where you will be.
3. You never had a riding lawn mower.

No one here has any well founded idea to make suggestions to you. You need to provide a lot more info in order for us to make any sensible replies.

1. What will you need to do/want to do with it besides mow 1.9 ac of grass? Dig , cultivate, move stone/soil/ other?
2. Do you have garage space or shed space or barn space or no place to put the machine?
3. Do you have any mechanical experience or background at all?

 

[arrow]

All you're gonna need for your grass area is a 52" Gravely ZT-HD.
A well put together unit w a Kawasaki engine and a nice suspension seat.
Hope you can find one.

 

[Going4it]

Howdy Everyone
I am not a tractor nut like most of you on this thread. But I am glad you are. I joined last year when I was looking for something to care for my 3 acres. Mostly woods, half acre of lawn and 550 feet of gravel driveway. I never owned a riding lawnmower or any plowing equipment. The good people on this forum steered me to my Kubota LX2610. With the loader, box blade, pallet forks, front blower and the AMAZING grapple. I have been able to tackle all outdoor chores in northern WI. with confidence.
Believe me, I would have made expensive mistakes without your help and advice.
So I still read many posts and am still learning from all of you.
Thanks for helping all of us newbies!

 

[FordTough]

Hey:

I am buying a property with about 1.8 acres of grass. This is my first time owning this much grass to mow and first time buying a ride on mower. Can anyone give me some directions on what the market looks like out there? What brand is garbage? Which is really high end but way overpriced? I live in SW Michigan which has a moderate amount of snow as well and the property is flat. Any direction is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Matt

I have 2.34 acres flat land with quite a few trees. I use a Scag Liberty Z 52" deck with a Kawasaki engine. I have used it now for 4 years. This is the best quality zero turn that is quasi commercial grade. Solid, reliable and cuts precisely. You really cannot ask for more. It does it all.

 

[dcarman]

Hey:

I am buying a property with about 1.8 acres of grass. This is my first time owning this much grass to mow and first time buying a ride on mower. Can anyone give me some directions on what the market looks like out there? What brand is garbage? Which is really high end but way overpriced? I live in SW Michigan which has a moderate amount of snow as well and the property is flat. Any direction is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Matt

You want something that will get it done fast, get a zero turn with at least a 60" deck. For the long haul durability a Kubota diesel can't be beat. That would be my choice.

 

[JWR]

Still not a single peep from the OP...

 

[Calgaryglenn]

Go for welded deck vs stamped deck. They all use the same engines from Kholer or Kawasaki. The ones I physically sat in (toro and cub cadet) both seemed equally solid. I imagine you'll be able to find a post/video for every model of mower that highlights an issue someone had.

For me, since I'm only doing one lawn per week, I imagine unless I abuse any mower it should last my lifetime. Hell when I a teenager we had the same mower at my mothers house for like 15 years and that thing was ABUSED. I'm talking no ***** given ridden hard put away wet maybe taken for a "tune up" every few years. I'm pretty sure my father got that thing used, and it still functioned when the house was sold.

You might value things differently but I stopped trying to min max what mower will give me those extra 300 hours 25 years from now and decided to go for comfort. I've never enjoyed mowing but since getting what I found the be comfortable and easy to drive (along with bluetooth hearing protection), I can solidly say that it's actually not too bad anymore.

for reference I have 3 acres to mow, I went with the ZTS2 60". It's the steering wheel version, extra comfy for lazy driving.

View attachment 747871

I have one as well and would absolutely recommend to to anyone. Hands down a better system than zero turns with two drive handles, I will never go back to that.

 

[Martin Roper]

Hey:

I am buying a property with about 1.8 acres of grass. This is my first time owning this much grass to mow and first time buying a ride on mower. Can anyone give me some directions on what the market looks like out there? What brand is garbage? Which is really high end but way overpriced? I live in SW Michigan which has a moderate amount of snow as well and the property is flat. Any direction is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Matt

I would look at what Ferris (new or used) have to offer, been using them professionally for the past thirty years without to many complaints and in my opinion way in front of their competitors.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

At post #81 we have had NOT ONE RESPONSE by the OP. He Lit the fuse and 80 posts later here we are. All we know so far is:

1. You need to mow about 1.9 ac of grass or so
2. It snows where you will be.
3. You never had a riding lawn mower.

No one here has any well founded idea to make suggestions to you. You need to provide a lot more info in order for us to make any sensible replies.

1. What will you need to do/want to do with it besides mow 1.9 ac of grass? Dig , cultivate, move stone/soil/ other?
2. Do you have garage space or shed space or barn space or no place to put the machine?
3. Do you have any mechanical experience or background at all?

My thoughts exactly!

 

[RoyJackson]

At post #81 we have had NOT ONE RESPONSE by the OP. He Lit the fuse and 80 posts later here we are.

Sometimes threads take on a life on their own...

 

[dglambert]

I've got a little over an acre and a half, and I appreciate the suggestions for a ZTR. For myself, the bigger lot came with a bigger driveway, so I appreciate being able to plow, plus I'm always towing a cart or aerator or something around the yard, so I wound up with a garden tractor. Made a mistake early on with a cheap JD with a junk transmission, so kudos for doing a little research before diving in.

 

[jrootham]

Hey:

I am buying a property with about 1.8 acres of grass. This is my first time owning this much grass to mow and first time buying a ride on mower. Can anyone give me some directions on what the market looks like out there? What brand is garbage? Which is really high end but way overpriced? I live in SW Michigan which has a moderate amount of snow as well and the property is flat. Any direction is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Matt

I mow 2.5 acres with a Cub Cadet xt2, about 4 years old. Paid a little under 2000 for it. Doesn’t need power steering, very easy. Not zero turn but really sharp turns. Mine is 50” and does a fast good looking job. As usual whatever brand you choose buy from a good dealer.

 

[RoyJackson]

Guess I'm done with this thread

 

[JWR]

I have one as well and would absolutely recommend to to anyone. Hands down a better system than zero turns with two drive handles, I will never go back to that.

Looks macho, looks good. But it really is a 2WD lawn tractor without a universal 3pt hitch and without any chance of a loader. Whatever works best for each of us...

 

[JWR]

Guess I'm done with this thread

Yeah, good decision. After 93 posts and no involvement by the OP it is wandering.

 

[OzarkChris]

Hey:

I am buying a property with about 1.8 acres of grass. This is my first time owning this much grass to mow and first time buying a ride on mower. Can anyone give me some directions on what the market looks like out there? What brand is garbage? Which is really high end but way overpriced? I live in SW Michigan which has a moderate amount of snow as well and the property is flat. Any direction is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Matt

I agree with most of the other posts stating that a zero turn mower is really all you need. Some even have snow blower attachments since you are up north. Personally, I really like Bad Boy ZT's. Two reasons, first the factory is close by, and second, they offer a 25% discount for Vets (I'll go out of my way to support a company that supports those of us currently/previously in the military)! These are tough, heavy duty rigs, which helps

 

[MinnesotaMorg]

Looks macho, looks good. But it really is a 2WD lawn tractor without a universal 3pt hitch and without any chance of a loader. Whatever works best for each of us...

what are you talking about? Loader on a mower??

 

[Johno Geo]

Hey:

I am buying a property with about 1.8 acres of grass. This is my first time owning this much grass to mow and first time buying a ride on mower. Can anyone give me some directions on what the market looks like out there? What brand is garbage? Which is really high end but way overpriced? I live in SW Michigan which has a moderate amount of snow as well and the property is flat. Any direction is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Matt

When I bought my rural "Summer Home I know I needed a tractor. (1990).with a 750ft gravel driveway , even with 4WD, I knew I needed to plow with the Wisconsin Winters. I looked at IH Case but was afraid they would go out of business.
Kubota was big in the compact market even then, but I wanted to "Buy American" The Ford dealer told me Ford was making tractors for a hundred years. JD was expensive and in that size were made like Garden Tractors with the engine and trans bolted to a bent metal frame. The Ford was Built like a real tractor and the engine and trans were the frame.
The dealer was great, so I bought a 1520, 3 cylinder Diesel with a loader(Woods) and a Woods Finish mower (60RM3).
When I got it back to my property I saw it was "MADE IN Japan". I was furious, and the dealer said "Assembled in the USA". not the same thing. Turns out the diesel is made in Italy.
Fast forward to 2022. the Ford is like new! Never a problem and I maintained it regularly, by the book.
(I bought a Hydro so the wife could mow......lol.. you know that never happened).
As I bought more property that needed to be cleared, I needed a larger tractor so of course I bough a Ford which was then NH and now it is "CNH".
Perfect, high quality machines..... In summary I would buy one of the big brands with the local dealership that conveyed the most confidence. A tractor has much more utility than a zero turn mower.
Good luck.
John G

 

[Williy]

To save money on machine and gas & oil just
get the sheep.

Here's a nice set https://www.tractorhouse.com/listing/for-sale/192118491/2022-ls-mt122-less-than-40-hp-tractors

willy

 

[JWR]

what are you talking about? Loader on a mower??

I was commenting that the ZT pictured on post #87's attached picture (like all ZTs) lacks a 3pt hitch & PTO and has no loader. Pointing out that the ZT may mow well , but it lacks the versatility of compact or subcompact tractor. Essentially the same point Geo makes at the bottom of post #98.