I have no idea what to buy

[mytbucket]

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 sell good homeowner and commercial grade mowers. 1.8 acres would be a 48” or 52” zero turn. Stay away from MTD brands , yardmachine , cub cadet, box store John Deere models ( and all John Deere ) unless you have a dealer next door. Deere is on a major restriction on dealers and there will be a very small number of their dealers in the country. I would go with a 52” Apex Ariens. Commercial trans, Kawasaki engine , fabricated deck. Ferris has a good ride with expensive springs , but imo a lousy cut and they lean towards the junk BRIGGS AND STRATTON engines. Scag has excellent mowers but you’ll pay for them initially. These guys that have 60” & 72 “ mowers , have more money than they know what to do with , those are 5-8 acre machines . Also need very flat ground. Also if your not a mower person going into this . Stay away from diesel. They are very good , but you’ll NEVER pay for the difference as a home owner and the maintenance is a must !!! Keep fuel clean!!!!! Go with an EFI engine , and mow your grass 3-1/2-4” high

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

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 personal experience with Bobcat zero turns. Until something else comes along that are better, those are holding # 1 position by a long shot. They have separate pump and wheel motors. Not a drive unit like a homeowner special has.

 

[Buzzard7]

I mow about 3/4 of acre. I am retired and have plenty of time to mow, so I am in no hurry. I don't use the mower for anything else. I bought a 42" cut John Deer "lawn tractor" about 18 years ago. Not a zero turn. 22 hp Briggs and Stratton. V Twin. It served me well. Never had a problem with the engine or transmission. Just bought another one a month a go for $2400 at Lowes and sold the old one for $800. Couldn't see the need to spend $5000 to $8000 for a zero turn. They make larger cut mowers but I like the 42" because it fits between my fence and some bushes.

 

[RoyJackson]

Not to be too redundant, but I originally used a 4WD Kubota tractor with a 60" rear-mount mower. It took me 5 hours to mow 5 acres, and then I had to trim around trees with a push mower. I bought a Bad Boy ZTR from TSC about 15 years ago, and it mows the same 5 acres in 90 minutes, with no need to trim around trees. The only caveat is that the ZTR is not so good on hills. There are many good brands available. The TSC version of BadBoy seems like a bargain for the price and how it is built. It is a low-speed pro model for a bit more than $5000. The cheapo consumer models with a stamped deck usually go for $3000; avoid them. Most pro models by other brands go for $10000 and up. They do mow a bit faster and may have a suspension. But forget about a riding mower for mowing; it is not very good at the job. The ZTR is not very good for towing, though.

I swapped the turf tires for bar turfs which help on slopes. I've never used the mower on wet grass, so I cannot attest to how well the bar turfs do.
As far as towing, I tow with my Deere commercial Z920. I tow an aerator early in the season and a lawn roller. Other than one doesn't want to turn too sharply, the ZT does a fine job

 

[pumasong]

I have a different perspective on this (and bias I guess ) - I too own a 1.2 acre property in the UK, much of which is grass.

When we moved here I bought a diesel Kubota GR2120 mower/lawn tractor, used but with about 300 hours on the clock. Over the few years we've been here it has been incredibly useful. Mainly for mowing and collecting the cuttings, but also intermittently for pulling a trailer with firewood/rubble/garden waste etc., pulling a lawn roller when we re-made our formal lawn area, pulling an aerator a couple of times a year, and other things. I fitted a Rhino 1000lb winch to the front as it used to get stuck in winter despite the 4wd, which has also come in handy a number of times for pulling lumber, pulling small fruit trees upright, and recently pulling bamboo roots out from under a shed.

It wasn't the cheapest to buy but I'm pretty sure I could sell it now for more than I paid for it. And being diesel it doesn't cost the earth to run.

 

[jdmeth]

How many weeks do you have to mow grass in Michigan? I live in Florida and it takes an hour or more to mow my lawn. This year I mowed at least once in every month except January. I have lived at the same place for 50 years. Two years years ago I bought my third mower, a John Deere riding mower, just like the other two.

For those with real winters just clean up whatever mower you get after the last mow. Take off the deck and after cleaning it spray a rust inhibitor on the underside. No reason you can't get 20 years or more out of a good machine.

 

[davesalisbury]

For just mowing… I’d get a ZTR.

I finish mow 2 acres with plenty of trees and a couple buildings, and I take my time. It takes me 75 minutes on my Hustler X-One 72”.

I really like the mower. It’s commercial duty with serviceable drive units and a commercial 29hp motor. It will outlive me, I’m pretty certain.

I've had good luck with a 54" Hustler Raptor. Terrain needs to be reasonably smooth, but with that (which fits through 5 foot gates) and about 1.5 hours I get somewhere between 1.5 and 2 acres done (need to check that sometime). It has a welded deck, and rides reasonably comfortably. I can't say this part with complete authority, but in addition to those who make everything themselves - or under their brand (e.g., JD, Kubota, etc.), anytime you see a Koehler, Briggs or Kawasaki motor, the majority welded and assembled as opposed to stamped parts, you're probably looking at a decent mower. Hustler has an optional nice seat (worth it) and the front flex forks do absorb a bit of the bumps (maybe worth it).

As to price, since inflation became a thing I don't know what one might reasonably expect to pay these days. That part probably won't be fun.

 

[DK35vince]

I have personal experience with Bobcat zero turns. Until something else comes along that are better, those are holding # 1 position by a long shot. They have separate pump and wheel motors. Not a drive unit like a homeowner special has.

I just looked at the Bobcat Zero turn home page. Bobcat Zero-Turn Mowers - Bobcat Company
They offer the Hydro gear ZT transmissions every model I looked at same as most other MFG.

 

[johng143]

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 bought a house adjacent to an airport and I bought 1/42 of that airport. My house is the only one at my end which is great for privacy, etc. Sadly no one else cares to mow my end, they don't live there. So I do it myself.

I bought the widest deck used rider mower I could find on Craigslist, a craftsman v-twin 18 horse 54" three spindle deck for $700. then I bought 2 of the cheapest 3hp 24" push mowers from Walmart, so $1000 all in. I welded up a towing arrangement for the two push mowers from scrap bedframe steel and the rig now mows 8 feet wide in one pass. Trailing mowers humming away. I can do the entire half of the airport grounds in about 2 hours.

The airport has spent many thousands on the purchase and upkeep of a diesel cushmann commercial mowing rig. while the Cushman is more elegant mine is faster and by far cheaper.

What's better is I actually put mine to use so my end of the airport is the better half!

cheers!

jg

 

[oldpilot]

Well, we have 42 acres but most of it is woods or fields, for which I use a 3 pt hitch brush hog. For the lawns (maybe half an acre? I don't know) I have a 42-inch zero-turn Toro Timecutter that I bought 2014. Monstrously heavy to unpack; I lucked out when two equally large plumbers came by and picked up the mower while I slid the remainder of the packing crate out from under it.

As for service, yes, you definitely need service. I had it about three years when the belt broke in the middle of the summer when everybody had his mower in the shop, and that was two towns over. The John Deere store nearby would service the Toro but not get replacement parts. Anyhow, it was out of service for a month. I suppose I could have picked up the front with a chain fall and done it myself, but I didn't.

I had it serviced one other time; otherwise I do it myself. Kohler oil filters from Amazon.

I don't think they're good for a lifetime with 10 percent ethanol. I used to buy mogas from the local airport, but they've gone over to 100 octane low-lead entirely, so the lawnmower has to put up with corn while the chainsaw gets $8/quart pre-mix.