Best lawn mower in $2-4,000 range?

[tractorshopper]

+1 on the comfortbable seat. I don't always mow all of it. I do a couple acres regularly, but if I had a better machine, I'd do more of it more often. Can break it up as necessary. I just know my lawn tractor, while it gets the job done, is not really what I need long term for this work. Top 2 desires is something with a much larger and stronger deck, and something stable on hills.

 

[meyle357]

I recently purchased a hustler 46 for 3500; actually my wife got it for me. I was skeptical of the smaller deck and only 22 hp but it very nimble,fast, cuts great and able to stay in tight spots. I just mowed about 3 acres last nite of fenced yard with bushes trees etc. And done in less than an hour. My old standard riding mower would've taken 2+. The only thing I don't like is that I have to keep both hands on the sticks; I used to like throwing a couple back while mowing but oh well

 

[boggen]

riding lawn mowers on for 6 to 7 acres = dead riding lawn mower. been there done that.

at moment having an old allis chalmers CA tractor with a 60" or something like that belly mower. it is a row crop tractor or rather "tri cycle" narrow front end, were front tires are side by side. with split left and rear breaks. this tractor, operates much like a zero turn mower. it has broke down a couple times, but still runs like a champ. it does have R1 / Ag tires on the rear. and does tear up the lawn some. when i lock up left or right brake pedal and spin around a tree in 3rd gear. but could care less. not wanting a golf course look. just wanting to keep things mowed and looking half way descent. after a rain everything for most part goes back to normally for the grass were i did tear things up some.

the CA is 20HP 4 cylinder gas engine on it. and not one of them little gas engines on a riding lawn mower. this gives me plenty of extra torque and HP to let me mow in a faster gear. and really does cut mowing time in half when compared to old riding lawn mowers in the past.

higher ground speed is a must. for that many acres. and riding lawn mowers just never come close. you might be able to find a commercial zero turn mower that allows for the higher ground speed. and still be able to deal with thicker and taller grass.

there is also a vibration difference getting away from riding lawn mowers vs larger size tractor or ZTR. and that is on a riding lawn mower, once you get off, your inter body is shaking and feeling kinda numb over your entire body for a while. while larger tractors and ZTRs there is less vibrations if any at all besides bumps in the lawn you drive over. those vibrations for me is a big one.

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with above said, pay attention to "gear speed" or rather ground speed for tractor or ZTR. and width of deck. and how long it will take to mow 6 to 7 acres. there is a good amount of online calculators out there. to plug in, deck width, ground speed amount of lawn you need to mow.

 

[some zilch]

while i agree on the cheesyness of your typical lawn tractor these days, i have 650+ hours on my craftsman 26hp riding mower that is on its 4th season since i bought it new. i bought it on clearance for 75% off its retail price. while its certainly not very well made, it sure has surprised me as to how well its held up. it mows 3 acres a week, plus pulls the wagon around the yard for whatever. it mows 12" grass all the time, goes up very steep hills, goes across some pretty steep side-hills. i have yet to do anything except change the oil, and i am not very ncie to it

 

[8u9ey3]

I couldn't pass by that would not write here, although I also know that the topic is content with the old one, it's just that when he himself solved this dilemma, someone can come in handy in the future.I'm a homeowner and I just spent the last 2 yrs looking and pricing zero turns. I was going to buy a Dixon Ultra52 Dixon Ultra 52 - Zero Turn Mowers or it's Husqvarna 5225 5 Best Lawn Mowers For Steep Hills To Buy Online - BestOutdoorItems counterpart which is about the same mower just painted a different color. Each comes in a few different variations and these are entry level commercial grade mowers. They can be bought on sale for about $4299.00. Yes, you can spend less and get a decent ztr but I feel these Dixon/ Husqvarna give you the most bang for your buck!

 

[cphilip]

I am a big fan of Toro/Exmark and Hustler. I didn't pay much over your top target for my MX5400 Titan Toro and its a full commercial mower aimed at large landowners and entry commercial customers. It has full suspension seat, fabricated deck, commercial grade hydros and its heavy and big commercial sized wheels and tires. Mine has a Kawasaki engine. I think is more in the $5500 price range now and I think they use Kohler commercials in them now... but its worth it. Good solid machine. Good used one of any of those that has the bigger commercial grade hydrostats and has enough weight to stick on the slopes will likely also have a suspension seat.

 

[plowhog]

I couldn't pass by that would not write here, although I also know that the topic is content with the old one, it's just that when he himself solved this dilemma, someone can come in handy in the future.

Exactly.

 

[Texasmark]

If you can stand a regular rider and a 46" cut, the Husqvarna 46" does a super job on wet grass.

it's only 2 blades so you have better control of sweeping grass out from under the deck.

The height of the deck is much higher than most I've seen allowing for better sweeping of clippings out the chute especially necessary on wet tall grass.

The deck is stamped and the stampings are curved nicely again allowing for smooth grass flow and minimal clogs.

The worst are the welded steel decks like on my Fastrack 44 ZT, DR 52 ZT, and Ferris 61 ZT.

 

[Firefighter912]

Safford Equipment has some deals on bundles

 

[tractorshopper]

OP here 11 years later.

I'm sure I documented this elsewhere, but I ended up running my JD lawn tractor until it was about kaput. Then, I had done most of the "big" things I had wanted to do with my L3800, so I ended up selling the L3800 and buying a BX 2370 at that time with the 60" belly mower. Worked wonders. I eventually traded it on a BX2380 and it is still going strong performing many duties. These BX's and the other subcompacts are amazing machines that also cut a lot of grass fast in much worse conditions than a lawn mower could ever handle with very little effort and huge fuel and time savings.

 

[crashz]

Thanks for the update David!

 

[old and tired]

Ditto, thanks for the update

 

[DGZRT]

I have a John Deere 180 rider and last year I bought a Husqvarna TS 254.
When you compare the two the Husqvarna was $400 more and has a 54 inch cut better tires better bumper 24 horse Kawasaki motor better seat, better gauges, and a better hydrostat transmission the deck is welded and very heavy duty. I’m not sure the John Deere could even compete unless you bought a more expensive one.

 

[sd455dan]

I don't know if you figured it out yet, but that is a pretty big price range. A zero turn vs tractor is a big debate, but I really like my x540. I do about 2.5 acres and it does great. You could probably get into a good condition used x5xx in your budget. Burns gas though. A diesel x would handle more acreage well, but sadly it's out of both of our budgets.

That is the way we went- an 800 hour X500 for $2400 It wasn't pretty but ran Good, did a little cleanup and Happy with it.

 

[BlueBerryFarmer]

Have rebuilt the Kohler cast iron engine in the 1984 JD 318 mower only one time and it's good for another 39 plus years.........very cheap to keep, but only 48" cut (great for areas where my big stuff can't get in). Nice little front snow blower option too.......I have maybe $2000 in it (including new purchase) and it will end up costing about $20/year over its lifetime.....parts are readily available.

Old Betsy (my 57 year old JD 2510 -- 1966 model) will only cost Peanuts/year (equipment amortization cost only) over her lifetime (she's good for another 50 years) -- she's pulled bush hogs, finish mowers, cultivators, land levelers, box blades you name it and runs like she did the day she left the dealer's lot and parts are relatively easy to source.............

The new equipment from Kubota, CAT and John Deere are a PITA -- all sorts of "little things" (e.g. micro switches) break.

 

[Ricn]

My current rider is an L280 JD, I like it lots an very reliable. Bought it used with 170hrs on the meter for 2K and now have 300 plus hours with no hiccups. Older JD mowers are a good buy if finding the better ones they made; got mine off an add at the grocery store. I use it to mow about one plus acre around the house and barns. For the bigger open ground I bought a flail mower from the tractor and very happy and impressed with it. Makes fast work out of several acres too. I can't see mowing 6-7 acres with any rider or standing up mower, and 2-4K gets us not much these days for anything in that category.