If you were buying a lawn tractor what would you get?

[rsewill]

Occasionally you can find the bottom of the line Deere Z225 used for about $2k.

 

[hardtack]

General Lee, if area you need a mower for is as flat as a billiard table, most riders will do. However, if the are any swails, dips, inclines, or just plain uneven terrain, then I agree with Murphy1244. Simplicity is the only mower that has a floating deck with a full set of rear rollers. All the rest have fixed decks to the chassis. That means if you make an off-chamber turn on uneven ground, the deck is going to dig into the turf.

Go Simplicity all the way. :thumbsup:

 

[forgeblast]

What about tow behind reel mowers, and towing with an atv.

 

[bp fick]

If I were to choose a brand from Lowes, Home Depot, Sears, etc.....which brand would be better? Craftsman, JD, Yardman, MTD? I don't think the JD at home depot are the same quality as from a reputable dealer.

I've had both the MTD mowers and the Craftsman and a few others over the years. MTD makes a whole bunch of names, and some of the Craftsman are really Husqvarna, of course. It just depends. There are only a few manufacturers of these machines, in spite of the plethora of name plates.
I've also had a Deere or two and respect the metal quality and Kawasaki engines.

Point is this. For $1200, you can get a solid, well reputed lawn mower, with a decent engine and deck that will last 7 or 8 years with good maintenance. You can also spend twice that and get a better machine. You can spend half that by watching Craigslist for someone who is moving and has to dump their machine. There are too many options.

 

[nazbom2]

I was in the same predicament as you two years ago and shopped for about two months while my old mower limped through its last mowings. Then I went to a friends a used his Cub Cadet and was instantly sold. I like the features and reliablity that Cub Cadet offered and they have a bunch of models based on what you need. Although I have noticed and read that the overall quality of all manufacturers across the board is getting cheap. It seems the older machines perform and last much better than the newer stuff. Just an observation though.

 

[cdaigle430]

I used to work on Husqvarna zero turnswhen I was a mechanic for lawn care company... I'll take a eXmark over ANY of the Huskies that I worked on ANY day of the week. They are MUCH better built.
Back to the subject at hand, not sure where you are, but around here, you will have a hard time finding a decent zero turn this time of year for $2000.
You could probbaly find a Deere 300 or 400 series garden tractor, or a Cub Cadet GT3000 series in that price range. Either can be found (with just a mower deck) for ~$2000 with plenty of life left in my area.

Aaron Z

Do you have facts to back that up? An eXmark cost way more than what the origional poster is looking to spend. Husqvarna has been great for me-274 hours and counting.

By the way Huskee and Husqvarna a two very different companies.

 

[aczlan]

Do you have facts to back that up?

The machines I worked on and mowed with were 60" commercial Huskvarna ride on zero turns with 500-1000 hours on them and eXmark 60" or 72" Lazer Z models with 1000-1500 hours on them. IIRC, both had Kawasaki engines which were rated in the high 20s for horsepower. This was in 2007 when I worked for TruGreen Landcare.
The crews I was on had a 60" Lazer Z, a 72" Lazer Z (both watercooled) and a 60" Huskvarna (air cooled).
I also worked with the main shop on occasion and they had 6 or 8 of the 60" Huskvarnas and one aircooled 60" Lazer Z (which had almost 2000 hours on it).
Both crews also had 36" to 52" walk behinds made by both brands. The crews I worked with took good care of their machines and did the preventative maintenance as they were supposed to, the crews at the main shop beat on their machines (had one guy at the main shop tell me that he had but 5 or 10 shots of grease in the front wheel of his zero turn at lunchtime while I was beating out the bolt that held the wheel in after the wheel locked up due to a lack of grease).

The issues I had with the Huskvarnas were (in no particular order):
1. There was just one belt to go from the electric clutch to all 3 blades. As such, it was very long and very expensive (around $90 for an aftermarket one from Stens). Due in its length and/or routing, we went thrugh 3-5 belts in the summer I worked there (the eXmarks didnt go through any)
2. The front and back of the deck were higher than the center (where the belts run) creating a "tray" that the belts ran in. This "tray" had both ends closed off at the sides and was only open in the center (under the seat) and in the back (where the belt came in). This caused it to fill up with grass which had to be cleaned out 1-2x per day
3. The Huskvarnas had a significantly lower top speed then the eXmarks
4. The top speed at which you could mow and have the cut still look good was about 1/3 lower with the Huskvarnas than the eXmarks
5. The Huskvarnas had problems with the "sticks" being "twitchy" the sticks on them were about the same as the 2000 hour eXmark

Overall, the crews would take an eXmark over a Husky any day of the week and were very unhappy that TruGreen had switched to away from eXmark.

An eXmark cost way more than what the origional poster is looking to spend.

If bought new, yes. If bought used (as I was recommending), it could be done.

Husqvarna has been great for me-274 hours and counting.

Glad that it works well for you. I wouldn't buy one or recommend one to a friend.

By the way Huskee and Husqvarna a two very different companies.

That is why I said "Husky" which is a commonly used nickname for Husqvarna rather than "Huskee".

Aaron Z

 

[Turbys_1700]

Don't know what your budget is, but a friend of mine bought a John Deere from Lowes last year...
It is one of their lower line zero turns and he has been very well pleased with it...
Those unit can be bought for around 3K I think...
Tractor supply has several different lines including Bad Boy...
They look to be fairly well built...
On another note, my son works part time for the local golf course...
They swear by Toro grounds equipment and swear at Ferris...
They bought 1 Ferris and have had lots of issues with it...
The toro's just keep on cutting...
The lawn care guy that looks after my mom and dads lawn swears by them also...

 

[radioman]

gee, where to begin? sometimes getting a cheap rider from garage sale or local seller for 200 bucks or less is a roll of the dice. you might get 1 year or 5 years out of it. or get a big box store cheapest model and hope it lasts 5 years or more.

Or get best bang for your buck and get a used BX with 48 inch MMM.

 

[kiotiken]

If I were to choose a brand from Lowes, Home Depot, Sears, etc.....which brand would be better? Craftsman, JD, Yardman, MTD? I don't think the JD at home depot are the same quality as from a reputable dealer.

You said you haven't had to shop for one in 12 years, but you only have 3/4 acres to mow and bought it new, that's not a good track record IMO. I expect a lawn tractor to last at least twice that, if not more. I agree, shell out the dough and get a good used commercial zero turn, take care of it and it will be the last mower you'll ever buy, heck, your grand kids probably won't have to replace it. I have a Ferris IS 3000 and it's a tank. That's a little big for 3/4 acres, but I'd get through it in 15-20 minutes. Plenty of options to look at in slightly smaller mowers by lots of brands.

I also have a Home Depot Deere (branded Scotts) that I bought 10 yrs ago. I finally gave it to the neighbours to use because I was tired of storing it, but it still runs strong and hasn't spent a second at a small engine shop. I change the oil/filters, battery and did 1 big tune up including changing a couple gaskets, and it's been flawless. Still can't compare to the Ferris.