I hate spending money but wanted to get a finishing mower for the 4+ acres along and beside the beginning of my long driveway - former pasture. A rotary cutter works, but the area looks rough and I wanted a better look. Finally found an old Howse 5 foot finish mower for $300. It had flat tires, but remarkably little rust. It had been sitting under a farm tree for at least 10 years. Darn thing is heavy as the dickens but, amazingly, the belts are intact and have survived about 8 hours use so far. Surprisingly, I find that parts for this old mower are still available. They may cost a bit, but I can stand that better than paying thousands for a new one.
