Buying Advice Lawn tractor (or zero turn) advice

[skibler]

Moving to 3/4 acre from about 1/10 acre so no experience with anything but push mowers. I'm going to need to have something to mow and deal with snow.

I'm in northeast Ohio where winters can be kind or somewhat brutal.

I've learned that many people are happier with a dedicated snow blower over a tractor with plow or blower attachment. I'm trying to get a Ariens 7524 blower that is on CL for $150 and is in good running condition. I figure if I end up with a tractor and decide to try a plow or blower attachment for $150 I may well just keep it for backup or cleanup.

I'm mainly looking for advice on the tractor or zero-turn route. I've read that zero-turns are not so great with hilly land and as you can see in the pictures I have at best mild hill to contend with. In the back yard there are two short and steep hills sisters up against one another. There are some obstacles, mostly trees and bushes. In the front you can see the majority are perimeter and in the back yard there are large bushes and a couple trees inside the yard.

I wish I had a better picture of the back yard but we haven't closed yet and the Google earth overhead doesn't show a really useful perspective, I snagged the best one I could from Zillow listing. Just based on the front yard view and knowing the back yard is more challenged am I misguided in thinking a zero-turn is not going to run as well as a lawn tractor?

I'm really not looking to spend more than $2500 to $3000 so I think that limits me to entry level zero-turns at least brand new and the local used zero-turn market is just flooded with commercial grade equipment more in the $5000 range. Though, there is a 2010 48" Cub Cadet on CL, commercial unit for $2500 with about 500 hours on it. I'm also trying to balance getting my lawn cut efficiently and trying to take up as little space in my garage as possible, we have a two car garage and I want to be able to put both of our cars in there. Having the ability to haul things with a tractor would be convenient but I generally don't do things that a wheelbarrow and some muscle can't handle. Lastly, I'm really not a huge fan of sitting a lot. In fact I'm a software programmer and prefer to stand for a large portion of my day. Are there stand-behind machines that are priced in my range that would be worth looking at?

The first image is my front lawn, the second my driveway with my front yard to the left, third and fourth images are back yard.

Without further advice I'm looking at nabbing that blower mentioned above and a 2007 Cub Cadet LT1045 for $600 and see how far they take me.

Hope I've given enough helpful information for some opinions but if I've missed something I'll gladly supply everything I can.

Thank you so much to anyone who chimes in.

 

[4570Man]

You could get a plow or snow blower to go on a front deck mower. I only paid $3500 for my F2560, but that's lower than the going rate. A small tractor could also handle everything. I paid $3000 for a B7200 with a MMM. A ZTR will handle the mowing faster, but they are only good at mowing. I could mow 3/4 of an acre in under an hour on my B tractor, F Mower, or my ZTR with the B being the slowest mower, but the most useful all around machine. In the hands of an unexperienced user a ZTR sucks on hills, but with experience they can tackle a pretty decent hill.

 

[DK35vince]

Looking at the pictures A zero turn would have no problem with the front yard.
Can't say about the back.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

Might want to tale a look at these Husqvarna Riders R 22T It is Husqvarna's articulating mower. I looked at them and went with zero turn. They didn't have deck big enough, they have blower option and come in AWD. I know a guy that has one rear wheel drive and he is happy.

 

[jenkinsph]

Might ask who has been maintaining the lawn, if the homeowner he may sell the mowing equipment too.

I would recommend a mower with a collection system new or used. A front mount snow blower could be an extra if you get a deal on a used machine with accessories.

 

[AxleHub]

Personally, given the pictures you provided, I'd look at finding a used Cub Cadet I series mower. There are 3 sizes . . A 42 inch 18 hp, a 46 inch 20 hp and a 50 inch 25 hp.

These are zero turn lawn tractors . . Not riders. So they look much like a normal lawn mower but they can turn like a zero turn. They are great on hills and tight trimming. You can add a plow or snowblower to the front.

You can't buy a new one . . They stopped making them after 2011. I bought a used I1050 last year with 59 hours on it and separately I bought a brand new snowblower for it. You can also add a bagger or cart or ????

Now just to be clear . . This is the I series . . Not the lt series or lx. And the I series choices work well for many things and your budget will be ok as will your garage space lol.

If you go to the cub cadet l & g forum you'll find more info there .

Here is one of the threads

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/cub-cadet-l-g/359668-cub-cadet-made-great-zero.html