Looking to buy a yard tractor for mowing

[3gunr]

You can mow any piece of land with any size you want. A recommendation, is just that, a recommendation.
A ZTR is not that expensive, until you go commercial of course, and is the right equipment for the job.

At the end of the day is the OP decision.

You are right and i would suggest he get a ztr, Unless time is no issue then any good riding mower will do.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

42 and 54 inch decks are too small for two acre mowing in my opinion!

I would get a used one with a Diesel engine and minimum 60" deck.
You would save in fuel in the long run.

I have a gasoline mower with 42" deck and two Diesels, one with 61" another with 72" decks.

Anyone care to guess which one we mostly use for mowing 2.5 acres?

Diesel vs gasoline just isn’t relevant to the discussion. Any heavy duty zero turn with a 60 inch deck is more than sufficient to mow two acres. I mow a lot more than two acres, closer to six. I mowed two acres for 7 years with a cheap, big box store, 42 inch rider, still have the mower.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

Hey Folks,

I moved into this new house in Upstate NY in November of last year and bought myself a 1986 John Deere 650 with a bucket and a box blade. I figured that would get me through winter which it did but it was a challenge. I have a 900+ foot crushed slate driveway that has a substantial slope and turn towards the top. Clearing snow was a bear and I had to call in help from a plow a couple times. Luckily I have great neighbors.

Now that spring has come around I am looking to buy a yard tractor to do the mowing. I have between 2-4 acres of cleared land. I do not need or intend to mow it all, will probably only mow around 2 acres and those 2 acres are mainly flat with a few mild slopes. The areas I don't plan to mow are hilly. Having a mower with the ability to mow the hilly sections would be nice but I don't want to do it every week.

All that being said I am having a heck of a time picking a mower. This 2003 lt2042 is appealing but I am worried about how old it is and it has 450 hours. The snowblower would be nice for some flat portions of my driveway but I don't expected I could take care of the sloped portions. I am concerned it won't hold up for very long. $1,200 isn't a huge investment though. 42" deck is small for 2 acres.

This 2014 GTX 2154 seems like it would take a beating and its much newer but it has 418 hours plus twice the price. Obviously much newer and a 54" deck would reduce my mowing time significantly.

My preference would be to buy the 2003 and hope it holds up through a couple mowing and winter seasons. What are the odds it has a few years on it? Seller says it's in good working order and he gave it a full tune up in the fall and blew snow with it well through winter.

Are these used cub cadets machines to avoid? Should I really pony up $3-4k and get a new unit?

I am not particularly mechanical though I am in process of become more mechanical, so DIY repairs are possible but not ideal.

I would buy new. You’re going to get your money’s worth out of it. Buying used just shortens the amount of time until you have to buy another one.

 

[HST4Me]

I get a kick out of you guys who...

[cortically controlled cough]

...spend income and time in support of and in service to the corporatocracy all the while hurting themselves and the environment instead of producing income and savoring time in service to ourselves, our communities, and our natural world.

[gets off high horse]

 

[Bill Guenthner]

I get a kick out of you guys who think 2 acres is a lot of grass and that you need a 60 in ztr to mow it, We had 2 acre yard growing up and mowed for decades with a 42 in mower , Dad finally got a 48 in craftsman that lasted for ever, My sister still lives there and just got a new toro timecutter 54 in, I mow mine and my daughters yard every week with a 60 in bad boy , 7 acres of grass .takes about 3 hrs.

Exactly! Until recently all I had was a 42 inch baseline riding mower that I was mowing 3 acres with. Now I have 6 acres to mow so I stepped up to a 60 inch zero turn. It’s inconsistent to claim to “need” a big mower and them brag that they get all the mowing done in 90 minutes.

 

[erudomen]

Is $2,500 for this 2014 GTX 2154 with 418 hours reasonable?

 

[HST4Me]

Is $2,500 for this 2014 GTX 2154 with 418 hours reasonable?

No.

Edit... I'd suggest you purchase an appreciating asset. Late nineties to now cubs(or most any other mower) are like disposable plastic silverware. Plenty of battery-electric options out there finally coming into your price range if you want modern, but don't forget about classics with value that retain said value - all while being just as or more functional/reliable.

 

[dj1701]

I've gone the used route to save money and always had to fix or replace parts on the tractors. While it's true "They don't make them like they used to" they still wear out.

Whatever you decide, buy it from a dealer, not a box store. They will treat you better if you have problems down the road.

Dave

 

[IH3444]

Avoid tractors with K46 hydro transmissions.

 

[shooterdon]

I used a 48" Husqvarna rider to mow two acres for years. Last year I got a 54" ZT and it cut my time in about half.

If you consider a ZT, keep in mind you will use less fuel and get twice the engine life over a rider.

I bought a much better machine than I needed and spent about $1500 to get it rather than an adequate ZT. IMO spending $4k on a new ZT is smarter than $1.5-2k for a used rider.

Mowing 2 acres now takes me about an hour. I will put about 20-25 hours a year on the ZT and it should last over 30 years. At 71, that should be long enough.