Recommendation Please

[keegs]

Hey guys,

I have about 5 acres I keep cut at our second home. I'm there at least once a month during summer (usually more often than that) and for years have been using a 22" self propelled lawn mower and a walk behind string trimmer to keep things in trim. The string trimmer bales me out when I let the grass grow too high but that added step obviously increases the time it takes me to mow.

The landscape is mostly flat but there's a slope in one area down to a small pond. The smaller, lightweight, self propelled mower works well with the slope but the narrow cut makes it slow going. It can take 2 days to cut the lawn. There are some dents and mounds on the landscape and the occasional rock thrown out from the driveway by the snow blower to look out for.

I don't mind a walk behind and think of it as exercise. Something with a wider cut is going to be much heavier so I'm looking for something that's somewhat on the lighter side of big mowers, maneuverable and propels itself. I'm not made of money so my instinct is to look around from something used. I have a garage for storage.

Your thoughts?

 

[thepumpguysc]

Are u considering a 42" rider.?? Lots of them cheap in your local Craigs List..
I'm partial to TroyBilt.. LOTS & LOTS of years outta them.. w/ minimal repairs.. just belts & blades * change the oil 1x a year.
SAME w/ a self prop. walk behind..{100.-150.00used}

 

[keegs]

I've got two TB's. The oldest needs a new deck (it was left unused outside for a few years but it was free ). A motor mounting flange on the other mower cracked but I was able to repair it. Not sure how long the repair will last though, hence my search. My preference is something that's self propelled with a wide cut 48" or more. I'll poke around FB and CR for Troy Built. I've had good service from these two. Thanks!

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

48" of thick, deep grass will require 20+ horsepower. Especially if you have to go uphill figure 25hp

 

[GT48DXLS]

Are u considering a 42" rider.?? Lots of them cheap in your local Craigs List..
I'm partial to TroyBilt.. LOTS & LOTS of years outta them.. w/ minimal repairs.. just belts & blades * change the oil 1x a year.
SAME w/ a self prop. walk behind..{100.-150.00used}

I agree, very economical.

I have a 2011 Ariens $900 HD special, gear drive. Sold under many names. It has survived my teenage son, Florida sand on an acre. The deck is easy to maintain and cheap (I've rebuilt it twice). The gear drive is bullet proof. It's not pretty to look at, but gets the job done, and there are lots of them for cheap. It also does a good job pulling a small yard cart, max weight 750lbs (flat ground). range seems to be $250 to $450 consistently. A minimal investment.

 

[thepumpguysc]

I WAS bragging about my T. Bilt & yesterday I was cutting grass after about 2 weeks worth of rain had past..
The deck started getting a little wobbley & started shaking a little.. I just thought it was from the tall grass & maybe a little wet.??
All of a sudden all h*ll broke loose.. Come to find out the spindle bearings seized & smashed the spindle housing sending parts scattering.. LOL..
Its nothing that cant be fixed.. but I thought it was funny after I was bragging on it..
After researching the part, I noticed the aftermarkets come w/ a zerk grease fitting, where the oem doesn't..??

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I WAS bragging about my T. Bilt & yesterday I was cutting grass after about 2 weeks worth of rain had past..
The deck started getting a little wobbley & started shaking a little.. I just thought it was from the tall grass & maybe a little wet.??
All of a sudden all h*ll broke loose.. Come to find out the spindle bearings seized & smashed the spindle housing sending parts scattering.. LOL..
Its nothing that cant be fixed.. but I thought it was funny after I was bragging on it..
After researching the part, I noticed the aftermarkets come w/ a zerk grease fitting, where the oem doesn't..??

Just get double sealed bearings

 

[thepumpguysc]

Kyle.. THATS what I did to the "other side" when it seized, just about this time last year.lol.
I noticed they used sealed on 1 end & open ball brgs on the other..{stupid}
I replaced those w/ sealed & never gave this "new side" a thought..{stupid}..
BUT, when this side seized, it broke the housing.. beyond re*use..
After researching it, I have to buy an assembly w/ a pulley attached.. I WAS gonna just buy a hsg. & brgs. No Go.
"THEY" wanted 81.00 for the assembly.. & 16.37 EACH for the brgs IF I could find a hsg..
I found the WHOLE ASSY for 33.00 w/ f. shipping on another site..

 

[KennyG]

Do you really mow 5 acres? With a 22" push mower it seems that would take over 10 hours. Even with a small riding mower it would be a lot of time. Short term, I would find the largest riding or zero turn I could afford. Long term, I would try to convert the lawn to maintenance free landscaping.

 

[widefat]

Do you really mow 5 acres? With a 22" push mower [..]

This was my first thought. Anybody that mows 5 acres with a push mower is a stud. Respect.

 

[CHF4]

I guess if you have the time with no kids nor a honey do list then that is good exercise...but once a month and the stuff isn’t out of control?

 

[jpilk99]

My thought is (and maybe it's because I'm 53): Any job you're going to spend more than 10 minutes on ...have proper tools. Nothing frosts me more than, when I go to do the job, and the "tool" either doesn't work, needs it's own 'job' to make it capable to do the other job, or just does a halfass job. I got no time for that!

I would buy a commercial grade machine, not one at Lowes/Home Depot. Thicker gauge steel, little-to-no plastic parts, solid construction. Good commercial grade equipment, in my experience, lasts 3 to 4 times as long.
I've been partial to Husqvarna equipment most of my adult life. I'm sure Club Cadet and/or John Deere are similar. I have a 24 horse Kawasaki twin cylinder engine in my Husqvarna with a 54" mower deck. Of my 5 acres, probably 40% of it is mow'able. Some hills. When all is right, this tractor eats it up with no worries. (I do run rear tire chains year round - wet grass + slope = slipping).

After 8 years with this current mower, I am starting to do some significant repairs. Just rebuilt much of the mower deck (new spindles, pulleys, blades, belt) and I believe I will need to work on the Tuff Torq rear end soon. The mower deck parts were about $115 and I've read that the typical Tuff Torq parts are about $165. Oil changes etc. are negligible.

All that said, I paid about $2400 for mine 8 years ago, brandy-new. That may be more than what you were thinking, but, In My Humble Opinion, if you're going to buy something "cheap" for $900-$1200, it will start to fail in 1 to 2 years. You'll be working on it much of the time when you need to just get on it and go. (Again, just my humble opinion - I'm sure others may disagree).

Here's a consideration, if you've got a good mechanic's eye: Go on Craigslist and look for a used one that has been has been well kept and someone is moving and doesn't need, or bought a house that came with one. You obviously don't want to buy anyone's headache, and some might make up stories that "it was here when we bought the house" but if you have a good eye, go through it:

• Have the owner leave it cold for you to come start it. If it blows smoke, walk away.
• Check the structure of the body, where welds or 90-degree corners are, to see if metal is failing.
• Check the wear of overall "disposable" parts; pulleys/belts/deck/spindles
• Drive it around - how does it sound? Quiet/normal or oddly loud. Cut hard corners and 'feel' how it goes - does it seem to waver or is it solid/tight? Go up hills, does it keep it's speed. Back up, does it move properly?
• Check the oil on the dipstick. Golden brown? (good). Black? (eeeish!).

If you go through all of this, I would think you can find a GREAT machine for $500-$750. And I would think that money is FAR BETTER SPENT than similar for a brand new machine from Home Depot etc.

Good luck.

Jay

 

[Molerj]

I have a real hard time believing you are mowing 4 acres with a push mower! That said 48” deck would be the minimum and stay away from the troybilt lawn tractors, they are cheaply made and the variable speed is a pain. Especially if you have to change belts.

 

[4570Man]

Do you really mow 5 acres? With a 22" push mower it seems that would take over 10 hours. Even with a small riding mower it would be a lot of time. Short term, I would find the largest riding or zero turn I could afford. Long term, I would try to convert the lawn to maintenance free landscaping.

I really doubt you can cut half an acre an hour with a 21 walk behind. I’d guess doing 5 acres would take double that long and he’s probably only cutting a smaller section around the house.

 

[two_bit_score]

My thought is (and maybe it's because I'm 53): Any job you're going to spend more than 10 minutes on ...have proper tools. Nothing frosts me more than, when I go to do the job, and the "tool" either doesn't work, needs it's own 'job' to make it capable to do the other job, or just does a halfass job. I got no time for that!

I would buy a commercial grade machine, not one at Lowes/Home Depot. Thicker gauge steel, little-to-no plastic parts, solid construction. Good commercial grade equipment, in my experience, lasts 3 to 4 times as long.
I've been partial to Husqvarna equipment most of my adult life. I'm sure Club Cadet and/or John Deere are similar. I have a 24 horse Kawasaki twin cylinder engine in my Husqvarna with a 54" mower deck. Of my 5 acres, probably 40% of it is mow'able. Some hills. When all is right, this tractor eats it up with no worries. (I do run rear tire chains year round - wet grass + slope = slipping).

After 8 years with this current mower, I am starting to do some significant repairs. Just rebuilt much of the mower deck (new spindles, pulleys, blades, belt) and I believe I will need to work on the Tuff Torq rear end soon. The mower deck parts were about $115 and I've read that the typical Tuff Torq parts are about $165. Oil changes etc. are negligible.

All that said, I paid about $2400 for mine 8 years ago, brandy-new. That may be more than what you were thinking, but, In My Humble Opinion, if you're going to buy something "cheap" for $900-$1200, it will start to fail in 1 to 2 years. You'll be working on it much of the time when you need to just get on it and go. (Again, just my humble opinion - I'm sure others may disagree).

Here's a consideration, if you've got a good mechanic's eye: Go on Craigslist and look for a used one that has been has been well kept and someone is moving and doesn't need, or bought a house that came with one. You obviously don't want to buy anyone's headache, and some might make up stories that "it was here when we bought the house" but if you have a good eye, go through it:

• Have the owner leave it cold for you to come start it. If it blows smoke, walk away.
• Check the structure of the body, where welds or 90-degree corners are, to see if metal is failing.
• Check the wear of overall "disposable" parts; pulleys/belts/deck/spindles
• Drive it around - how does it sound? Quiet/normal or oddly loud. Cut hard corners and 'feel' how it goes - does it seem to waver or is it solid/tight? Go up hills, does it keep it's speed. Back up, does it move properly?
• Check the oil on the dipstick. Golden brown? (good). Black? (eeeish!).

If you go through all of this, I would think you can find a GREAT machine for $500-$750. And I would think that money is FAR BETTER SPENT than similar for a brand new machine from Home Depot etc.

Good luck.

Jay

I agree with the premise that high quality tools are better most of the time. Hilti, Stihl, Rol-Air, all better. But I disagree on lawn mowers.

I buy the ~ $1,000 riders from Sears or Walmart. I get about 8-10 years use out of them. A few blades, oil, air filters, spark plugs are cheap. Belts have generally been rare and not that expensive. In 40 years I’ve had 5 including the one I’m using now. I’m not meticulous with maintenance. I don’t baby them. I’ve hauled them to the farm and rent houses frequently.

I go look at the JD, Scag, Etc ZTR’s and riders but dropping $3,000 - $10,000 is just not something I’m going to do. They ALL wear out. I bought a used riding mower -a JD - from a guy I knew and used it a long time but it still wore out. I paid about $800 and used it about 8 years. I’ve been surprised when I’ve had problems with one of those mowers and my wife looks it up and it’s 8 or 9 years old. Well, guess it’s time to think about a new one and in about a year we catch one on sale.


.

 

[jjp8182]

A self-propelled commercial walk-behind mower -- or a walk behind brush cutter would be my first thought since you already have the walk-behind string trimmer.

Otherwise a two-wheel tractor (for example: Gravely and BCS) with either a mower or brush cutter might also be an option. The additional attachments they can mount could also help replace other small engine machines (like snow blowers, and rototillers ...and possibly the walk-behind string trimmer as well).