What would you buy for mowing only??

Jeff56 · Jun 9, 2011

Just for the record my dad owned a 318 back in the early days of that model and he had a 2.5 acre yard to mow. Trust me I cut that yard as fast as possible and the 318 was always able to cut well at speeds that were probably about 5-6 mph I would guess. I know it seemed like I was flying to mow with that JD. It had a lot of power for a two rotor deck which allowed it to keep the speed on the blades up and as long as the blades were sharp it would cut great. It still took a good while to mow that much grass. He bought a 400 series after that which had 3 blades and I always thought it took longer to mow with that machine than with the 318.

My 324 will cut pretty well at top speed but I only have a few areas in my yard where I can get it going that fast. I mow about an acre. I do know the 324 cuts my grass much faster than my LX172 does. I've used that mower for 17 years and it's been a great mower but I can cut the yard in about half the time with the 324. My only problem is the quick turns start to give me motion sickness after a while and I don't get motion sickness that easy. I haven't had it in probably 30 years in fact but I've been getting it on the 324 because it will turn very quickly if it's on level ground.

ChuckinNH · Jun 9, 2011

The 318 of old has now morphed into the X700 series. They may have been the size of the current X300's, but they were built a lot heavier, and stronger. I have looked closely at the new X300's, and I have 3.5 rough acres of "yard". I doubt that one of them would last the warranty period here before I would be replacing, repairing parts. The X500 is the the replacement for the GT345, etc., and is probably built about the same. That would be my minimum choice for here after 2000 hours, or so of mowing this land.

Jeff56 · Jun 10, 2011

The 318 was a heavy duty mower I know but has it really become the 700 series? That sorta surprises me (I'm not doubting what you said). The one dad owned didn't have rear PTO like the current 700.

I have about an acre of "rough" yard myself and my little LX172 has mowed it with very few problems over 17 years. I bought a 324 now because I read that it was about on the level of the old 170 series. I know it isn't like the current 100 series and it isn't like the old 318 either. But it mows pretty fast. It's rated as having more horsepower than the 318 had I believe. But I'm not sure what it really has after reading where the number listed was just for comparison's sake. I would think it would be more than the 318 because of having two cylinders instead of one.

Still I knew the old 318 was tough and powerful and like I said I liked it better than the 400 series mainly because it cut faster IMO and it was easier to go around a slope on it than on the 400 series he had. It could be counterbalanced by sitting on the fender which was a good thing when I was cutting the little bit of his yard that was on a steep slope. Mowing up and down was out of the question because he had an asphalt driveway right at the top of one slope and a pond at the top of the other. My 324 is pretty tough to operate on my slopes here. I definitely need to get ballast added and I plan to do that soon.

ChuckinNH · Jun 10, 2011

Yes, although much smaller than the current X700's the 318 was top of the line. It had two cylinders I think, and the 316 had the single cylinder. I sure drooled enough on them when I moved to having over 3 acres of lawn. Actually the man I bought two of the acres from used my money to buy a 318 with all the attachments.......... well, he was a veteran who had paid a leg in service of his country so it was good to see hime really excited about his new tools. The rear PTO was, and is an option on both the 318, and the X700's now. The smallest JD with a standard pto was the 2305, and will be the 1000 series.

Strangerover · Jun 10, 2011

I have a Scag Tiger Cub (I think it's called the Tiger Cat now) with a Briggs 26HP twin and a 48" deck. It is very fast and really rugged. I do have some slopes to deal with and yes, you do have to be careful when it's wet. They aren't what I would call unstable, but the tires can scuff the turf pretty good when it's digging for traction, turning on wet slopes. It just takes some practice to learn its limits, and then it's not bad. Buy a good machine. I know there are plenty of good brands, but I have only used my Scag. It's a tank. The blade spindles run on huge bearings and the whole thing can take a pounding. These machines are designed so that they can be run hard all day, every day, by employees who don't give a crap about the equipment because they're not paying for it. Will last forever with basic love. Can't overlook the fact that ZTR's are FUN TO OPERATE. A lot like riding a horse (to me). Once you get good, you don't even feel the sticks move. You think it and the machine does it.

ChrisJD4320 · Jun 14, 2011

AMEN Strangerover. I purchased a new 2011 Exmark Lazer Z 60" about a month ago and I am still blown away by it. It cut my mowing time from 3.5hrs to 1 hour. It is fast, powerful, and makes the lawn look like a showpiece. Most importantly it is FUN! It kinda reminds me of a Tilt-A-Whirl ride at the carnival. I can honestly say that I will never own a lawn/garden tractor ever again. My 5083E will need to handle all "tractor" activities from here on out.

Gittyup · Jun 15, 2011

I swear by AWS. I have a 425 AWS, 54" deck. I have many many trees, obstacles, hills, difficult corners to cut and it's the cat's meow. With all that, I cut 2 acres in about 1.5 hours. No trimming required. Great traction for 2WD; does have locking diff. Outstanding snow plower too. You can add weights (42 lb suitcase) and chains (need spacers) if you need a little more traction.

I've been using it now on it's 18th year. The plastic cam gear (new one's steel) finally gave out (always at the worst of times). So, I borrowed my neighbor's 100 series. It got the job done, but took a lot longer. And was a lot more tiring to operate. Plus, it wouldn't get in close to the trees and stuff, meaning a lot of weed-whacking. Needless to say, I hurried up and repaired the 425 and she is back at work once again. Hopefully, for another 18 years.

ZTR might be a tiny bit faster, but it won't work on my property. I'd never be able to mow the steep and rippled areas without getting stuck.

As long as I live here, I'll always have an AWS mower. Best mower you can buy when a ZTR isn't practical. Models I know are available with an AWS option: 425, 445, 455, X748, X749. There are few others in the 400/500/700 series as well. The 4WD of the X700's is an added bonus, and the AWS is a bit better designed on the new ones.