$2500, 1 Acre, A Hill and Shed Restrictions. What To Look At
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As the poster said above all of the mowers in this price range will have the same hydros and similar power engines. Go try some out. That is the benefit of buying from a dealer over lowes. Ask them to let you drive it around. I recently bought my first zero turn and researched them online for a couple weeks. My research kept bringing me back to hustler for what I was looking for. I bought the raptor sd 60 because they have serviceable hydros and wide tires. I have 2.5 acres of hilly property that used to take me almost 3 hours on my rider and now takes me an hour and 15 minutes to mow and loved doing it. Try all you options. But for me I believe I made the right decision.
I'm going to take a look at the Hustler this weekend. I called 2 of the dealers in my area and they both have the 42" Raptors in stock. Going to try and find one of those Cub Cadets to look at as well. One of the local dealers wanted 2800 for the Raptor and the other wanted 2900, if I go that route I could get it from Lowe's for much cheaper but I hate buying anything small gas engine related from them. I have the thing for supporting small shops around me.
I might still look at the JD S240 tractor mower as well. I'm just trying to get some unbiased info before going into the shops and getting somewhat biased info!
Does anyone know if there is any companies out there that make the large deck walk behinds in that price range? Everything I saw was in the 3300+ range.
I might still look at the JD S240 tractor mower as well. I'm just trying to get some unbiased info before going into the shops and getting somewhat biased info!
Does anyone know if there is any companies out there that make the large deck walk behinds in that price range? Everything I saw was in the 3300+ range.
As the poster said above all of the mowers in this price range will have the same hydros and similar power engines. Go try some out. That is the benefit of buying from a dealer over lowes. Ask them to let you drive it around. I recently bought my first zero turn and researched them online for a couple weeks. My research kept bringing me back to hustler for what I was looking for. I bought the raptor sd 60 because they have serviceable hydros and wide tires. I have 2.5 acres of hilly property that used to take me almost 3 hours on my rider and now takes me an hour and 15 minutes to mow and loved doing it. Try all you options. But for me I believe I made the right decision.
Ric
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What are the advantages? That depends on who you talk to. Some say the fab decks leave a better cut, some say not. The Fab deck on the Cub Cadet is 11 ga. construction which is heavier than the 13 or 14 ga. stamped decks, the 11ga is better for the pulley and spindle mounts. The fab deck will also take a higher impact rating than the stamped. The good commercial decks are a fabricated 10/7 some are totally 7ga. depending on size in some cases. I've run both stamped an Fab and both are good decks for there designed use, I prefer the fab, I think it delivers a much better cut imo. The other advantage that most over look is resale value, a fab will sell used mower faster than a stamped deck and for more money in most cases.
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reynoldston
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Go to your local Sears and buy a lawn tractor. The most bang for your money. If given some care it will last you for years..
shiftsuper175607
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Good idea! Also...
Maybe check at Sears.com as they have sales and clearance mowers that can be delivered to the store of choice.
Shughes717
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If the sturdiest built mower for your money is what you are looking for, then I have to agree with ric. A ztr would probably be slightly faster, but not much considering the lawn tractor has a larger deck. A ztr mower is much more fun to operate, so if you want to enjoy your work more then ztr is the way to go. If you maintain your mower properly and don't abuse it any of the mowers you are looking at will last you better than 10 years. I ran a low end 42" scotts lawn tractor with. 17.5 hp kohler on my 1 acre lawn for 10 years and sold it to my neighbor 3 years ago. It's still running. Research the mowers you are interested in. Demo what you can and make your decision based on what you like best. Brand is less important than power train and deck options for your budget. Unless you are mechanically inclined, I would also suggest buying from a dealer rather than a box store.
Your right, I need to be realistic about this. No matter what I get its going to work just fine. I stopped by the John Deere dealer on the way home and looked at the Z235, nice mower and seems pretty well built. Its not like I'm going to be traveling with this, I will bring it home and its life will consist of going in and out of a shed. I'm going to stop by a Toro dealer tomorrow then take a look at Hustler over the weekend. With the idea that I should be looking for the best engine that I can get for the price range, Kawasaki>Briggs>John Deere>Kohler in that order?