Export thread

Looking to purchase a new mower. Looking for something around 20HP. In your opinion, what engine is "better" and why? Briggs and Stratton or a Kohler? What brand mower should i look at, and what brands should i steer clear from? I have about 1.3 acres with some slight slope and some uneven areas.

Basstracker94 said:

Looking to purchase a new mower. Looking for something around 20HP. In your opinion, what engine is "better" and why? Briggs and Stratton or a Kohler? What brand mower should i look at, and what brands should i steer clear from? I have about 1.3 acres with some slight slope and some uneven areas.

Click to expand...

You are going to get varying opinions from different individuals on this site about what engines to choose and will probably be more confused than when you started. As for advice on what mower to go with, you should first let us know what brands are available in your area. You should also determine if you prefer a lawn tractor or a zero turn mower. Do you have many obstacles, such as trees, or fence, rocks, a pond, etc.? What is your budget? You are only mowing 1.3 acres, so you don't have to purchase a $5k mower as some may try to steer you into. Yes a mower at that price will be higher quality and will last 20 years or more, but you can get a mower in the $2k to $3k range that can also last many years if properly taken care of.

There are many great mower brands out there. Major ztr brands include: Hustler/Bigdog,Toro/Exmark, Ferris/Snapper pro, Scag, Husqvarna, Gravely, Kubota, John Deere, Country Clipper, Dixie Chopper, Cub Cadet etc.. Major lawn tractor brands include: Toro, Snapper/Simplicity, Husqvarna, Kubota, John Deere, Cub Cadet etc.. All brands offer similar drive trains. Each will have different features that will set them apart from the other brands. You should determine just what range mower you are looking for and test as many brands as you can before choosing. If I were looking to mow 1.3 acres and there were no gates or tight spaces limiting deck size, the minimum size mower I would look into would be a 42" ztr mower or a 48" lawn tractor. The ztr will mow faster, even with a smaller deck, but lawn tractors are a little better suited to pull implements.

As for engine, I wouldn't worry as much which brand engine to get seeing as how you are only mowing a little over an acre. You won't put much stress on any engine offered in the 20 hp range. I can tell you that Kawasaki is the most popular engine with members on this site. However, there are supporters of the other two brands on here as well.

Awesome advise! thanks for the reply. I was hoping to spend around 2K. there are some rocks and trees to deal with. Most of the land is old pasture land. Not very many tight spaces but there are a few. The major brands offered in my area are: Craftsman, John Deere, Toro, Club Cadet, Husqvarna, snapper, troy built.

As far as brand engines go it seems I have the Kawasaki with the most repairs in my shop. Briggs or Kohler are both good choices. For your price range its a good chance it will be made by MTD. Nothing wrong with that.

Basstracker94 said:

Awesome advise! thanks for the reply. I was hoping to spend around 2K. there are some rocks and trees to deal with. Most of the land is old pasture land. Not very many tight spaces but there are a few. The major brands offered in my area are: Craftsman, John Deere, Toro, Club Cadet, Husqvarna, snapper, troy built.

Click to expand...

With your budget it appears as though you will be looking at purchasing a lawn tractor. Even the low end ztr mowers will run around the $3k range. There aren't many on here that are big fans of mowers in the $2k lawn tractor line. They won't be made as well as the more expensive machines, but you can make one last if you don't abuse it and keep up with maintenance. I would suggest purchasing through a dealer rather than a big box store unless you are able to do any possible repairs yourself. Kick the tires on every mower in your budget and go with the one you feel gives you the best drive train and deck design.