Hey everyone – brand new here and could use some of your expert opinions! I get the impression that I’m going to be the rookie amongst a bunch of enthusiasts and professionals with much larger needs, but I hope you don’t mind helping me out.
I just moved to a larger piece of property – about 0.6 acres all-in, including the house. This past summer (first year in the house) I only maintained the front – it’s beautiful sod and was able to mow/trim in about 45 minutes with my push mower. This year I’m going to start keeping the back nice as well (the lawn is not NEARLY as nice back there) and think I need to step up to a riding mower / lawn tractor . I’ve never bought a rider before and could really use some advice. I don’t have a budget per se, since I’m willing to pay the price that makes the most sense, but from some basic research I hoping it’s possible to pay in the $1.5 - $2k range. Let me know if that’s crazy.
Here is some basic info/questions, but let me know what else is needed:
- Located in Long Island, NY.
- Property is pretty much entirely flat, with almost no trees. I have to maneuver around a bit of landscaping in the front, but nothing crazy.
- I need to be able to get up and over the bricks that line the driveway.
- Need to be able to fit through the fence gate – I don’t have the measurements on me (I can get it), but it’s standard sized gate for a PVC fence.
- I prefer to mulch vs bag – do I actually need a mulching kit? Would prefer to not buy anything else. I would like to option to buy a bagging kit in the future if I change my mind.
- I generally mow high, around 3.5” – 4” if I had to guess (highest setting on the push mower). Not sure if that matters?
- The machine will be used for mowing 95% of the time (I mow once a week). I guess it would be nice to be able to perform other tasks, but I don’t currently have plans for that. Is there something I should be considering here?
- It would be very convenient to buy from Home Depot or Lowes. I’m expecting that people recommend I go to a dealer, but that would mean more $$$. Online retailers?
- Are there any sales coming up I should know about?
- What brands can be trusted? I know the big names (John Deere, Husqvarna, Cub Cadet), but what about others like Poulan, Craftsman, Toro etc? Even with the bigger names, I assume they have different grades of quality?
- I’ll be maintaining it myself, so want something that is easy to take care of.
- Separately, I need to buy a snow blower, too. I’ve pretty much been told that it’s a better idea to get a separate machine for that, but I have toyed with the idea of a plow attachment for the tractor. I live on a main road and get plowed in very badly, so need some power to clear it out. Maybe I can get a deal by buying both machines at once?
Ultimately, I don’t need anything too fancy, but I want it to work well and last a while. I really care about my lawn and put alot of effort in to keeping it nice. This is why I’d rather buy a machine to do it exactly how I want instead of paying a landscaping coming to do it.
Thanks for the help.
