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Clueless and confused, looking for advice form the Pro's
#1
C
cluelessFF
C
cluelessFF
Hope everyone is doing well! Great wealth of knowledge you all have here. I've read a ton of posts and gained alot of insight, but haven't found one that addresses my specific questions/issues/concerns/confusion. I currently mow roughly 1 acre with some hills and trees, nothing crazy, with a 21inch self propelled troy built, which has worked OK but as you can imagine takes forever, bogs down in any grass over 3 inches, and makes me feel less manly. Anyway, I'm in the market for a new mower, but can't decide which way to go. I'm a firefighter, and as I'm sure you all are aware, a ton of guys I work with mow on the side, so they're all telling me to bite the bullet and buy a commercial walk behind (think Exmark Metro or something similar) in a 36" to 48" cut at around 3700. Now, my wife has an issue spending that kind of money because "why would you pay 3700 for something you still have to walk behind". So I started looking at lawn tractors, and found some Aeriens at home depot with some good reviews.....but it's still a residential tractor that will die in what, 3-5 years? So, expensive walk behind is out, cheap tractor is out, so next, on to the "prosumer" mowers like the toro time cutter and the like, in the $2500 range. I like the idea of those, but then I get nervous that they simply won't last and I'll be back here in four mowing seasons asking for advice on where to blow another $2500 bucks. So, if you were me, expecting your first kid in July and wanting to spend more time with him and less time mowing, but trying to do it on a firefighters budget, what would you do? I'm sure many of you will say used, and I'm not opposed, the only issue is that I would have roughly $1500 cash, and finance whatever is left, so I'm not sure how far $1500 will go in the used market, not to mention, I'm not REALLY sure I know what to look for in a used mower.
Thanks for the help in advance and sorry for rambling on. Making these big ticket purchases, specifically before bringing a tiny human into the world is nerve racking, so I figured I'd better get some honest advice.
Be blessed! Justin
Thanks for the help in advance and sorry for rambling on. Making these big ticket purchases, specifically before bringing a tiny human into the world is nerve racking, so I figured I'd better get some honest advice.
Be blessed! Justin
#2
R
Rivets
R
Rivets
With today's lawn tractor market, you must remember one thing, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!! This is what I have told customers for the last 2 years. I can't recommend any tractor under $2000 any more. Just feel that the quality of these units is so bad, I'm not going to put one above the other. You are going to have to be very diligent in your research, and please do not look at the price until you are down to 2-3 units. You will get many answers on this forum, because everyone has their favorite, but you are going to see what matches your situation the best. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR, GOOD LUCK.
I would recommend you take a look at the Toro zero turns. They are quality units and even the small 32" unit will do the job nicely and allow you alot of time with your family. If properly maintained they will last a long time and hold their value.
https://m.toro.com/homeowner/riding-mowers.aspx
I would recommend you take a look at the Toro zero turns. They are quality units and even the small 32" unit will do the job nicely and allow you alot of time with your family. If properly maintained they will last a long time and hold their value.
https://m.toro.com/homeowner/riding-mowers.aspx
#3
S
Shughes717
I too work on a public servant's budget (I am in law enforcement). I have a 4.2 acre lawn and I sometimes mow my father's property (between 8 and 9 acres). The time cutter is not a prosumer mower. It is a residential ztr mower, but it will handle 1 acre with no issues. Residential ztr mowers don't do particularly well on slopes. How steep are the hills you mow? If the slope isn't too steep a ztr can mow one acre much faster than a tractor. Most residential mowers (tractors or ztrs) can handle 1 acre for years if properly serviced and stored for the winter. There are plenty of options out there, even commercial mowers if that's what you decide. Several commercial brands offer 0% financing for 48 months, but you don't have to go commercial for a mower to last 10 years or more. I purchased a $1600 42" Scott's tractor mower with a 17.5 kohler in 2002, sold it in 2012, and the guy who purchased it still mows with it. It mowed 1 acre for 10 years. I had to do some repairs, but it's still going. I went with a commercial ztr when I bought my new mower in 2012, because I always wanted a zero turn mower. You should not purchase more mower than you can afford. It sounds as though you are just starting your family, so hopefully you will have plenty of time to get the mower you always wanted later. Get something that can handle your lawn now and take care of it. Good luck with the little one. Got three kids myself. 12 year old girl, 4 year old girl, 9 month old boy. Be safe out there, and let us know what you decided on.
S
Shughes717
Hope everyone is doing well! Great wealth of knowledge you all have here. I've read a ton of posts and gained alot of insight, but haven't found one that addresses my specific questions/issues/concerns/confusion. I currently mow roughly 1 acre with some hills and trees, nothing crazy, with a 21inch self propelled troy built, which has worked OK but as you can imagine takes forever, bogs down in any grass over 3 inches, and makes me feel less manly. Anyway, I'm in the market for a new mower, but can't decide which way to go. I'm a firefighter, and as I'm sure you all are aware, a ton of guys I work with mow on the side, so they're all telling me to bite the bullet and buy a commercial walk behind (think Exmark Metro or something similar) in a 36" to 48" cut at around 3700. Now, my wife has an issue spending that kind of money because "why would you pay 3700 for something you still have to walk behind". So I started looking at lawn tractors, and found some Aeriens at home depot with some good reviews.....but it's still a residential tractor that will die in what, 3-5 years? So, expensive walk behind is out, cheap tractor is out, so next, on to the "prosumer" mowers like the toro time cutter and the like, in the $2500 range. I like the idea of those, but then I get nervous that they simply won't last and I'll be back here in four mowing seasons asking for advice on where to blow another $2500 bucks. So, if you were me, expecting your first kid in July and wanting to spend more time with him and less time mowing, but trying to do it on a firefighters budget, what would you do? I'm sure many of you will say used, and I'm not opposed, the only issue is that I would have roughly $1500 cash, and finance whatever is left, so I'm not sure how far $1500 will go in the used market, not to mention, I'm not REALLY sure I know what to look for in a used mower.
Thanks for the help in advance and sorry for rambling on. Making these big ticket purchases, specifically before bringing a tiny human into the world is nerve racking, so I figured I'd better get some honest advice.
Be blessed! Justin
I too work on a public servant's budget (I am in law enforcement). I have a 4.2 acre lawn and I sometimes mow my father's property (between 8 and 9 acres). The time cutter is not a prosumer mower. It is a residential ztr mower, but it will handle 1 acre with no issues. Residential ztr mowers don't do particularly well on slopes. How steep are the hills you mow? If the slope isn't too steep a ztr can mow one acre much faster than a tractor. Most residential mowers (tractors or ztrs) can handle 1 acre for years if properly serviced and stored for the winter. There are plenty of options out there, even commercial mowers if that's what you decide. Several commercial brands offer 0% financing for 48 months, but you don't have to go commercial for a mower to last 10 years or more. I purchased a $1600 42" Scott's tractor mower with a 17.5 kohler in 2002, sold it in 2012, and the guy who purchased it still mows with it. It mowed 1 acre for 10 years. I had to do some repairs, but it's still going. I went with a commercial ztr when I bought my new mower in 2012, because I always wanted a zero turn mower. You should not purchase more mower than you can afford. It sounds as though you are just starting your family, so hopefully you will have plenty of time to get the mower you always wanted later. Get something that can handle your lawn now and take care of it. Good luck with the little one. Got three kids myself. 12 year old girl, 4 year old girl, 9 month old boy. Be safe out there, and let us know what you decided on.
#4
C
cluelessFF
C
cluelessFF
Thank you both for the replies. I get worried reading reviews of all of these 1300$ riding mowers that people say are having transmission issues after 20 hours or whatever. I guess at some point I'll just have to pull the proverbial trigger. I was looking at this model
Ariens, A20VA46 46 in. 20 HP V-Twin Briggs & Stratton Automatic Gas Front-Engine Riding Mower, 960460063 at The Home Depot - Mobile
And also
Ariens, A20KA46 46 in. 20 HP KOHLER Automatic Gas Front-Engine Riding Mower, 960460064 at The Home Depot - Mobile
I guess the big difference is in the motor...either Briggs or kohelr...about the same as the Chevy or ford comparison I'd imagine? Thoughts on either? Again, I'll now an acre every week or so for duration of the mowing season in NC, that's all.
Ariens, A20VA46 46 in. 20 HP V-Twin Briggs & Stratton Automatic Gas Front-Engine Riding Mower, 960460063 at The Home Depot - Mobile
And also
Ariens, A20KA46 46 in. 20 HP KOHLER Automatic Gas Front-Engine Riding Mower, 960460064 at The Home Depot - Mobile
I guess the big difference is in the motor...either Briggs or kohelr...about the same as the Chevy or ford comparison I'd imagine? Thoughts on either? Again, I'll now an acre every week or so for duration of the mowing season in NC, that's all.
#5
S
Shughes717
The only briggs engine I care for is the vanguard, which is offered on their heavy duty commercial mowers. If you are concerned with having problems after purchase, then you may want to buy from a dealer instead of a big box store and Make sure the mower you purchase has a warranty. Big box stores don't support what they sell, so you are on your own once you make your purchase. You also may be able to finance a $2500 mower through a dealer and have low payments after you pay $1500 down. I agree with rivets that a $1600 mower doesn't get you nearly as much now as it did 10 years ago.
S
Shughes717
Thank you both for the replies. I get worried reading reviews of all of these 1300$ riding mowers that people say are having transmission issues after 20 hours or whatever. I guess at some point I'll just have to pull the proverbial trigger. I was looking at this model
Ariens, A20VA46 46 in. 20 HP V-Twin Briggs & Stratton Automatic Gas Front-Engine Riding Mower, 960460063 at The Home Depot - Mobile
And also
Ariens, A20KA46 46 in. 20 HP KOHLER Automatic Gas Front-Engine Riding Mower, 960460064 at The Home Depot - Mobile
I guess the big difference is in the motor...either Briggs or kohelr...about the same as the Chevy or ford comparison I'd imagine? Thoughts on either? Again, I'll now an acre every week or so for duration of the mowing season in NC, that's all.
The only briggs engine I care for is the vanguard, which is offered on their heavy duty commercial mowers. If you are concerned with having problems after purchase, then you may want to buy from a dealer instead of a big box store and Make sure the mower you purchase has a warranty. Big box stores don't support what they sell, so you are on your own once you make your purchase. You also may be able to finance a $2500 mower through a dealer and have low payments after you pay $1500 down. I agree with rivets that a $1600 mower doesn't get you nearly as much now as it did 10 years ago.
#6
C
cluelessFF
C
cluelessFF
And I'm OK with financing a 2500$ mower if that's what I need.....I just don't know if I do, and if so, what model? Its a never ending spiral! Thanks again for all of the replies. And to answer the question about hills, my back yard has a pretty substantial slope, nothing hard to walk up or anything, but you know its there.
#7
reynoldston
reynoldston
Now I don't know why you think a mower in your price range will only last such a short time. If taken care of, more like 15 to 20 years +. Yes it might need some repairs in that time but anything would. You been reading this forum too much. More like 3 to 5 years if you mow big rocks, and store it outside without any maintenance. Buy something you like the looks and feel of , take care of it, and don't worry what someone else has.
#8
Boobala
Boobala
No matter WHAT you get ...... NO water wash-down ( Rust never sleeps ) keep it covered ( I use a LARGE BBQ grill cover ) or under cover , clean it regularly , use the CHECKLIST in your owners manual........ they put it in there for a reason, ALWAYS ALWAYS, ALWAYS make sure it has oil ........ and CLEAN fuel, Lock the kiddies in the bathroom before mowing, DON't mow wet grass ....... treat it good and it will treat you good........ Best of Luck with whatever you decide ...... Boobala .....:thumbsup:
#9
S
Shughes717
It is all about what you like. Every brand offers pretty much the same engine, transmission options. Beyond that each brand has different features to help set them apart from the others and make them more appealing to the consumer. Go to your local dealers and kick the tires on every brand you can find and pick the one you like best. There are many on here that have a great deal of knowledge, but any advice you receive on which brand to buy will be an opinion based on what the advice giver likes best. In the end you are choosing something that you will have to be happy with. You should be fine no matter what brand you choose. Just take care of your mower and you should get many years of service.
S
Shughes717
And I'm OK with financing a 2500$ mower if that's what I need.....I just don't know if I do, and if so, what model? Its a never ending spiral! Thanks again for all of the replies. And to answer the question about hills, my back yard has a pretty substantial slope, nothing hard to walk up or anything, but you know its there.
It is all about what you like. Every brand offers pretty much the same engine, transmission options. Beyond that each brand has different features to help set them apart from the others and make them more appealing to the consumer. Go to your local dealers and kick the tires on every brand you can find and pick the one you like best. There are many on here that have a great deal of knowledge, but any advice you receive on which brand to buy will be an opinion based on what the advice giver likes best. In the end you are choosing something that you will have to be happy with. You should be fine no matter what brand you choose. Just take care of your mower and you should get many years of service.
#10
gfp55
gfp55
Do you have to have new? There are used tractors out there that have many service years left in them. You can spend $1000 bucks on a older used one and some will outlast a big box store new ones. The older tractors are built way better then any new box store. I spent $700 on a 16 hp tractor that can cut grass at 5 mph, (the tractor can go 8.5 mph) and I will be handing it done to my grandkids.Hope everyone is doing well! Great wealth of knowledge you all have here. I've read a ton of posts and gained alot of insight, but haven't found one that addresses my specific questions/issues/concerns/confusion. I currently mow roughly 1 acre with some hills and trees, nothing crazy, with a 21inch self propelled troy built, which has worked OK but as you can imagine takes forever, bogs down in any grass over 3 inches, and makes me feel less manly. Anyway, I'm in the market for a new mower, but can't decide which way to go. I'm a firefighter, and as I'm sure you all are aware, a ton of guys I work with mow on the side, so they're all telling me to bite the bullet and buy a commercial walk behind (think Exmark Metro or something similar) in a 36" to 48" cut at around 3700. Now, my wife has an issue spending that kind of money because "why would you pay 3700 for something you still have to walk behind". So I started looking at lawn tractors, and found some Aeriens at home depot with some good reviews.....but it's still a residential tractor that will die in what, 3-5 years? So, expensive walk behind is out, cheap tractor is out, so next, on to the "prosumer" mowers like the toro time cutter and the like, in the $2500 range. I like the idea of those, but then I get nervous that they simply won't last and I'll be back here in four mowing seasons asking for advice on where to blow another $2500 bucks. So, if you were me, expecting your first kid in July and wanting to spend more time with him and less time mowing, but trying to do it on a firefighters budget, what would you do? I'm sure many of you will say used, and I'm not opposed, the only issue is that I would have roughly $1500 cash, and finance whatever is left, so I'm not sure how far $1500 will go in the used market, not to mention, I'm not REALLY sure I know what to look for in a used mower.
Thanks for the help in advance and sorry for rambling on. Making these big ticket purchases, specifically before bringing a tiny human into the world is nerve racking, so I figured I'd better get some honest advice.
Be blessed! Justin
#11
B
bertsmobile1
The old 8Hp30" decks were designed exactly for this type of yard.
So any of the more modern units that go around 10 to 15 Hp with a 30" to 36" deck will power through your yard.
Do not feel scared to go for a used machine for $ 500 to $ 1000 you can get a lot of very good mower, just check out the decks for rust thoroughly.
Avoid intek single if you can some have a big problem with head gaskets.
Check the ground speed of anything you buy because a big deck on a mower that crawls along might do a nice cut but it will seem like it takes forever and most smaller mowers will cut closer to the edge of the deck than the bigger ones.
The older the tractor the better they were built.
I have a lot of customers with mowers that are 20+ years old and still going strong yet a lot of 5 year old mowers are ready for the Sims bin.
Particularly the pressed decks the old ones are a lot thicker than the newer ones.
I am a big fan of the 2000 series Cub Cadets however a lot of the parts for these are being discontinued.
Mowers with a horizontal cranks were built to a much higher build quality than anything with a vertcal crank.
B
bertsmobile1
Anything 1 acre or under I like small decks.It is all about what you like. Every brand offers pretty much the same engine, transmission options. Beyond that each brand has different features to help set them apart from the others and make them more appealing to the consumer. Go to your local dealers and kick the tires on every brand you can find and pick the one you like best. There are many on here that have a great deal of knowledge, but any advice you receive on which brand to buy will be an opinion based on what the advice giver likes best. In the end you are choosing something that you will have to be happy with. You should be fine no matter what brand you choose. Just take care of your mower and you should get many years of service.
The old 8Hp30" decks were designed exactly for this type of yard.
So any of the more modern units that go around 10 to 15 Hp with a 30" to 36" deck will power through your yard.
Do not feel scared to go for a used machine for $ 500 to $ 1000 you can get a lot of very good mower, just check out the decks for rust thoroughly.
Avoid intek single if you can some have a big problem with head gaskets.
Check the ground speed of anything you buy because a big deck on a mower that crawls along might do a nice cut but it will seem like it takes forever and most smaller mowers will cut closer to the edge of the deck than the bigger ones.
The older the tractor the better they were built.
I have a lot of customers with mowers that are 20+ years old and still going strong yet a lot of 5 year old mowers are ready for the Sims bin.
Particularly the pressed decks the old ones are a lot thicker than the newer ones.
I am a big fan of the 2000 series Cub Cadets however a lot of the parts for these are being discontinued.
Mowers with a horizontal cranks were built to a much higher build quality than anything with a vertcal crank.
#12
gfp55
gfp55
bertsmobile1 has given you some very good advice.