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Allright,

I have been questionning myself more and more on my equipment. I own a Troy Bilt Lawn mower with a Honda engine. It is it's second summer and I love it! It does an awsome job! I also have a lawn boy that also works very well even tho it is about 8 years old. My question is that what is the difference between a mower that costs about 400$-500$ (Troy Bilt, Honda, Lawn Boy, Toro...) and the expensive ones like the Ex-mark or Toro Turf master? Is it because they mow better or are they simply better because they are more powerful, do a better job, etc...

Lawnboy18 said:

Allright,

I have been questionning myself more and more on my equipment. I own a Troy Bilt Lawn mower with a Honda engine. It is it's second summer and I love it! It does an awsome job! I also have a lawn boy that also works very well even tho it is about 8 years old. My question is that what is the difference between a mower that costs about 400$-500$ (Troy Bilt, Honda, Lawn Boy, Toro...) and the expensive ones like the Ex-mark or Toro Turf master? Is it because they mow better or are they simply better because they are more powerful, do a better job, etc...

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It basically comes down to having the right mower for the job. A commercial grade mower is going to offer you features you can't get in a residential mower, like cutting widths and different styles of mowers, pressurized lubrication, features that will let or make the commercial grade last for years and make the operators job go quicker and easier, and they have enough power to handle the toughest jobs or grass you will find. Ask yourself this, if you start your Troybilt, Craftsmen or your Honda homeowner version at 7.30 am and shut it down at 2.00pm everyday six days a week how long do you think it will last? I can tell you this, trying to explain the differences between the two is hard to explain but if you ever used a good commercial mower like Ex-mark or Toro Turf-Master you would park your troybilt or your Honda in the garage and never use the again.

Similar situation I was using a homelite weedeater for a few years than gave it away and got a echo I was amazed huge difference

bjl8691 said:

Similar situation I was using a homelite weedeater for a few years than gave it away and got a echo I was amazed huge difference

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IMHO, the old addage "you get what you pay for" was never more true than it is for lawn equipment. Sure, every once in a while you will get a really good piece of equipment when buying a less expensive brand/model...but the percentages of that are definitely not in your favor.

You do get what you pay for. But you can also get your moneys worth. I have bought a good many homeowner tools and got my moneys worth. Many times I have gotten far more than my moneys worth. There are men who buy the best and never get their moneys worth and there are men who do. There are men who can do more with less than many many men. I have a brotherinlaw like that. He does more with less than any man I have ever known. But he always has some good stuff.

Thanks for the helpful replies! I will be needing to get a new mower next year. Would anyone have any suggestions for a well priced mower that could handle about-30-35 lawns a week. I know some people are gonna tell me get a Turf Master or Ex-Mark, but I don't have unlimited funds! So, it would be appreciated if I could have some suggestions and look them over.

Lawnboy18 said:

Thanks for the helpful replies! I will be needing to get a new mower next year. Would anyone have any suggestions for a well priced mower that could handle about-30-35 lawns a week. I know some people are gonna tell me get a Turf Master or Ex-Mark, but I don't have unlimited funds! So, it would be appreciated if I could have some suggestions and look them over.

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What is your budget? And you are looking at self-propelled "push" mowers?

I am not sure yet. I like push mower. It keeps me in shape. As for a bugdet, it depends. If the mower is about 1 K and I know it will be real good, I could consider it. I have been thinking about the Ex-Mark Commercial 21" X-series Or something a little cheaper like the Toro 21" commercial. It is basically a rebaged Lawn Boy.

I would go for the 21x from exmark I fell exmark has a little more quality then the commercials toros :thumbsup:

K-Pro-Mowing said:

I would go for the 21x from exmark I fell exmark has a little more quality then the commercials toros :thumbsup:

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Ok, and how much they cost approximetly? Are they easy to push around? I have to be able to push it up my ramp to be able to put the mower in my truck box.

Lawnboy18 said:

I am not sure yet. I like push mower. It keeps me in shape. As for a bugdet, it depends. If the mower is about 1 K and I know it will be real good, I could consider it. I have been thinking about the Ex-Mark Commercial 21" X-series Or something a little cheaper like the Toro 21" commercial. It is basically a rebaged Lawn Boy.

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K-Pro-Mowing said:

I would go for the 21x from exmark I fell exmark has a little more quality then the commercials toros :thumbsup:

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Lawnboy18 said:

Ok, and how much they cost approximetly? Are they easy to push around? I have to be able to push it up my ramp to be able to put the mower in my truck box.

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Yeah I would go with either an Exmark or Honda commercial mower, but Toro would be good, too. You would probably want the self-propel option, because commercial mowers can be very heavy. But you should still be able to push it into the truck. Here are some examples of the weight. The ones with self-propel weigh more than the push models, but the push ones are still heavy so you should think about the self-propel.

Honda:
Commercial HRC push- 100 lbs.
Commercial HRC self-propel- 127 lbs.
*To give you a comparison, Honda's residential mower (HRR) is around 80 lbs.

Exmark:
Commercial 21: Both models are self-propel to my knowledge.
S-Series- 112 lbs.
X-Series- 112 lbs.

Lawnboy18 said:

As for a bugdet, it depends. If the mower is about 1 K and I know it will be real good, I could consider it. I have been thinking about the Ex-Mark Commercial 21" X-series

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One thing I have told all the guys that have worked for me over the years in regards to tools/equipment.

"There is nothing more expensive in the long run than buying cheap tools"

Buy the best you can get, even if it hurts because down the road you will forget about how much you paid but you will remember having to replace something you already own because it broke.

Lawnboy18 said:

I am not sure yet. I like push mower. It keeps me in shape. As for a bugdet, it depends. If the mower is about 1 K and I know it will be real good, I could consider it. I have been thinking about the Ex-Mark Commercial 21" X-series Or something a little cheaper like the Toro 21" commercial. It is basically a rebaged Lawn Boy.

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K-Pro-Mowing said:

I would go for the 21x from exmark I fell exmark has a little more quality then the commercials toros :thumbsup:

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Lawnboy18 said:

Ok, and how much they cost approximately? Are they easy to push around? I have to be able to push it up my ramp to be able to put the mower in my truck box.

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lawn mower fanatic said:

Yeah I would go with either an Exmark or Honda commercial mower, but Toro would be good, too. You would probably want the self-propel option, because commercial mowers can be very heavy. But you should still be able to push it into the truck. Here are some examples of the weight. The ones with self-propel weigh more than the push models, but the push ones are still heavy so you should think about the self-propel.

Honda:
Commercial HRC push- 100 lbs.
Commercial HRC self-propel- 127 lbs.
*To give you a comparison, Honda's residential mower (HRR) is around 80 lbs.

Exmark:
Commercial 21: Both models are self-propel to my knowledge.
S-Series- 112 lbs.
X-Series- 112 lbs.

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If you are going to be doing 30 to 35 lawns a week, you want a self propelled mower not a strictly push. The commercial mowers or units as LMF said are running from 100 to 115 lbs the Turf-Master goes 167 lbs.

I personally would touch a Honda commercial, there basically a glorified residential mower, there cutting heights only run from about 1" to 4 inches, they run a 160 cc engines and there gas capacity's are only 0.25 to 0.37 gallons of gas which IMO sucks and the fact that they are a splash oil system instead of being a pressurized system W/filter doesn't help them out commercially. The thing is the Exmark and Toro are owned by the same company and anymore are basically the same mowers. If I wanted to stay with the 21 inch I'd go with the Toro, it's running the Kawasaki FJ 180KAI 6hp engine, it also has the Blade Brake system, 18000 BTS, a 1 gal gas capacity and a pressurized lubrication system and goes 114lbs.

lawn mower fanatic said:

Yeah I would go with either an Exmark or Honda commercial mower, but Toro would be good, too. You would probably want the self-propel option, because commercial mowers can be very heavy. But you should still be able to push it into the truck. Here are some examples of the weight. The ones with self-propel weigh more than the push models, but the push ones are still heavy so you should think about the self-propel.

Honda:
Commercial HRC push- 100 lbs.
Commercial HRC self-propel- 127 lbs.
*To give you a comparison, Honda's residential mower (HRR) is around 80 lbs.

Exmark:
Commercial 21: Both models are self-propel to my knowledge.
S-Series- 112 lbs.
X-Series- 112 lbs.

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I didn't think abot the Honda commercials I think that's the kind I wanna get next :thumbsup:

Lawnboy18 said:

Ok, and how much they cost approximetly?

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And the 21" commercial mowers cost around $1,100-$1,300.

JSB33 said:

One thing I have told all the guys that have worked for me over the years in regards to tools/equipment.

"There is nothing more expensive in the long run than buying cheap tools"

Buy the best you can get, even if it hurts because down the road you will forget about how much you paid but you will remember having to replace something you already own because it broke.

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That's some great advice. Probably some of the best I've heard in a long time

Ric is making a good point my next 21 will have a spin on oil filter for it or I will not buy it :thumbdown:

K-Pro-Mowing said:

Ric is making a good point my next 21 will have a spin on oil filter for it or I will not buy it :thumbdown:

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The Toro 21" is set up is somewhat similar to the turf master. It has a quarter inch Die-cast aluminum deck which supposedly is the thickest in the industry as they say, and something I like is the steel wheels with the sealed ball bearings of course along with some other things. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think you'll ever find a mower commercial or other wise that's perfect in ever way for everybody, you can always find something that can be set up different for a person but I also look for every advantage I can get also, like the 30 inch deck of the turf-master that cuts my mowing time in half over the 21". The Kawasaki Engine with the forced Lubrication w/filter and that 1 gal gas tank all are advantages for the commercial operator and all come on the Toro 21' Heavy Duty

The Honda's down falls as far as I'm concerned is the fact they build there mowers for the residential market and the homeowner in mind. There splash lubrication system, there 16ga. deck they use for commercial is residential stuff and doesn't belong on a mower that you could possibly be running six and seven hours a day.

Thanks for the info I believe if I get one it will be a exmark :thumbsup:

K-Pro-Mowing said:

Thanks for the info I believe if I get one it will be a exmark :thumbsup:

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Just make sure to get the X series with the Kawasaki FJ 180KAI engine, the Turf-Master is twin blade with that engine and it's fantastic, I can only imagine how awesome it would do just turning 1 twenty one inch blade. I talk to the guy at the shop and he told me he had half a dozen of the Toro's out with the KAI engine, he said everyone says there fantastic.

Yea me too I bet they are great mowers :thumbsup: