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I'm 34 years old and I've lived in the city all my life. Unfortunately that means I have never owned a mower, because I've lived in an apartment. I'm looking towards making a life change. I want to move myself and my family out of the city to a nice piece of land in the country. Possibly VA, because I have family there. Basically I am looking for some suggestions to what would be a relatively cheap, but solid mower for me. I'm looking to get an acre of land, maybe two. Any suggestions?

If it were me, I would check out lawn dealerships and look at used commercial mowing equipment with pull start. Look at 36-52 inch walk behinds that can pull something that, optionally, you can ride or stand on. With zero turning radius, an acre would take and hour or less, depending on the deck size, with a minimum of trimming.

JimmyWeb said:

I'm 34 years old and I've lived in the city all my life. Unfortunately that means I have never owned a mower, because I've lived in an apartment. I'm looking towards making a life change. I want to move myself and my family out of the city to a nice piece of land in the country. Possibly VA, because I have family there. Basically I am looking for some suggestions to what would be a relatively cheap, but solid mower for me. I'm looking to get an acre of land, maybe two. Any suggestions?

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Depends on where in VA - if it is close to Culpeper or Charlottesville I could recommend some reliable dealers that would not soak you ! AND steer you away from some that would !

At your young age and with 1-2 acres of land I'd look at a John Deere riding mower. That's too much for a push mower and you want to get one that going to last a long time. Get one from a John Deere dealer since the models in the big box stores are of lesser quality (even though they are green). Also it's beneficial to have a good relationship with a dealer for support.

http://www.deere.com/en_US/homeowners/product_selector/product_selector.html

rekees said:

At your young age and with 1-2 acres of land I'd look at a John Deere riding mower. That's too much for a push mower and you want to get one that going to last a long time. Get one from a John Deere dealer since the models in the big box stores are of lesser quality (even though they are green). Also it's beneficial to have a good relationship with a dealer for support.

http://www.deere.com/en_US/homeowners/product_selector/product_selector.html

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i agree= get a real deere:thumbsup: ---i bought a gt245 in 2001, used it to mow 7 acres of lawn in pa on a hillside-performed perfectly still does, i just do the normal maint-oil changes, blade sharpening etc and it. Now i cut three acres in tx with it. prob will outlast me.

1 acre infact is too much for a walkbehind, not for the work, but you need a real large one for this size and the price will not be much cheaper, then a used rideon. Not surte, if I would go with Deere, they are overrated and over-------priced. Only exeption would be, if there is a JD dealer not far away.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I am presently looking for some land pretty close to Charlottesville. Between Charlottesville and Richmond actually, so I would welcome a recommendation of a dealer. I would go the John Deere route, but I'm working with a budget.

BKBrown said:

Depends on where in VA - if it is close to Culpeper or Charlottesville I could recommend some reliable dealers that would not soak you ! AND steer you away from some that would !

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I have to agree as well, a John Deere is the way to go.:thumbsup: I own a John Deere mower that was passed down from my Pa. It's been around since I can remember with no problems whatsoever. It's worth a little extra money.:smile:

jimbo64 said:

i agree= get a real deere:thumbsup: ---i bought a gt245 in 2001, used it to mow 7 acres of lawn in pa on a hillside-performed perfectly still does, i just do the normal maint-oil changes, blade sharpening etc and it. Now i cut three acres in tx with it. prob will outlast me.

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ReggieDeere said:

I have to agree as well, a John Deere is the way to go.:thumbsup: I own a John Deere mower that was passed down from my Pa. It's been around since I can remember with no problems whatsoever. It's worth a little extra money.:smile:

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Buyers beware of Husqvarna Riders, I paid $2300 for one that will not go backwards at more than a Snails Pace. Husqvarna says it's a Safety issue. Dangerous in my oppinion.

JimmyWeb said:

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I am presently looking for some land pretty close to Charlottesville. Between Charlottesville and Richmond actually, so I would welcome a recommendation of a dealer. I would go the John Deere route, but I'm working with a budget.

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Check out Charlottesville Power Equipment -- I deal with Bill Hurtt (434)296-6937 http://www.charlottesvillepower.com

They have a variety of equipment in most price ranges and don't sell "cheaply made" stuff. :thumbsup:

First things first...............

You need to buy the land first. Then when you know if you have hilly ground, many obstacles to mow around etc. you can buy a mower to better suit your needs.

Rpeter1 said:

First things first...............

You need to buy the land first. Then when you know if you have hilly ground, many obstacles to mow around etc. you can buy a mower to better suit your needs.

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I AGREE- UNTIL ONE KNOWS WHAT ONE DEALS WITH-THERE IS NO CORRECT ANSWER:thumbsup:

BKBrown said:

Depends on where in VA - if it is close to Culpeper or Charlottesville I could recommend some reliable dealers that would not soak you ! AND steer you away from some that would !

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Wow I had no idea you were that close to me, you're probably less than an hour away from me!
I can advise one place to steer clear of, James River Equipment in Ashland Virginia, they will burn you bad.
Random question: What the heck do you have that you need a Ventrac for? I'd kill for one of those things but for what they go for I think I'll buy a car first.

I agree, worry about getting your land first. I also agree that John Deere is a good machine except for the ones in the box stores, they are what you pay for, not so great (not horrible either though). Don't pin yourself down to Deere either. I had every intention of buying a Deere but decided on a Simplicity instead. I have only had it a few weeks but I love it. Like I said, JD is good stuff, I just tought the Simplicity was better built and it suited me better.

At this stage, don't worry too much about brand. Let us know what you've gotten yourself into, and there are a bunch of people on the forum here that can render valid advice. Best of luck!:biggrin:

i like the self propelled honda push mowers good mowers fair price check { craigs list } farm and garden section

We have 10 Acres and NOTHING is level. The better half did not want to come home and find me under a tractor that had tipped or rolled. The Ventrac is so versatile that 1 machine does everything I need to do and I don't need more than one tractor. :thumbsup:

meguell3 said:

Wow I had no idea you were that close to me, you're probably less than an hour away from me!
I can advise one place to steer clear of, James River Equipment in Ashland Virginia, they will burn you bad.
Random question: What the heck do you have that you need a Ventrac for? I'd kill for one of those things but for what they go for I think I'll buy a car first.

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JimmyWeb said:

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I am presently looking for some land pretty close to Charlottesville. Between Charlottesville and Richmond actually, so I would welcome a recommendation of a dealer. I would go the John Deere route, but I'm working with a budget.

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If you are on a budget then buy a John Deere cheaper in the long run.
When I bought my first JD my neighbor bought a new Ranch King and he ask me how much did I pay for my JD.
I said $2600.00 he said OH I could not afford a JD my Ranch King cost $995.00
When it was junk he bought a new one cost him $1295.00 when that one was junk he bought a new one it cost $1795.00 when it was junk he bought a new one it was $2595.00

I told him you bought a 995 then a 1295 then a 1795 then a 2595 and I'm still using my $2600.00 JD I don't think I could afford a Ranch King.

Since then he has bought a new Grasshopper I still have my JD have not spent a dime on it.

Buying those cheaper mowers are a false economy they cost much more in the long run

"If you are on a budget then buy a John Deere cheaper in the long run"

That might be true, but only for the upper level machines. The "entry level" mowers seem no better than all the other brands, and yet you still have to pay - simply because it says Deere on it...

bbourdon said:

"If you are on a budget then buy a John Deere cheaper in the long run"

That might be true, but only for the upper level machines. The "entry level" mowers seem no better than all the other brands, and yet you still have to pay - simply because it says Deere on it...

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Well if you are referring to the cheap little things sold at the Big Box Stores I do not even regard those as true John Deere's.

I think JD made a mistake trying to compete with MTD.

I do understand that they wanted to get in on this market LOT of money to be made but it ruins their good reputation because people who buy them think they have a John Deere but it is no different than a MTD with Green paint.

I was referring to a REAL JD not those little sheet metal things.

"Well if you are referring to the cheap little things sold at the Big Box Stores I do not even regard those as true John Deere's"
But they are sold as real John Deeres, and you can get them at the John Deere dealerships - I almost did, until I saw reviews like these: John Deere L130 Review, Price, Information

"I think JD made a mistake trying to compete with MTD"
I would agree with you.

Problem is most manufacturers are doing this now, and (within the price range most people can afford) there is no real way to be sure that you wont be throwing money away whatever you buy.

There is no "just buy brand x and you'll be happy" - which is how I read your post. Maybe I read it wrong.

When I was looking at Deeres, after doing some homework on them, I prodded the salesmen at the John Deere dealerships and they admitted that the machines in the price range I was looking at (under $2000) were not made with the same kind of quality that most people associate with the brand.

When I asked what I should be looking at, I was steered to an X300 - for $3000. Did some research on that machine and found that it was not completely in the next level, for example it still uses the same transmission as the entry level machines. If you want an improved tranny, well you're up around $4000.

And if I drop four grand, am I going to be sure to have a very good machine, or am I going to find out that I got some mediocre motor, or frame, etc, and that I should've upgraded to model "Y"? :confused2:

When you buy a John Deere, you pay a premium for the brand. If you have the money to spend, that's fine. But it is not always the best value for the money.

To get a new John Deere that most would agree is an absolutely solid machine, I'd have to pay about what I paid for my last three cars - for a lawn mower?!?

That's just not practical for me, and I don't think it is for most people.

Good luck!
Bruce.

Bruce, I agree with much of what you say. You have to get into a pretty pricey mower to feel like you bought yourself something close to worry free. Even the expensive ones aren't bullet proof anymore. I see some good used deals but they get snapped up so fast you have no shot at buying them unless you are willing to make a snap decision which I was not comfortable doing when I was shopping for a new tractor. I also agree not to lock in on a certain brand, just get a good brand like Simplicity, John Deere, Kubota, or even ExMark or Skag in the zero turns, something like that.

Where I disagree a little is when you say it's impractical to buy an expensive machine. You really do get what you pay for and cheap mowers at big box stores are just not built as well and will end up costing more in the long run which to me is the most impractical. For years I could not afford much so I get what you are saying, it just might not be possible. My advice would be to get the best you can afford and look for good used machines that didn't come from a box store. Or if you do get a used box store mower, get it really cheap and maybe you will luck out and get a few years for really short money.

Carl in CT said:

...My advice would be to get the best you can afford and look for good used machines that didn't come from a box store. Or if you do get a used box store mower, get it really cheap and maybe you will luck out and get a few years for really short money.

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Sounds like good advice to me Carl! :thumbsup:
Bruce.