Getting small, best lawn tractor.

[patme]

I have two acres but probably only a acre and a half that I cut. For years, I used a Craftsman riding mower, 23 hp, 42 inch deck. It did the job without any problems. Now I have a Gravely zero turn with a 52 inch deck. I love it. Believe it or not, before I got the Craftsman I used a 30 inch Snapper rear engine. So, I would say, find the one that you like and go with it.

 

[lilguy]

Broughy my Kubota 2601 from our 16 acres. Moves snow quickly but to much for mowing. Put in small Koi pond and move material with it. That Z turns are replacing lawn tractors is the truth. Picking a Z turn is an even more involved decision.

 

[select18]

Had serious acreage for 45 years. Mowed with Kubota diesels for most of that time. Now have one acre with home on it and I’m looking at a lawn tractor
to do the job. Have no experience with small gas units since the early 1980s. Inventory is short at most dealers. Two neighbors have JD units, a 100 and a 200 series. The local dealer has only 300 series and up in limited numbers. What can any of you recommend, Zero turn would work but wife doesn’t like them at all, demoed a Kubota diesel years back and it did not go well. So Tractor it is. Looking at 42 in(?)deck. All input appreciated.

I would recommend a Ariens 42' ot 50" Zero Turn. Sold at Lowes or your local Ariens dealer. Runs around $2900. It is built at near commercial grade with 4½” deep fabricated deck made of 11-gauge steel. Padded high-back seat. Fully tubular steel frame for unprecedented strength. Easy dial-operated system for cutting height selection. Choice of 42” or 52” cutting widths. Take a look at youtube, lots of folks love this mower. I have had 2 with no problems at all. I had 2 John Deer zero turns and their decks are much thinner and I had lots of issues.

 

[Gregoryb70]

Like several have mentioned here, WHERE you buy is more important that WHAT BRAND you buy. With more money, you'll typically get a better mower regardless of the manufacturer. If you decided to go with a big box store, make sure you have a local shop that is willing to take good care of you after the sale because the big box won't. Some local dealers are happy to have your service and repair business regardless of where you buy the machine... others not so much. If you're out in the middle of nowhere, you should consider buying an extended warranty for it. Not only will that extend your manufacturer's warranty, but extended warranties cover pick up and delivery for warrantable failures regardless of where you live. The free pick up and delivery has saved some of my rural customers hundreds of dollars over the years.

Best of luck with you new purchase!
Greg Rose
Rose's Mower Shop

 

[Perry]

Why are you not considering a robotic mower?

 

[lilguy]

The same reason I don’t yet own a Shark or Tesla. They’re not as close as they need to be 100% useful, yet.

 

[lilguy]

Anyone use a Kubota GR2020?

 

[bertsmobile1]

The same reason I don’t yet own a Shark or Tesla. They’re not as close as they need to be 100% useful, yet.

Tesla , and all other battery powered cars are a con job and have been from day one.
The embedded CO2 content of the smallest battery is the same as the emission of a small V8 travelling 50,000 miles of highway cycle .
The embedded CO2 content of the rest of the vehicle is roughly 4 times that of a small USA saloon ( or large Japanese one )
So all they will do is shift the pollution from the USA or EU to China & Brazil and perhaps OZ as well so a bunch of Presidents can beat their hairy chests and pretend they are making a difference.

 

[lilguy]

What can anyone offer up on these Kubota GR 20 series lawn Tractors. Early models had major mechanical issues but it seems that’s been engineered out of the line now. Going to look a one hours away, gas engine. Appreciate any and all input. Comparing it to a JD X380 for relatively flat yard with trees, garden islands and one small area with steep slope.

 

[Lasaded]

I remember how I did these works for a well-groomed plot manually)) Why are you so worried about choosing this lawn mower? I bought a mini tractor from this dealer https://www.machinerydealer.co.uk/ . At first I thought about buying a mini-rider, but they are narrow-profile and are used exclusively for mowing grass, unlike mini-tractors. They do a wide range of gardening, shearing, mulching, and do I need to shovel snow all winter on my own? No. The engine is super, 22 horsepower on gasoline fuel. I bought it with a hydrostatic transmission, it's really more expensive, but it has both comfort and innovation. I bought the nozzles separately, now I was cleaning the fallen leaves with a mechanical brush. Good luck to everyone with the choice of good equipment.