Export thread

I had a Toro Z4200 FOR 10 YEARS & THE DREADED Kohler Courage finally reared it's ugly head and blew apart. I sold it off for parts & now am looking for a good used Riding Mower again. Not Zero turn because that tended to destroy my lawn with turning & turfing & I pulled attachments. Yes... faster but didn't look the greatest. So I am open to what you guys think I should look for as for good decks & over all reliability for a 1/2 acre cut. I know MTD used to build basically all of them except for a few. Thanks, Rick

smaerd58 said:

I had a Toro Z4200 FOR 10 YEARS & THE DREADED Kohler Courage finally reared it's ugly head and blew apart. I sold it off for parts & now am looking for a good used Riding Mower again. Not Zero turn because that tended to destroy my lawn with turning & turfing & I pulled attachments. Yes... faster but didn't look the greatest. So I am open to what you guys think I should look for as for good decks & over all reliability for a 1/2 acre cut. I know MTD used to build basically all of them except for a few. Thanks, Rick

Click to expand...

What, you don't like the Sherman tank ruts from a 0-turn LOL. I don't either. 0-turns weigh like 1,000 pounds plus some fat slob like ME on it LOL.

Hands down, I would source an older Snapper 33" rear engine rider. Most durable simplistic drive system known to man. No hydro mess to ever fail on you. No hydro noise to listen to. Best deck slash mower design STILL out on the market. Spend around $500 on a clean used one. Only time mine breaks down is on yearly oil changes.

Check this out. I have a 48" tow behind core aerator. I put 8 concrete cinder blocks on it at around 40lbs each. My fat arse at 285lbs plus my 113lb wife sitting on top of the blocks. Simple math there is 718lbs. Finally my soil is hard packed Oklahoma clay. I have to get the moisture "just" right to get any cores at all. And imagine the mower load placed on my Snapper. Imagine turning that load around for another lap. The stress on the drive system and engine slash entire mower. Don't forget the slight uphill grade in my front yard. Now research the drive system I am talking about. You will fall into the floor laughing on how that design can do this.



slomo

Appreciate the reply & the humor. I weigh 235lbs 6'-2" so completely understand. I will keep my eye out no doubt. I just had a kid do my yard with a Toro Commercial ZT He flew so fast almost hit my PVC cleanout for my waste return. Had to slow him down & of course more ZT ruts. Thanks,Rick

smaerd58 said:

Appreciate the reply & the humor. I weigh 235lbs 6'-2" so completely understand. I will keep my eye out no doubt. I just had a kid do my yard with a Toro Commercial ZT He flew so fast almost hit my PVC cleanout for my waste return. Had to slow him down & of course more ZT ruts. Thanks,Rick

Click to expand...

You can tell, driving around the neighborhood, what the yard was mowed with. 1k+ pound 0-turn or a push mower. Yard crews mow it the SAME way EVERY time. LOL

slomo

Absolutely!!! Unfortunately with a search on market here in Delaware No Snappers. Tons of Yellow Greens & Craftsman Tractors & ZT. I also notices everyone wants the bigger deck mowers even for 1/2 acre yards. I used my neighbors Craftsman Tractor 48" inch cut & that thing beat my discs in my back & neck to death plus a bear to turn & cut around trees. I have bad spine issues & am permanently disabled so that is a no go for me. Rick

Look at used Simplicity Lawn Tractors with low hours on meter. Less than 250 hours on meter is what I would be looking for.

mechanic mark said:

Look at used Simplicity Lawn Tractors with low hours on meter. Less than 250 hours on meter is what I would be looking for.

Click to expand...

That is a steal, you may have to put some money into lawn tractor for OEM belts, idler pulleys, etc. Post model number from sticker example: 2690814 That is what my younger son & I do in spare time, purchase low & fix them up with OEM parts & make a dollar or two. Looks good smaerd58, your getting your self a nice mower . Let us know if you purchase lawn tractor & post Model Number & I'll send you information on your tractor.

mechanic mark said:

That is a steal, you may have to put some money into lawn tractor for OEM belts, idler pulleys, etc. Post model number from sticker example: 2690814 That is what my younger son & I do in spare time, purchase low & fix them up with OEM parts & make a dollar or two. Looks good smaerd58, your getting your self a nice mower . Let us know if you purchase lawn tractor & post Model Number & I'll send you information on your tractor.

Click to expand...

Is Simplicity a MTD Product where other parts work for it? I just sold a Simplicity Tiller as a coincidence. LOL

smaerd58 said:

Not Zero turn because that tended to destroy my lawn with turning & turfing...

Click to expand...

News Flash: Zero turn mowers don't rut things by themselves. They need a little help from the driver.

Born2Mow said:

News Flash: Zero turn mowers don't rut things by themselves. They need a little help from the driver.

Click to expand...

That's true. But there are other kinds of mowers that don't.

smaerd58 said:

Is Simplicity a MTD Product where other parts work for it? I just sold a Simplicity Tiller as a coincidence. LOL

Click to expand...

No, Simplicity tractors are sold at dealers etc. previously owned by Briggs & Stratton!

Born2Mow said:

News Flash: Zero turn mowers don't rut things by themselves. They need a little help from the driver.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately they don't need much help. ;-)

slomo said:

You can tell, driving around the neighborhood, what the yard was mowed with. 1k+ pound 0-turn or a push mower. Yard crews mow it the SAME way EVERY time. LOL

slomo

Click to expand...

Did Craftsman make an identical Rear Rider as Snapper? I swear I have seen some with the same tubular frame as the snapper. Unless they or MTD knocked them off? Rick

smaerd58 said:

Did Craftsman make an identical Rear Rider as Snapper? I swear I have seen some with the same tubular frame as the snapper. Unless they or MTD knocked them off? Rick

Click to expand...

Craftsman is nothing more than a retail brand
So quite probable that they marketed Snappers branded Craftsman

bertsmobile1 said:

Craftsman is nothing more than a retail brand
So quite probable that they marketed Snappers branded Craftsman

Click to expand...

Appreciate the reply & was thinking the same thing myself. I find these type of rear engine mowers more than I do the Snappers. I would imagine parts might be more readily available also. Rick

smaerd58 said:

Appreciate the reply & was thinking the same thing myself. I find these type of rear engine mowers more than I do the Snappers. I would imagine parts might be more readily available also. Rick

Click to expand...

Haven't heard anything bad about the brother Craftsman riders yet. Unless the Snapper patent ran out and MTD is building the RER now? As Bert said, most likely it's a Snapper with black paint. Sure looks identical to a Snapper.

slomo

slomo said:

Haven't heard anything bad about the brother Craftsman riders yet. Unless the Snapper patent ran out and MTD is building the RER now? As Bert said, most likely it's a Snapper with black paint. Sure looks identical to a Snapper.

slomo

Click to expand...

Do you have a pic of the one you have? I also like the fact they put some kind of stand at the rear of these to flip stand up to change the blades. Rick

smaerd58 said:

Do you have a pic of the one you have? I also like the fact they put some kind of stand at the rear of these to flip stand up to change the blades. Rick

Click to expand...

I have pics at home. Mine is what I would call the preferred model to seek out, the SR1433.

This is not mine but the same machine below in the link.


slomo

To me, Snapper mowers are built by experts that, mow grass. What features do you want and then put into a product. Snapper is not a world mower leader anymore. Why, because they got the recipe CORRECT way way back in the day. They don't have new products so to say like other companies put out yearly. Sure they make 0 turns and so on now. Seems like everything is built to last on Snappers. Other mowers are built to quickly roll to the curb.

When I was a kid, Snappers were "the king" of all mowers. I would drool when I would see them. We had an old tired Craftsman that I would have to say got the job done. And today I still can't find a superior design slash mower to warm up to. Honda makes good engines - yes. That mower under the engine is well, rather lacking. Hondas don't even side sling. Side slinging came out what 50+ years ago?

slomo

So I finally got settled in SC. I built a new home in the middle of this virus disaster. What a mess. Long story even shorter I am now back in the market for a Ridding Mower. Lot was full of huge Pine & Oak trees with roots galore still coming up & out on1/2 acre on a hill. The push mower is killing me especially with just patches of grass & sand for now. I will have to pull attachments also since new lawn. I am back looking at a good used Rider. In the beginning of this thread years back I was told the discontinued Snappers were the way to go. I have found a RER 33" 2016 they want $1300 but I am on the fence since going way over on my house & everything. Anymore advice would be helpful. Thanks ,Rick

smaerd58 said:

So I finally got settled in SC. I built a new home in the middle of this virus disaster. What a mess. Long story even shorter I am now back in the market for a Ridding Mower. Lot was full of huge Pine & Oak trees with roots galore still coming up & out on1/2 acre on a hill. The push mower is killing me especially with just patches of grass & sand for now. I will have to pull attachments also since new lawn. I am back looking at a good used Rider. In the beginning of this thread years back I was told the discontinued Snappers were the way to go. I have found a RER 33" 2016 they want $1300 but I am on the fence since going way over on my house & everything. Anymore advice would be helpful. Thanks ,Rick

Click to expand...

I would buy that for $1300 but see if they would take a little less.

I got him down to $1000 but has been sittings & says needs battery,plug,new gas to get running.Here is the hill I will be cutting & pulling attachments. Thanks

Not a bad mower for $1000! With some maintenance it should last you a while. Congrats.

Trouble is in the turns. If you try a zero turn most people just stop the inside wheel and this just screws it into the turf and tares it up. The best way is to make a three point turn and the same when you mow around something. Works for me. I also don't mow the same way every time and I don't have the patterns you get when you mow the same way every time