Looking for new Mower! No idea what to get. PLEASE HELP ME!!

[SeaBass80]

Hi everyone. Like it says I am looking to buy a mower but not sure what is best for my lawn. Not sure is a zero turn or a riding mower. I dont want to spend the money and it not work well for me. I have a John Deere L110 that someone gave me and it's kinda on its last leg. And it just really doesn't work well and takes forever to cut the lawn. I cut around an acre to acre and half if doin my neighbors yard. An acre takes about 1 to 1.5 and that just riding not including the weedwacker. Today my neighbor let me use his Club Cadet mower and it cut it in half the time. So I was goin to spend around 2K or so maybe more if worth it in long run. But like I said not sure what would be best. The pictures are just the back of the house and the front is mostly straight ground. Please and help would be awesome!! And if need more picture I will be glad to post more thank you all.

 

[bertsmobile1]

With a slope like that I would strongly suggest getting an old commercial with a horizontal shaft engine .
There are only found on top shelf mowers where quality & longevity are more important than the cheapest possible price tag.
New Walker I know fits horizontal but not sure about anything else as I am in OZ .
An out front zero turn will make the mowing a lot easier as you can see the deck & get it into places where mid mounts just won't go

 

[gotomow]

John Deere X370 would be my choice if you go up and down the slope. Its got Power steering and K57 trans. If you mow side to side on that slope you could go with X350 but extend the warranty an additional 2 years for a total of 6 years. Stay away from junky mowers. I'm not a big fan of ZTR's and slopes of any kind plus if you want to pick up leaves the baggers are pricey. Buy quality and enjoy the mow.

 

[tom3]

Was looking at a big Craftsman T310 (?) mower the other day. Beautiful red rider, big motor, 50" deck, big tires/wheels, just what I'll be looking for on my next mower. Then I looked underneath the back end and there was that K46 hydro, major let down there. and that mower was near $3500, maybe a bit more. Won't be one in my shed. Whatever you buy, check under the back end for that light duty non-serviceable throw away transmission.

 

[SeaBass80]

Thanks for the info everyone. I know not to buy any mower from Lowes or home depot. I keep getting answers that dont match up some people say Zero turn wont work well and others say they are the best option. I am not a big engine and all that stuff kind of guy so it's kinda harder to figure out what is good or bad just by looking at it. And not sure what to look for. I know the not plastic the worse it is.

 

[gotomow]

Was looking at a big Craftsman T310 (?) mower the other day. Beautiful red rider, big motor, 50" deck, big tires/wheels, just what I'll be looking for on my next mower. Then I looked underneath the back end and there was that K46 hydro, major let down there. and that mower was near $3500, maybe a bit more. Won't be one in my shed. Whatever you buy, check under the back end for that light duty non-serviceable throw away transmission.

Here's a new T310 for $2349.00 54" looks like the entire mower is light duty and throw away.Craftsman 310

 

[shinytopgeezer]

With your hills, stay away from any entry level homeowner machines and I'd be leary of all but the best of commercial ZTR's. Tractors won't be as quick to the finish with obstacles in your lawn, but may be tougher per $ spent and far safer on your hills. For long term satisfaction I'd bet your closing in on $6-8K. And that's not getting goofy with play pretties.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Every ones answer will have some sort of prejudice attached to it.
I replace 3 to 5 engines every year because people run them across the slope and then oil pump can not get oil to the top bush so the engine siezes.
One customer has gone through 2 kawasaki engines in 4 years.
Thus I have a liking for horizontals where you can just about run them up a wall.
Add to that horizontal engines are all built to commercial standards, designed to run 10 hours a day every day for decades .
Because of the way they steer , ZTR's can be a problem on hills.
They go up & down fine but running across slopes they are just about unsteerable unless you get one of the ZTR's with a steering wheel and controlled front wheels.
Personally I would put some money into your old tractor ,

A tractor style mower will give you more utility as it will tow a lot better than a ZTR but if you decide to keep the deere then you will have a tow vehicle and a back up mower.
ZTR's are faster and easier to manouver around trees & other obstacles
The other thing that works well is fitting a pump to the ROPS on the ZTR so you can do things like spray the fence line .
If you get a single handle ZTR like Walker or Clipper then you can do your edge trimming from the mower which you can not do from a tractor style mower.
Whateve you get make sure the deck is a couple of inched narrower than the space between the closest obstacles so you can cut it with the rider & not the line trimmer or push mower.
BEcause you enter & exit a ZTR from the front, you can put a rack on the left side of the ZTR to take your line trimmer thus ride to the spot where you need to trim .
Got a customer with an old Great Dane, 61" deck & he can trim sitting in the chair because the lap bars just about touch each other meaning he can drive it one handed while he trims with the other.

 

[SeaBass80]

I was looking at the commercial grade mowers and some of the brands that I keep finding like HUSTLER ,EXMARK SCAG, SNAPPER , SIMPLICITY ,Husqvarna ,no idea what is more reliable and worth the $6k. And the same with the engines in all these mowers. And I live in PA the mower would sit unused all winter or more. This feels like buying a car but harder especially since I dont know all the names and companies that are out there. Is there a brand to stay away from? I know john Deere is a well known brand but seems like you pay more for the name.

 

[Romore]

Any of the brands you listed will serve you well, they are designed for commercial use. Rather than get caught up in color or make concentrate on finding a dealer with a solid reputation for service. He will be your best friend. We have a couple in our area that although they have well recognized brands I wouldn't trust them with a dog cart. Our local Toro dealer although small goes out of his way to satisfy his customers, he knows that is the key to his success.