You are going to get what you pay for with any $1500 riding mower. Lower end of any brand's line, and most will offer pretty much the same options. This isn't the best site to ask about new mower in that price range, as most members on here run higher end mowers. I purchased a Scott's mower from Home Depot in 2002, and was able to get 10 years out of it before selling it to a neighbor. He got another 3 years out of it before the deck completely fell apart. You may want to search the Web for quality used mowers as well. A higher quality used mower can last much longer than a new low end mower if it has been properly maintained. You didn't mention Any details about your mom's lawn, so it is difficult to recommend much else.
I do try to stay out of this type of post as our price structure down here is way differnt to yours.
For the money you are spending you will not get much of a ride on if buying new.
It will be frail & flimsy and if given carefull maintanance and careful use might give you good service .
That sort of money will buy a good self propelled but not much of a ride on.
OTOH you should be able to get a reasonable used rear engine rider.
Avoid anything named Stiga or Castle Garden or for that matter any name that you can not find in the yellow pages.
when you find something then post the make. model number of both the mower & engine and thoe here will advise of the pros & cons of that perticular mower.
Google "Product reviews ( mower make & model) " and you will get a rough idea of what owners think of them.
The down side of that is it will be mostly negative as people are more likely to vent their spleins over the lemmon they bought than sing the praises of their mower that just does the job without fuss.
Not going to find a new low end ztr mower for $1500. It will be difficult to even find a decent used one for that price. Ztr mowers aren't easier to operate either. It takes a little getting used to. Most people will spin a lot of divets in their lawn before they figure out how to turn properly. I agree with bertsmobile on the one. A used rear engine rider would probably offer the OP the most bang for their buck. Something like a Snapper, Troy Bilt, or a Cub Cadet. They are well built, and simple to operate.
What exactly is she looking for, a standard riding mower/tractor or a zero turn mower? Also how big of an area will she be mowing?
If it is a smaller area there are several riding mower models that sell for less than $1500.00 that would suit your needs. FYI, there are only a few manufacturers in the US that manufacture riding mowers/tractors, that being Husqvarna and MTD. They come in different names such as Craftsman, Ariens, Yard Machines, Cub Cadet, MTD, Toro, John Deere and other brands with different decals, paint schemes and so forth, but they are essentially the same product. Do some serious comparison shopping to get the biggest bang for your buck.
Exactly wha I was trying to say.
All of the cheap mowers are exactly that CHEAP & NASTY
There are several with engines mounted on the mowing deck that sell around that price and all of them are garbage.
Most come from Europe wher soft fine grasses grow for 4 to 6 months so they might work in states that border Canada that have a short growing season and soft grasses.
They definetly do not work here and having pulled dozens of them apart I would never recommend any one getting one for free let alone buying one.
They all look pretty with an encasing plastic body but they are difficult to repair = expensive and very easily broken.
