Rider under $2k

[Ric]

The original poster wants to spend under $2K. He says he is not serious YET about buying. He doesn't indicate if he wants this new or used.

He mentions two things that appear to be outside of a $2K buying budget: Quality and rear-engined rider ;-)

He's got thick grass.

He has to indicate if he is looking for a New item purchase or a Used item purchase before too many posters put anymore time into this thread ;-)

He stated he was not serious about buying yet but just want to get an idea what the options are. I think that's probably one of the options he is looking at a new item purchase or a used item purchase.

 

[Shughes717]

A mower that has a good commercial grade engine with 700 hrs is just about getting broke in good and if it's used commercially with that many hrs it was probably well taken care of. I personally would prefer to buy from a commercial operator because I believe that the commercial operators that run residential or commercial mowers either one are far more likely to maintain there mowers and keep them in good shape.
It's funny you should talk about a 2012 model because that's what year mower I was talking about. A 2012 Cub Cadet Z force 48" ZTR with a fab deck a Commercial grade Kohler 22hp and 2800 drives the mower was in great condition and the oil was change every 50 hrs w/filter and I sold it for a 1k and the guy uses it to mow a church and it's still mows as well for him as it did for me. Did the Same with a 44" ZF with the same set up, it had 652 hrs I turn it over for 1K so yes the deals are there if you find the right people to buy from, you just have to have patience and you can end up with a far better mower than one from Walmart.

309hrs with an 18hp Kohler $2400 this morning and I'd bet you can get it for less than 2K

Buying a mower like that for 1/3 of an acre is ridiculous. The op would be like randy quaid's character on the movie "richard prior's moving". He would start the mower make one pass out and back and be done. I guess it would last though because he wouldn't put 5 minutes on it at a time. It would take longer to put fuel in it than it would to mow his lawn. You also have to remember that someone with a small lawn will surely have some tight corners to mow. That thing is probably as long as his lawn. Mighty bulky for a small lawn. :laughing:

 

[Ric]

Buying a mower like that for 1/3 of an acre is ridiculous. The op would be like randy quaid's character on the movie "richard prior's moving". He would start the mower make one pass out and back and be done. I guess it would last though because he wouldn't put 5 minutes on it at a time. It would take longer to put fuel in it than it would to mow his lawn. You also have to remember that someone with a small lawn will surely have some tight corners to mow. That thing is probably as long as his lawn. Mighty bulky for a small lawn. :laughing:

He doesn't have to buy a mower like that. They have all kinds of ZTR's on Craigslist, the point is he can get a lot more mower for his 2k. Something like a 36" stander would be nice for his lawn. Honestly if I was looking for a mower for only 1/3rd acre with his budget I'd buy the Toro Turf-Master 30" walk behind, that would be more than enough mower for what the OP has and he could buy it for far less than 2k and have a new Commercial mower.

 

[Shughes717]

He doesn't have to buy a mower like that. They have all kinds of ZTR's on Craigslist, the point is he can get a lot more mower for his 2k. Something like a 36" stander would be nice for his lawn. Honestly if I was looking for a mower for only 1/3rd acre with his budget I'd buy the Toro Turf-Master 30" walk behind, that would be more than enough mower for what the OP has and he could buy it for far less than 2k and have a new Commercial mower.

I agree, but the op wants a rider. A rer snapper would also be a good choice for a lawn that small. A used stand on would also be worth looking at.

 

[shurguywutt]

A mower that has a good commercial grade engine with 700 hrs is just about getting broke in good and if it's used commercially with that many hrs it was probably well taken care of. I personally would prefer to buy from a commercial operator because I believe that the commercial operators that run residential or commercial mowers either one are far more likely to maintain there mowers and keep them in good shape.
It's funny you should talk about a 2012 model because that's what year mower I was talking about. A 2012 Cub Cadet Z force 48" ZTR with a fab deck a Commercial grade Kohler 22hp and 2800 drives the mower was in great condition and the oil was change every 50 hrs w/filter and I sold it for a 1k and the guy uses it to mow a church and it's still mows as well for him as it did for me. Did the Same with a 44" ZF with the same set up, it had 652 hrs I turn it over for 1K so yes the deals are there if you find the right people to buy from, you just have to have patience and you can end up with a far better mower than one from Walmart.

309hrs with an 18hp Kohler $2400 this morning and I'd bet you can get it for less than 2K

hahahahaha my wife would laugh me out of the house if i tried to put that in our single car garage!

btw I already have a quality self propelled... one day I would like to upgrade... and yes $2k is the MOST I would spend... my yard is not big and i would be keeping the mower inside.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

Take a look at the 100 series JD for an area of your size. From what I can see the D-125 gets you a taller back seat than the D-110 and a 2 cylinder engine. For a 1/3 acre I doubt you would need either of those options for a third acre. The single cylinder will probably be a little more economical on gas.

If you ever decide to sell it for the going price just park it at the curb for a day and it'll be gone if it is kept clean.

 

[Ric]

hahahahaha my wife would laugh me out of the house if i tried to put that in our single car garage!

btw I already have a quality self propelled... one day I would like to upgrade... and yes $2k is the MOST I would spend... my yard is not big and i would be keeping the mower inside.

I did not expect you to buy a machine like that. The purpose was to show that you can get more for your money than a BBS machine for 2K. There's a lot of quality machines on craigslist for cheap. The other thing about a machine like that is the fact that the guy that's selling it is taking the hit, he is losing his money not you because you'll be able get your money back on a machine like that.