Riding Mower advise

ctdave said:
I am now 76 years old and I no longer want to mow my ~1/2 acre lawn - with my current push mower. What brand/ model riding mower would you recommend. I do want a reliable unit, price less of a concern. Any cutting width will likely suffice

My 80 year old dad mowed his 4+ acre "lawn" for many years with a John Deere 60 (??) inch cut riding mower - clearly a leading mfgr choice

Thanks for any advice!! -dave
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Hello. I'm 79 and my name is Dave. I have an acre of lawn and for years I had a Craftsman LT2000 42" deck that served me well. It was solid and used not just for grass cutting but for hauling and general small tractor work. It handled everything thrown at it for 20 years. Last year I purchased a John Deere X127 primarily for lawn cutting. It has been a disappointment from the start. I disliked the amount of plastic in its construction and the overall cheap look (but its price was not!). The carb has failed already aa has the fuel gauge. I would have gone for another Craftsman but they're no longer sold here. You need to look for reliability and robustness. Johne Deere is not the place to look.
 
I am 89 years old and use a 42 inch deck tractor rider on a full acre of grass. I don't get the hype over ZTR. I put rings of bare ground around my trees with roundup. Measure the turn radius of the mower and size the ring accordingly. Also use roundup for 6-8 inch strips around buildings so I don't have to trim. I have used many tractor models, Craftsman, MTD, John Deere, now Husqvarna. They are all made by MTD with different hoods and paint. For Instance, I had a Craftsman with a three bag- bagger. The Briggs engine blew the governor gear. I wanted another Craftsman because I wanted my bagger to fit. But it was near the end of the lawn season and none where available. I looked at Husqvanra, also made by MTD, and it looks like the bagger would fit. It did perfectly. All the bolt holes lined up and when I noticed that the Husq did not have rear deck wheels I saw some bolt holes. The rear deck wheels off the Craftsman fit perfectly. The Husqvarna runs good and tractor types are cheaper and easier to maintain. It will tow stuff too! The only modification I did was to remove the oil drain plug, screw in a short piece of pipe to get beyond the frame and put a cap on it. Oil changes are much cleaner. I also use a flashlight battery powered fuel pump in my 5-gallon, gas can fill the tank instead of trying to hold the can up when it is full.
 
@rhkraft
Not all riders are made by MTD.
John Deere are made by John Deere in Tennessee.
Husqvarna makes Husqvarna and Poulan.
Craftsman once had riders made by both Husqvarna (AYP) and MTD. They are now all MTD made and found at Lowe's.
 
WARNING: Unpopular take ahead (for a lawnmower forum).

Since money is not a factor, just pay someone to mow your property instead, with their own equipment. Use that time saved to do something else productive or that you enjoy.
 
MParr said:
@rhkraft
Not all riders are made by MTD.
John Deere are made by John Deere in Tennessee.
Husqvarna makes Husqvarna and Poulan.
Craftsman once had riders made by both Husqvarna (AYP) and MTD. They are now all MTD made and found at Lowe's.
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Even some of the JD riders uses Husqvarna parts. Example is the D140 that has Husqvarna front wheel bushings. Hustler usually was made by Excel but I got one with a Super Z that uses some MTD. Even some Snapper riders use part from other OEMs.

And through a recent merger MTD is now part of Stanley Black and Decker.
 
StarTech said:
Even some of the JD riders uses Husqvarna parts. Example is the D140 that has Husqvarna front wheel bushings. Hustler usually was made by Excel but I got one with a Super Z that uses some MTD. Even some Snapper riders use part from other OEMs.

And through a recent merger MTD is now part of Stanley Black and Decker.
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I'm not surprised by manufacturers using parts from other companies. However, I am correct in my original statement.
Hustler/Excel Industies is now part of Stanley/Black + Decker.
 
Chuckers said:
WARNING: Unpopular take ahead (for a lawnmower forum).

Since money is not a factor, just pay someone to mow your property instead, with their own equipment. Use that time saved to do something else productive or that you enjoy.
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Yes, but he'd have to find another hour and a half dodge from the wife unit to take its place...ain't easy for us old dudes - we need all the help we can get! :)
 
I may be a little late for this thread.

Three years ago I went to the John Deere dealer to look at tractors and wanted something with a suspension seat. My Craftsman tractor was 22 years old and started to beat me to death. The salesman showed me a zero turn mower Toro My Ride they also sell and I decided to buy that. God all these years my back was hurting and now with this zero turn My Ride when I'm done and get off of it my back feels fine. If you have a bumpy yard this suspension seat absorbs the bump and you don't feel it. One thing I like is the PTO stays on when you back up. Some of the other brands you have to stop and press a button to keep the PTO on. I don't have time to stop. I'm constantly backing up and cutting. Another thing I like is the fuel filter, oil filter, and air filter is easy accessible. Easy oil changes. There's plenty of room to work on it. I have pulled a 17 cubic foot dump cart with it, a plug aerator, broadcast spreader, and dethatcher. I have a bagger for it when I have to do leaf cleanups in the fall. I'm 73 and I see people much older me like in their 80's , some are females on these zero turns. Good Luck on your decision.

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Lawn Ranger Don said:
I have pulled a 17 cubic foot dump cart with it, a plug aerator, broadcast spreader, and dethatcher.
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With all that stress on the transmissions, I'd be very diligent on keeping up with fluid changes. I'd also make sure to blow them off with compressed air every year to make sure dirt buildup didn't cause overheating.
 
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