Riding or walk behind?

[sailingharry]

We recently moved to a place with 1/3 acre, with some slightly steep hills (easy to walk). Before, I had a tiny yard and an ancient B&D battery mower. We mowed it all last summer.

Our first solution was a Honda 3011. It does fairly well, but it is old, keeps having issues, and is poorly supported. It was a good "need it now" interim solution, but it needs to go. And I'm willing to spend a bit more, now that I've got some ideas on what I want.

I want to limit to around 30". I can do the entire yard in under an hour, and it fits well in our shed (40" may not even fit).

I've used a self propelled residential (mid-engine, small wheels) mower, and it was pretty awful. It's more like "power assist" -- you really still have to push it, especially on the steeper parts.

So, the question. I can find a few riding mowers in this size bracket, decent ones in the $500-750 range or so. Or, for a little more, I can get commercial style walk behinds (rear engine, big turf wheels, etc). My next door neighbor (similar size lawn, slightly less steep hills) has a pro service and they use a walk behind. The walk behind may store better, I think. It may also maneuver better. Is my yard a good candidate for this style, and is it worth the extra money? Are there upsides/downsides versus a similar ride on? I suspect that the steepest parts of the hill may be helped by my pushing, vs riding.

Thoughts?

 

[Rivets]

Possibly off topic, more like garbage to me. On topic, I would recommend a Toro Super Recycler. I use mine to cut about a 1/3 acre where my tractor won’t go and have never had a problem. I know they are a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for. I call these 20 year mowers when properly maintained and have never had anyone comeback and say to me it doesn’t do a good job. Disclaimer, I’m a Toro guy and have recommended and sold these units for over 30 years. Read my signature.

 

[sailingharry]

I currently mow with a 30" riding mower that moves significantly faster than I can walk, and it takes an hour to do the yard. A 21" push mower would take that to at least 90 minutes, maybe 2 hours, and also increase the "sweat factor." I also worry about the ability to climb my hill (I also have a small self propelled push mower, and it can't climb the hill without a lot of help from me). The riding mower spins and slides, and requires body english to climb the hill, but that may be related to the ancient hard tires.

I'm really looking to up my game (while reducing how much time and effort it takes).

 

[7394]

Walking gives ya excersize.
Riding only does when you clean it off after, & under side scrape.

 

[Rivets]

You are cutting more than a1/3 of an acre if it takes an hour. With my Toro I cut a 1/3 acre in about 45 minutes, with includes 200 feet of ditch and a 45 degree hill which must be cut sideways. But you asked for a recommendation and that’s what I gave you, for a guy North of 70 who still cuts a large part of his lawn, with a walk behind mower. If you don’t like the answer don't berate the giver, it won’t help your cause.

 

[TonyPrin]

An important but not so obvious difference between riding and push mowers is maintenance. Riding mowers are significantly more time consuming and potentially costly to maintain than push mowers. A simple chore like sharpening the blades can become a project. In addition, riding mowers have more parts requiring maintenance. If you decide on a riding mower understand what's involved before you go forward.

Also, a riding mower on hills can be difficult, scary, or even dangerous and isn't recommended for some models. I suspect you're considering a rear engine riding mower which can be particularly problematic on hills. It may also be impossible to turn a riding mower around trees or other obstacles on a hill. In addition, you may not get traction when the lawn isn't dry so a riding mower should be avoided on hills if the grass isn't dry. I suggest you discuss the issue with your dealer.

 

[bertsmobile1]

We recently moved to a place with 1/3 acre, with some slightly steep hills (easy to walk). Before, I had a tiny yard and an ancient B&D battery mower. We mowed it all last summer.

Our first solution was a Honda 3011. It does fairly well, but it is old, keeps having issues, and is poorly supported. It was a good "need it now" interim solution, but it needs to go. And I'm willing to spend a bit more, now that I've got some ideas on what I want.

I want to limit to around 30". I can do the entire yard in under an hour, and it fits well in our shed (40" may not even fit).

I've used a self propelled residential (mid-engine, small wheels) mower, and it was pretty awful. It's more like "power assist" -- you really still have to push it, especially on the steeper parts.

So, the question. I can find a few riding mowers in this size bracket, decent ones in the $500-750 range or so. Or, for a little more, I can get commercial style walk behinds (rear engine, big turf wheels, etc). My next door neighbor (similar size lawn, slightly less steep hills) has a pro service and they use a walk behind. The walk behind may store better, I think. It may also maneuver better. Is my yard a good candidate for this style, and is it worth the extra money? Are there upsides/downsides versus a similar ride on? I suspect that the steepest parts of the hill may be helped by my pushing, vs riding.

Thoughts?

For that price you might get a reasonable walk behind or a junk ride on
Choice is yours
Pay for throw away junk and that is what you will get
Double or triple that amount and you should not need to buy a new mower again.

 

[sailingharry]

Rivets has cautioned me against berating the giver, so I'll try not to.
I have and like a ride-on. Perhaps my target price for a replacement is off (and my target isn't really very firm -- I can buy what I want). But I really don't have any interest in going back to the push type I have. It's more time and effort than I want.
Most of the responses have compared a riding to a push. The riding is more maintenance (I haven't seen that much, but I've only had my ancient and dying Honda for a year -- my efforts have been "repairs" not "maintenance"). My question was comparing a riding to a walk behind (in my mind, a "push" is a classic residential mower, 4 tires all about the same size, an engine in the middle, the operator steers by pushing the handle side to side, only one operating speed, etc)
Bertsmobile's response indicated a walk behind was much less expensive than a riding -- I think he is talking about what I call a push. I've found many riding mowers in good condition for under $1K (haven't actually gone to look at them yet), although about 98% are too big to fit in my shed (most are 42+). What I call a "walk behind" is the commercial style, big rear wheels, steer like a zero turn, often a floating deck, etc. Most are also too big, with 42 being the start, but some are in the 30-36 range. They are rare below $1K.
TonyPrin kind of alluded to something that is an issue for me -- the riding mower struggles on a small part of my hill (under 5 minutes of the total job, but it's always a challenge). The push was a serious pain -- those little drive wheels just don't cut it, and even that super spiffy Toro that Rivets recommended still has the tiny wheels.
"Durability" is a bit of a low point on my scale. I am quite handy (currently finishing up a removal, complete teardown, and rebuild of my power boat engine), and if parts are available (a problem on my Honda 3011) I can fix most things -- not that I want to. It's important to remember that I run it about 10 hours a year -- so if a commerical shop sells somethihing that might last him another month, it will last me more than my lifetime. And conversely, if I buy a brand new one, my kids will inherit it (and sell it!) with 200 hours on the clock.
I have and use a riding. I have and used to use a push. I've never even touched a walk behind, let alone used one. And they are scarce in the residential scene -- the vast majority of homeowners who don't use a push go riding, not walk behind. Not sure if that is cost, or headache, or "style" (appearance, doing what the joneses do, etc), but when no one uses one it makes me ponder why. Lowes has nothing out front but riding mowers and zero turns, I don't think I saw a single walk behind.
The real question is, how does a commerical sytle walk behind compare to a riding (or, if they exist, a sub-36" zero turn)? Is it worth the extra 20-40% or so I see in the prices, or am I better getting another riding?

 

[SeniorCitizen]

Possibly off topic, more like garbage to me. On topic, I would recommend a Toro Super Recycler. I use mine to cut about a 1/3 acre where my tractor won’t go and have never had a problem. I know they are a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for. I call these 20 year mowers when properly maintained and have never had anyone comeback and say to me it doesn’t do a good job. Disclaimer, I’m a Toro guy and have recommended and sold these units for over 30 years. Read my signature.

You get pissed off each time you need to type and talk on the cell ? It's no wonder this site is bout to fold . New member has probably already dumped this site in the dumpster

 

[TonyPrin]

sailingharry, I accept your point on push mowers. Technically, the term is walk behind, which can be push or self-propelled. Having said that, I think the comparisons were accurate for all walk behind mowers.

On maintenance, things like sharpening blades are multiple times more difficult on a riding mower. Sometimes, for example, the deck has to be removed to get at the blades if you don't jack it up. Also, the deck has to be level or the blades aren't level and the grass will be shaved on one side. In addition, something as simple as an underinflated tire can cause the blades to be unlevel.

I believe self-propelled mowers are ideal for 1/3-acre lawns and there are several Honda and Toro mowers in your price range. (Honda is moving from gas powered mowers so you should be able to find a good deal on them.) The Honda HRX217HYA, in particular, is a great machine.

For me, a riding mower for 1/3 acre is overkill unless you want to use attachments like a cart, spreader, or sweeper. The extra versatility of attachments is then a plus for riding mowers. I'd particularly stay away from a riding mower on hills when grass is wet. That's a recipe for disaster.