Small rider vs large walk behind?

[BrokenTiller]

Hi, I am a home owner with just under 1/2 acre lot that is sloped decently (walk-out basement, first floor 2 steps up from ground level at the front door and ground slopes downward across the back yard). The front yard is small and tight with flower beds, sidewalks, etc. The back yard is much larger and more open. Currently, I have a John Deere Hydro 175 tractor that I bought used off Ebay for $401 about 7 or 8 years ago and small cheap MTD push mower that I bought used for $75 2 years ago. I push the front yard and around the house to trim along the sidewalk and patio around back, and then I use the rider for the rest of the back yard and side yards. I feel like I have already gotten more than my money's worth out of the tractor, and I am beginning to prepare for the reality that I'll have to replace it at some point in the next few years.

So, as is my typical practice, I've already started thinking about what I'm going to want to get loooong before I actually need it. I don't love the idea of getting a 'standard' push/walk behind mower with a 21" or 24" cut because the back yard is so open that it begs for something a bit bigger that can cut my time mowing down significantly, but I like the idea of consolidating to a single mower for my entire property and freeing up some space in the shed for more tools/toys. I've seen a couple of bigger push mowers approaching a 30" deck, but I'm not sure if they'd really be maneuverable in the tight areas in the front yard (there is enough space between flower beds for me to mow it with my tractor, but it takes longer than mowing it with the small walk behind because I have to do multiple laps to catch all of the little areas or stop and back up repeatedly with the tractor) due to its general 'clunkiness'. I've also seen some of the bigger walk behinds with 'pivot' wheels on the front, but they seem to generally be more commercial grade models that I've seen (I've only ever seen them being used by landscapers) and I'm not sure how maneuverable they really are.

Do the people here with more experience and knowledge than I have any thoughts or recommendations of brands/types of mowers that I should look into?

Thanks!

 

[msaeger]

Hi, I am a home owner with just under 1/2 acre lot that is sloped decently (walk-out basement, first floor 2 steps up from ground level at the front door and ground slopes downward across the back yard). The front yard is small and tight with flower beds, sidewalks, etc. The back yard is much larger and more open. Currently, I have a John Deere Hydro 175 tractor that I bought used off Ebay for $401 about 7 or 8 years ago and small cheap MTD push mower that I bought used for $75 2 years ago. I push the front yard and around the house to trim along the sidewalk and patio around back, and then I use the rider for the rest of the back yard and side yards. I feel like I have already gotten more than my money's worth out of the tractor, and I am beginning to prepare for the reality that I'll have to replace it at some point in the next few years.

So, as is my typical practice, I've already started thinking about what I'm going to want to get loooong before I actually need it. I don't love the idea of getting a 'standard' push/walk behind mower with a 21" or 24" cut because the back yard is so open that it begs for something a bit bigger that can cut my time mowing down significantly, but I like the idea of consolidating to a single mower for my entire property and freeing up some space in the shed for more tools/toys. I've seen a couple of bigger push mowers approaching a 30" deck, but I'm not sure if they'd really be maneuverable in the tight areas in the front yard (there is enough space between flower beds for me to mow it with my tractor, but it takes longer than mowing it with the small walk behind because I have to do multiple laps to catch all of the little areas or stop and back up repeatedly with the tractor) due to its general 'clunkiness'. I've also seen some of the bigger walk behinds with 'pivot' wheels on the front, but they seem to generally be more commercial grade models that I've seen (I've only ever seen them being used by landscapers) and I'm not sure how maneuverable they really are.

Do the people here with more experience and knowledge than I have any thoughts or recommendations of brands/types of mowers that I should look into?

Thanks!

I like my small rider for my small lot. I had a push mower and the rider is much faster even though I do need to do multiple laps to get some of the tight areas.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

One thing to consider is if you are going to need to pull a small cart...you can't do that with a walk-behind!

(http://www.deere.com/common/media/i...ility_cart/405077_18_utility_cart_642x462.jpg)

 

[BrokenTiller]

Yeah, like I said, I currently have a rider and I still end up using a push mower for the front yard because I can do it quicker with a small walk behind than I can my larger rider, and then I get the rider out for the back yard. I guess what I'm really asking about is if anyone has experience with or knows how maneuverable those bigger (30"+) walk behinds are with the swivel wheels on the front are?

And I've thought about a cart, but I don't currently have one, haven't had one for the 9 years I've been a home owner (2 houses, both about 1/2 acre lots), and don't foresee buying one in the near future. I have a wheel barrow that I use when I need something, and the lot is small enough that I can just make multiple trips with that for whatever I'm doing. If I'd get into a job big enough that I'd consider buying a cart to do (landscaping or whatever) it would probably be worth borrowing my buddy's bigger tractor with a bucket on the front.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

...I guess what I'm really asking about is if anyone has experience with or knows how maneuverable those bigger (30"+) walk behinds are with the swivel wheels on the front are?...

I only have experience with the green (Billy Goat) mower below, which I didn't like, so I don't know as much as some, but with most other wide area walk behind mowers that aren't the cheap ones, they have controls to turn the mower, so you do not have to use all your weight just to turn it (like in the video). So that would probably make it easier, but again, I don't have any personal experience.

 

[BrokenTiller]

I only have experience with the green (Billy Goat) mower below, which I didn't like, so I don't know as much as some, but with most other wide area walk behind mowers that aren't the cheap ones, they have controls to turn the mower, so you do not have to use all your weight just to turn it (like in the video). So that would probably make it easier, but again, I don't have any personal experience.

[pic[

[video]

Thanks. But, you did find the one in your pic that didn't have steering controls to be bulky and difficult to maneuver? I'm kind of getting that from your post but wanted to make sure I wasn't misinterpreting.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

Thanks. But, you did find the one in your pic that didn't have steering controls to be bulky and difficult to maneuver? I'm kind of getting that from your post but wanted to make sure I wasn't misinterpreting.

Yeah I disliked the Billy Goat for many reasons. It was very hard to turn/maneuver, it was not the slightest bit durable, and the cut wasn't good.

 

[BrokenTiller]

If I go to a dealer, would they be likely to allow me to take mowers for a 'test drive' to see how maneuverable they really are, or not? I can see that they wouldn't normally have the models sitting on their show room full of fluids and ready to go, but it also makes sense that people would want to test equipment out before dropping a grand or more on it.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

If I go to a dealer, would they be likely to allow me to take mowers for a 'test drive' to see how maneuverable they really are, or not? I can see that they wouldn't normally have the models sitting on their show room full of fluids and ready to go, but it also makes sense that people would want to test equipment out before dropping a grand or more on it.

If they want your business...yes.