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Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help (MOVED FROM ANOTHER THREAD)

#1

B

BrokenTiller

Parkmower said:
What about like a 36" hydro walk behind.
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I don't mean to hijack another poster's thread, but do you have any thoughts or recommendations for residential wide cut walk behind mowers? I am considering ditching my current tractor and 'traditional' (21") walk behind and replacing them with a wide cut walk behind. My biggest concern is the maneuverability of a deck that big, and the residential models that I've seen don't appear to have steering controls from what I can tell.


#2

M

Mad Mackie

Toro makes a 30" walk behind.


#3

lawn mower fanatic

lawn mower fanatic

BrokenTiller said:
I don't mean to hijack another poster's thread, but do you have any thoughts or recommendations for residential wide cut walk behind mowers? I am considering ditching my current tractor and 'traditional' (21") walk behind and replacing them with a wide cut walk behind. My biggest concern is the maneuverability of a deck that big, and the residential models that I've seen don't appear to have steering controls from what I can tell.
Click to expand...

Personally I wouldn't get a residential one like the one below but that's just me.

cub cadet walk-behind.png


#4

B

BrokenTiller

lawn mower fanatic said:
Personally I wouldn't get a residential one like the one below but that's just me.

View attachment 15820
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That's the type of model I was asking about - do they have any kind of steering control, or do you just have to muscle them around? Being as big as it is, are they difficult/heavy to turn and maneuver?


#5

lawn mower fanatic

lawn mower fanatic

BrokenTiller said:
That's the type of model I was asking about - do they have any kind of steering control, or do you just have to muscle them around? Being as big as it is, are they difficult/heavy to turn and maneuver?
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I'm pretty sure they don't have any steering control. My Billy Goat Homepro 34 didn't...and it was so heavy! But maybe heavier than the Cub Cadet.

billy goat.jpg


#6

Ric

Ric

BrokenTiller said:
That's the type of model I was asking about - do they have any kind of steering control, or do you just have to muscle them around? Being as big as it is, are they difficult/heavy to turn and maneuver?
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If you are talking about a walk behind mower like the one pictured the CC 760 the answer would be yes they have steering control. Most have either what they call paddles or there hydralic, you don't have to muscle anything around.


#7

lawn mower fanatic

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
If you are talking about a walk behind mower like the one pictured the CC 760 the answer would be yes they have steering control. Most have either what they call paddles or there hydralic, you don't have to muscle anything around.
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This one doesn't according to 34 sec. in the video:



#8

Ric

Ric

As I said most walk behinds have either what they call paddles or there hydraulic, you don't have to muscle anything around. If the 760 or your Billy doesn't have brakes to steer the unit then it's nothing more than a push mower and not a walk behind. Most all walk behind mowers with belt drive you steer by using the brake controls, the higher end units that are hydraulic are the same steering as your ZTR or Standers like the grandstand.


#9

exotion

exotion

If you are going to get a 36 walk behind make sure its hydro not belt. Belt drive is a pita to maneuver hydro is quite smooth and. Easy to move


#10

B

BrokenTiller

exotion said:
If you are going to get a 36 walk behind make sure its hydro not belt. Belt drive is a pita to maneuver hydro is quite smooth and. Easy to move
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Thanks, this is what I was looking for. What kind of price am I looking at to get into a low-end (if there is such a thing) hydro walk behind with a 33-36" deck? I suspect they're going to be commercial mowers that will cost at least several grand, which is more than I want to spend, keeping in mind that I'm only going to be using it on my own property as a home owner.


#11

lawn mower fanatic

lawn mower fanatic

BrokenTiller said:
Thanks, this is what I was looking for. What kind of price am I looking at to get into a low-end (if there is such a thing) hydro walk behind with a 33-36" deck? I suspect they're going to be commercial mowers that will cost at least several grand, which is more than I want to spend, keeping in mind that I'm only going to be using it on my own property as a home owner.
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Yes they can be expensive. Here are some that range in price from just over $2,000 to a lot higher!

simplicity.jpg
Simplicity 5900515 Pacer (32") 17.5HP Wide Area Self-Propelled Lawn Mower

Pacer

toro.jpg
Toro | 36" (91 cm) Hydro Drive Deck, Pistol Grip steering control Mid-Size Walk Behind

bobcat.png
BOB-CAT Hydro Walk Behind Mowers with SoftGrip or Z-Control | BOB-CAT Commercial Mowers


#12

Ric

Ric

BrokenTiller said:
Thanks, this is what I was looking for. What kind of price am I looking at to get into a low-end (if there is such a thing) hydro walk behind with a 33-36" deck? I suspect they're going to be commercial mowers that will cost at least several grand, which is more than I want to spend, keeping in mind that I'm only going to be using it on my own property as a home owner.
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What type of property are we talking about and how much do you have to mow? For a good Hydro drive unit you would be talking between $5000 to $8000 depending on the make and model. I purchased a Cub Cadet G 1336 and it cost right at $2200 and it was a last years model I think the new MSRP on that unit was $2795 plus tax.
.g1336.JPG


#13

B

BrokenTiller

lawn mower fanatic said:
Yes they can be expensive. Here are some that range in price from just over $2,000 to a lot higher!

View attachment 15904
Simplicity 5900515 Pacer (32") 17.5HP Wide Area Self-Propelled Lawn Mower

Pacer

View attachment 15905
Toro | 36" (91 cm) Hydro Drive Deck, Pistol Grip steering control Mid-Size Walk Behind

View attachment 15906
BOB-CAT Hydro Walk Behind Mowers with SoftGrip or Z-Control | BOB-CAT Commercial Mowers
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Thanks! That at least gives me an idea of what kind of prices I'd be looking at if I decided to go this route and pay for the hydros.

Ric said:
What type of property are we talking about and how much do you have to mow? For a good Hydro drive unit you would be talking between $5000 to $8000 depending on the make and model. I purchased a Cub Cadet G 1336 and it cost right at $2200 and it was a last years model I think the new MSRP on that unit was $2795 plus tax.
.View attachment 15907
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My property is just under half an acre, has some uneven spots in the back yard, and slopes enough that I have a walk-out basement. The back yard is big and pretty wide open with the exception of 'cutting in' around the house and garden, but the front yard is small and tight with flower beds, sidewalks, and the driveway. Currently, I have a John Deere lawn tractor with a 38" cut for the back yard, and I use a push mower with 21" cut on the front yard. I'm thinking that it would be nice to only have to store one mower in my shed instead of both the tractor and small push mower, so I'm exploring what other options might be out there for when my tractor bites the dust (this is my 8th season using it and I only paid $401 for it, so despite the fact that it starts right up and runs great I can't help but think that its time might be getting near).


#14

Ric

Ric

BrokenTiller said:
Thanks! That at least gives me an idea of what kind of prices I'd be looking at if I decided to go this route and pay for the hydros.


My property is just under half an acre, has some uneven spots in the back yard, and slopes enough that I have a walk-out basement. The back yard is big and pretty wide open with the exception of 'cutting in' around the house and garden, but the front yard is small and tight with flower beds, sidewalks, and the driveway. Currently, I have a John Deere lawn tractor with a 38" cut for the back yard, and I use a push mower with 21" cut on the front yard. I'm thinking that it would be nice to only have to store one mower in my shed instead of both the tractor and small push mower, so I'm exploring what other options might be out there for when my tractor bites the dust (this is my 8th season using it and I only paid $401 for it, so despite the fact that it starts right up and runs great I can't help but think that its time might be getting near).
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You said you wanted recommendations for residential wide cut walk behind mowers, have you givin any thought to something like the Toro Turf-Master or the Exmark 30 inch mowers, there under 2K and if you want to go into the residential model you can look at the Toro Time master 30 inch mower @ like $1049. Any of those three would handle your half acre without problem and save you considerable time.

Exmark Manufacturing - Products

Toro | 30" (76 cm) TimeMaster

Toro | TurfMaster 30" Commercial Walk Behind Mower


#15

B

BrokenTiller

Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

Ric said:
You said you wanted recommendations for residential wide cut walk behind mowers, have you givin any thought to something like the Toro Turf-Master or the Exmark 30 inch mowers, there under 2K and if you want to go into the residential model you can look at the Toro Time master 30 inch mower @ like $1049. Any of those three would handle your half acre without problem and save you considerable time.

Exmark Manufacturing - Products

Toro | 30" (76 cm) TimeMaster

Toro | TurfMaster 30" Commercial Walk Behind Mower
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yes, I had actually looked into these a little bit, but I figured that they are so big that they'd be difficult to maneuver around the curving flower beds and smaller spaces in my front yard. Which led me to looking at the walk behind models slightly larger than those (33" decks at first, then 36") figuring the pivoting wheels on the front would make them easier to maneuver, and then I started to hear others commenting that they're difficult to maneuver and I'd be better off getting a hydro model... So, I kind of started out looking at the 30" push mower styles, and of course my search snowballed from there. Do you have any thoughts on maneuverability of those big push mowers?

Also, on a related note, I happened to stumble across an older John Deere 36" commercial grade walk behind on Craigslist fairly local to me earlier today. It looks like it is gear driven, but has grips for brake steering. I'd have to confirm that's what the controls are for, obviously, but it does say that it is a commercial model in the photos. The guy listing it says it is one of the early commercial model walk behinds JD made, and it does have the Kawasaki engine... He has it listed at $800/OBO. Does that seem like a decent price?


#16

lawn mower fanatic

lawn mower fanatic

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

All of your posts were moved to this new thread since you wanted them out of the other thread someone else started. :smile:


#17

B

BrokenTiller

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

lawn mower fanatic said:
All of your posts were moved to this new thread since you wanted them out of the other thread someone else started. :smile:
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Thanks! I considered asking for a moderator to do this, but I kind of thought that if it should be done someone would take care of it and I didn't want to cause anyone unnecessary work...


#18

lawn mower fanatic

lawn mower fanatic

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

BrokenTiller said:
Thanks! I considered asking for a moderator to do this, but I kind of thought that if it should be done someone would take care of it and I didn't want to cause anyone unnecessary work...
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No problem! :smile:

BrokenTiller said:
Thanks. Yes, I had actually looked into these a little bit, but I figured that they are so big that they'd be difficult to maneuver around the curving flower beds and smaller spaces in my front yard. Which led me to looking at the walk behind models slightly larger than those (33" decks at first, then 36") figuring the pivoting wheels on the front would make them easier to maneuver, and then I started to hear others commenting that they're difficult to maneuver and I'd be better off getting a hydro model... So, I kind of started out looking at the 30" push mower styles, and of course my search snowballed from there. Do you have any thoughts on maneuverability of those big push mowers?

Also, on a related note, I happened to stumble across an older John Deere 36" commercial grade walk behind on Craigslist fairly local to me earlier today. It looks like it is gear driven, but has grips for brake steering. I'd have to confirm that's what the controls are for, obviously, but it does say that it is a commercial model in the photos. The guy listing it says it is one of the early commercial model walk behinds JD made, and it does have the Kawasaki engine... He has it listed at $800/OBO. Does that seem like a decent price?
Click to expand...

The larger walk behinds without swivel caster wheels are hard to turn, but then again the ones with the caster wheels tend to be larger and heavier so they can probably be bulky, too. I had an Exmark Metro 26 and it was very heavy! :confused2:

Exmark Metro 26.jpg


#19

Ric

Ric

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

BrokenTiller said:
Thanks. Yes, I had actually looked into these a little bit, but I figured that they are so big that they'd be difficult to maneuver around the curving flower beds and smaller spaces in my front yard. Which led me to looking at the walk behind models slightly larger than those (33" decks at first, then 36") figuring the pivoting wheels on the front would make them easier to maneuver, and then I started to hear others commenting that they're difficult to maneuver and I'd be better off getting a hydro model... So, I kind of started out looking at the 30" push mower styles, and of course my search snowballed from there. Do you have any thoughts on maneuverability of those big push mowers?

Also, on a related note, I happened to stumble across an older John Deere 36" commercial grade walk behind on Craigslist fairly local to me earlier today. It looks like it is gear driven, but has grips for brake steering. I'd have to confirm that's what the controls are for, obviously, but it does say that it is a commercial model in the photos. The guy listing it says it is one of the early commercial model walk behinds JD made, and it does have the Kawasaki engine... He has it listed at $800/OBO. Does that seem like a decent price?
Click to expand...



You would be surprised about the maneuverability of the 30 inch mowers, I use the Turf-Master everyday and I have too admit at first I thought the same as you but when you get used to the machine it really isn't that bad. I took the chance and purchased the Turf-master sight unseen to replace my Cub Cadet G 1336 and it turned into the best decision I could have made. Now I'm not saying that the 36' walk behind wasn't a good mower but I can tell you it was less maneuverable than the Turf-Master, and let me tell you the height adjustments on those big walk behind mowers are a PITA. Unlike the Turf-master which takes seconds to change those walk behinds to change the height you will pull pins, remove wheels, adjust spacers and put it all back together and it's a greasy mess and if your figuring those pivoting wheels on the front would make them easier to maneuver, think again They don't. The maneuverability is some better with the hydro model. Personally if I were you I'd go down to your nearest Toro Dealer and see if he had a Turf-Master or Time-Master you could Demo and talk to him and see what info you could get from him.


#20

B

BrokenTiller

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

Ric said:
You would be surprised about the maneuverability of the 30 inch mowers, I use the Turf-Master everyday and I have too admit at first I thought the same as you but when you get used to the machine it really isn't that bad. I took the chance and purchased the Turf-master sight unseen to replace my Cub Cadet G 1336 and it turned into the best decision I could have made. Now I'm not saying that the 36' walk behind wasn't a good mower but I can tell you it was less maneuverable than the Turf-Master, and let me tell you the height adjustments on those big walk behind mowers are a PITA. Unlike the Turf-master which takes seconds to change those walk behinds to change the height you will pull pins, remove wheels, adjust spacers and put it all back together and it's a greasy mess and if your figuring those pivoting wheels on the front would make them easier to maneuver, think again They don't. The maneuverability is some better with the hydro model. Personally if I were you I'd go down to your nearest Toro Dealer and see if he had a Turf-Master or Time-Master you could Demo and talk to him and see what info you could get from him.
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Yeah, I suppose that will have to be my next step at some point. Do you have any thoughts on the older John Deere walk behinds? I know that the Kawasaki engines were good, and my dad and I have had nothing but good results from Deere's, so I'm a little bit inclined to buy older used, but at the same time I don't want to buy something commercial if it is less likely to hold up (due to wear and tear/abuse already on it over the years) or if it is over-priced...


#21

lawn mower fanatic

lawn mower fanatic

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

BrokenTiller said:
Yeah, I suppose that will have to be my next step at some point. Do you have any thoughts on the older John Deere walk behinds? I know that the Kawasaki engines were good, and my dad and I have had nothing but good results from Deere's, so I'm a little bit inclined to buy older used, but at the same time I don't want to buy something commercial if it is less likely to hold up (due to wear and tear/abuse already on it over the years) or if it is over-priced...
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I don't know what condition it's in, but here are some things to consider when buying used: http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/mower-buying-pricing/17772-things-look-when-buying-used-mower.html :smile:


#22

B

BrokenTiller

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

lawn mower fanatic said:
I don't know what condition it's in, but here are some things to consider when buying used: http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/mower-buying-pricing/17772-things-look-when-buying-used-mower.html :smile:
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I tend to primarily buy used equipment, so I'm aware of the risks involved. The current owner obviously bought it used so the entire history is an unknown. The most recent owner seems to have taken care of it though, so it does have that going for it. Here is his description, followed by a couple of photos:


For sale is my John Deere commercial Walk Behind 38" mower.

It has 1065 hours on it, and runs great. This is the real deal and is one of the first models of commercial walk behinds that John Deere made.

I bought this a while back to reduce the time I spend mowing my lawn every week, and it definitely does that! with my old 22" push mower it would take me 2 hours. With this 38" mower it takes less than 1 hour. I'm selling it because it takes up too much room in my garage and I need to look for a 30" mower that the handles fold up on.

When I got it, it had a couple issues. I added a new PTO switch (to turn the blades on), fixed the shifter linkage, cleaned everything, fixed the ignition system harness and fixed some of the rust on the deck. I recently sharpened the blades and cleaned out the whole fuel system. The 14 kp Kawasaki motor starts easy and runs very strong.

It has 5 forward speeds and 1 reverse. Top speed forward is a running pace, so it makes short work of large lawns. And because it is a zero turn radius, you can work faster than a conventional riding mower.

The 38" deck width is nice too because it can fit through most gates.

This would be a great mower for someone who has a lot of hills to mow, or a backup for a landscaping company.

It also comes with the 2 wheel sulky.

If you have any questions, please let me know.
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3ta3F93H55r45K55qdd6t276807f7d4601044.jpg


3t33Id3s55Na5Jc5Med6tb27069abb6a01bb1.jpg


I guess, my thing is that if I decide to go look at it, I don't want to be wasting the guy's time. If I drive down there and it is good shape and I like it, I want to know what I'm comfortable offering the guy for it...


#23

lawn mower fanatic

lawn mower fanatic

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

BrokenTiller said:
I tend to primarily buy used equipment, so I'm aware of the risks involved. The current owner obviously bought it used so the entire history is an unknown. The most recent owner seems to have taken care of it though, so it does have that going for it. Here is his description, followed by a couple of photos:

...

I guess, my thing is that if I decide to go look at it, I don't want to be wasting the guy's time. If I drive down there and it is good shape and I like it, I want to know what I'm comfortable offering the guy for it...
Click to expand...

So the mower was not used commercially?


#24

B

BrokenTiller

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

lawn mower fanatic said:
So the mower was not used commercially?
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Based on the guy's post it does not sound like it. I wonder, however, if the 1,065 hours he states is the number of hours that he put on it, and its use prior to him is an unknown... I sent him an email asking for a little bit more information about its history. How much do you think it would be worth if it was and wasn't used commercially so I have a ballpark of what I should be looking at for it?


#25

lawn mower fanatic

lawn mower fanatic

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

BrokenTiller said:
Based on the guy's post it does not sound like it. I wonder, however, if the 1,065 hours he states is the number of hours that he put on it, and its use prior to him is an unknown... I sent him an email asking for a little bit more information about its history. How much do you think it would be worth if it was and wasn't used commercially so I have a ballpark of what I should be looking at for it?
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I would say maybe $500 if it wasn't used commercially, $400 if it was. Maybe?


#26

B

BrokenTiller

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

lawn mower fanatic said:
I would say maybe $500 if it wasn't used commercially, $400 if it was. Maybe?
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Thanks. Out of curiosity, what are you basing those values on?


#27

Ric

Ric

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

BrokenTiller said:
Based on the guy's post it does not sound like it. I wonder, however, if the 1,065 hours he states is the number of hours that he put on it, and its use prior to him is an unknown... I sent him an email asking for a little bit more information about its history. How much do you think it would be worth if it was and wasn't used commercially so I have a ballpark of what I should be looking at for it?
Click to expand...

I'm going to assume with 5 fwd speeds and one reverse were talking about a belt drive, the other thing I would assume is that it was used commercially because 1065 hours fora homeowner unit would be a lot of hours. The unit new probably wouldn't have sold for anymore than 2 K to begin with and I base that figure on what I paid for the G 1336. I used my 1336 for 2 years commercially but only as a backup mower and had a little less than a hundred hours on the unit and sold it for $1200 and got just over half my money back. As old as that unit is and with the number of hours it has and with what he had to do to actually get the thing in operating condition, I'd have to ask what else needs to be done or will have to be done shortly. The other thing you may want to consider is the fact that who ever owned the thing used a sulky which can add to the ware and tear to the unit. Personally if it were me and I don't know what the asking price is I wouldn't go anymore than $250 maybe $300.


#28

B

BrokenTiller

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

Ric said:
I'm going to assume with 5 fwd speeds and one reverse were talking about a belt drive, the other thing I would assume is that it was used commercially because 1065 hours fora homeowner unit would be a lot of hours. The unit new probably wouldn't have sold for anymore than 2 K to begin with and I base that figure on what I paid for the G 1336. I used my 1336 for 2 years commercially but only as a backup mower and had a little less than a hundred hours on the unit and sold it for $1200 and got just over half my money back. As old as that unit is and with the number of hours it has and with what he had to do to actually get the thing in operating condition, I'd have to ask what else needs to be done or will have to be done shortly. The other thing you may want to consider is the fact that who ever owned the thing used a sulky which can add to the ware and tear to the unit. Personally if it were me and I don't know what the asking price is I wouldn't go anymore than $250 maybe $300.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I had a couple more emails with him - he said that he bought it recently and has personally put 10-12 hours on it. The 1,065 hours is the total amount on the meter. He also confirmed that this model was made from 1996-2001 and he suspects it is one of the earlier models, so we're looking at a mower that is 15 years old to have that many hours on it. That's 70 hours per year which seems like either a lot for a homeowner, or a somewhat small amount for commercial use. I have no idea how many hours get put on commercial equipment but I have to think it is more than 70 hrs per season, even if you spend half your day running the equipment and you mow 3 days a week, that's closer to 50 hours per month.

Even with that said, it definitely seems to me that his asking price is high. Which is somewhat surprising to me, because not knowing any better I thought it seemed like a good deal. Glad that I asked you guys first... Right now I have a John Deere 175 Hydro that I use to mow with - if I do end up getting something else, what would you suggest I ask for it to sell it? It has some rust on floor board areas, but I keep it stored indoors. It starts and runs great, and I've been using it to mow my yard for the last 8 years and haven't ever had a problem with the engine.


#29

lawn mower fanatic

lawn mower fanatic

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

BrokenTiller said:
Thanks. Out of curiosity, what are you basing those values on?
Click to expand...

Ric said:
Personally if it were me and I don't know what the asking price is I wouldn't go anymore than $250 maybe $300.
Click to expand...

Yeah that might be a better price. I just look at other used mowers in similar condition to see what they are priced at, like these:



#30

B

BrokenTiller

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

lawn mower fanatic said:
Yeah that might be a better price. I just look at other used mowers in similar condition to see what they are priced at, like these:

Click to expand...

Ok, thanks. I think, based on the pictures, the JD is in better condition than those, or at least 2 of the 3 with the Gravely being the exception. And the JD does have the Kawasaki engine, which is a plus over those 2 as well. Either way though, it is certainly worth considerably less than his $800 asking price.


#31

lawn mower fanatic

lawn mower fanatic

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

BrokenTiller said:
Right now I have a John Deere 175 Hydro that I use to mow with - if I do end up getting something else, what would you suggest I ask for it to sell it? It has some rust on floor board areas, but I keep it stored indoors. It starts and runs great, and I've been using it to mow my yard for the last 8 years and haven't ever had a problem with the engine.
Click to expand...

Here are some others:



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