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

[lawn mower fanatic]

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.

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


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

Pacer


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


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

 

[Ric]

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.

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.
.

 

[BrokenTiller]

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

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.

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

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).

 

[Ric]

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).

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

 

[BrokenTiller]

Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

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

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?

 

[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:

 

[BrokenTiller]

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:

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...

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

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...

No problem! :smile:

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?

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:

 

[Ric]

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

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?

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.

 

[BrokenTiller]

Re: Walk Behind Mower Buying & Pricing Help

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.

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...