Would you buy the same mower again?

[Muhammad]

Here's one that everybody can chime in on. Would you buy the same mower again, or would you go with a different model? Do you have any regrets about your purchase?

I'll start. My first mower was a John Deere 365 with 48" deck. Loved that machine for 430 hours until we sold it. But I will say that the only thing different I would do is go up to a machine that had the power to handle a 60" deck instead of the 48" deck.

How about you?

 

[StarTech]

Well I started out with a Ford riding mower. It was had good engine and transaxle wise but the deck was nothing but trouble as I was constantly having weld it. IN the end I use it sheet metal to do some body repairs on a '66 Ford pick-up. The truck probably would had a nervous breakdown if it was from the Murray.

Then I went Murray which I simply wore out. Now I using a MTD 42" rider with an upgraded engine (21hp instead of the 16.5 hp it had).

Now if I was to buy a new mower it probably would be a zero turn with lap bars. This is mainly due to me working on and using them here on my six acres. I would however stay away from residential versions as I see too many of them in the shop for repairs. No particular brand preference even I do lean toward the JD or Hustler commercial line.

 

[cpurvis]

Between me and my Dad, we've owned three Cub Cadets over the years. I still have #3, but I wouldn't buy a new one. I don't think they're as good as they used to be.

 

[Rivets]

As most of you know I’m a Toro guy so I have a Super Recycler 20381 and an XL38 Toro tractor. Recycler is 3 years old and the tractor is 18 years old. My first mower was a steel wheeled reel mower, so I’ll stick with what I’ve got now.

 

[keakar]

Between me and my Dad, we've owned three Cub Cadets over the years. I still have #3, but I wouldn't buy a new one. I don't think they're as good as they used to be.

this is true for almost all brands, the thing i dont like about cub cadets are the deck gauges are thinner and rot out way faster then other brands

the LA and D series john deers are made in china and have plastic tranny housings and are made as you would expect cheap chinese crap to be.

the troy builts are the black and decker of lawn mowers, cheap, pretty reliable, but not high quality in any way

one of the best brands out there now to buy would be a husqvarna hands down

 

[shaggyha]

Kubota G23 would definitely buy the same again, outstanding piece of machinery

 

[Eugene Onegin]

Yes I will when the time comes ,right now I have a Kubota BX 2200 .

 

[warrenw]

I have owned my Honda hydro-static for 33 years. Still like new. No need to buy ever again.

 

[frwillia]

In 2004 I bought a ZD21 in partnership with my sister. Between us and my nephew we kept 5 acres of lawn and about two miles of horse trails mowed. The ZD21 was the first generation Kubota Diesel mower and had a lot of issues. It took a lot of work to maintain it including removing the deck every 50 hours to check the gear box oil level and grease the deck. It also was a low serial number and required overfilling the transmission to the point they offered a special tank modification to fill the while transmission case. I maintained it by the book other than I didn't change the mower deck gear box seals every couple of years like they recommended.

We sold it in 2018 with just under 2,000 hours on it, and bought a ZD1211. We looked at about every zero turn made, but my sister (5'-2, 100 lb. couldn't raise the foot push pedal with 60" decks. Neither could my wife, so all of those were rejected). So far the ZD1211, a third generation Kubota Diesel, is working well. The steering controls are much much better. The ZD21 had a lot of slip, the ZD1211 has none, so it's easier to drive. It's also much easier to maintain. There is no need to remove the deck every 50 hours to do routine maintenance. It is specified to go 200 hours between oil changes - the ZD21 was 100 hours. It has noticeably more power than the ZD21. I'm 78, so it will probably be the last mower I'll buy. But with a lawn this big to mow, if I had to buy another one, I'd buy it again. The biggest drawback to the ZD1211 is it's weight. It's quite a bit heavier than other professional zero turns.

 

[cdrnet]

I would certainly buy my WALKER MBK-23 again. It was fine with a 60" deck with ample power however not nimble enough over the rough stuff. However I eventually realised it was a 'one trick pony' and I needed another mower. Instead of buying another mower, I downgraded the deck. I now have a 42" deck that does it all. Cuts the lawns as well as the >10" rough stuff, plus I can get around trees easily and also through most spaces.

Great piece of kit with tons of attachments available and power to drive them all