Riding Lawn Mower advice?

[bobby_m]

If you have many obstructions like trees, or areas where you need to turn tightly, I would highly suggest a ZTR (zero turn radius) machine. These are the ones with two control bars in front of the driver that independently controls the drive wheels like a tank. It turns on a dime and does reverse beautifully.

Also get yourself an IPOD or equivelent with good tight-fitting in-ear phones. It makes the hour of riding fly by.

Bobby

[sacherjj]

Also get yourself an IPOD or equivelent with good tight-fitting in-ear phones. It makes the hour of riding fly by.

I used to do this, until I kept the iPod at the volume level that I used while mowing and did a check on noise level. 108 dB. Not good for an hour of exposure. I didn't realize how loud it was, I just turned it up till I could hear it. Then my ears would ring for a while afterwards. Now I use worktunes or use iPod ear buds UNDER outer hearing protection, which allows me to keep the volume lower and still hear it.

[gerti]

I have a 14.5HP Craftsman, 11 years old now. In summer it does the lawn, only about 0.5 acre but I wouldn't want to do that with a push mower... Mulching deck, highly recommended. Occasionally I also use a de-thatcher in front or pull an aerator. In winter it gets converted with snow chains, wheel weights and a snow blade to take care of a 250' driveway. That seems pretty tough on it, but it does the job.

It needs a new battery about every 4 years, and a few years ago it needed a new carburetor (Sears came and did that for about $90).

Other than that it hasn't given me any trouble, I just wish it would not be so loud, hearing protection is a must. Would it kill them to spend a few bucks more on a decent muffler design?

[gary]

I have a 16HP Kubota diesel with 4 wheel steering and 54" cut. I have over 100 trees planted and the 4 wheel steering cut several hours off my mowing time (1.3 acres). Its a nice feature if you need it.

[leehljp]

I have a 10 year old 16 HP Sears bought in the summer of '96. Only problem I have had was lending it out ONE time. Not again. Had to buy a new belt. While I was in Japan, my mom used to let one man use it to cut the lawn here, but no where else. Sometimes my son in law used it to cut the lawn. It still runs great and cuts great.

Having said that, one key is to clean it after every cut. I take a water hose to it on top and under neath. Water does not cause rust or corrosion, dirt and water does. I have seen two year old mowers look in worse condition than my 10 year old. I am not obsessive about clean, but cleaning mowers and dirt tools does pay off considerably.

[linear]

Having said that, one key is to clean it after every cut.

Good tip, Hank. When i got mine used the seller threw in a little plastic shed for it. If I stay on top of cleaning it, it should stay pretty much corrosion free.

[kwgeorge]

After many years of keeping a craftsmen up and running two years ago I finally broke down and bought a new one. I looked at about everything on the market and compared features to price, comfort, turn radius and so on. In the end I bought a Troy-bilt from Lowes as I got the best deal on it and I really like its features. It has a V-Twin engine with almost no vibration which translates into no numb hands after cutting the grass. It also has a CVT transmission so no shifting! If I wanna go fast I just push harder on the gas pedal. Defiantly worth you looking at before you buy.

[stewchi]

Thanks for the info guys, I spent several weeks of checking the paper, asking around and calling repairs shops but no one has any used ones available. I did learn I needed a model with an oil pump as my yard is on a slope and the front is pretty steep. The fact that I needed an oil pump and I have to pay new mower prices dictated which mower I could get. I ended up with a Craftsman 18hp for $999. It has a Briggs motor, (Intek model) with an oil pump. I was surprised as craftsman has several much more expensive mowers that did not have an oil pump. All the other stores I looked at (Wallmart, Lowes, Borg) did not have oil pumps until you stepped up to the $1300 range. When you add a $300 bagger and tax it was too much. I got a deal on the bagger at sears. The cheap smaller bagger was on sale but they were out and the guy could not figure out how to order them so they gave me the big 3 bin bagger which was not on sale for the sales price of the 2 bin, $289 (Reg price $369).
So I tried it out and was very happy with it. It’s the first time I have used a rider, and I could not believe how nice it is. There is a plot of land that is shared between several of the neighbors, and my neighbor showed me the compost pile for leaves and grass clipping. It was so incredibly easy having that bagger pick up all the leaves and cut grass, then dumping them out. WOW
When done I used the leaf blower to clean off the mower, it seamed to work pretty good. I have always had to rake before in the other houses we have lived, and I was not looking forward to that in our new house as the yard it a little under an acre and its all hill. I am not a fan of mulching it, does not make as nice a cut and you have to de-thatch every year or so because it builds up this thick bed of dead matted grass and keeps the overseeding for taking hold. At least that what always happed to me before.

[Raymonator]

Congrats Stewchi on your new toy. My neighbour purchased the 18 hp Craftsman lawn tractor a few years ago, and he's got about 3 acres of property. Over the years his Craftsman has proven to be a very reliable machine. For the price, you got yourself a lawn tractor that should give you several years of maintenance free operation. Just a reminder, get in the habit of "always" checking your oil before you start the tractor. I've heard of many people damaging their motors only because they didn't bother checking the oil level and eventually burning the engine. Congrats once again, and happy mowing.