Riding Lawn Mower advice?

[stewchi]

I am thinking about buying a riding lawnmower, any advice? I have never had one before so I am not sure what to look for.

[Bud]

I have an old 12 hp simplicity that gives me nice cut. It's not very fast. My brother has an old 17 hp John Deere that runs circles around it. I do not think the cut is as good. I guess it depends on you pocket. I would ask around a few of those small engine repair shops. Those guys know what they have to work on the most. Just make sure you store it inside.

Bud

[messmaker]

Most of the better brands are putting out cheaper models to get more market share. I think most are going down hill a little. Most of the low end mowers are made by Noma,Murray or MTD. Some of them do pretty well if you have a flat yard. John Deere is a very good brand and can be purchased without breaking the bank. Cub Cadet makes a nice looking mower but according to Consumer reports it is among the most trouble prone. Huskavarna and Toro are OK. Kubota or Honda is maybe the best but they can cost as much as a car.I think a simple rule is to buy by weight. The heavier mower in the same class is probably going to last longer an vibrate less.

[Raymonator]

As Messmaker states, the better reknown brands are trying to get into the "average Joe's" market as opposed to concentrating on the industrial type buyer.
With that said, you end up paying extra bucks for a brand name that really isn't any different than let's say a Craftsman lawn tractor. I own a John Deere 12 HP lawn tractor that I purchase back in 1989, and it's still going strong, but they were made differently back then with a frame etc and the engine is made by Kawasaki. If you want to attach a snow blower to your lawn tractor, I would recommend getting at least a 18 HP, as the 12 HP just doesn't give you enough power for blowing snow. If you have a flat piece of property with not too many tree's, then just about any Sears or equivilent type of store who sells lawn tractors will do the trick, seeing they all have basically the same brand name motors in them, regardless of the company selling them. If on the other hand, you have a lot of hills and trees, you might want to consider more industrial type lawn tractors from the higher end JD's or Kubota, which will last you a lifetime.
Good luck.

[bigsteel15]

Tim Taylor lawn mower

I am thinking about buying a riding lawnmower, any advice? I have never had one before so I am not sure what to look for.

check it out.

http://www.dixiechopper.com

Makes me wish I had a lawn worth getting a ride on for.

Seriously though, the guys here that have acreages have all gone through numerous "cheaper" models and swear by their Kubota and John Deere units.

[MikeMcCoy]

I have a 21 HP Murray but got tired of working on and picked up a new John Deere 17 HP last summer. The supposedly smaller motor on the JD lets me cut in 5th gear whereas the Murray was overworked in 3rd gear. I cut my mowing time down from 3 hours to a little over an hour and a half for my 3 acres (not all sunny).

[greencat]

I would say any riding mower would do as long as you hire someone to cut your grass.

I use to look forward to cutting my lawn but now I have too many other thnigs I would like to do.

[Thalermade]

Your yard will help decide what you are looking need. Do you have 1/2 acre, 5 acres, hills, a lot of flower beds or swingsets? Will you need this to move snow as well?

Not all the low end mowers have oil pumps. If you have any grade to your yard at all, you will want an engine with an oil pump.

Hydromatic (automatic tranny) can be a nice feature.
Size of gas tank.
How easy to remove the deck (I believe Simplicity wins this category)
Turning radius if you have a lot of trees (other wise just create a mulch
circle around the trees just a little bit bigger than said radius)



Happy mowing.

Russ

[Boomer_01]

Go Green

John Deere RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is it really obvious that I am a JD collector???


Nothing Runs Like A Deere......except antelopes and a panthers...but they arent on mowers......so Deere it is...


Boomer

[meika123]

I have a Simplicity 20 hp mower we bought in 1988-still going strong. I have at my home a 13.0 hp Honda rider that I bought in 1991-tough as a pine knot. I recently purchased a 19.0 Bunton (built by Bob Cat) ZTR to mow my 8 1/2 acres. Reduced my mowing time from 8+ hours to approx. 3 1/2.

Again, determine what you need-based on how much and the type of lawn you have.

Dave in NC

[Jim Boyd]

Everything I've read says the JD mowers at the box stores ain't real JD's. Licensed by JD but built by Murry. If you want a JD go to a JD dealer.

[Russianwolf]

John Deere RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is it really obvious that I am a JD collector???


Nothing Runs Like A Deere......except antelopes and a panthers...but they arent on mowers......so Deere it is...


Boomer

My Huskee seems to do just fine at catchin those deere.....


Honestly I got a Huskee 18hp (B&S motor) with a 42 inch cut three seasons ago. So far, all I've had to do is put gas in the thing. It has the Hydro trans which is very nice and even LOML can drive it. The cut is good without sharpening the blades, and great with them sharp (reminder to self, sharpen blades). LOML insisted that we get the service plan (lapses in June) that we haven't needed, but I may try to get something to break before then.

A friend had gotten a Deere Zero turn for his 5 acres and didn't cut too often. He kept complaining about it bogging down since he let the grass get too long. He bought a new Husquvarna Deisel and had no complaints from there on. (my point is, if you're going to cut tall wet gas, get a deisel, my friend would have had the same problem no matter which brand he had originally bought)

Go to www.tractorsupply.com and look at their lawn mower selector. It will give you an idea of what to look for given your needs (wether you buy one of their brands or not).

[Mrs. Wallnut]

I bought Mark a John Deere for fathers day. It was one of the top ones, automatic drive (no clutch and shifting) just push the pedal to go with a 42" cutting range and it mulches also. We don't have to worry about emptying bags or where to put grass clippings. I wouldn't go with any other brand after having this JD.

[linear]

If you want a JD go to a JD dealer.

This.



I got my dealer Deere riding mower used out of the paper. For the dough I saved, I could easily afford taking it in for the dee-luxe annual dealer service every year for a lot of years to come. So my take is, Deere, but watch for a good deal on a used one. Stop into the Deere dealer they probably have a few to get your level set on a reasonable price.

(I have the LT155 with the 42" mulching deck, hydrostatic xmission, 15 HP Kohler engine. And I got it for 900 bucks.)

[jdschulteis]

Riding Mower Thoughts

My number one thing to look for would be ease of getting at the blades to keep them clean and sharp.

Make sure the gasoline fill is in a convenient location--mine is partly blocked by the steering wheel.

I'd prefer a mulching deck. Most every lawn care article I've read recommends leaving the clippings on the lawn, and it's nicer looking to have them mulched.

About 2-3 times a year I wish my mower had headlights.

I'll second linear's suggestion to look into a used one. Mine is an Allis-Chalmers, over 20 years old, my father-in-law bought it used. Briggs motor still runs fine.

Mowing seems much less tiring when I wear hearing protection.

Never mow with a child sitting on your lap!
It's almost unbelievable how many accidents I've heard about that started that way.