Modern Mowers....

ghost

ghost

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 25, 2006
Location
Hartsville/Camden,SC
So I might have to buy a new mower. Local we have a Lowe's and Tractor Supply. Looks like they have John Deere, Toro, Chraftsman and Airens at Lowe's. TS has Cub Cadet, Bad Boy, and Troy Bilt. I have no desire for a zero turn but it looks like that is what the world has moved to. Anyone bought a mower recently or have any suggestions on what brands are actually with the thousands of dollars they cost now days. I hope I'm wrong on needing one but figured I better do some research. My current mower is a Husqvarna YTA 18542 from 2016 with a plastic general transmissions transmission that appears to be going out.
 
I've always had good luck with Husqvarna riding mowers.
 
Found this while researching. Looks like I need to avoid Brigs motors.

 
I dont have alot to mow. Just about 1 acre. But alot of it is very hilly.
I picked my box store riding mower specifically for the ease of replacing the tires with tractor tire style tires, cheap so (read: plethora) plenty of shade tree mods - so i could lincoln lock the axle. Good aftermarket support so i could mod the drive belt
 
I have a hustler raptor with the Kawasaki motor. Zero complaints other than that I'm an idiot and should have made the switch from the yard tractor long ago. You can still drink beer just fine on a zero turn so don't let fear hold you up like it did me. 🤣
 
Just a thought, have you considered a finish mower for your tractor? Or buying an older model mower that's in good shape?


If you're set on new, get a hustler.
 
ckruzer said:
I dont have alot to mow. Just about 1 acre. But alot of it is very hilly.
I picked my box store riding mower specifically for the ease of replacing the tires with tractor tire style tires, cheap so (read: plethora) plenty of shade tree mods - so i could lincoln lock the axle. Good aftermarket support so i could mod the drive belt
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Best service and support is a local place you can buy lawn equipment. They may be a little higher but quality is better and any warranty issues they will take care of you. Especially if you are a home owner using commercial equipment the warranty often is extended. That is if you aren't going to mod it. If you are going to mod it get one used.
Plenty of dumb asses buy a mower don't put oil in them return em to the store and get reconditioned with the same warranty.
 
JSJJ388 said:
Just a thought, have you considered a finish mower for your tractor? Or buying an older model mower that's in good shape?


If you're set on new, get a hustler.
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During "the season" I mow the MIL's lawn. My current mower is an older model and the little bit of research and all the things I've had to fix make me want to look at what has improved over the one I have.

paradisePWoffrd said:
buy a used JD 3 or 5 series lawn tractor in good condition.
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Looking around I might have to look at used. I don't have a lot of cash to blow but I have excellent credit and can make payments at 0% easy. I hope I can keep this one going but I'd like to get educated on who makes what and who makes junk.
 
justjeepin86 said:
Also, if i have at least a half acre, there's no way I'm mowing without a zero turn.
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Good to know. We have 1.7 acres here. Over half has grass or some form of something a mower can cut. Are the blades on zero turns better? I go through blades fast since there are a lot of thin areas with sand.
 
ghost said:
Good to know. We have 1.7 acres here. Over half has grass or some form of something a mower can cut. Are the blades on zero turns better? I go through blades fast since there are a lot of thin areas with sand.
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Nope... same blades config as other mowers.

And as previously stated... stay away OPE from big box stores! "Brand name" but bastardized to meet a price point/be cheaper than the other big box stores (the parallel of being the "cheapest" hooker 🙄)

Just finished "mowing" a 5 acre field with my commercial duty Bobcat/Buton (52" w/ 26HP Kawasaki)... the pile UNDER the deck was rolling up and lifting entire machine upward, but the engine never sounded loaded 😎
 
Caver Dave said:
Nope... same blades config as other mowers.

And as previously stated... stay away OPE from big box stores! "Brand name" but bastardized to meet a price point/be cheaper than the other big box stores (the parallel of being the "cheapest" hooker 🙄)

Just finished "mowing" a 5 acre field with my commercial duty Bobcat/Buton (52" w/ 26HP Kawasaki)... the pile UNDER the deck was rolling up and lifting entire machine upward, but the engine never sounded loaded 😎
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The only shop in town I refuse to buy from. Had a bad experience with them and they have a terrible reputation. There is a John Deere dealer one town over but I feel like JD is over priced and not what they use to be. the outdoor shop in Harstville I'd definitely buy from but I think they only have Kubota and Toro. Columbia is only about 45 min away and probably has anything I could want.
 
No fries said:
Best service and support is a local place you can buy lawn equipment. They may be a little higher but quality is better and any warranty issues they will take care of you. Especially if you are a home owner using commercial equipment the warranty often is extended. That is if you aren't going to mod it. If you are going to mod it get one used.
Plenty of dumb asses buy a mower don't put oil in them return em to the store and get reconditioned with the same warranty.
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This my Snapper zero came from such a shop. It has ran an operated flawless. The few small items it did need they had or could get. Overall build is hands down better then box store brands. They now carry more Ferris and it's probably what I'll replace it with. Hopefully in another ten years. My family has traditionally kept Snappers for 15 to 20 years per mower.
 
ghost said:
Good to know. We have 1.7 acres here. Over half has grass or some form of something a mower can cut. Are the blades on zero turns better? I go through blades fast since there are a lot of thin areas with sand.
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All I can say is you will finish mowing 2x faster. You don't realize how much time it takes turning around and whatnot with a standard rider. 1.7 acres is a no brainer for a ZT.
 
I bought a Cub Cadet ZT-2 54 earlier in the year. It replaced a well used Cub Cadet RZT50 that I got from @77GreenMachine, which I used for several years (had a Briggs which was part of the problem). But it always started and ran and the price that Phillip sold it to me was well worth what I had to do to it initially. The ZT1 and ZT2 lines are really build solid and come with the Kawasaki engine. The decks are not stamped and that's what you really want to avoid a stamped deck. I have been really happy with it so far. Jim Smith bought the same mower last year and that helped me decide to get this one. The ZT2 has a few more bells and whistles than the ZT1 but either are worth the cash.

I bought mine from the local Farm Supply place in Reidsville. The big box stores sell junk. You don't want a 3 series John Deere, those are the consumer garbage. A 5 Series is the minimum mower I would buy from JD but the Cub is a better value (and price)
 
For what is is worth, I have a 60" Bad Boy with the 7000 series engine. Going on 8 years now, no issues at all. I have changed the oil yearly, put a new battery in and a new set of blades this year. Could have gotten a year or two more out of the old ones, but I sharpened them and put them on the shelve as backup. Absolutely zero issues or complaints.
 
justjeepin86 said:
All I can say is you will finish mowing 2x faster. You don't realize how much time it takes turning around and whatnot with a standard rider. 1.7 acres is a no brainer for a ZT.
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My yard took 7 beers with the lawn tractor, zero turn has it down to 4. Not sure that that's a good selling point now that I think about it 🤔
 
justjeepin86 said:
All I can say is you will finish mowing 2x faster. You don't realize how much time it takes turning around and whatnot with a standard rider. 1.7 acres is a no brainer for a ZT.
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Absolutely. I cut all year with a tractor type mower, and it easily adds 30 minutes to mowing my front yard.
 
If it’s like it was 10-12 years ago, most of the box store machines are all made in the same plant and given a different body and paint scheme. There is a quality difference between box store and local dealer level machines.

We run a 60” Bad Boy ZT around the farm and it takes a beating. It’s about 8 years old now it has needed general maintenance like belts, blades and oil. This year it finally needed a PTO clutch and will get tires next spring.
 
Don't buy anything from Lowes or HD when it comes to large lawn equipment like a mower. They're the cheaper mass produced models for major retailers. You'll have MUCH better luck getting something from a dealer. Take a look at the models when you drop by Lowes or HD next, then compare them to a dealership model. Much different.

About 5 years ago I bought a JD X350. I don't have a ton to mow, maybe a quarter of an acre. I sort of got it as a "future proof" mower so when I move into a bigger place I already have it. It's been great so far. I don't use it a ton so it's only got around 70 hours on it. The only thing I'd have done differently is get it with a bigger deck. Mine's a 42 but the 48 would have been better. A mulching system would have also been ideal. I still have that on my list of things to purchase but haven't gotten around to it.
 
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