Riding Lawnmowers

[Free_Salato_Blue]

What's the best quality for your dollar?
I had my father's mower was a Lowe's brand and after 20 years it sorta died.
Could have fixed it but figure it was time for a newer and bigger mower.
Was in a rush so ran down to the Tractor Supply and picked up one their Huskee with a Kohler engine.
After 3 seasons it's a smoke blowing piece of junk.
Do they make a decent entry level rider or are they all as I was told "Throw Away models"?

 

[Bill Derington]

I would try to shy away from zero turns with a sealed hydraulic system. If you happen to get a leak you're screwed.
Remember to keep oil changed regularly, and clean off old grass under deck. That crap builds up and deteriorates the thin decks fairly quick.

 

[akers65]

Most all low end mowers are made by MTD regardless of brand.

I have heard several brag on the cub cadets,

 

[Free_Salato_Blue]

Think Cub Cadets are MTD now along with the John Deere you see at box stores like Home Depot.

 

[Free_Salato_Blue]

I would try to shy away from zero turns with a sealed hydraulic system. If you happen to get a leak you're screwed.
Remember to keep oil changed regularly, and clean off old grass under deck. That crap builds up and deteriorates the thin decks fairly quick.

I'm thinking the smoke from when it starts up must be from a head gasket, after 5 min it stops,

 

[Bill Derington]

I'm thinking the smoke from when it starts up must be from a head gasket, after 5 min it stops,

Sounds like you've got an oil leak that burns off as engine gets hot.

I don't know if you're looking for a new mower, but if you can afford it and want one that'll last awhile I'd shy away from big store mowers. Not saying they definitely won't last, but I had the same luck as you had, and several people I know as well.

 

[ekywildcat]

I've always been a fan of Craftsman mowers with a Briggs&Stratton engine and a manual transmission. I ran one for about 25 years that I gave to my brother, it still ran good, but the deck was eat up, so I bought a new Craftsman. This one has the new OHV engine. If it's as good as my last one I'll be happy.

 

[BlueRaider22]

1. First off, anything "can" do well if maintained well. A well-maintained $800 Murray can last 5x as long as $5000 Cub Cadet that isn't.

2. Most brands use the same engines. Hence why you see Kohler, Briggs&Stratton, etc, in darn near every brand. They are often the same base engines. However, there are differences. John Deere for example will replace a few of the engine parts to make them more durable. It's not a ton of difference, but it could be. I'm sure many more of the upper crust brands do this.

3. What are your needs? An $5000 Scaggs could last you a decade easily, but if you only have an acre then it could be massive overkill. However, that same Scaggs machine could cut that acre in half the time of the average $1500 mower.

What is your yard like? Is it nice grass or is it a converted hay field? Hills? Rough or smooth?

4. Quality vs Quantity. You could but one $3000 Cub Cadet that will last you 10 yrs. Or you could purchase a $1500 Murray that will last you 5.......then, just buy another.

5. Deck. If you have a nice, smaller grass yd without a lot of tree roots, landscaping, etc, then your average deck will do. But a stronger fabricated deck may be the way to go for tougher yds.

6. Shop around. In Richmond, I priced a 22 HP (B&S) John Deere ZT with a 48" deck for $2999 at Lowes. Then went to Bishop's downtown (local place)......who had a 25 HP (Kawasaki) Cub Cadet ZT with 54" fabricated deck for $3099. And I could trade in my old mower at Bishops for a price. Not all prices were like this. Bishops had a few that were more expensive than Lowes.......kinda just relied on your needs and what you were looking for.

7. In general, name brands are a little better. For example the average John Deere is going to be better than the average Murray.......but it's not like it's a huge difference. Also, in general you get what you pay for.

8. I've heard that most residential mowers are designed to last about 200-300 hrs of use.....if maintained properly. More commercial mowers can last double this.

A quick Google search found a Consumer Reports detailing this to be true.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...-a-used-lawn-tractor-at-a-yard-sale/index.htm

 

[akers65]

Think Cub Cadets are MTD now along with the John Deere you see at box stores like Home Depot.

Yep, i think you're right, MTD makes almost all the ones sold at the big stores. They do have some quality equipment to offset the junk they make...lol

They make equipment for at least 40 different brand names

 

[55wildcat]

I have owned my scag zero turn for 7 yrs, Kawasaki engine. Best mower ever imo. changed blades and did normal maintenance IE oil changes and so on..Will always own a scag zero turn..also have a honda push mower for smaller area I mow, also a very fine mower..

 

[Bill Derington]

I have owned my scag zero turn for 7 yrs, Kawasaki engine. Best mower ever imo. changed blades and did normal maintenance IE oil changes and so on..Will always own a scag zero turn..also have a honda push mower for smaller area I mow, also a very fine mower..

I'm glad to hear that, I just bought a scag freedom z. It has the new Briggs engine, but I'm going to be using it as residential and it was the entry level commercial mower.

 

[55wildcat]

Taking the turf tires off my scag...grass a little damp on a hill = not good..Just ordered these today

 

[kyboy1998]

Have a Skag 3 wheel rider. Cut 3 1/2 acres and love it. It's 10 years old now.

 

[Free_Salato_Blue]

Sounds like you've got an oil leak that burns off as engine gets hot.

I don't know if you're looking for a new mower, but if you can afford it and want one that'll last awhile I'd shy away from big store mowers. Not saying they definitely won't last, but I had the same luck as you had, and several people I know as well.

Just more disappointed in quality of entry level residential mower nowadays.
Grew up mowing the family yard on a Snapper that was bullet proof.
This 17hp Courage Kohler on a Huskee 42" seems to be made in China.

Last mower had a Briggs & Stratton lasted for 15+ years.
Just wanted see you guys reviews on what you are using and quality of engines like B&G and Kawasaki.
I agree it's definitely you get what you pay for today.

One acre, slight slope, nothing to mow around but an annoying water maple.

Guess could move out to Tucson where some my family went and just rake rocks and water a cactus.

 

[Free_Salato_Blue]

Saw this at Lowe's the other day. Oh yeah

 

[Joey Rupption]

The need for a trimmed lawn is a scam propogated by "Big Mower."

What a crock.

 

[Pope John Wall II]

Scag zero turns are pretty bitchin'.

 

[rodgerblue]

Been a John Deere owner for decades. Buy the rest of that junk at your own risk.

 

[Deeeefense]

I bought a John Deere 110 2 years ago. It's a very well built machine and I really love it. One of the nicest features is the hydrostatic transmission which transfers power from the drive wheels to the blade if you hit thick high grass, so the engine doesn't bog down. It keeps cutting but the mower slows down.

I had a Sears mower before this of the same size 42" blade, but the mulcher was continuously getting clogged up with grass requiring frequent cleaning. The Deere stays relatively clean all the time. The Sears mower didn't have a fuel gauge and had a much smaller gas tank. I frequently ran out of gas cutting 2 acres. The Deere is like 2 gallons. The Deere operates more like an automobile with an accelerator peddle for speed. The Sears had a hand level for throttle.

The Deere sits up a little higher than the Sears and has bigger tires so it feels a little more tippy. I don't put it on more than a 15 deg incline for safety.

The Deere's price point is about $400 higher than a comparable Sears or other brand but it's well worth it IMO.

 

[BlueRaider22]

I have 180+ hrs in my JD LA145.......so, far it's been perfect. My only complaint is that I should've put the money into a good ZT that would mow my lawn in much less time.

 

[Wildcat22Fan]

Scag zero turns used to be the best. Mowed with them, for years and stood behind them. they are not the top dogs anymore. hustler & eXmark are the best there is.

 

[BlueRaider22]

^To be honest, unless you are a professional you will likely never notice the difference between the uber-brands (Dixie, Hustler, Exmark, Scag, etc)

 

[Bill Derington]

Just more disappointed in quality of entry level residential mower nowadays.
Grew up mowing the family yard on a Snapper that was bullet proof.
This 17hp Courage Kohler on a Huskee 42" seems to be made in China.

Last mower had a Briggs & Stratton lasted for 15+ years.
Just wanted see you guys reviews on what you are using and quality of engines like B&G and Kawasaki.
I agree it's definitely you get what you pay for today.

One acre, slight slope, nothing to mow around but an annoying water maple.

Guess could move out to Tucson where some my family went and just rake rocks and water a cactus.

Those old Snapper mowers were bulletproof, miss the days mowing with them.

 

[Bill Derington]

Saw this at Lowe's the other day. Oh yeah

This mower also has a built in generator if you lose power.

 

[Mojocat]

8. I've heard that most residential mowers are designed to last about 200-300 hrs of use.....if maintained properly. More commercial mowers can last double this.

That seems really low - is that what you meant to say?

 

[Chuckinden]

Taking the turf tires off my scag...grass a little damp on a hill = not good..Just ordered these today

Did the same thing with my Husqvarna Zero Turn last year. You will have to get used to turning a little slower in some places or these tires will rip up the grass.

 

[AthensCatFan]

Yep, i think you're right, MTD makes almost all the ones sold at the big stores. They do have some quality equipment to offset the junk they make...lol

They make equipment for at least 40 different brand names

Husqvarna makes a lot of the different brands you see in stores too. They make all the Sears Craftsman series and a large number of other brands as well.

 

[Kaizer Sosay]

I'm a John Deere fan. Still using a JD 2520 tractor with 72" under deck blades that I bought in 2006. I mow a little over 4 acres and some of it is rough terrain. Very little maintenance and it runs like a top and have never had any trouble.

 

[Boydcat]

I have a scag and an exmark and both are great mowers but I prefer the scag.

 

[Bill Derington]

What is astounding is how heavy some of these mowers are now. I'll bet the Scag I just bought weighs 800 lbs or more. That may be a high estimate but I bet not by much.

 

[BlueRaider22]

That seems really low - is that what you meant to say?

It's correct. Most people that have 1 acre mow about 25-40 hrs per yr on average.......which means that a residential mower should last ~7 yrs if maintained properly. Certainly a mower can do more or less depending on a ton of variables. A lot of commercial mowers are designed to last double this.....or more.

The link I provided up above was a Cosumer Reports Q&A article that confirms this as well. And a quick Google search seems to agree as well.

 

[TexasTimCat]

I have been using my Craftsman 54" garden tractor for nine seasons now - it has the Kohler 26 HP motor with the full size oil filter and such.

Normal maintenance and it has performed flawlessly. I mow about 2.5 relatively flat acres.

 

[420grover]

The best mower in the $3000 price range are the Hustler residential mowers. Anything else in that price range or lower is junk. My John Deere 210 is 30 years old, still runs like a top and cuts better than most new mowers on any price range.

 

[ukalumni00]

Bought a Troybuilt from Lowes about 3 years ago. Already had to replace the carborator. Some of that is my fault for leaving old fuel in the tank too long. I would use the mower more, but its scalds my yard too easily. Have some uneven lies and no matter how high I left the deck, it still scalds parts of my yard. I have about 1/2 acre to cut so I just use the push mower with a roller attached to the back. Much cleaner cut, can put some cool looking line designs in the yard and great exercise, but still sucks that I have a $2400 riding mower that does not get used much. Use it now mostly for picking up leaves. Much quicker than using a rake for my size of yard.

 

[kyboy1998]

My Dad still uses a thirty year old John Deere 420. Definitely a difference in garden tractors and lawn mowers.

He even has a John Deere "420" driver hat. He's oblivious and doesn't know why everybody wants it.

 

[Bill Derington]

Taking the turf tires off my scag...grass a little damp on a hill = not good..Just ordered these today

What kind of cost are tires like this? I ask because I have a fairly steep bank leading down to a creek that might cause traction issues, thanks.

 

[WildcatfaninOhio]

Bought a Husqvarna YTH22V46 last year. 22hp 2-cylinder with 46 inch 2 blade deck and hydrostatic tranny. Lists for $1699 at Lowes. Had a 10% off coupon. Got another 10% off for taking a display model. Free delivery and set up. Love it!

 

[kyboy1998]

Bought a Husqvarna YTH22V46 last year. 22hp 2-cylinder with 46 inch 2 blade deck and hydrostatic tranny. Lists for $1699 at Lowes. Had a 10% off coupon. Got another 10% off for taking a display model. Free delivery and set up. Love it!

You must not have much yard or knowledge of good equipment.

You just did a breakdown like you were describing a hot rod when in all actuality you have the most basic of mower available that isn't pushed.

 

[ukwizard]

My grand pa had one of these which was sold between 71 and 74. Not sure when he got it but there is a picture of me with him on it when I was 1 which in 79 and I used to mow his yard with it in my teens and that sucker cut grass well into the mid 00's. He bought another cub cadet sometime around then and I found out on my last visit to my mom's that sucker has already been replaced. Don't make them like they used to.

 

[tammefan]

Took the John Deere plunge three years ago. Wish I had done it sooner. Got a X300 with 48 inch cut for $3600. Has a four year warranty so nothing to worry about. I can cut my yard twice as fast. No shifting gears just hit the pedal and go. Cuts nice and level and never bogs down no matter how tall and thick grass is.