I have about 10,000sqft. I'm tired of mowing by push mower. I don't need a tractor or zero turn.

How are these rear engine riding mowers? They have a non hydrostatic regular geared version for $1199. Is the extra $300 worth it for the hydro?

JD ZTR FTW

I would buy the hydrostatic version.

Buy a Honda.

Old restored Snapper

Wife's grandfather mowed with a Snapper like that one for decades.  We bought his house but the mower didn't work so well for me.  With three daughters in the home then later retired I bet he was out there mowing every couple days.  If I let it go ten days it was too thick to cut well so I went with a standard high hp rider.

Stay the hell away from hydrostatic!

Why

Hydrostatic drive is nice for the unlimited range of speeds it offers but I mowed for years with a regular gear driven rear engine Snapper mower and got along just fine.

I'd probably spend the extra money for the convenience of Hydro but I don't think it's needed, unless you have a lot of technical mowing to do where you would end up riding the clutch on a gear driven mower to get the right speed.

Get a bigger mower with more HP. Zero turn and be done with it.

I'll never go back to a non-hydrostat mower.

For less than 1/4 acre?

Depending on the shape of the yard, the rear mower rider is overkill.


I am using a push mower on 1/3 acre, can't imagine trying to use a rider in some of the smaller tighter spots in the yard

I have some grade and sloping in my yard. I'm sick of walking. The vibration in my toro recycler handlebars sticks around in my hands for a good half hour after I'm done mowing. Basically pins and needles. I'm done with that shit.

Like previously mentioned, find an old snapper.
They're the bees knees/tier 1/king of kings regarding rear engine riders.

Cut off Jean shorts and a Pabst Blue Ribbon are required for rear engine rider mowers, just so you know...

I bought one for my parents but it’s a giant hassle to use because they have a lot of trees and bushes in their yard.  I just use the push mower and the rear engine is rotting in the shed.

Buy an old cub cadet rebuild the Kohler K301 for the win.

I looked at a new 42" Craftsman at Lowes yesterday. It had a made in USA sticker on it also. It seemed pretty nice for the price.

If you take care of it it will last you for years. I just got a Cub Cadet ZRT SX 42 last week. My yard is about like yours. I’m still using my 20 YO Hydro JD rider until I get the grass along the fence line killed.

That Cub Cadet is made by MTD.

Do not buy it.

Buy a Toro. Buy anything not made by MTD. Literally anything.

I had the 30" non hydro
I loved it, was perfect for my big/small yard.
Goes through gates and around trees.

Only thing id have changed about it?
Id get the hydro if i got another one.

This, the old school rear engine Snappers were legendary for a reason.  The older, the better.

New craftsman is made by mtd.

Buy a snapper.

Had an old one for years, the thing just worked. Plus the bagger they use works really well, even better than a JD.

I think they still make them too.

EDIT: yes they do....

I have an ariens electric like that. It has an electric motor that drives a hydrostatic axle. It works great for small lots, I have about half an acre and can mow and weed whack in an hour

New snappers are made by Briggs&Stratton.
Briggs is currently spinning down the toilet and cranking out more junk than anybody.

As long as the grades and slopes are safe for a rider, go for it.

Cordless electric will solve the vibration issue.  I won't ever go back to gas for a mower or string trimmer, quieter and less vibration is a bonus.

As others have said, get an old Snapper. You can always throw a new engine in it if you need to and their transmission works like a hydrostatic without the complication.

On a rear engine mower, keep the front tires inflated very hard so it doesn't dip the deck in turns and keep the back tires soft for traction.

Go on Facebook marketplace and buy a 450 dollar riding mower from a guy who looks trustworthy.

This would probably do 65 or so ifbyour balsey.

It seems to have decent reviews.  I'd say so long as it's not to small for you why not?

They don't look like they changed much over the years.  I've seen a few that lasted decades.

Hustler Dash

that sucks, well OP find a good used one.  The one I had was 20 years old, and I sold it to a guy when I was done with it....  like I said they just work.

THIS times ONE MILLION.

Parts are easily found for the old Snappers, for the few you might need.   The fucking things are damned near indestructible.

Even if the engine is completely roached, a single cylinder vertical shaft replacement is FAR cheaper than a new mower that will be a flimsy POS.

Everyone I know that has a riding mower with one has had the transmission shit the bed on them.  Parts are either non-existent, or cost more than the the mower is worth.  They are very maintenance intensive and sensitive to the fluid in it.  You are relying on fluid pressure through lots of passages, valves, solenoids, pumps, etc...

Fuck that (IMO)

Gears are where it's at

Buy a new snapper classic . No hydro .. you can work on it yourself.. cheers WarDawg

What you really want is a Walker. Probably a Model S.

Wrong thread sorry

The old snappers were not gear drive. They have a flat metal disk with another at 90 degrees that has a rubber ring. The one with rubber moves outward from the center of the other as you "shift", this is how is it variable ratio.

That is correct.  And as hokey as the design sounds when you describe it, the fucking thing just keeps on working.   It's AMAZING how durable that "transmission" really is.

Made by MTD. I got the same thing (belt drive) in a different color (Murray) for $800 on sale. The main reason I got one is I'm on 1/2 acre but half of that is woods - I'm in the process of opening up the woods/thinning out and I have about a fourth of it already in grass with 'specimen' trees and shrubs occupying 'islands'. This has already greatly increased my mowing time so I thought maybe the 30" mower would help, and it does, particularly in the fall with mulching the leaves. I developed a pattern where in the hot humid weather I use it on almost the whole yard and it makes a huge difference in time and my energy.
The main downside to these is the front end is weak and suited mainly for smooth lawns. That's not surprising as that's exactly what they are intended for. I have small stumps and lumps all over the place so I really have to be careful but I will be adding soil to the low spots and reducing the stumps over time.
I just did my spring maintenance which is mainly the front end - greasing the wheels and cleaning/lubing the exposed steering sector. I had to take the wheels off to grease them because the goofy open grease 'tubes' were naturally full of dirt. Then I found out during cleaning that the tubes also were solidly blocked in some way and would not pass any grease. I had to take a sharp instrument and punch the damn things open - never seen anything like this. At least next time I can just use the grease gun, because after pumping a little more grease in, I covered them with little rubber vacuum caps. As for the rest of the steering components, I first blasted them clean with '3-in-1 Garage Door Lube' (heavy silicone spray with a lot of power) which got it all clean and partially lubed. I wanted something with more body that wouldn't hold grit so I used some DuPont 'Dry Teflon' spray, really laying it on thick in the steering rack area.
So this is my third season with it and basically no problems. I changed the original oil as directed and went back with Castrol 'Edge' 5W-30 Synthetic which is still in there and is just beginning to take on enough color to be seen on the stick. The engine is pretty loud from the seat but after a little warm-up simply runs great and has plenty of power for this machine. Air filter is very substantial and I haven't changed it yet - looks fine, and typically I'm not making dust with the mower - I have the deck only one notch down from the highest setting which pretty much equals 3" to 3 1/2", the same as my regular mowers.
On a good lawn you'll have to get used to the heavier 'footprint' compared to regular 21" mowers and its easy to leave uncut strips. I still prefer to use the 21" mowers on my front yard but like I said, for leaf mulching and in really hot weather I'll use it out there anyway.
The only other thing is not really a problem but I went to remove the blade and sharpen/balance but could not budge the blade bolt with a 15" breaker bar - with the mower on its wheels I could not possibly put my weight on it which probably is what I'll have to do. I can get by this season but sooner or later I'm going to have to deal with it.
The blade spindle has sealed bearings so there is no maintenance on that. You just check the blade for play and replace it or replace the bearings. It is said that these spindles last the life of the mower so most people will not have to deal with one. The starter motor is also an alternator that keeps the battery charged - there is no provision for manual starting but the battery holds a charge all winter.
So far I think I got my money's worth but I wouldn't pay more than $800 for one. I saw the Snapper version locally for $1600 which could probably be talked down a little and that is certainly a better machine.

I'd go with the hydrostat trans also.......that mower should be more than fine for your 10K sq ft lawn.

With a hydrostat trans you have no clutch, variable speeds, quicker stopping, etc.

I agree, had them in the 70s when I was a kid on the farm. I would mow 2 hours per day 5 days a week all summer.
When I moved out my Dad replaced the 30" Snapper with a 60" ZTR.

Like a "friction ring" you see on many snow blowers?

If my flubro math is correct, he's mowing 100' X 100' for 10K feet.  Maybe I'm off.

And that's not to say that I don't blame him for not wanting to push a mower.  I might hike for miles and miles, but I hate pushing mowers.  

For that kind of square footage, just about any rider is going to work.  The suggestion for zero-turns may be a bit overkill for OP's needs.

I use a decently large zero-turn, but it's for about an acre.

Yep, and a new rubber wheel is about five bucks.

Yep, exactly.  In some cases the part number for the ring is even identical between snapper mowers and blowers.

Attached File


The friction disc lasts a lot longer than you would think it could, but streep hills can do them in if the disc starts slipping. They are cheap and easy to replace, though.

They also allow a fairly seamless variable ratio similar to a hydrostatic transmission plus if you lean back and dump the clutch in "high gear", they will pop a wheelie.

I had a 30" Snapper walk behind with that type of drive. It was a good mower but it wouldn't climb the steep hills in my yard.  I sold it and bought a used SCAG 36" Hydro walk-behind which will climb and descend hills better than any mower I can think of.