I Need A Riding Mower

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - I Need A Riding Mower

Posted: 5/22/2001 10:44:33 AM EDT

I can't afford the best so I'm limited to a Wally World or a K- Mart. I don't need to plow fields or move snow. Who's mower is better or is there no difference. Does it boil down to a choice of red or green. What kind of mowers do you guys/girls have. What is a good minimum horsepower.

Posted: 5/22/2001 11:14:25 AM EDT

[#1]

I bought a Yard Machine 42" cut with a 15hp Kohler engine. I have 1.5 acres of yard to keep cut. Takes me about 1.25 hrs to cut it. I think a 38" with 12hp or so would be fine. MTD makes a bunch of different brand names of mowers, but they are all made in the same place.

I paid about $1100 for mine, it was $150 more with the Kohler engine.

Posted: 5/22/2001 11:54:28 AM EDT

[#2]

Do they sell Cub Cadets at Wally world? That's the only brand one should buy.

Posted: 5/22/2001 12:01:43 PM EDT

[#3]

I'm in the thousand dollar range. I did see a Stanley there today. I know they make good hammers, don't know about mowers.

Posted: 5/22/2001 12:07:07 PM EDT

[#4]

Tangent comment- Growing up, Grandma would force us to be slave labor and mow her acres and acres. Our ONLY savior was rain.

I moved to Seattle last year, these people even mow in the rain. Sure am glad Gramma never saw that!

Posted: 5/22/2001 12:16:48 PM EDT

[#5]

Hello rainman, for what it's worth i've bought MTD's for the last twenty years . First one was a used 8 hp.that lasted for years on a one acre yard. Second was a 12 hp. that lasted 11 years. I have a steep hill down to the lake to mow, i've rolled the mowers more than a few times over the years, just roll it back on it's wheels and go back to mowing. My current MTD is a 18 hp. i bought on fall clearance at wally world for $1000.00. My next door neighbor has a high buck John Deere that cost more than i'll spend on MTD's for the rest of my life. One other thing, his lawn when mowed doesn't look near as nice as mine. Ben

Posted: 5/22/2001 12:25:24 PM EDT

[#6]

Rainman,

I've been there ( money wise) looking @ your budget and knowing what your looking @ mower wise how much are you mowing?? 1/2 acre to 1 acre 38" cut is fine but get at least a 12 hp motor other wise it gets a little underpowered. I had a MTD 16 hp twin with a 42" cut. Lasted about 5 yrs and the front axle was shot they used plastic bushings that allow wear on metal parts Yard man is better but take a look @ stress points like this and if you buy knowing these places wear intend to replace bushings every year for extended life. I bought mine used and repaired what I could had about 500 in it now have a zero turn Dixie chopper much more expensive but I cut my mowing time in half. Might want to look used in your budget and check auctions sometimes you get deals a buddy bought a John Deere 2 yrs old for your $1000 recently @ auction have fun looking.

Boomin

Posted: 5/22/2001 4:49:31 PM EDT

[#7]

I thought that Murry mowers were owned by the English company that owned S&W. Hmmmm If you can go just a little more look at the sears brand mowers. I have a 19.5 hp 42 inch cut model that works pretty good. I did finally buy some aftermarket mower blades for it though. The sears brand blades would bent waaay too ez. We had a Ford mower that lasted 20+ years but could have bought a new car for what it cost to replace it. Check out Lowes and Home Depot if there is one near. I think John Deer makes their store brand mowers. It aint GREEN so it doesnt take as much green to buy one.

Posted: 5/22/2001 5:31:37 PM EDT

[#8]

Consider a used mower. These things lose half their value when they leave the store. I've had poor success with Tecumseh engines, go for Kohler, then Briggs & Scrapiron (oops) Kohler is a commercial grade engine and very durable. They all use Peerless transmissions, there is very little difference in brands. Most are MTD, some are Murray, a very few are made by Simplicity (another good brand) Most used mowers get poor maintainence, ever see anybody change oil on a lawnmower? Look them over carefully, very few wear out unless abused. My machine I inherited from my father-in-law, Sears 15 HP Kohler with 42" deck, should be a 48".

Posted: 5/22/2001 6:58:26 PM EDT

[#9]

If you are not mechanically inclined, get whatever you can get parts and service for in your neighborhood.

Posted: 5/22/2001 7:30:12 PM EDT

[#10]

I want a john deere have the money but my wife thinks im crazy because my front lawn is small about 20 x 60 i try to tell her that it will make my job easier as i hate to mow the lawn.

Posted: 5/22/2001 7:51:22 PM EDT

[#11]

I got lucky and bought a 1.5 yr old John Deere Tractor Mower for more than 1500 off the list price.

Of course, I mow about 2 acres with it so I needed something large and durable.....teh new ones though are sky freakin high.

The Stanley mowers at Hell-Mart look pretty darned tough.

I looked them over pretty good just the other day and would consider buying one if I did not have the Big green.

Also, Craftsman mowers seem to be pretty tough as well. See a lot of those around here.

Good Luck Rainman

Posted: 5/23/2001 10:23:19 AM EDT

[#12]

Murray is owned by Thonpkins PLC. The same company that owned Smith & Wesson when they sold out to the devil. It will be a cold day in hell before a dime of my moeny goes to them.

Rusty

Posted: 5/23/2001 11:36:21 AM EDT

[#13]

MTD with the optional BMG mount(special order item).

Nuckles.

Posted: 5/23/2001 11:39:24 AM EDT

[#14]

shop smart shop S-mart

Posted: 5/23/2001 12:20:21 PM EDT

[#15]

There are only about 3 manufacturers of lawn mowers in the US. John Deere makes their own and Sabre brand (basically a John Deere with cheap B&S engine and no bells and whistles - I have one and like it very much, has John Deere frame and mower deck - VERY heavy construction, I have about 2 acres to cut, 15hp, 46" cut, paid $1600). American Yard Products and Roper make the rest - Murray, Wizard, Craftsman, Yard man, Yard Machines, etc. And then you have imports like Kubota, etc. And the zero turn bunch like Scag, Laser, etc. for the commercial folks.
In your price range, take your pick. They're all made by the same two companies anyway. Murrays are pretty good 'cause you can get parts damn near anywhere. Change the oil, keep the air filter clean, and blow the crud off of it every now and then, and it'll last a long time. If you want a machine that will outlast a couple of engines, get the Sabre. Lots of bang for the buck.
I wish I could afford the John Deere for my big yard. The extras like the twin Kawasaki (smooth and quiet) engine, guage package, electric clutch, hydro drive, etc. would sure be nice![:D]
[heavy]

Posted: 5/23/2001 12:35:58 PM EDT

[#16]

The answer is simple: Simpliticy

Posted: 5/23/2001 3:21:06 PM EDT

[#17]

Check out your local Home Depot. Most HD's carry Scotts brand tractors that are built by John Deere. They are similar to the Sabre models sold by Deere dealers.

Deere dealers are supposed to support the Scotts line in terms on maintenece, but some dealers are too happy with the arrangement.

That being the case I'd also shop my local Deere dealer to feel them out on the Sabre line and there feelings about servicing Scott tractors. If you go Scott's just plan on being last in line behind the real Deere's and the Sabres when it comes time to get the thing serviced.

Since you usually do the service in the winter anyway, I never saw it as that big of an issue.

The Scotts and Sabre tractors are not as ruggedly built as those sold under the Deere name but compared to an MTD, Murry or Craftsman unit, they seem far superior and not that much more expensive.

I was going to go with a Scotts, since my local Deere dealer doesn't stock any Sabers, but got a deal on a larger used Deere so that's what I ened up with.

Horsepower needed will depend on the deck size you end up with and the terrain of your yard. Hydrostatic transmissions are easier to operate but waste more power than gear drive.

My JD 345 is 18HP with hydro and hydraulic lift. It'll run my 54" deck with out a problem til the grass gets over 6 inches or so, then I have to slow down some. Later models got 20HP which is what I'd say you should have for hydro and a 54" deck.

Of the premium tractors I've heard good things about Simplicity and Kubota, and of course I'm happy with my Deere. I'd stay away from Cub as their quality has apparently drastically fallen off since purchased by MTD. I can see that at my local shop in that there are 5 used Cadets for sale for every one Simplicty, Kubota or Deere.

Posted: 5/23/2001 3:23:10 PM EDT

[#18]

NOTE: Not all the Scotts Tractors are built by Deere.

You'll have to look but there should be a plate on the tractor indicating it was built by Deere. I know the larger ones are all manufactured by Deere and are very similar to the Saber counter parts.

Posted: 5/23/2001 7:35:40 PM EDT

[#19]

A friendly note on Hambone's earlier post:
The Sabre by John Deere was their attempt to re-enter the less expensive consumer line up. It is a Homelite/Jacobsen design fron a HL/J line that Big Green bought outright. The 38" model had four manufacturer's service flashes in the first three months it was available, and several more since. The 42" has been somewhat more reliable, but is still nothing (physically or fiscally) compared to e "real" Deere.
Roper became American Yard Products, which then became Frigidaire Home Products, and has now become Electrolux Home Products. They also own Poulan now. They make almost every Sears tractor and a few other brands, but they are not Murray or MTD.
As evidence by EHP, companies in the lawn and garden industry have been swallowing each other up in the last few years, leaving essentially three tiers of tractors available: The lower tier (which are just fine for someone who just wants to mow once or twice a week and has no illusions about the units capability to do much beyond that, and it includes the Murray and MTD lineups, both those sold under their own names and store brad names like Yard Pro, Yard Man, etc..The second tier is your more usable, more durable line-up, primarily those by EHP and Troy-bilt (who themselves were bought up recently, but I don't remember by whom). They can generally be used with many accessories and have a longer life expectancy than some of the lower models. Remember that within most of these brands there are different classes of tractor, ie. lawn, yard, and garden. The third tier includes some very nice rigs, but you often pay an awful lot for something that most of us don't get a lot of satisfaction from using...including Ariens, real John Deeres, Kubota, Simplicity, etc...
In answer to the original question, just about any of the store brands from Lowes, Menards, K-Mart, etc..are going to be first tier tractors, but will meet your identified needs and price range. Depending on how it works out for the end user, he might consider the same the next purchase or move up to something else.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - I Need A Riding Mower

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