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School me on riding lawnmowers


Assman

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Seriously, 1 acre isn't a lot.  You'll be fine with the cub cadet or whatever else they sell at HD or lowes. 

No need to dump big bucks on the John Deere or something stupid.   

No need for the zero turn.  Just expect that you're gonna have to use a push mower/weed whacker to clean up the corners a bit.

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I have about 2 acres that I mow, slightly hilly, and lots of trees to go around.  I was thinking about a ZTR, but the costs are way out of my budget.  I was using at 30 year old Craftsman rider that was quite a workout.  Last year it finally died on me and I ended up getting a Cub Cadet XT1, with a 46" cutting deck.  I've been very happy with it.  It may not be the best on the market, but it runs and cuts great.  Additionally, it's WAY better than what I was using.  Turning is relatively effortless and I can go around most of my trees in one turn.  Most retailers should be having sales on mowers soon.

Edited to add that it has a cup holder for my beer.

Edited by You don't know me
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I have a little over an acre and here is my $0.02.

Get a ZTR. It is a time saver. I can mow my entire acre ~1 hour.

I also have a lawn tractor to pull implements (Fertilizer spreader, sprayer, etc.). Pulling implements with a ZTR is a PIA. You can't reach the control handles on the implements from the seat of a ZTR.

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8 hours ago, Jkwellborn said:

Can’t believe no one told you to ask your husband. This place is slipping.

The funny part is my wife has declared for years that if we got a riding lawnmower, she'd do all the mowing.  One big driving force behind me trying to find one soon is just so I can call her bluff.

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We've got a Bad Boy with a 60 inch deck and  a Kubota with a 54 inch deck both are good mowers. I'd buy something with a Kawasaki engine for your 1 acre. Hard to beat Ferris, Gravely, Hustler or Bad Boy. Scag and Kubota will cost $$$ but they will outlast you with basic maintenance. 

Also if you want a Deere then go to your nearest tractor dealership. 

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Avoid craftsman. After decades of being a faithful consumer, I had nothing but anger towards my last one. Apparently this model used different parts (blades, belts, etc) than any other Craftsman 42” rider. After the drive belt went and the part I ordered to fix it was wrong, I went and picked up a 3 blade Husqvarna and should have done it sooner.

Do not buy Husqvarna with Koehler engines though unless you like to report it every couple of years—my neighbor had one with a Chinese engine, shop replaced the first one under warranty but basically told him to expect the new one to last about as long as the old one. He dumped it while it was working and bought the same one with a B&S engine.

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We've got a Bad Boy with a 60 inch deck and  a Kubota with a 54 inch deck both are good mowers. I'd buy something with a Kawasaki engine for your 1 acre. Hard to beat Ferris, Gravely, Hustler or Bad Boy. Scag and Kubota will cost $$$ but they will outlast you with basic maintenance. 
Also if you want a Deere then go to your nearest tractor dealership. 

Agree. Hustler zero turn w/ Kawasaki engine at lowes best bang for your buck
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Husqvarna YTH18542

 

It's got a cop motor, a 440-cubic-inch plant. It's got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks. It's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas. So what do you say, is it the new lawnmower or what?

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I can't complain about this:
X390_48in_studio_r4a0627612_large_667aa9f20cceba304ed72fca01b52c66147250eb.jpg
 
JD has their Lowe's and Home Depot line of mowers (which they also sell and service at JD dealerships) but they also have their high end garden tractors.  I don't care about having a zero turn, because I don't mind the time it takes to mow.


Pretty sure that’s the one we have or very similar.
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On 2/28/2020 at 2:37 PM, Flg8rfan said:

Avoid craftsman. After decades of being a faithful consumer, I had nothing but anger towards my last one. Apparently this model used different parts (blades, belts, etc) than any other Craftsman 42” rider. After the drive belt went and the part I ordered to fix it was wrong, I went and picked up a 3 blade Husqvarna and should have done it sooner.

Do not buy Husqvarna with Koehler engines though unless you like to report it every couple of years—my neighbor had one with a Chinese engine, shop replaced the first one under warranty but basically told him to expect the new one to last about as long as the old one. He dumped it while it was working and bought the same one with a B&S engine.

Koehler??? Really??? I've been running those for years and have never had a problem with them.  They've been bulletproof in my experience.

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55 minutes ago, Jkwellborn said:

Ain’t shit to it. Most of them are bolted with just a couple of bolts. You could be fancy and have someone redo it for you, or you could just order a replacement online.

Just wondering it it's worth it to spend the $100+ for an OEM, or if there are better alternatives.

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24 minutes ago, Flg8rfan said:


Just relaying what he was told. Apparently the one he had was made in China

Wow, that's bad.  The Troy Bilt ZTR I have now is 15 years old and runs like a champ.(nojinxnojinxnojinx)

Edited by SHOOTER12
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In my experience, transaxles are more apt to give trouble than motors. I buy mowers off of craigslist, repair as needed and resell them. A lot of low end hydrostat tractors and ZTRs use transaxles that can't be serviced. If the cheap plastic cooling fans break or fail, they will overheat and cook the innards. No recourse except to replace the entire unit. Serious slopes will also cause overheating but it has to be very steep. I have never had a Briggs or Kohler motor give me trouble. Kawasaki either. I collect old Cub Cadets and the old Kohler K-Series cast iron motors that they use are tough SOBs. Many garden tractor pulling rigs use them.

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Koehler??? Really??? I've been running those for years and have never had a problem with them.  They've been bulletproof in my experience.
Ive got a Husqvarna with a Koehler. Had it for 8 years or so. Been problem free with regards to the engine. I changed a pulley out but that was about it.
Just wondering it it's worth it to spend the $100+ for an OEM, or if there are better alternatives.

How much time are you spending in it at once? See if they have one on ereplacementparts.com.

Alternative is to go to a whore house in Creed and steal a red pillow with gold fringe.
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