Looking for riding mower
- Thread starter irish88
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nybirdman
Super Member
Over your budget but look at Simplicty Broadmor.A friend purchased one a couple years ago,I am impressed.
Mine is a JD G100 that I purchased used and has been a great machine;they sold for $4800 new.
Mine is a JD G100 that I purchased used and has been a great machine;they sold for $4800 new.
MultiMow
Gold Member
This is just my two cents...
Since you don't have considerable slopes, and therefore don't need 4wd...
I would consider a good used commercial 2wd front mower... unless you don't want a diesel, or the prices are too high in your area.
A 2wd front mower, such as a Jacobsen Turfcat, Toro Groundsmaster 300 series, Ransomes Frontline, etc... can be easily found in good condition for $2,000-2,500. Well maintained, it's not hard to get 5-8,000hrs of service life out of these mowers. At the above price, a little hunting will net you a unit with 2-4,000hrs on it... that leaves 3-6,000hrs for you. As a homeowner, you'll likely never see that usage.
Commercial units have other advantages as well. Longer service intervals and prolonged availability of replacement parts for discontinued models are the biggest points for a homeowner seeking a "one and done" purchase.
Checkout the "rotary mowers" section of the Turfnet.com marketplace.
As I recall, Brad Fox had several good deals last year, and a couple others in NY/NJ area. Brad sticks out to me, as he was a straightforward guy and easy to deal with.
My phone is dying. I'll post a link to a couple mowers when I get charged back up.
Since you don't have considerable slopes, and therefore don't need 4wd...
I would consider a good used commercial 2wd front mower... unless you don't want a diesel, or the prices are too high in your area.
A 2wd front mower, such as a Jacobsen Turfcat, Toro Groundsmaster 300 series, Ransomes Frontline, etc... can be easily found in good condition for $2,000-2,500. Well maintained, it's not hard to get 5-8,000hrs of service life out of these mowers. At the above price, a little hunting will net you a unit with 2-4,000hrs on it... that leaves 3-6,000hrs for you. As a homeowner, you'll likely never see that usage.
Commercial units have other advantages as well. Longer service intervals and prolonged availability of replacement parts for discontinued models are the biggest points for a homeowner seeking a "one and done" purchase.
Checkout the "rotary mowers" section of the Turfnet.com marketplace.
As I recall, Brad Fox had several good deals last year, and a couple others in NY/NJ area. Brad sticks out to me, as he was a straightforward guy and easy to deal with.
My phone is dying. I'll post a link to a couple mowers when I get charged back up.
MultiMow
Gold Member
My apologies. I just double checked the classifieds on Turfnet.
Brad Fox is located in Basking Ridge, NJ... which is a whopping 2hrs away from you. I also checked the entirety of their rotary mower listings. Out of all of them, the closest unit to you and your price range, was this one:
Jacobsen Turfcat 428D - Used For Sale - TurfNet.com
These are great units, and you could probably negotiate a bit off the price... but I'm assuming you have nearly zero interest in travelling 2hrs to buy a mower.
Sorry for the misinformation. The market was thick up there last year. It could be again this year, when the spring selling season picks up.
As for new unit in the $2-2,500 range, I can personally speak for the John Deere D140. My wife had one when we met. It had stood up to her abuse for several years, and is still in operating condition today. For the price point, it leaves an amazing finish. It's not very fast in high grass, but that shouldn't be an issue for you. As for the transaxle... it doesn't leak, and still has the same power transfer as new. If you knew my wife and the abuse this mower had been through, it would testament enough for anyone... and she was using it to maintain 3 acres, not to mention a little over 1/4mi of roadside on both sides.
The only reason we stopped using this mower and bought the Toro, is because we opened up our 3 acre yard to 5.8 acres. It took up our whole weekend to mow it with the D140.
Brad Fox is located in Basking Ridge, NJ... which is a whopping 2hrs away from you. I also checked the entirety of their rotary mower listings. Out of all of them, the closest unit to you and your price range, was this one:
Jacobsen Turfcat 428D - Used For Sale - TurfNet.com
These are great units, and you could probably negotiate a bit off the price... but I'm assuming you have nearly zero interest in travelling 2hrs to buy a mower.
Sorry for the misinformation. The market was thick up there last year. It could be again this year, when the spring selling season picks up.
As for new unit in the $2-2,500 range, I can personally speak for the John Deere D140. My wife had one when we met. It had stood up to her abuse for several years, and is still in operating condition today. For the price point, it leaves an amazing finish. It's not very fast in high grass, but that shouldn't be an issue for you. As for the transaxle... it doesn't leak, and still has the same power transfer as new. If you knew my wife and the abuse this mower had been through, it would testament enough for anyone... and she was using it to maintain 3 acres, not to mention a little over 1/4mi of roadside on both sides.
The only reason we stopped using this mower and bought the Toro, is because we opened up our 3 acre yard to 5.8 acres. It took up our whole weekend to mow it with the D140.
thanks Mow.. yeah two hrs is a long way.. I prefers a tractor in case I may tow or install snowblower if need to. I will be using the bag catcher for leaves during the fall season.
JD models , husky I am looking closer..
MultiMow
Gold Member
That's a tall order for $2,500...
I know..Mow... the 2500 just for the tractor.. the extra adds up.the snowblower comes later on if need to,, I already got a walkbehind and the atv with plow. I am just going to spend the extra for the bagging catcher.
MultiMow
Gold Member
Even at that...
I don't know of a decent tractor that's even compatible with a snowblower for that price (not new, anyway).
For what it's worth, (which isn't much) a bagger and snowblower, and several other accessories are available for the Jacobsen above, and virtually any other similar mower.
plowhog
Elite Member
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At $2999 its a little over budget, but a Husky GT48DXLS is pretty competitive right now with features vs price. (I paid a little less than MSRP for mine.) Kawasaki engine, K66 transaxle, locking differential. It best fit my needs, which were simple mowing. But that doesn't mean it fits his or other needs. There are available attachments for it, but I just want to ..... mow.
I agree about shopping used but that is also risky depending where you are. I looked for a year, and everything that was used had the snot beat out of it. I generally prefer to buy new unless I can get a gently used unit, which I could not find. Once the grass started growing ... I ran out of time waiting for used. The GT48DXLS is a new unit and I believe it is in high demand, so it might be a challenge to find one (right now) even though it is brand new.
I agree about shopping used but that is also risky depending where you are. I looked for a year, and everything that was used had the snot beat out of it. I generally prefer to buy new unless I can get a gently used unit, which I could not find. Once the grass started growing ... I ran out of time waiting for used. The GT48DXLS is a new unit and I believe it is in high demand, so it might be a challenge to find one (right now) even though it is brand new.