I have no idea what to buy

[Raul-02]

I have experienced Michigan winters. The snow blades that are built for a zero turn mower seem to be more for convenience, but may not be adequate in my humble opinion.

I tried it with my scagg. Fhugetabout it. It was a total bust

 

[jaydee325]

I'm going to stray from the ZTR camp and recommend one of the John Deere All Wheel Steer model lawn tractors.

I've got a John Deere X584 AWS. 48" or 54" decks are available. I've got the 48" due to some tight areas that a 54" won't go through. Mulching kit work great as well. Mows great, very maneuverable and goes as fast as my rough law will allow. 47" snowblower for winter also works great! I'm even thinking about getting the soft side cab to keep the snow off me.

 

[dodge man]

What is your budget? How long is your driveway and what’s is made of? Your mowing a little less than 2 acres, is that the entire property?

I live 3 acres and mow roughly 2 acres, I also have a 600 foot driveway. I started out with a cheap riding mower and walk behind snow blower. That lasted a few years and I stepped up and bought a small Kubota tractor, then about 3 years ago bought a bigger John Deere tractor.

Do you need a tractor for other things? For example I use my tractor to handle firewood, move dirt, mow, and clear my driveway of snow. If all you have is mowing a dedicated mower is the best choice.

Good luck on the search.

 

[rScotty]

for a walk behind mower?

Honda HRX217VKA Mower | 21" Walk Behind Mower | Honda Lawn Mowers

The Honda HRX217VKA lawn mower offers Honda's Adjustable Speed Smart Drive transmission, Nexite® deck, and MicroCut® twin blades, plus a 5 year warranty.

powerequipment.honda.com

WOW~!!!!!

Yes, that one you linked to is a similar mower at close enough to the same price. That's about what they cost.
You want to pay enough to get a good one with independent clutches that pulls and steers nicely. Much more comfortable than trying to mow from a sitting position. Easier on your back, too.

 

[Buggs67]

If your property is 1.9 acres you'll be mowing much less. Lawn/garden tractors can mow well and some new models are very maneuverable. The HST ones are nice; no gear shifting. And with a plow and wheel weight they can do snow. Usually cheaper than ZTMs.

ZTMs are great for faster mowing especially in yards with many obstacles (trees, gardens, etc) and large area's but they are expensive single-taskers. Avoid the Big Box store models. They are built with inferior inside materials but look the same. And the dealers will not want to service them.

If you can, try a friend/neighbor's ZTM. I tried my neighbor's Ferris and actually mowed some of my lawn with it. He got it because his FIL bought it and then didn't like how ZTs drive. He then went with a JD Lawn Tractor.

The Cub Cadet with the steering wheel is a unigue ZTM. My neighbor bought one from a dealer so he has a service provider. I wish I'd considered/test drove one.

 

[RoyJackson]

ZTMs are great for faster mowing especially in yards with many obstacles (trees, gardens, etc) and large area's but they are expensive single-taskers.

Not really single taskers...
I added an after-market hitch to my Deere Z920 and use it for towing an aerator and lawn roller. Same implements one could tow behind a lawn tractor. Both work great as long as you turn with a degree of caution
I bought a cart to tow as well, but returned it after considering my UTV can do the same yard clean-up. Nice cart, just didn't need 2 tools doing the same work
Now, I've seen ZT snow plows...maybe OK is a light snow, but never used one...but in my situation, a snow plow mounted to the UTV would be a better choice

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I sort of like to have tools made for the job they do… because they do them well, and don’t compromise. A ZTR will mow, and mow well. Mow fast. Mine was $9k cash… but it will last a long damn time. At 120 hours it’s in MUCH better shape than my FILs mower with the same hours. He will buy two or three, while I buy one.

 

[stevem5215]

IMO you need two machines. One for cutting grass comfortably which you will do more often than the winter thing which clearing the snow isn't as frequent or needed.

That said what I've done is to have two machines. A 61" deck on a Simplicity Citation ZTR for my bumpy 4 acres yard and a older Steiner 420 with a rotating snow brush for winter duties and for summer bucket duties (mulch, dirt, rock moving and heavy duty towing of trees and hauling a trailer). Everything has a purpose. You need to decide how much you want to spend on the "fun". My wife calls them "toys". I call them stress reducing work machines for jobs. I have a total of 6k in my 2020 ZTR and another 8.5k into my Steiner. The Steiner is a 94' that I bought around 04' with a full loader, leaf blower, snow/dirt blade (sold due to non use) and a Rotating brush was added later for another $600. Also, in the name of full disclosure, I bought a 42" Black Craftsman Professional 24hp about 15 years ago and cut the front yard only with it and had a Ford 1900 compact tractor with a 72" mower deck. And a Simplicity XT2500 48" mower k with a 24hp engine. I don't use the Craftsman anymore and loan it out yearly to a semi disabled friend and he returns it at the end of the year and I maintain it for him and store it in the winter months. It's still mine technically but I don't use it for anything other than maybe once a year leaf cleanup with it's bagging system used. I also sold the Ford 1900 as the ZTR is much better for grass cutting duties anyway. The cool factor though a big tractor is killer when the manly neighbors see you cruising around the yard in it lol. The XT2500 I do use some as the wife will run the big machine and I run the smaller one at the same time so we can get the grass done 2x faster.

So, good luck on your purchase. Figure out how much you want to spend and if it's very little just go to the big box store and buy a "cheapy". Price determines how much you want to spend. I bought the Black Craftsman for $1100 bucks at the Sears Outlet. It's really been a good cheapy machine. Still looks good and works well without any issues.

 

[jeff9366]

The OP, mattnelsonesq, has not checked in since the day he opened this thread.

 

[stevem5215]

He probably went to the big box store and bought a mower lol.

 

[RoyJackson]

The OP, mattnelsonesq, has not checked in since the day he opened this thread.

That's not untypical...
We members are really into tractors and associated equipment and gear...most folks aren't

 

[scaredychicken]

me thinks PassWord issue might be to blame also ...

 

[Buggs67]

Not really single taskers...
I added an after-market hitch to my Deere Z920 and use it for towing an aerator and lawn roller.
Now, I've seen ZT snow plows...maybe OK is a light snow, but never used one...but in my situation, a snow plow mounted to the UTV would be a better choice

True; I did use my ZTM to tow my aerator and it has pulled my small yard trailer. I usually do that work with my ATV. And, of course, I have my tractor for most tasks.

 

[Williy]

The heck with the mowers just buy some sheep
a whole lot cheaper and; then you have the wool

willy

 

[Golden Rocket]

For just mowing… I’d get a ZTR.

I finish mow 2 acres with plenty of trees and a couple buildings, and I take my time. It takes me 75 minutes on my Hustler X-One 72”.

I really like the mower. It’s commercial duty with serviceable drive units and a commercial 29hp motor. It will outlive me, I’m pretty certain.

The Hustler X-One, do you know if that is by Cub Cadet?? They look so so much alike

 

[Papa T]

Hey:

I am buying a property with about 1.8 acres of grass. This is my first time owning this much grass to mow and first time buying a ride on mower. Can anyone give me some directions on what the market looks like out there? What brand is garbage? Which is really high end but way overpriced? I live in SW Michigan which has a moderate amount of snow as well and the property is flat. Any direction is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Matt

We mow 2 acres of St. Augustine in East Texas with an X Mark Quest, with a 42" welded deck, that we have had for over 10 years with very few problems. I do take it to the local dealer in January/February for an annual tune up. We also put mulching blades on it and had a local welding shop make a grass discharge block that bolts on.

 

[SSweetland]

I just went from a riding mower to a zero turn. I have a bit more property than you (7.15 acres), but can easily say that the riding mower seemed ok at first, but I ended up tearing my rotator cuff, and that forced me to spend the extra. Now, I can honestly say how bad the riding mower was. I bought a cub cadet after sitting on several others, and it is, by far, much more comfortable for me. Mowing is far easier, getting a nice finish fast is a huge thing.
Far less need of manual weed eating since I can get in and around things pretty close. I have many obstacles to work around, so that is also a factor for me. I chose a 54", but could have gone bigger, I would not advise smaller since having the cutting edges outside of the wheel base is a massive benefit even on a smaller yard.

I was nervous about driving one, but it took me about 5 minutes of getting used to it, now I can mow quite fast, and with 3 cutting blades, it cuts well fast! 7mph is fast on one, and the fact it CAN do a good job at that speed is pretty impressive

 

[Tony H]

Hey:

I am buying a property with about 1.8 acres of grass. This is my first time owning this much grass to mow and first time buying a ride on mower. Can anyone give me some directions on what the market looks like out there? What brand is garbage? Which is really high end but way overpriced? I live in SW Michigan which has a moderate amount of snow as well and the property is flat. Any direction is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Matt

If this is for Mowing only, I would seriously look at Zero Turn machines. Gravely, Cub Cadet, Toro. These machines turn on a dime leaving you with much less trimming then the standard Ride-on. If you anticipate other duties, let us know.
Just went back to see you looking at ZTs. I have about 3 acres that I now. Some steep hills. At 62 I still use a walk-behind. I have two machines. Old faithful, Howard Price 36" cut that has served me since '91. But a great deal on a Bradley 48" has basically put the Howard Price into retirement. The Bradley is a mail order mower but has commercial hydro units and commercial engines. If you still want to walk or attach a Sulky, you may want to look at these.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

FYI, Kubota is still offering 0 percent financing on new tractors and zero turn lawnmowers too.

Yeah I worked at Kubota. Them transmissions are big complicated....

 

[Hermio]

Not to be too redundant, but I originally used a 4WD Kubota tractor with a 60" rear-mount mower. It took me 5 hours to mow 5 acres, and then I had to trim around trees with a push mower. I bought a Bad Boy ZTR from TSC about 15 years ago, and it mows the same 5 acres in 90 minutes, with no need to trim around trees. The only caveat is that the ZTR is not so good on hills. There are many good brands available. The TSC version of BadBoy seems like a bargain for the price and how it is built. It is a low-speed pro model for a bit more than $5000. The cheapo consumer models with a stamped deck usually go for $3000; avoid them. Most pro models by other brands go for $10000 and up. They do mow a bit faster and may have a suspension. But forget about a riding mower for mowing; it is not very good at the job. The ZTR is not very good for towing, though.