Buying Advice Sick and tired of low quality riding lawnmowers

[4570Man]

I’ve never seen or used a joystick ZTR but I’ve used joystick controlled skid steers. It’s by far the best method for a skid steer but I think a twin stick offers better control. I wouldn’t want a joystick mower. Unless I had one arm then I would.

 

[dragoneggs]

Hey OP, don't know what his mowing conditions, size, slope are but I think the learning curve for Z turns is extremely short. Put him on one and I bet he gets it in a matter of minutes. I have never understood why some think it takes a long time to master. As long as there are no steep hills or embankments to drive off of especially when you are new... I see no reason he wouldn't enjoy it immensely. Just my :2cents:

 

[Maxify]

The answer to your dilemma is in fixing your/his current mower.
Are you up for larning a new trick?
The starter isn't malfunctioning.
The OHV Kohler is just in need of a simple adjustment.
At his age, he'll remember how cars used to have a tune up from time to time.
{It's a long story. So let's not go there, ok?}
Just adjust the valve lash to .004" - .005" on both &
bolt the valve cover back on.
Engine should turn freely at this point.

Engineers, over time, have been tasked with finding easier, faster, less expensive ways of making
our average mouse trap better, cheaper & faster.
We're now living with the results.

BTW, the guys on here are right.
If you want to buy anything nowadays that is going to last,
it's gonna cost you.
Mower manufacturers know that they have but one chance to make their money off you
when it comes to quality....The Way They Used To Make Things.
Get over it.
Buy whatever he needs and when his time comes to leave this world...
You'll have one beautifully engineered mower PAID FOR and broken in!

As we old curmudgeons know all to well.
We're just buying the good stuff now to pass on to you young'uns.

 

[ETD66SS]

Are you sure he can't do a zero turn? You said he had a stroke, but that means different things for different people. Is one side of his body limp? If not, I would put him on a zero turn and see if he can make it chooch. If he can, that opens lots of doors. I had my daughter mowing with a ZTR when she was 10. I say that not to brag but to illustrate that it's not that hard (depending on your handicap), and I realize that a little girl and an elderly man with stroke damage aren't quite apples to oranges.

If you find that he can run a zero turn, I can tell you that I'm pleased with my 60" Hustler Raptor SD. That's a $5000 mower but they have cheaper, smaller ones that I would expect to be of equal quality. I have 160 hours on mine and no problems to report.

He had a brain bleed + a clot, messed him up for a good couple months of ICU/Hospital/rehab. He is back home, has full control of all his extremities, it's his mind that is suffering. He lost short term memory as well as recalling words. As an example, when I was working on his IH 444 gas tractor, he kept calling the carburetor, charcoal. He also kept telling me the reason the engine would not start is because the distributor isn't getting any gas... One day I went over there and he was telling me his chainsaw would not run. The chain brake was on, he didn't remember how to release it.

One thing he remembers is how to run his riding mower. He cuts the lawn more than he needs to because he is looking for things to do. Before his stroke at 86 he was still cutting down trees, dragging logs, cutting & splitting wood. He's not one that can park his *** in a chair and watch TV all day long. I'm not sure he is capable of learning how to run a ztr at this moment in time, his brain is still trying to rewire itself after the brain bleed damage.

The answer to your dilemma is in fixing your/his current mower.
Are you up for larning a new trick?
The starter isn't malfunctioning.
The OHV Kohler is just in need of a simple adjustment.
At his age, he'll remember how cars used to have a tune up from time to time.
{It's a long story. So let's not go there, ok?}
Just adjust the valve lash to .004" - .005" on both &
bolt the valve cover back on.
Engine should turn freely at this point.

I did read about the valve adjustment causing kickback and bending the starter shaft. Last time I fixed the starter I told him not to run it until I get a chance to check the backlash. My issue is the idiots designing a starter shaft that bends when a motor needs a tune up... And from what I can tell the engine does turn freely when starting, I never notice anything laboring when starting. I did however notice that no matter how warm the engine is, I always have to use the choke to get it started. So will look at the valves.

 

[4get gto]

As was said in the first post:
"I see that Kholer redesigned the starter to have 9 teeth instead of 10 so they could make the weak shaft larger in diameter.."

Never in my life did I ever hear where you can take one a with a different amount of teeth and put it on ring gear not designed for it. Usually chews the teeth up on one of the two. Maybe in this case it's bending the shaft..? Either way something's not right with that..

 

[EddieWalker]

I have a zero turn, but my wife wants a riding mower. She tried the zero turn and hated it, so now it's a stalling game of how long can I hold out on buying something that will probably never get used, compared to her losing interest in wanting a riding mower. Odds are good that she will always want a riding mower and I'm going to have to buy something. I refuse to buy anything with a B&S or Kohler engine in it. That pretty much eliminates most of them. From what I am seeing, I'll probably buy a used Deere or Kubota riding mower. They have them with diesel and Kawasaki engines. Here are a few links to a local auction house that also sells stuff between their auction dates that are priced pretty good.

https://www.jandksales.net/inventor...00?dlr=1&pcid=2951752&sfc=0&ssc=0&lo=3&snai=0

 

[Carl_NH]

My neighbor has the cub cadet shaft drive like this one for $2800 in Orchard Park NY Cub Cadet Lawn Mower - farm & garden - by owner - sale - these are good machines - yes it has a Kohler engine with 139 hrs but they are more of a garden tractor than a box store model.

I have had a Cub Cadet 1811 since new in 1989 and it has 770 hours now - same engine never a problem - just change oil and plugs, replaced fuel pump, and mower deck belts, but still has same bearings on deck etc.

I fix up other's riding mowers too - neighbor had an JD Sabre (MTD basically) 5 yrs old - put it out at the road 8 yrs ago "free sign" on it so I asked what was wrong - wont start - did a valve adjustment, changed oil and he is still running that tractor today even after his kids let it run into the woods and broke the deck mounts - rewelded the deck and it kept going!

So with just some basic maintenance the box store units will last a long time..

 

[DK35vince]

I have a zero turn, but my wife wants a riding mower. She tried the zero turn and hated it, so now it's a stalling game of how long can I hold out on buying something that will probably never get used, compared to her losing interest in wanting a riding mower.

When we got our first zero turn my wife absolutely hated it.
After some time and getting used to driving one she loves it.

 

[tomplum]

Yes on the starter. I haven't had the updated starter ever break. They also claim 20% increase in torque. 3209808s . Spend the money on the OEM. This thread is too long for my current attention span to follow, but I see a poster suggesting valve lash adjustment which isn't a bad thing either. I think every 300 hours is spec on these.

 

[radios1]

this one will last many decades, and will accept scaled down versions of any implement a full size tractor could use. Restored International Harvester Cub Cadet Tractor 127 | eBay