Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Riding Mower Decision

I bought the basic HD pos Arians with the non hydro drive. $1k.

I might get 10 years out of it. At 6 years now and it's already a rattle trap.

I figure $100 a year is about the best I can hope for.

i did the same thing with a "troybuilt" when i bought this house 22 years ago. got 9 or 10 out of it. last 3-4 it was held together with all-thread and gorilla tape. it cost me 2k plus a couple hundred trying to keep it going. i got a simplicity after that and at 12 y/o it is still functional but pretty beat. it was 3k-ish. just bought a used 2002 Scotts branded JD with the briggs and it seems to be a better mower than either of them. its going to camp.

I just bought my second Hustler. They invented the zero turn. I picked up a Fastrak SDX 54”, Kaw 691 commercial engine, 3400 drives for $7,000 out the door in Vidalia, Georgia

Buy an x700 series Deere 60” deck way way smoother ride can add snow blade snowblower tiller as well
I have had one and I repeat one zero turn and will never have another, rough riding tears the yard up and isn’t that much faster if you have a wide open yard

You’re recommending he buy a $10k+ plus garden tractor?? 😆 My bad...he could buy a used one for $7k. I get your point, but it must have been a pretty weak zero-turn if it didn’t mow faster than a tractor.

OP, that’s a solid but at $1900. Better than anything new at that price. Plenty of mower for that small of a yard. Used mowers are through the roof $$ right now including on trade so if you buy it and absolutely hate it you will do fine selling or trading but off.

That air-cooled Kaw engine if cared for is good for 2k hours before any major work is likely. Does the mower age, hours, and yard size math add up? 50hrs is barely broke in, but unless there’s an hour meter, they’re just guessing.

Thanks for the bold correction Richard Cranium

Up until recently, I had a Deere LX280 equipped with a 48-inch deck and had the the Kawasaki V-twin rated at 18 hp (there was a lawsuit a while back alleging it was not really an 18 horse engine, so maybe it really wasn't---I dunno). I cut two acres, and it was not unusual to have to slow down quite a bit to get some of the thicker growth. There were many days it would take me almost four hours to complete the job.

More recently, I acquired a Deere 445. I believe the tractor is rated at 22 horsepower but it may actually be 24, I just don't recall. This one has a 54-inch deck. This tractor cuts MUCH faster and I rarely if ever have to slow down. I can complete the job in about half the time.

I would not want to tackle 5 acres with that old LX280, for sure. The 445, that would be okay once or twice, but I'd want an even bigger tractor for that job if I had to do it regularly.

Based on that experience I'd never consider going with an 18-horse tractor for a five-acre job.

I'd do it. Those are great on a slope, and you know the original owners. Get all the maintenance info from them, too.

For $1900 get it and run it till it scatters.

I wouldn't piss on a JD zero turn had 3 when our company decided to do their own mowing junk

My take on lawnmowers is, if you need more than a pushmower and a weedeater, then you need cows and a bush hog.

If you hurry you can get that $1900 added to your mortgage, so you could end up paying like $174,312 for it over 30 years.

Which is nice.

I bought the cube cadet zt1 42" at home depot a few years ago. It was about $2700. It looks nice but has a cheap stamped deck and doesn't cut well. I don't think it gets enough lift even with new high lift blades. It has a 22hp kohler and the motor runs well the deck just rattles a lot and it just doesn't do as well cutting as my neighbors Husqvarna or other neighbors Toro. I wouldn't buy another cub cadet.

Bb

IME slopes are hard on lower cost hydrostatic drives and drive belts. (duh) I had a Simplicity residential rider and then got a Cub Cadet shaft drive. The shaft drive cubs hold up well on yards that aren't level but I found the deck wouldn't raise high enough in hot dry spells here. I bought a Kubota GR2020 4x4 mower last year and love it. Zero turns are dangerous on steep slopes unless you can mow straight up and down and pivot at the top and bottom.