At least it's related to this forum's topics.

Have only about 90% of an residential acre. Don't need anything fancy and I think a 42" deck would do ok. Am not looking to spend much more than 2k and will consider used.

Anything I absolutely need or need to stay away from?

Brand names?

Thanks for your input.

I bought a Gravely commercial a couple years ago used and I should have done it years ago. Saves lots of time and have had zero trouble. So Gravely would get my vote.

Doubt he'll find a Gravely for that price.

For around $2K for less than an acre you might do better with a tractor type mower. Good zero turns are expensive.

It depends on the acre. If there are lots of obstructions, the 0-turn would be invaluable. If it's largely open, the tractor would be more practical, especially as they tend to have wider mowing decks.

Our little acre is rather contoured with a bit of landscaping and a lot of pines and I've had tractor types before and know a zero-turn would make the job a lot easier.

My price is admittedly on the low side so maybe I need to look Used. I'm hesitant to invest in a much higher dollar item at this time because of the possibility of moving is ever nearer on a year past retirement.

I would stay away from any with the Kohler Courage 20-25HP motors. I bought a 2010 toro time cutter 50in as my first zero turn mower. Loved it till the flywheel broke, it had 31 hours on it. Went to my local repair shop and he sold me a used flywheel from a pile of 31 replaced motors. Said I would be money ahead to look for another mower with a Kawasaki motor, or a Kawasaki engine to replace the Kohler. He was right....about 2 months later the rod went out. A neighbor gave me a lawn tractor with the same motor but had a bad transmission. Swapped motors (another kohler courage) and it lasted about 3 months and it too went down. His words were "this is the motor that caused Kohler to go into bankruptcy".

Since replaced the toro with a bobcat and love it.

Hope this helps.
Scott

How about the 26hp Courage? I have one on an '07 Craftsman garden tractor that's been great so far and I work it hard.

Local mechanic told me to stay away from any Kohler Courage engine. He said the Kohler Command was a much, much better engine.

Highly recomend you scrape together the coin for the Gravely. I've got the same sized lot with what sounds like similar amount of landscaping/trees. The 42" cut 3-blade Gravely blows through it and cuts a pretty yard. I can complete the mowing part in 35 minutes, taking my time.

David

I'd never heard of a Kohler Courage motor till I read this thread. That prompted a tiny bit of research and interesting info: http://jayspower.com/library/2013/12/31/article-15-evolution-of-homeowner-lawn-equipment

I've got a toross5000 that I bought last year, it's their highest homeowner model has a 23 hp Kawi motor and the highest blade speed I could find without going full commercial. Been a great unit, not sure where you're at but I've got a buddy selling one is Louisiana that is a year old for 1700. His wife's a heart surgeon and got a new job in the city so he's dumping it

My 26hp Courage is 1 year later, '07, so maybe it's their revised version. It has over 500 hrs on it and the engine has been flawless. It's in the shop right now but it's for a carb issue.

I bought a used Exmark for $3k 5 years ago. The only issue I have had is self induced, hit a rock and shelled out a spindle. Mine is a 54" deck, my old house would take me close to 4 hours to mow with a 42" tractor style. With the zero turn I was just over an hour. Have since moved and don't have enough yard to justify the high dollar mower, but I will not get rid of it.

Only advice I can give, buy a zero turn, buy by the pound, the heaviest built one you can afford. Structural, welded decks obviously better than stamped sheet metal ones.

Got a Hustler 42inch deck. Kawasaki engine welded deck. Have had it for 2 years now. No problems. Very happy with it.

I would be sure to get one with transaxles that can be serviced.

It can be hard to find a residential model that has this feature...at least that was the case a few years ago. The residential unit from Dixie Chopper....the Zee 2, has serviceable transaxles.

A wider deck that sticks out past the drive wheels make it easier to get close to things, provided no gates to get through. Bigger drive tires make for a better machine on slopes. Add a thousand to your budget and get something that will last. Toro makes a couple estate models, they are better than consumer grade, almost light commercial grade. Stop buy most Cub Cadet dealers, if they have a junk pile it will have a bunch of their light ZTR mowers, not worth the cost of repair.

I'm going on my 6th year with my BadBoy MZ-50. It's been very reliable and super rugged. I couldn't be happier with it. I've got 2 acres with about 80 hardwood trees. I can do the whole yard in a little less than 3 hours. Lawnmowers are one of those things that you get what you pay for. I would strongly suggest upping the budget a little and only crying once.

If you are thinking about moving maybe have a lawn service cut your grass.
I bought a Hustler with a Kawasaki V twin engine
and what used to take four hours only takes one hour.

I'd either hire it our or buy a low end commercial unit (new or used). The big-box store residential models don't hold any value and will not last nearly as long. If you buy a commercial unit and end up moving, you can sell it more easily. The guys just starting out in lawn maintenance are usually on the look out for such equipment.

I recently bought a Hustler Fastrack SDX and it has really cut my moving time down on my 2 acres. It has all commercial parts that are serviceable and will last me for the rest of my mowing days.

I have a little over 3 acres to mow & have been using lawn tractor type mowers up until this year.
I bought a Cub Cadet Z Force L 48" a couple of months ago.

It's too soon for me to speak to the durability of this machine but I'll say this , I won't ever go back to a regular riding mower. It has cut my mowing time in half.


Mike

Walker builds an amazing zero turn machine. The grass pickup system has an additional metal bladed fan to really suck up the clippings. Stands the grass up and gives you a clean cut. Also works well on leaves. I once drove mine thru 3' tall grass and it shoots a 20' roostertail out the back. Impressive machines.

I really wanted to buy one after checking them out but I couldn't justify it to myself for the extra coin over the conventional zero turns for my limited use. If I was a commercial guy, I would definitely have one in my fleet for picky customers with trophy lawns.