Choosing First Riding Mower

Collegefbfan · Sunday at 9:22 PM

I have always had big yards and push mowers. And I have always had bad luck with small engine equipment. We have been paying someone to mow the yard for years now. I came into a little money and saved some also. Looking to purchase first riding mower. The yard is about 3/4 of an acre and mainly flat. Trying to stay within $3000. I am thinking of sticking with a locally owned place/dealer and avoid big box stores if possible. I am looking at the Husqvarna that has a Kawasaki engine for around $2900. There is a John Deere model S220 I am also looking at (but the folks at this store acted as if they didn't care to have our business). Any other brands/models to consider or stay away from? Thanks.

broncosmitty · Sunday at 9:33 PM

I’ve had an ExMark X series for about 5 years. 48” as anything bigger I couldn’t get between trees. Almost zero issues aside from sharpening blades.

They start at around your price range.

Mow around two acres and it takes me about an hour.

I stopped into the John Deere dealership when shopping for a mower, but they also didn’t seem to care since I wasn’t looking for a tractor that costs as much as my house.

Collegefbfan · Monday at 9:59 AM

broncosmitty said:
I’ve had an ExMark X series for about 5 years. 48” as anything bigger I couldn’t get between trees. Almost zero issues aside from sharpening blades.

They start at around your price range.

Mow around two acres and it takes me about an hour.

I stopped into the John Deere dealership when shopping for a mower, but they also didn’t seem to care since I wasn’t looking for a tractor that costs as much as my house.

This is the exact feeling I got.

Illustrious Potentate · Monday at 10:12 AM

Some call it a sling blade, I call it a Kaiser blade

RP-29 · Monday at 10:45 AM

Collegefbfan said:
I have always had big yards and push mowers. And I have always had bad luck with small engine equipment. We have been paying someone to mow the yard for years now. I came into a little money and saved some also. Looking to purchase first riding mower. The yard is about 3/4 of an acre and mainly flat. Trying to stay within $3000. I am thinking of sticking with a locally owned place/dealer and avoid big box stores if possible. I am looking at the Husqvarna that has a Kawasaki engine for around $2900. There is a John Deere model S220 I am also looking at (but the folks at this store acted as if they didn't care to have our business). Any other brands/models to consider or stay away from? Thanks.

I bought a John Deere rider five years ago and have had no problems with it. S220 seems appropriate for 3/4 acre.

I got a bagger for mine, too. It's particularly handy for vacuuming leaves off the lawn in the fall.

outofyourmind · Monday at 10:52 AM

I have been using the Toro Timecutter 42" for 3 years now.
It's awesome. And fast.

Probably around $3400

Illustrious Potentate · Monday at 10:53 AM

I’ve got a fairly big yard, but most of my property is wooded. Got a Toro zero turn 60 inch. Takes about 30 minutes to cut the grass. Takes damn near an hour to weedeat

Collegefbfan · Monday at 12:01 PM

broncosmitty said:
I’ve had an ExMark X series for about 5 years. 48” as anything bigger I couldn’t get between trees. Almost zero issues aside from sharpening blades.

They start at around your price range.

Mow around two acres and it takes me about an hour.

I stopped into the John Deere dealership when shopping for a mower, but they also didn’t seem to care since I wasn’t looking for a tractor that costs as much as my house.

Are we talking new or used? Or am I looking in the wrong places? They seem out of my price range from what google is showing me.

PeoplesChicken · Monday at 1:11 PM

Collegefbfan said:
I have always had big yards and push mowers. And I have always had bad luck with small engine equipment. We have been paying someone to mow the yard for years now. I came into a little money and saved some also. Looking to purchase first riding mower. The yard is about 3/4 of an acre and mainly flat. Trying to stay within $3000. I am thinking of sticking with a locally owned place/dealer and avoid big box stores if possible. I am looking at the Husqvarna that has a Kawasaki engine for around $2900. There is a John Deere model S220 I am also looking at (but the folks at this store acted as if they didn't care to have our business). Any other brands/models to consider or stay away from? Thanks.

I have .45 of an acre to mow. I also have some slope in the back yard. I use a Cub Cadet 33" wide cut mower. It does a great job and really makes the lawn look good. It has a 10.5 HP OHV Briggs. It's big enough so you are not laboring to get your lawn done but small enough you can store it in the garage. It comes with a bagger kit and mulch plug. Before that I had a Troy-Built version that lasted me almost 15 years and then MTD bought them out and produces under the Cab banner. You can find them under 3K

PeoplesChicken · Monday at 1:14 PM

broncosmitty said:
I’ve had an ExMark X series for about 5 years. 48” as anything bigger I couldn’t get between trees. Almost zero issues aside from sharpening blades.

They start at around your price range.

Mow around two acres and it takes me about an hour.

I stopped into the John Deere dealership when shopping for a mower, but they also didn’t seem to care since I wasn’t looking for a tractor that costs as much as my house.

From my experience JD doesn't really make a good small engine machine. Even their lawn tractors have become pretty cheap and they used to be the top of the line. They seem more invested in farm tractors and heavy machinery. Yet, they still expect you to pay for the name.

PeoplesChicken · Monday at 1:18 PM

Collegefbfan said:
I have always had big yards and push mowers. And I have always had bad luck with small engine equipment. We have been paying someone to mow the yard for years now. I came into a little money and saved some also. Looking to purchase first riding mower. The yard is about 3/4 of an acre and mainly flat. Trying to stay within $3000. I am thinking of sticking with a locally owned place/dealer and avoid big box stores if possible. I am looking at the Husqvarna that has a Kawasaki engine for around $2900. There is a John Deere model S220 I am also looking at (but the folks at this store acted as if they didn't care to have our business). Any other brands/models to consider or stay away from? Thanks.

Are you looking for a rider or zero turn? Depending on your preference, you can get some pretty good riders and save yourself some money. If it's a zero turn you want that is a different conversation. @outofyourmind mentioned his Toro Timesaver, those are pretty good home owner models and they feature different classes for your budget. 3/4 of an acre you should be fine with anything in that area.

batchaps4me · Monday at 1:23 PM

RP-29 said:
I bought a John Deere rider five years ago and have had no problems with it. S220 seems appropriate for 3/4 acre.

I got a bagger for mine, too. It's particularly handy for vacuuming leaves off the lawn in the fall.

The last riding mower I bought was a 48" cut John Deere 140 or equivalent about a decade ago to mow about 3 acres. My issue was the yard was shaped like a square bowl, with several trees and a ditch running through it. I had to use reverse a lot in short bursts and the transmission only lasted 2.5 mowing seasons. Don't get me wrong, that $1,000 was still money well spent and I would have bought another JD, but I was disappointed.

PeoplesChicken · Monday at 1:27 PM

Husqvarna R320X AWD Mower (R320X AWD) at the Best Price

Husqvarna R320X AWD Mower (R320X AWD) is one of the top-rated Ride-On Mowers. Versatile Rider with All-Wheel-Drive and optional 94, 103 or 112 cm Combi cutting decks, offering first-class BioClip and rear ejection cutting. Suitable for land owners who demand superior efficiency, manoeuvrability...

www.ggmgroup.com

Personally, I think that walk-behinds do the best job but at some point I am not going to be able to walk my yard so I am looking at something like this

outofyourmind · Monday at 1:30 PM

The Snapper rider comes under $2000

outofyourmind · Monday at 1:32 PM

This is the rider I had, to mow over an acre when I was a kid.
Yeah, it would beat you to death, but was indistructable

PeoplesChicken · Monday at 1:36 PM

outofyourmind said:
This is the rider I had, to mow over an acre when I was a kid.
Yeah, it would beat you to death, but was indistructable

View attachment 135971

They don't make em like that anymore. We had a Gravely for a number of years

batchaps4me · Monday at 1:37 PM

outofyourmind said:
This is the rider I had, to mow over an acre when I was a kid.
Yeah, it would beat you to death, but was indistructable

View attachment 135971

You can't hide money. We were pushing reel mowers and trimming with sling blades.

PeoplesChicken · Monday at 1:38 PM

outofyourmind said:
The Snapper rider comes under $2000

View attachment 135970

I know those have a pretty good turning radius but I would like to find something that is zero turn or articulating. It's hard to find anything smaller than 42".

PeoplesChicken · Monday at 1:39 PM

I could never justify having one of these but...its like porn

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batchaps4me · Monday at 1:45 PM

PeoplesChicken said:
I could never justify having one of these but...its like porn

4520 Tractor

Elevate.The Next Level.Ventrac 4520.Through Ventrac’s advanced engineering and design efforts, the best mix of machine performance, operator experience, and durability has come together in the 4520 tractor. The Ventrac 4520 has become the #1 choice for versatility for grounds care professionals...

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I see why ...