Enough with the Push Mower! I have a 1/2 Acre lot, but it's not all grass. A riding mower just sounds like summer fun to me. So I need to find something for $300 or less. Any tips?
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May 6, 2010 12:50 p.m. snipes Reader
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May 6, 2010 1:11 p.m. sachilles HalfDork
if it's a small lot, go for a zero turn jobby, rather than the lawn tractor type. Motor under your butt, rather than in front of you.
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May 6, 2010 1:15 p.m. Woody SuperDork
Screw riding mowers. I used one for years and there are better solutions.
Behold: The Super Mower! The unfortunately named Hustler Turf Equipment 54 inch commercial walk behind.
Once you use a good walk behind, you'll never be happy with a riding mower again.
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May 6, 2010 1:24 p.m. motomoron Reader
And add a Velke wheel...
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May 6, 2010 1:42 p.m. Woody SuperDork
Velke Wheels are for Bob Costas.
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May 6, 2010 1:51 p.m. snipes Reader
That "Hustler" looks a little over kill for my yard and way over the $300 cap. I think Zero turn is going to be $$$. Do you like your motors 911 or 240 style?
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May 6, 2010 2:15 p.m. DILYSI Dave SuperDork
snipes wrote: Do you like your motors 911 or 240 style?
Front vs Rear? Water vs. Air Cooled? Expensive vs. Cheap? 6 cyl. vs. 6 cyl.?
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May 6, 2010 2:22 p.m. cghstang Reader
In reply to motomoron:
Velke; haven't heard that name in a while.
I used to mow with a buddy from high school. He had a set of Jungle wheels and Velke something-or-other that we referred to as "the unicycle." It sucked.
Looked like this:
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May 6, 2010 2:28 p.m. Paul_VR6 Reader
Zero turn riding is going to be $$$. I always wanted to build one with a bug motor/trans in the rear just for drive and a separate motor for the blades. That way my fast doesn't get in the way of my cut.
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May 6, 2010 3:02 p.m. foxtrapper SuperDork
$300? Look at craigslist and such. By and large, you're going to be looking at Murray or MTD machines, no matter who's name is on it. You're not into Deere prices and such at a $300 limit.
Rear engine has much better traction than front engine. Turns better on hills too. Doesn't matter much if your lot is level, but if it's got slopes, it can matter.
Bigger wheels roll over things better than smaller wheels. So that rider with the tiny 8" wheels will be stuck when the rider with 14" wheels just bounces along.
Bigger decks sound good, but when you can't fit through most of your yard, it ain't so cool.
If it's got a Kohler engine, it's a much better machine.
Baggers clog constantly. And you have to dump them, creating a mountain of rotting grass. Plus it sticks out on the side, making mowing harder. I hardly ever run my bagger as a result.
Don't buy a project, you've already got plenty, you don't need a mower project. Get one that works.
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May 6, 2010 3:42 p.m. Jake HalfDork
Find your friendly neighborhood mower guy/ equipment dealer. He'll likely have a few old-and-ugly-but-still-OK machines that will get you by- trade-ins on bigger/better stuff, old lawnmowers that other folks have given up on, etc. I traded an old Murray to the Scag dealer a few miles from my place for 5 pickup loads of mulch. He rebuilt the deck, made sure the rest was good to go, and made a couple hundred bucks selling it, I got mulch for the wife's flowers. I was happy to see that thing go after 3 years of little fiddly junk (that I never had time to get around to fixing) breaking here and there. That said, I'm positive that it's cutting grass somewhere else still, even though it is probably from 1984.
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May 6, 2010 4:00 p.m. hobiercr Reader
When I got my place (also 1/2 acre) I went through the same process. With a bunch of trees and parked items (boats, trailers, cars) to navigate around I used a buddies riding mower a couple of time before sucking it up and buying a used ZTR. I found a barely used Toro 44" deck with the 17 hp aircooled twin for 1/2 the price of a new one (still pricey) but I can slay my yard in 30 mins or less. Here in FL where you can watch the grass grow in the summer this comes in handy.
The guy I got it from helped put his son into the lawn care business but when he quickly realized it wasn't his "thing" his dad sold of all his gear. When I got there all the Echo stuff was gone but he still had the mower and a 10x6 trailer. He said "if you buy the mower you can have the trailer" Done!
Added a receiver hitch to the back of the mower which makes it great for moving boats/trailers around the yard. Keep your eyes open and you might get a deal, maybe not $300, but who knows...
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May 6, 2010 4:00 p.m. kcmoken New Reader
I got an Encore 36" commercial walk behind with Kawasaki for $500 from Craigslist. Perfect for your size lot (mine is just under an acre). The problem with commercial walk behinds is that they are run until they are scrap; finding one that isn't scrap is a challenge. Finding one during a drought from a small start-up lawncare company is easier.
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May 6, 2010 6:18 p.m. ignorant SuperDork
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May 6, 2010 6:23 p.m. cwh SuperDork
And then you can race it!!
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May 7, 2010 12:22 a.m. digdug18 Reader
I vote you get a murray, they run forever, and you can still get parts for even the 1970's models. I bet you can get one for under $300 infact.
Andrew
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May 7, 2010 12:26 a.m. digdug18 Reader
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May 7, 2010 7:47 a.m. snipes Reader
In reply to foxtrapper:
Foxtrapper that was a great post. I will look for a rear engine machine.
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May 7, 2010 8:54 a.m. ggarrard New Reader
I use a Craftsman 15 hp 42" rider tractor on our 1/2 acre yard, and agree that maneuvering around trees etc can be a pain. Also - if you have any fence gates to get through - check your deck size... (a 42" deck just fits inside a 48" opening).
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May 7, 2010 9:35 a.m. hobiercr Reader
Looks like it needs a bath and sounds like it needs the carb cleaned.
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May 7, 2010 11:51 a.m. 81gtv6 HalfDork
