Learn me: lawnmowers (non-racing)

I currently have a 24" Honda self propelled mower for cutting my yard. For many years it never bothered me to use the machine because my yard was just weeds. Last year we started using a yard treatment service, and I aerated and reseeded the yard. This year my yard is crazy. It's greener, fuller, and grows at an alarming rate. I currently cut my grass twice a week. My yard is only 1/2 and acre, but it is a large front yard with slope down to the street. In the past I had a riding mower, but cutting along the steepest stretch of slope was always kind of sketch.
 

With my current setup if I have to bag it can take over 2 hours to cut the grass.  I don't mind doing yardwork but I want to get it done faster.  I'm considering getting a new mower and I recently borrowed a buddy's Cub Cadet rider to try it out, and here is what I noticed. At the highest setting it left my grass shorter than I normally keep it. The side discharge threw a ton of grass which lead to a long clean up. And it was slow. 
 

I talked to some other friends one suggested a zero turn, and one suggested a skag? I'm not sure if that is spelled right, but it is a walk behind with a platform. While the price on those are steeeeep, I would still go there if it accomplished my end goal. Which leads me too:

what is recommended for a yard like mine with a slope? 
 

brands to look for and avoid?

speed? Which are faster? 
 

and do any have a mulch option?
 

thanks 

Does Honda make what you need now? Our push Honda is like 17 years old and still works like a charm.

VTEC, yo.

Why bag it?  I've used a mulching blade for years and never had an issue with it piling up unless it rained just before I mowed.

No real help on the rest, unfortunately.  We did just pick up a knock off Husqvarna made by Craftsman.  Has a Honda engine on it and it is awesome.

Current push mower is a Honda and has run for the past 7+ years just fine. It just takes to dang lo to cut. 

And unless I want a lot of dead grass all over the yard, bagging is the only option right now. Mulching just bogs down the blades and causes the mower to die.  It's so think that mulching can't keep up. It grew 2" in 4 days this week. Not to mention I've been cutting twice a week since early March. 

We get a lot of rain and sun, plus cool temps at night and warm spring days. I love TN, but dang I hate how long it takes to cut the grass. 

octavious said:

We get a lot of rain and sun, plus cool temps at night and warm spring days. I love TN, but dang I hate how long it takes to cut the grass. 

 

TIL not to have a huge lawn when I retire down there.

Wife and I will be down the first two weeks of August this summer in our Cayman if you want to run Deal's Gap...

I have a big backyard and like walking but I'm wearing out at the time it takes.  A riding mower is not really that practical.  

I have had decent luck with Toro's and if I need a part it's easy at my local Toro dealer.

I'm struggling with paying $700 used or $1,100 new for one of the 30" wide Timemaster's.  I'll let you know if I pull the trigger.

preach (fs) said:

octavious said:

We get a lot of rain and sun, plus cool temps at night and warm spring days. I love TN, but dang I hate how long it takes to cut the grass. 

 

TIL not to have a huge lawn when I retire down there.

Wife and I will be down the first two weeks of August this summer in our Cayman if you want to run Deal's Gap...

yeah man, I'm super close to getting the 911 back on the road. New tires go on tomorrow and then I need to sort the muffler out. Took a test ride around my neighborhood with the headers on but no muffler and when I got back my wife said "when do the mufflers go on? Asking for a friend..."

I've lived in Knoxville the last 10+ years and Nashville for 3 before that. So let me know if you have any questions about the area. 

If $$$ is no issue, Grasshopper makes a nasty diesel powered zero turn, loads of municipal users, Buy in is steep but man they cut grass!

What kind of grass?  Is the Cub a single or twin blade?  All Cub I have seen are multi blade.

FWIW, a  SKAG would really be overkill on that small of a yard.

SKAG makes a good commercial mower.  We used to used one to cut 19 hours a week but then we went to a FERRIS - another commecial grade mower.

Honda is out of the riding mower business. Has been for some time, I was told.

Sounds like you need something a little bigger and torque-ier. Larger deck size will save you time, and more torque will prevent bogging down and reduce the need to bag. Frequent cutting will help that as well.

Ive got 3 acres and I usually need to mow every 4 days this time of year. I've got a Scag 72" zero turn and I can do my 3 acres in about an hour. It's designed to cut lots of grass all day every day. You probably don't need something as large or quite as heavy duty as mine for a half acre, but I would lean toward something light-commercial for your needs. Commercial mowers are designed to process lot of grass quickly. Everything from the engine spec to the deck design and discharge chute work together a lot better than something with more of a homeowner focus.

A ride on Zero Turn from a commercial manufacturer will of course do it just fine, but I think a "walk behind" unit (with or without the sulky) or "stand on" commercial zero turn might be the better choice if your hill is steep as they're easier to bail out if things go sideways. They're also cheaper than the big riding ZTRs. You don't need a $10k+ mower for your situation, but you might need a $5-7k mower if you really want to cut your time and effort. Also check online for used options. 

I'd shop brands like Scag, Hustler, Exmark, and John Deere depending on dealers near you. Look at what's on the landscaping trailers that you see to get a good idea of what might work well in your area and which brands are likely to have local dealer support.

I havent bought a mower since 2008 when we bought our 50" Dixie Chopper. I don't envision a day that I replace it either. our 2 acres with trees and stuff takes me about 90 minutes to mow and the grass grows so fast and so deep it's like bailing hay at times. Never slows this thing down. 

Deck design and blade speed are key for what you're trying to do. Most of the residential stuff just doesn't have the speed or the deck to handle thick turf style grass. even used commercial equipment will likely last longer than most of the big box store stuff. Also, zero turn for life here. I'll never go back to a standard style mower.

Gravely used to build mowers in between residential and commercial durability. Is that still the case?

The Gravely  name is still out there.  Gravely was bought by Ariens in the early 80's.  According to Company Histories.com:  'By the late 1990s, Ariens was manufacturing not only its own line, but putting out mowers under the brand names Scotts and Husquvarna. It also manufactured snowblowers for Lesco. Ariens brought out new models in all its lines for 2001.'

When I was with HD in the 90's we sold Lesco mowers in our store as an upgrade to commercial line..

All of these are going to be overkill for your situation but if you’re set on a zero turn there may be some useful info here. 

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/new-or-used-commercial-zero-turn-for-8-acres/174900/page1/

Net result was a Ferris because it has full suspension at the wheels and on our awful lot that was 100% necessary, even if we weren’t trying to keep volunteers coming back.

The difference over rough terrain is night and day, even compared to the ones with other kinds of suspension. If zero turn it must be, get the lowest end commercial Ferris and be done with it. 

But you sound like a prime candidate for a standard garden tractor. I bought a used 2002 JD L150 for my cleared half acre for $500 two years ago and I’m done in half an hour. Bag when it’s too high then mulch when it gets reasonable